What role of family dynamic did women play in the late 18th early 19th century Maine?
The main role of women during the late 18th early 19th century was to be a neighbor. Being a neighbor in the 18th century is not like being a neighbor of today. Being a neighbor of that time included being a midwife, weaver, dressmaker, keeping your house and continuing to keep the community alive and striving. Women were not included in the economic business of the town unless they owned a shop that sold dresses or other products that they had woven. However they provided services and were paid for those services with money or goods that benefited their family economics. The womens role in the 18th century centered around their neighbors and home lives. The womens role is described well in A Midwife's Tale, The Life of Martha Ballard by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.
Martha Ballard showed that women had many jobs. Hers included midwife, healer, mother, weaver, book keeper and keeping her house. During her career as midwife, she preformed 814 deliveries in Hallowell, Maine. Being a midwife was not just a simple job of preforming deliveries but also as a healer she tended to all of the neighbors wounds, illnesses and sores, even through the hardest times of the year when the snow was up to your knees in a blizzard. Martha provides us with many examples of her struggles through the snow and river. "1,2,3,4,5 At Mr Parkers 5 days. At Mr Parkers. His Lady is about house. The river is difficult to pass." (1) This entry from Martha's diary shows that she was forced to stay at the Parker house because the river was half frozen, to much ice to take a boat across and not enough ice to walk across. Martha made many deliveries with minimal losses, she reported every delivery she attend or preformed. "At Whites. His wife was delivered at 12 O Clok of a daughter and I was Called back to Mr Parkers. His Lady was deliverd at 0 hour 30 minutes of a daughter. I am some fatagud." (1) In this one example Martha delivered two separate children for two different families the Whites and the Parkers. Midwifes not only attended and preformed deliveries they also tended to all of their neighbors and family members in times of illness. " At Mr Hinkleys. Shee remaind poorly till afternoon then by remedys & other means shee got Easyer. I tarried all night" (1) Martha also mentions the names of other neighbors whom are midwifes attending deliveries, showing that there were a number of women in the town that were midwifes or ladies who came to help during deliveries. These activities were important parts of women's roles at the time. Martha's diary tells us that the job of midwife and healing was an important job of women in the late 18th early 19th centuries.
A second role of women was creating textiles through weaving, knitting and dressmaking. The women in the town weave all the products for the town for their own use for income or for payment of deeds. Martha and all of her daughter weaved for themselves and others. "Dolly wove her 7 yds of Diaper.", "Dolly warpt a piece for Mrs Pollard of 39 yards.", "Hannah began to weave Cyrus' web", " I have been at home knitting". (1) Hannah, Dolly and Martha spend their time knitting and weaving for others only when they have been married do they make themselves blankets. "The girls quilted a two quilts.... They began to quilt at 3 hour pm. Finished and took it out at 7 evening." " The next day they put the quilt into the fraim." The ladies in the town used weaving knitting and dressmaking as a form of payment. When Martha would deliver a baby or provide neighbors with medical help she would receive a variety of items for payment such as, " 7/6 reward" " shee made me a present of 1/2 lb Souchong Tea." Knitting, Weaving and Dressmaking is the second role of women in the late 18th early 19th centuries. This is seen in the diary through Martha's discussion of textiles produced by her family.
A third role of 18th / 19th century women as neighbors was to raise their children, keep their house which often included book keeping. Martha was a midwife and a weaver but foremost she was a mother, raising her children. Martha taught her children how to weave. Which was a trade that would help them earn money as well as provide needed textiles for their family. When Martha's daughters married the journal repeatedly mentions the girls quilting, "The girls quilted a Bed quillt 7 went to Mr. Craggs spent Eveng." (1) and "The girls quilted two quilts. Hannah Rockwood & Mrs. Benjamin helpt the Evening." (1)
Martha had another job as a women, she had to keep the house. She gives a variety of examples of this throughout her diary, " A rainy day, I have been at home kniting.", "Pikt green peas in our gardin," and " I combd flax." In keeping the house Martha was pushed into her last job as book keeper. Martha kept the records of all of her earnings and spendings in a separate book from her diary, while also using diary. Martha was a consistent record keeper, in her diary she recorded all of the deliveries she preformed, the condition of the mother and child when she left and if they had paid their fees to her. She used a system of XX to show that the delivery was paid for, whether they paid it that day or three years later. Motherhood, house keeping and book keeping are important jobs of 18th and 19th century women.
The women of the late 18th early 19th centuries had many roles in being a neighbor. Neighbors of this time preformed medical assistance as a midwife, produces textiles and took care of their homes and families. Although it was not common knowledge, Martha's diary shows that women were an essential part of the economics and keeping the society connected. Their payment for their services enhanced their families lives. Martha often received a variety of payments that benefited her family. "I have been at home. Recievd 1/2 Bushel of rie of Captain Hersey as reward for asisting his lady." (1) All of the roles of the 18th and 19th century women were essential to family and community life.
Source:
Ulrich, Laurel T. A Midwife's Tale. New York: Vintage Books, 1991.
Martha Ballard showed that women had many jobs. Hers included midwife, healer, mother, weaver, book keeper and keeping her house. During her career as midwife, she preformed 814 deliveries in Hallowell, Maine. Being a midwife was not just a simple job of preforming deliveries but also as a healer she tended to all of the neighbors wounds, illnesses and sores, even through the hardest times of the year when the snow was up to your knees in a blizzard. Martha provides us with many examples of her struggles through the snow and river. "1,2,3,4,5 At Mr Parkers 5 days. At Mr Parkers. His Lady is about house. The river is difficult to pass." (1) This entry from Martha's diary shows that she was forced to stay at the Parker house because the river was half frozen, to much ice to take a boat across and not enough ice to walk across. Martha made many deliveries with minimal losses, she reported every delivery she attend or preformed. "At Whites. His wife was delivered at 12 O Clok of a daughter and I was Called back to Mr Parkers. His Lady was deliverd at 0 hour 30 minutes of a daughter. I am some fatagud." (1) In this one example Martha delivered two separate children for two different families the Whites and the Parkers. Midwifes not only attended and preformed deliveries they also tended to all of their neighbors and family members in times of illness. " At Mr Hinkleys. Shee remaind poorly till afternoon then by remedys & other means shee got Easyer. I tarried all night" (1) Martha also mentions the names of other neighbors whom are midwifes attending deliveries, showing that there were a number of women in the town that were midwifes or ladies who came to help during deliveries. These activities were important parts of women's roles at the time. Martha's diary tells us that the job of midwife and healing was an important job of women in the late 18th early 19th centuries.
A second role of women was creating textiles through weaving, knitting and dressmaking. The women in the town weave all the products for the town for their own use for income or for payment of deeds. Martha and all of her daughter weaved for themselves and others. "Dolly wove her 7 yds of Diaper.", "Dolly warpt a piece for Mrs Pollard of 39 yards.", "Hannah began to weave Cyrus' web", " I have been at home knitting". (1) Hannah, Dolly and Martha spend their time knitting and weaving for others only when they have been married do they make themselves blankets. "The girls quilted a two quilts.... They began to quilt at 3 hour pm. Finished and took it out at 7 evening." " The next day they put the quilt into the fraim." The ladies in the town used weaving knitting and dressmaking as a form of payment. When Martha would deliver a baby or provide neighbors with medical help she would receive a variety of items for payment such as, " 7/6 reward" " shee made me a present of 1/2 lb Souchong Tea." Knitting, Weaving and Dressmaking is the second role of women in the late 18th early 19th centuries. This is seen in the diary through Martha's discussion of textiles produced by her family.
A third role of 18th / 19th century women as neighbors was to raise their children, keep their house which often included book keeping. Martha was a midwife and a weaver but foremost she was a mother, raising her children. Martha taught her children how to weave. Which was a trade that would help them earn money as well as provide needed textiles for their family. When Martha's daughters married the journal repeatedly mentions the girls quilting, "The girls quilted a Bed quillt 7 went to Mr. Craggs spent Eveng." (1) and "The girls quilted two quilts. Hannah Rockwood & Mrs. Benjamin helpt the Evening." (1)
Martha had another job as a women, she had to keep the house. She gives a variety of examples of this throughout her diary, " A rainy day, I have been at home kniting.", "Pikt green peas in our gardin," and " I combd flax." In keeping the house Martha was pushed into her last job as book keeper. Martha kept the records of all of her earnings and spendings in a separate book from her diary, while also using diary. Martha was a consistent record keeper, in her diary she recorded all of the deliveries she preformed, the condition of the mother and child when she left and if they had paid their fees to her. She used a system of XX to show that the delivery was paid for, whether they paid it that day or three years later. Motherhood, house keeping and book keeping are important jobs of 18th and 19th century women.
The women of the late 18th early 19th centuries had many roles in being a neighbor. Neighbors of this time preformed medical assistance as a midwife, produces textiles and took care of their homes and families. Although it was not common knowledge, Martha's diary shows that women were an essential part of the economics and keeping the society connected. Their payment for their services enhanced their families lives. Martha often received a variety of payments that benefited her family. "I have been at home. Recievd 1/2 Bushel of rie of Captain Hersey as reward for asisting his lady." (1) All of the roles of the 18th and 19th century women were essential to family and community life.
Source:
Ulrich, Laurel T. A Midwife's Tale. New York: Vintage Books, 1991.
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