From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)
African American Midwives in Kentucky
(start date: 1860 - end date: 1986)By Reinette F. Jones, September 2025
From the earliest days of settlements in Kentucky, midwives provided care to women during their pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. The number of midwives included enslaved African women who cared for both races and also tended to the sick and dying. In 1852, the Kentucky birth and death registration systems were attempted, then abandoned in 1862. It would not be until 1911 when mandatory statewide registration of births and deaths were established, and there were midwives who signed off on the certificates before and after the year 1911. Data on African American births that were attended by midwives are included in the statistics reported in the Bulletin of the State Board of Health of Kentucky and the Kentucky Vital Statistics Report.
There was a mandatory registration of midwives in Kentucky in 1920 and again in 1922 when the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health was established. Surveys were distributed to get an idea of the number of midwives in Kentucky in 1922 (2,500 registered midwives) and again in 1925 (2,245 registered midwives). One of the recommended conclusions was that midwives needed training and education. The exact number of midwives in Kentucky was still unknown at the conclusion of the 1925 survey because there were practicing midwives who had not been reached by the Bureau due to their unknown locations throughout the state.
1925 SURVEY RESULTS - MIDWIVES REGISTERED IN KENTUCKY
1,402 White Midwives
214 Negro Midwives
629 Midwives (race unknown)
2,245 Midwives in Kentucky
SOURCE: "Kentucky's Chief Maternal Menace-- the Untrained Midwife." Archival Material, Author Unknown, 1926, p.1. The Midwifery Collection at the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center. Online at Explore UK.
When the overall number of midwives in Kentucky were declining in the early 1900s, African American midwives continued to be called upon to deliver babies. In more recent times, there have been articles and books written about the history of African American midwives in the South. But almost nothing has been written specifically about the contributions of African American midwives in Kentucky. Part of the challenge has been finding their names and the communities where they lived and cared for their patients.
Included in the first list below are some of their names and locations, and the sources used to find that information. There are also data below for births in Kentucky and the delivery attendants: physicians, midwives, other. There are no data in this entry on deliveries prior to the end of slavery. Archival sources that mention enslaved midwives, most often do not identify the women by their names, or they are identified by their first names only. Gathering the data will take a much more detailed search in primary sources such as manuscripts, letters, legal papers, and ledgers. Pay for the services of enslaved African midwives went to the slave owner, the same as was true for the outsourced labor of other enslaved persons.
In the 1855 Death Records ledger for Caldwell County, KY, the enslaved midwife of W. B. Young is listed among the slaves by her first name, Patience. She was said to be 62 years old. Patience died on May 3, 1854, when she fell from a horse. Her death is recorded on p.2 of the ledger that is available online at FamilySearch (full text).
There are also references to enslaved midwives in early medical journals. In his 1835 journal article, Dr. John P. Harrison refers to an attendant as "an old colored midwife." Harrison was from Louisville, KY. His article was published in the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal. In another reference, there is mention of "the one colored midwife," a formerly enslaved woman in the Kentucky mountains, mentioned in Wide Neighborhoods: a story of the Frontier Nursing Service by Mary Breckinridge.
The Frontier Nursing Service started in 1925 and was segregated. Mary Breckinridge, founder of the service, was a segregationist. The nursing services were not available to African Americans, and there were no African American midwives with the Frontier Nursing Service prior to Mary Breckinridge's death in 1965. The title, A Great Heart: the story of Mary Breckinridge, her midwives/nurses and the people they served, contains the story of midwife Nancy Pearl tending to an African American preacher's wife, Belva Sturgill. The book is a historical fiction/biographical fiction.
The absence of African American midwives' names in the literature, reference books, and academic journals takes nothing away from the women's permanent role in the history of obstetric care in Kentucky. Starting in 1860, the first and last names of free African American midwives in Kentucky were enumerated in the census and mortality schedules. Starting in the 1900s, some of their names were published in Kentucky newspapers. It is worth noting that the articles did not always indicate a midwife's race. It was highly unusual for African Americans not to be mentioned by race in Kentucky newspapers prior to 1970. For this entry, additional documents such as the U.S. Census schedules, and other public records have been used to confirm the race of the midwives listed below.
Some of the midwives' names in the newspapers were mentioned in conjunction with birthing incidents that were meant to discredit the skills and knowledge of midwives. Bringing attention to the midwives' lack of a medical education was prevalent in the early 1900s. There was a push for women to have a medically trained male doctor deliver their babies and have the births take place in more sterile environments that included hospitals and clinics when possible. For pregnant African American women, there was an extremely limited number of African American doctors (college trained) in Kentucky and even fewer hospitals were available due to segregation practices and laws. The low level of doctor and hospital availability was also true for all pregnant women in the poorest regions of the state. Midwives were the more affordable choice for some women and their families. The slowly decreasing number of midwives in Kentucky never got to the point where there were absolutely no pregnant women and families seeking their services.
It is unknown exactly how many African American midwives have practiced in Kentucky from the earliest of times to the present day. The research is ongoing and the list below should not be taken as an indication that each woman's sole occupation was that of a midwife. African American midwives took on additional work to support their families: laundry, cooking, maid and servant work, etc. Much of the history of African American midwives in Kentucky continues to be a word-of-mouth history that has been shared from one generation to the next.
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SOME OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MIDWIVES IN KENTUCKY
ADAIR COUNTY
Cheatham, Lucy (b.1798-?). Columbia. 1860 U.S. Census Schedule.
BELL COUNTY
Green, Lula (1915 - June 18, 1958). Pineville. Find A Grave.
BRECKINRIDGE COUNTY
Carman, Eva Green Watts (May 27, 1884 - September 19, 1990). Irvington. "A Generation remembers, 1900-1909." Messenger-Inquirer, 01 September 1986, p.1A-11A; see Dr. Eva Green Watts Carman at Find A Grave.
Watts, Sara Duncan (March 19, 1864 - December 19, 1949). Dogwalk (now Rosetta). {Mother of Eva Green Watts Carman.}; "A Generation remembers, 1900-1909." Messenger-Inquirer, 01 September 1986, p.1A-11A.
BOYLE COUNTY
Adams, Juna. Little Needmore. "Lula Bottoms Thompson." The Kentucky Advocate, 23 June 1991, p.B11.
Caldwell, Delsie (b.June 1835-?). Danville. 1900 U.S. Census Schedule.
Cooper, Mary A. (b.1828-?). Mitchellsburg. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
CALDWELL COUNTY
Kevil, Mariah (b.1815-?). Princeton. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
CHRISTIAN COUNTY
Blankenship, Florence. Hopkinsville. p.55 in Caron's Directory of the City of Hopkinsville, Ky. for 1914 -- 1915 -- 1916.
Dunlap, Kiziah. Hopkinsville. p.118 in Caron's Directory of the City of Hopkinsville, KY. for 1916 -- 1917-- 1918.
Givins, Georgia W. Hopkinsville. p.135 in Caron's Directory of the City of Hopkinsville, Ky. for 1914 -- 1915 -- 1916.
Hutcherson, Augusta. Hopkinsville. p.156 in Caron's Directory of the City of Hopkinsville for 1912-13-14.
McReynolds, Susie. Hopkinsville. p.216 in Caron's Directory of the City of Hopkinsville, KY. for 1916 -- 1917-- 1918.
Moore, Maria (b.1832-?). Hopkinsville. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
Moss, Amanda Cushenberry (September 11, 1896 - October 25, 1993). Hopkinsville. Thomas, Jacob. "Black history event focus placed on local achievements." Kentucky New Era, 29 February 2016, p.6.
Radford, Betty Mumford (b.1852-?). 1940 U.S. Census Schedule.
Richardson, Carrie. Hopkinsville. p.251 in Caron's Directory of the City of Hopkinsville, Ky. for 1914 -- 1915 -- 1916.
Robson, Lydia. Hopkinsville. p.254 in Caron's Directory of the City of Hopkinsville, Ky. for 1914 -- 1915 -- 1916.
Torian, Josephine (December 8, 1927 - February 10, 2015). Hopkinsville. See Josephine Torian in "Obituaries." Kentucky New Era. 14 February 2015, p.2; see Josephine Torian Atkins at Find A Grave.
Whitlock, Lydia. Hopkinsville. p.283 in Caron's Directory of the City of Hopkinsville for 1912-13-14.
CLARK COUNTY
Tinsley, Sallie (January 1, 1882 - July 11, 1933). Winchester. Kentucky Birth Certificate File #15799, Registered #120; see Sallie A. Green Tinsley at Find A Grave.
Webb, Rachel (b.1797-?). Winchester. 1870 U.S. Census Schedule.
EDMONSON COUNTY
Woodson, Janie (March 15, 1868 - July 10, 1940). Parker. 1920 U.S. Census Schedule; Find A Grave; Indiana Death Certificate Registered #23419.
ESTILL COUNTY
Taylor, Sarah (b.1802-?). Crooked Creek. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
FAYETTE COUNTY
Allen, Lucy (b.1827-?). Lexington. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
Baker, Belle (b.1870 - January 14, 1929). Lexington. "Board of Health sends Negro baby to hospital." The Lexington Herald, 23 December 1915, p.20; 1920 U.S. Census Schedule; "Mrs. Belle Baker died ..." in "Colored Notes." The Lexington Leader, 16 January 1929, p.19.
Black, Nannie. Lexington. p.167 in The Lexington City Directory for 1902-1903.
Blankenship, Bettie. Lexington. "Unusual charge against a woman." Lexington Leader, 25 March 1915, p.5.
Crittenden, Lucy. Lexington. p.170 in Polk's Lexington (Kentucky) City Directory, 1928.
Davis, Martha. Lexington. 1908-1917 Kentucky birth certificates in FamilySearch.
Gordon, Minnie (b.1808-?). Lexington. 1870 U.S. Census Schedule.
Hickman, Ellen (b.1823-?). Lexington. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
Lindsey, Katherine (b.June 1842-?). Lexington. 1900 U.S. Census Schedule.
Montjoy, Lena (b.April 1873-?). Lexington. 1908-1910 Kentucky birth certificates in FamilySearch.
Montjoy, Mary Jane (b.April 7, 1833-?). Lexington. 1908-1910 Kentucky birth certificates in FamilySearch.
Morrison, Bettie. Lexington. "Lexington news. "The Louisville Post," 11 February 1887, front page.
Robinson, Rosanna (b.1750? - April 1860). Lexington. p.155 in U.S. Census Mortality Schedule, Fayette County, KY, 1860.
Shelton, Rebecca (b.1815-?). Lexington. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
Smith, Eliza. Lexington. 1908-1910 Kentucky birth certificates in FamilySearch; "Blindness." Lexington Leader, 23 December 1915, p.12.
Winn, Kitty (b.1815-?). Lexington. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
FRANKLIN COUNTY
Patterson, Miranda (b.1816-?). Frankfort. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
FLOYD COUNTY
Rogers, Emily C. (b.1856-?). Mud. 1920 U.S. Census Schedule.
FULTON COUNTY
Black, Josie May Carman (June 6, 1898 - November 23, 1982). Fulton. "Mrs. Black dies: rites Saturday" in "Deaths and Funerals." The Mayfield Messenger, 24 November 1982, p.16; "Jackson Purchase Historical Society publishes journal." Marshall County Tribune-Courier, 08 December 2022, front page & p.5.
GRANT COUNTY
Mandy. "Mandy, the colored midwife." The Grant County News, 28 February 1947, p.4.
GRAVES COUNTY
Dunbar, Pheba (b.1822-?). Pryorsburg. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
GRAYSON COUNTY
Rhodes, Millie Haynes (February 19, 1848 - May 6, 1924). Leitchfield. 1910 U.S. Census Schedule; Find A Grave; Kentucky Death Certificate File #11450.
HARDIN COUNTY
Wright, Sallie West (b.1865-1944). Find A Grave; Find A Grave.
HARLAN COUNTY
Canady, Callie (b.1895-?). Lynch. 1920 U.S. Census Schedule.
HART COUNTY
Parmer, Mary (b.1875-?). Horse Cave. 1920 U.S. Census Schedule.
HENDERSON COUNTY
Clay, Lillie (b.1870-?). Henderson. 1920 U.S. Census Schedule.
Terry, Sally (b.1805-?). Henderson. 1870 U.S. Census Schedule.
HICKMAN COUNTY
Green, Martha (b.May 1842-?). Columbus. 1900 U.S. Census Schedule.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Barnett, Louisa (b.1850-?). Louisville. 1920 U.S. Census Schedule.
Beeler, Sallie. Louisville. "Warrant issued against Negro woman midwife." The Courier-Journal, 10 October 1907, p.10.
Caldwell, Julia (b.1882-?). Louisville. 1950 U.S. Census Schedule.
Coleman, Malinda (b.1800-?). Louisville. 1870 U.S. Census Schedule.
Custard, Sarah (b.1824-?). Louisville. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
Fields, Maria. Louisville. p.322 in Caron's Directory of the City of Louisville for 1887.
Flowers, Mary (b.1836-?). Louisville. p.357 in Caron's Directory of the City of Louisville 1889; 1910 U.S. Census Schedule.
Hart, Mary. Louisville. Source: "An Abandoned babe." The Courier-Journal, 17 February 1887, p.6.
Howard, Tempey (b.1855-?). Louisville. 1900 U.S. Census Schedule; p.177 in Caron's Directory of the City of Louisville, 1916.
Mayfield, Harriet (b.June 1850-?). Louisville. 1900 U.S. Census Schedule.
Ray, Ruth. Louisville. p.738 in Caron's Directory of the City of Louisville for 1887.
Terry, Delia. Louisville. 1910 U.S. Census Schedule; "Fined for not saving sight." The Courier-Journal, 15 December 1915, p.9; p.2041 in Caron's Directory of the City of Louisville, Ky. for 1927.
Thompson, Jane (b.1855-?). South Highland Park. 1920 U.S. Census Schedule.
White, Henretta (b.1842-?). Louisville. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule; p.936 in Caron's Directory of the City of Louisville for 1887.
Wright, Henrietta. Louisville. Source: "Shocking crime against a girl." The Courier-Journal, 19 January 1897, front page.
LINCOLN COUNTY
Masterson, Anna G. Pennington (b. December 18, 1894 - September 21, 1993). Stanford. McCormack, Robert B. "At 91, this midwife makes house calls." The Interior Journal, 06 March 1986, front page & p.5.
LOGAN COUNTY
Bibb, Anna (1820-?). Herroldsville.1860 U. S. Census Schedule.
Carr, Emma (b.1853 - March 8, 1947). Russellville. 1920 U.S. Census Schedule; Kentucky Death Certificate State File #6769.
Morehead, Alice (b.1863 - ?). Gordonsville. Griffin, Mark. "Gordonsville community was almost the county seat." News Democrat & Leader, 9 October 1995, front page & p.2.
Poindexter, Emily (b.1840-?). Russellville. 1900 U.S. Census Schedule.
LYON COUNTY
Peacher, Clarissa (March 1, 1826 - June 11, 1914). Eddyville. Kentucky Death Certificate File #1623, Registered #174.
MADISON COUNTY
Farris, Clary (b.1835-?). Glade. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
MARION COUNTY
Beeler, Eliza Shuck (September 2, 1880 - December 25, 1957). Lebanon. "Woman hit by car dies from shock." The Lebanon Enterprise, 27 December 1957, front page; Kentucky Death Certificate File #116 57-27425, Registrar's #186.
MASON COUNTY
Alexander, Emily Bell (b.1840 - July 19, 1913 ). Maysville. 1910 U.S. Census Schedule; Kentucky Death Certificate File #19712; Find A Grave.
Breckinridge, Mary Dee. Maysville. "Emergency call from stork follows wrecking of house." The Lexington Leader, 30 January 1940, front page & p.2.
McPheetes, Rosa (b.1848-?). Maysville. 1910 U.S. Census Schedule.
Moore, Jennie (b.1875-?). Maysville. 1860 U.S. Census Schedule.
McCRACKEN COUNTY
Bell, Sina. Paducah. p.78 in Caron's Directory of the City of Paducah, KY. for 1912-13.
Davis, Lucy. Paducah. p.152 in Caron's Directory of the City of Paducah for 1908-9.
Debo, Betty. Paducah. p.142 in Caron's Directory of the City of Paducah, Ky. for 1918-1919.
House, Hanna (b.1860 - May 23, 1914). Paducah. See Hanna House, the colored midwife ... in the Kentucky Kernels section of "News from Kentucky." The Nashville American, 28 January 1897, p.9.
Jones, Gracy (b.1835-?). Paducah. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
Jorden, Ann (b.May 1850-?). Paducah. 1900 U.S. Census Schedule.
Milliner, Martha (b.1831-?). Paducah. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
Parish, Marinda (b.1815-?). Paducah. 1870 U.S. Census Schedule.
Webb, Margaret. Paducah. p.515 in Caron's Directory of the City of Paducah for 1910-11.
MERCER COUNTY
Bohon, Amy (b.1790-?). Harrodsburg. 1860 U.S. Census Schedule.
Bradshaw, Mary. Harrodsburg. See Mary Bradshaw under Moneys Paid Out Under Vital Statistics Law in "Mercer's Financial Statement." The Harrodsburg Herald, 04 June 1915, p.12.
Dodd, Ora (b.1886-?). Harrodsburg. See Ora Dodd under Moneys Paid Out Under Vital Statistics Law in "Mercer's Financial Statement." The Harrodsburg Herald, 04 June 1915, p.12.
Moore, Margaret. Harrodsburg. See Margaret Moore under Moneys Paid Out Under Vital Statistics Law in "Condensed Financial Statement." The Harrodsburg Herald, 10 August 1913, p.9.
Smith, Emmaline (August 29, 1855 - July 22, 1964). Harrodsburg. See Emmaline Smith under Moneys Paid Out Under Vital Statistics Law in "Mercer's Financial Statement." The Harrodsburg Herald, 04 June 1915, p.12; "Former slave dies at 108." Sun-Democrat (Paducah), 23 July 1964, p.17.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Jones, Letitia (b.1814-?). Mt. Sterling. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
PIKE COUNTY
Boston, Julia M. Drake (1899-1973). See NKAA entry for Dr. Alexander Virgil Boston and Julia Mary Drake Boston, 1927-1967.
Lee, Aredelie (b.1896-?). 1950 U.S. Census Schedule.
POWELL COUNTY
Kidd, Mattie (b.1881-?). 1930 U.S. Census Schedule.
PULASKI COUNTY
Owens, Lydia (b.1820-?). 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
SHELBY COUNTY
Lawson, Ammy (b.1810-?). Shelbyville. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
TAYLOR COUNTY
Evans, Maggie (November 6, 1876 - March 26, 1933). Campbellsville. Delivered Infant Son McWhorter (1929-1929), see Find A Grave.
TODD COUNTY
Dickinson, Sara (b.1846-?). Trenton. 1910 U.S. Census Schedule.
TRIGG COUNTY
Green, Betsey (b.1825-?). Cadiz. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule.
McCall, Cassie (15 May 1904 - 13 February 1995). Cadiz. "Cadiz record." The Paducah Sun, 02 August 2007, p.26.
Wharton, Ollie (February 16, 1893 - September 28, 1978). Cadiz. "Cadiz record." The Paducah Sun, 02 August 2007, p.26.
WARREN COUNTY
Mayo, Mariah J. Johnson (May 1852 - March 13, 1920). Bowling Green. p.240 in Bowling Green, Ky. City Directory 1908, v.1; see Mariah J. Johnson Mayo in Find A Grave.
Sublett, Malinda (November 17, 1892 - July 3, 1933). Jonesville. 1880 U.S. Census Schedule; Find A Grave; Kentucky Death Record File #17702, Registered #159.
Wardlow, Mary (b.1878-?). Bowling Green. p.240 in Bowling Green, Ky. City Directory 1908, v.1.
WHITLEY COUNTY
Greenlee, Maggie Jackson (July 27, 1890 - May 26, 1968). Mountain Ash. Find A Grave.
WOLF COUNTY
Lewis, Ellen Higgins (1877 - September 19, 1957). Was a midwife in Wolfe County and Morgan County. Submitted by UK Librarian Kopana Terry. See Ellen Higgins Lewis at Find A Grave.
WOODFORD COUNTY
Flumoy, Cinthy (b.1800-?). Versailles. 1870 U.S. Census Schedule.
SOURCES:
(African American midwives in Kentucky): see Celebrating Nurses and Black Grand Midwives this Black History Month, 14 February 2024, by Frontier Nursing University in Versailles, KY; see Granny's Birth Initiative in Louisville, KY; Ancestry; Kentucky birth records at FamilySearch. See the Bulletin of the State Board of Health of Kentucky, 1911-1924, 1928-1934. *The Kentucky Legislature mandated midwifery registration in 1920 and 1922. See midwife-related laws in Kentucky Statutes, 6th ed., 1922, pp.970-974 (online); Harrison, John P. "Retention of the placenta twenty-seven days after the expulsion of the foetus." Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, v.12, pp.156-157, Online at HathiTrust; Washington, Chelsea. "A New law recognizes midwives." Spectrum News 1, 11 July 2019 (online); see Amanda Chandler @ Moma Bear Midwifery; see Damara Jenkins, MSN, CNM; Midwives of Kentucky (online).
*Contact the following organizations for additional information about Kentucky vital statistics and records: Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky Public Libraries, Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics, Kentucky County Clerks' Offices.
(African American midwives in the United States): Black Midwifery Collective: The Sacared History of Midwifery, Star August, Founder and Executive Director; African American Midwifery in the South, by Gertrude J. Fraser, 1998; Delivered by Midwives, Jenny M. Luke, 2018; Women as Healers by Jacqueline Jones Royster; Olden, Heather A. Yada, Farida N. et al. "Where are all the Black midwives?" Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, v.54, issue 3, pp.334-337; Cooper, Abigail J. "Midwives of invention: Black healers and reconciling world views of wellness in American emancipation." Journal of Social History, v.58, issue 3, Spring 2025, Pages 424–450, https://doi.org/10.1093/jsh/shae059; Mattoon, Ellie Rose. "Call the midwives - assuming any are left." JStor Daily, 02 November 2024, (online); "American Midwifery Certification Board: 2021 Demographic Report." 31 December 2021. (online).
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ALL KENTUCKY BABY DELIVERIES (LIVE), 1923-1924
1923 Total: 65,062 Total Births (live)
53,351 Attended by Physicians
11,711 Attended by Midwives
1924 Total: 66,923 Total Births (live)
54,926 Attended by Physicians
11,997 Attended by Midwives
SOURCE: Bulletin of the State Board of Health of Kentucky, 01 June 1925, v.XV, No.2, p.25 [Online at HathiTrust]
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ALL KENTUCKY BABY DELIVERIES, 1945-1949
1945 Total: 60,599 Total Births (live)
53,777 Delivered by Physicians
6,613 Delivered by Midwives
209 Delivered by Other
1946 Total: 71,820 Total Births (live)
64,979 Delivered by Physicians
6,658 Delivered by Midwives
183 Delivered by Other
1947 Total: 79,132 Total Births (live)
72,439 Delivered by Physicians
6,475 Delivered by Midwives
218 Delivered by Other
1948 Total: 76,698 Total Births (live)
70,641 Delivered by Physicians
5,846 Delivered by Midwives
211 Delivered by Other
1949 Total: 75,610 Total Births (live)
69,934 Delivered by Physicians
5,488 Delivered by Midwives
188 Delivered by Other
Live Births By Race (p.62)
70,683 White Births
4,927 Colored Births
Maternal Deaths By Race (pp.10 & 12)
87 White
12 Colored
Still Births By Race (pp.62 & 64)
1,331 White Total
1,227 Delivered by Physicians
93 Delivered by Midwives
11 Delivered by Other
137 Colored Total
126 Delivered by Physicians
9 Delivered by Midwives
2 Delivered by Other
SOURCE: 1949 Vital Statistics Report, Kentucky State Department of Health, p.61. [Online at HathiTrust]
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AFRICAN AMERICAN BABY DELIVERIES IN KENTUCKY, 1953
Kentucky State Department of Health - 1953 Vital Statistics Report
Total: 5,639 African American Births (live)
Total: 5,427 African American Births Delivered By Physicians
Total: 207 African American Births Delivered By Midwives
Total: 5 African American Births Delivered By Other
AFRICAN AMERICAN BABIES DELIVERED BY MIDWIVES, 1953. COUNTIES.
Adair
Barren
Breckinridge
Caldwell
Christian
Cumberland
Fulton
Green
Harlan
Hart
Henderson
Hickman
Letcher
Lincoln
Logan
Lyon
Marion
Mason
Mercer
Perry
Pike
Simpson
Todd
Trigg
Warren
Source: 1953 Kentucky Vital Statistics Report, Kentucky State Department of Health, pp.61-63. [Publication online at HathiTrust includes vital statistics reports from 1953-1956.]
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NON-WHITE BABY DELIVERIES IN KENTUCKY, 1968
Kentucky State Department of Health - 1968 Vital Statistics Report
Total: 4973 Non-White (live)
Total: 4870 Non-White Delivered By Physicians
Total: 99 Non-White Delivered By Midwives
Total: 4 Non-White Delivered By Other
NON-WHITE BABIES DELIVERED BY MIDWIVES, 1968. COUNTIES.
Christian
Fulton
Graves
Hickman
Lincoln
Marion
Todd
Trigg
Source: Kentucky Vital Statistics 1968, Kentucky Department of Health, pp.15-17. [Publication online at HathiTrust.]