Childbirth as community event
Childbirth gave women a chance to socialize, Elmore recalls. He remembers a lot of births, but also many miscarriages.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with George R. Elmore, March 11, 1976. Interview H-0266. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
- BRENT GLASS:
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I was going to say that the men seemed to have a place to get together at
the store. How did the women get together and exchange information?
- GEORGE R. ELMORE:
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I know especially Mrs. Horseley and my mother used to visit back and
forth. They lived a half a mile from us. And Mrs. Horseley was a sister
to mother's uncle by marriage; in fact, they were the ones
that introduced my mother to him. And of course my mother would visit
sometimes. Some of them was always having babies.
My mother had thirteen and my aunt had eleven or twelve; and the one
across the street there behind the church, I think she had seven. And
the lady down at the crossroads (she was a first cousin of my
father's who married Mr. Forbes), she had four that lived,
and then there were five or six miscarriages. So there was always
birthing somewhere in there.
