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For your interest. Recently received from the chronicler
of family history. The plaque spoken of is very plain & doesn't
mention midwifery.
"Hello Cousin Mary.. thank you for mutual interest in our
forebare Mary Carroll/King the question as to your mothers and my great
grand mother being a woman who assisted many women during child birth...
the answer would lie in the story passed on the generations that came
after her as told by some of her own children namely my grandfather Daniel his
sister Julia and so on ..also a mr Horace Oakley who seemed to have pride in
announcing to any interested King family member that it was mammy King who put
the first flannel on his back.. Horace I believe as a child was practally
brought up by the King family as his mother had died and rumour has it she
walked into the sea near Portland and drowned .. [I have never checked his
mother's story so I don't know if this is fact or fiction... ] Horace
being considerably younger than other members of Mary's family would [if
available ] accompany her carrying a light of some description during
night times as she walked and sometimes a fair distance in all kinds of
weather.. Was Mary a registered nurse ???...I would think not because when she
arrived in this country she was barely 18 years old could read only and at 19
she was married and pregant.. during her child bearing life she gave birth to 12
children.. with these considered it highly unlikely but on the other hand she
must have been indeed very experienced and by all accounts very popular..It
would seem some women had talent for that sort of thing [perhaps God gifted]
My guess if birth certificates of those children born in and around
Portland between years 1860-1900 could be looked at more than likely we would
find Mary's name as present at it's birth ...I have one such certificate in my
possession which states just that ...See the attachments re a llittle on Mary
and a plaque that we had made and placed on the commemoration wall which depicts
the immigrants that first stepped foot on soil at Portland after leaving their
native land.."
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