Effie
Gullett, Boyd County, Kentucky, Midwife
1872
- 1960
Compiled
and transcribed by Teresa Martin Klaiber May 2012
Effie was born 20 April 1872, the first child of
Fleming Low Brown and wife Sena E. Porter.
She married Henry Allen Gullett [son of James Presley and Susan Ann
Fraley Gullett] at Pleasant Hill School
House, Limestone, Carter County, Kentucky on 21 April 1889.
I am extremely grateful to the Gullett family for
sharing pages from the family bible as well as trusting me with ten of Effie’s
recorded midwife books between 1920 and 1945.
The genealogy community will benefit tremendously from these wonderful
records.
Census records place Henry Allen and Effie in Boyd
County beginning in 1900. They are listed as living on Williams Creek, Coalton
of Cannonsburg District. While the
district name changes from 1900 thru 1930 the census still indicates they
stayed in this area of the county. Her
husband is listed as a coal miner and not one census record indicates that
Effie brought countless numbers of Boyd County folk into the world.
Ida Effie Brown Gullett was a midwife in Boyd County
more than two and a half decades. She
practiced midwifery in the 1920’s when as many as fifty percent of women gave
birth in hospitals. Living in the southwest
section of Boyd County families still found it a comfort to have their babies
at home. Effie practiced into the 1930’s. By 1930 trained qualified public health
nurses practiced midwifery. Effie
followed the protocol filing proper Kentucky Board of Health forms for
physicians and signing as midwife.
By 1939 doctors were using “twilight sleep” for
deliveries in hospitals. Effie continued in the 1940’s with home
deliveries. By then fifty percent of
women and 75 percent of urban women went to hospitals for delivery.
I have completed digitizing each page of the books
entrusted in my care. From dates within the books/booklets there were probably
many more births and other little books still tucked away or lost with time. A
copy of the digitized records, with permission from the family, will be placed
in the Boyd County Public Library for future researchers who wish to utilize
them.
A random check of entries show several mis-spellings in
the Kentucky State Birth Index. One
child was entered as male when it is clearly a female named Iva [not named Ival]. Another
random check shows several filed many years after the initial birth. Other entries
could not be located or were filed with a modified given name later.
Some entries are out of sequence in
Effie’s books. Entries were written twice and the perforation removed and one
copy sent to the state. A family member says that if a person visited for proof of birth she would tear out the page entry and give it to the person. There are several pages missing in each book.
| Surname, Given Name | Date of Birth | Family Information |
|---|---|---|
| Flood, Anna G. | 22 Mar 1922 | Born Boyd County, Princess #10. Girl. Legitimate. Father Virgil Flood, white, age 25, born Salt Lick, occupation traveling man. Mother's maiden name Amellie Shelton, white, age 25, born Old Princess, housewife. Number of children of this mother 3. |
| Gullett, Henry Marvin | 21 July 1920 | Born Boyd Co., Princess #10. Male, legitimate. Father J. W. Gullett, white, 30, born Elliott Co., miner. Mother maiden Eliza Maynard, white, 24, born Pike Co., housewife. Number of child of this mother 2 both living. |
| Hall, Charl[e]s | 1 Mar 1921 | Born Boyd Co., Princes #10. Male, legitimate. Father Gaylord Hall, white, 20, born Carter County, miner. Mother maiden Allice Stephens, white, 22, born Boyd Co., housewife. 1st child. |
| Hall, Way Ward | 19 Aug 1922 | Born Boyd Co., Princess. Father Claud Hall, white, 24, born KY, miner. Mother maiden name Lillie Stephens, white, 18. First Child. [KY State Index filed as Herman Hall, certificate 48612] |
| Hicks, Andrew | 11 Jan 1920 | Born Boyd Co., Geyer Bridge. Male, legitimate. Father Andrew Hicks, white, age 71, born KY, laborer. Mother's maiden name Rebeca Lawson, white, 45, born Boyd Co., housewife. Number of child of this mother 11, living 9. [KY Index mis-read maiden as Elis] |
| Huff, Coals | 29 Apr 1920 | Born Boyd Co., Cannonsburg. Male, leigitimate. Father John Huff, white, 56, born Carter Co., farmer. Mother's maiden name Mary Brown, white, 39, born Boyd Co., housewife. Number of child of this mother 8 all living. [KY State Index lists him as Samuel C.] |
| Kazee, Walter Carlis | 5 Dec 1920 | Born Boyd Co., Geyer Bridge. Male, legitimate. Father Curtis Kazee, white, no age given, born Boyd Co., miner. Mother maiden Virgie Dove, white, no age given, born Boyd Co., housewife. 1st child. |
| Kazee, Will Jr. | 7 Mar 1923 | Born Boyd Co., Cannonsburg. Male. Legitimate. Father Will Kazee, white, age 27, born KY, coal miner. Mother's maiden name Carrie Terry, white, age 19, born KY, housewife. Number of chilfren of this mother 2. |
| Keeton, Lonnie | 11 Apr 1923 | Born Greenup County. Male. Legitimate. Father Dan Keeton, white, age 21, born Johnson County, occupation roller. Mother's maiden name Dora Blevins, white, age 21 born Johnson County, housefie. Number of child of this mother 2. |
| Keffer, Garnet | 15 Nov 1922 | Born Boyd County, Princess #10. Female. Legitimate. Father Robert Keffer, white, age 31, born Grayson, teamster. Mother's maiden name Minnie Steele, white, age 21, born Olive Hill, housewife. Number of child of this mother 2. |
| Kirk, William E. | 3 Sep 1922 | Born Boyd Co., Princess. Father Vint Kirk, white, 27, born Boyd Co., miner. Mother maiden name Bertha Hicks, white, 23, born Boyd Co. 2nd Child. Still birth. |
| Kitchen, Billie G. | 19 Sep 1922 | Born Boyd County, Coalton #7. Male. Legitimate. Father Charles Kitchen, white, age 37, born Rush, miner. Mother's maiden name Arael Mcnight, white, age 38, born Flat Woods, Ohio, housewife. Number of child of this mother 7. |
| Lawson, Helen Charline | 17 Nov 1922 | Born Boyd County, Princess #10. Female. Legitimate. Father Jessie Lawson, white, age 30 born Boyd County, miner. Mother's maiden name Cora Lee Moore, white, age 30, born Boyd County, housewife. Nubmer of child of this mother 4. |
| Lawson, Millard | 27 May 1922 | Born Boyd Co., Princess #10. Male, legitimate. Father Jeff Lawson, white, 44, born KY, miner. Mother maiden name Lyda More, white, 40, born KY, housewife. 9th child, 8 living. |
| Lawson, Waneda F. | 3 May 1920 | Born Boyd Co., Geyer Bridge. Female, legitimate. Father Jeff Lawson, white, 41, born Boyd Co., miner. Mother's maiden name Lydia Moore, white, 36, born KY, housewife. Number of child of this mother 8 all living. [State index shows Jaunita F. on 2 May] |
| Pack, Frank | 26 Feb 1921 | Born Boyd Co., Princess #10. Male. Legitimate. Father Charl[e]s A. Pack, white, no further information. Mother's maiden name Esta More, no further information. |
| Stephens, Pauline E. | 4 Apr 1922 | Born Boyd County, Princess #10. Female, legitimate. Father Lead Stephens, white, age 24, born KY, miner. Mother's maiden name Stella Hall, white, age 19, born KY, housewife. Number of child to this mother 2. Number of children of this mother now living 1. |
| Terry, Ben Jr. | 25 Jan 1922 | Born Boyd Co., Princess #10. Male, legitimate. Father B. H. Terry, white, 33, born Carter County, miner. Mother maiden Sarah Stephens, white, 29, born Boyd County, housewife. 3rd child all living. |
| Terry, Ruby Charline | 4 Apr 1921 | Born Boyd Co., Princess #10. Female, legitimate. Father William Terry, white, 26, born Boyd Co., day laborer. Mother's maiden name Rosemary Williams, white, 24, born Boyd Co., housewife. Number of child of this mother 2 both living. [KY Index as Raby N.] |
| Troxel, June | 17 Mar 1922 | Born Boyd Co., Princess #10. Female, legitimate. Twin 2nd in order of birth. Father Luther Troxel, 27, born KY, Mother maiden Bertha Stephens, white, age 30 [20?] born Boyd Co., housewife. [Record says born 17 Mar. State Index filed 27 Mar. Cert. 11257] |
| Troxel, Pauline | 27 Mar 1922 | Born Boyd Co., Princess #10. Female, legitimate. Twin. 1st in order of birth. Father Luther Troxel, white, 27, born KY, miner. Mother maiden Bertha Stepehsn, white, 30 [20?], born Boyd, Co, housewife. 2nd child. Two living. "Still" |
| Walker, Waneda | 11 Feb 1921 | Born Greenup Co. Female. Legitimate. Father J. F. Walker, white, 39, farmer. Mother not listed. |
| Withrow, Burton | 14 Oct 1922 | Born Boyd Co., Coalton #7. Male, legitimate. Father James Withrow, white, 39, born Carter Co., railroader. Morther maiden name Levia Hall, white, 30, housewife. 6th child with 5 living. |
To be continued.
