Orlean Puckett: The Life of a Mountain Midwife, 1844-1939

by Karen Cecil Smith

Orlean Puckett was a midwife who lived from 1844 to 1939 in Carroll County, Virginia. Aunt Orlean delivered thousands of babies in the mountain region of Virginia. She herself, however, lost 24 children of her own. She is commemorated on the Blue Ridge Parkway by a marker which was put up the National Park Service.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, American History, History, Biography Memoir, American

166 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Karen Cecil Smith is a biographer, poet, and award-winning children's picture book author and novelist. Her first book, a biography entitled Orlean Puckett: The Life of a Mountain Midwife (1844-1939), is about a Virginia woman who gave birth to and lost 24 babies before becoming a midwife. Although Orlean Puckett delivered over a thousand babies in her community, she was much more than a midwife. She was a strong mountain woman who carried food to her husband John and other Civil War deserters who hid out in the hills from the Home Guard. She was a loyal neighbor and friend who fed anyone who came to her door. Although she couldn't read or write, Orlean Puckett was a wise and humorous woman. Using extensive research and interviews, Karen was able to recreate and preserve the life of this incredible woman.

An Old Salem Christmas, 1840 is a children's picture book and Karen's second published work. This book tells the true meaning of Christmas, as seen through the eyes of a young Moravian girl. The North Carolina Society of Historians honored An Old Salem Christmas, 1840 with the Clark Cox Historical Fiction Award.

Karen's third book and first novel, Pillow of Thorns is set in 19th century North Carolina. It is based on an actual, sensational murder case and tells the story of an exotic young beauty who stood trial for poisoning her wealthy, older husband. This book was also a recipient of the Clark Cox Historical Fiction Award.

Karen has completed a second children's book, An Old Salem Easter, 1850, and is currently in search of a publisher.

Reviews

[Heidi Wiechert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Life of a Mountain Midwife is an interesting, but sometimes meandering, biography about a midwife named Orlean Puckett who lived and worked in rural Appalachia.

This reminded me of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie books in that Karen Cecil Smith takes great care to detail the day-to-day chores, food, clothing, and lives of the people of Appalachian Mountains in the 1800's to 1900's. I loved those intimate details, many of which are completely gone from the modern lifestyle like chopping wood, lighting the stove, and cleaning laundry by hand.

Also, I am a big fan of BBC television show, Call the Midwives so the chapter detailing Puckett's extraordinary midwifery skills was fascinating to me. Take this gem: "Aunt Orlean continued to ask, 'Don't you think it's about time to feather her?' Dr. Cundiff finally said, 'Okay,' at which point Aunt Orlean produced from her bag a goose feather. She stuck it into the fire and then placed the smoking feather beneath the mother's nose. The mother started coughing and sneezing and the baby was born immediately." pg 101 Can you believe that!

Astoundingly, Orlean Puckett delivered over 1000 babies with almost zero training and never lost a mother or child.

Karen Cecil Smith utilizes actual interview tidbits from many of the people who knew Orlean Puckett for this book and that was also enjoyable. She maintained their improper grammar and local accent which lent real flavor to the narrative. For example, many of the children that Orlean helped deliver said that she "borned" them. Here's a memory from a relative: "Now I was gonna stay up there one night with Granny (Orlean) and she was gonna learn me how to bake wheat bread the next mornin' and Uncle Stewart he had to go to work and they waked me up and wanted to know if I wanted to put on bread." pg 57

My only complaint about this book is that it wanders in places and the reader is led into extended stories about ancillary people to Orlean's life when, this reader at least, just wanted to know more about the Orlean herself.

If you are mainly interested in local history, this book is like a casual conversation with an elderly friend. I'd even go so far as to compare it to an unedited Story Corp interview. It can be charming but also frustrating when the story goes on and on but doesn't seem to go anywhere.

If you enjoyed this book, I'd suggest any of the Laura Ingalls Wilder series. They have the same sort of detail oriented focus but with more of a story line.

I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads program. Thank you for reading!

[Josephine (Jo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an uplifting and yet heart breaking read. The Life of a wonderful woman named Olean Hawks Puckett. Orlean lived from 1844 until 1939 in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. Orlean was one of the most remarkable women I have read about, not famous, far from rich, she bore 24 children all of whom died either before or at birth except for one who died in infancy. To lose one child is unbearable but I cannot begin to imagine the grief of burying 24 babies. Orlean was so strong, carrying on relentlessly, helping all who came near her home whether friend or stranger. Life in the mountains was so very hard, people were just about self sufficient buying hardly anything from the store. However in order to do this the people had to work every hour they could, not only did they have to provide for the food on the table on one day, they always had to have in mind what they could be growing and preserving for the coming hard winter. The women were the most resourceful of all, they could find ways of keeping almost anything fresh, with no fridge, for the winter months. They would cure meat, by salting it and smoking it. Make all manner of pickles and preserves. There is a saying here that you can use every part of a pig except the squeal and that was certainly the case with these mountain women.
Orlean was made of extremely strong stuff and would walk miles to the nearest shop and carry a huge bag of flour back.
At the age of 49 Orlean became a midwife and successfully delivered over one thousand healthy babies. She never missed a birth and walked miles through snow, up and down the mountain to get to her mothers in labour. The women trusted her and even when she was almost blind they still much preferred to have 'Aunt Orlean' deliver their child than anyone else, Orlean was carried to some of the births when she became to weak to make the journey alone. Orlean 'caught' her last baby at the age of 95, just 3 weeks before she died.
I have to mention the wonderful names of some of the ladies. In England at that time girls were named Jane, Dorothy, Rose, Mary etc. In Virginia there was Orlean, Larma, Icy, Iduna, and my favourite Wavy Worrell. There is a photograph of Wavy as a child and she is so pretty with long flowing dark curls, another photograph shows her grown up into a beautiful young woman. Wavy is the great grandniece of Orlean.
I knew how hard life was for people who lived the isolated life in the mountains of Virginia and Kentucky partly through the writings of Earl Hamner, (The Waltons) and people like Dolly Parton and Loretta Lyn from the Kentucky mountains. But the story of Orlean is a rare gem hidden away, waiting to be read. She was someone to look up to, her life would probably be just too physical for most modern day women, they didn't have therapy or holidays in those days on the Blue Ridge!
A wonderful book, written with so much kindness and feeling for the people in the story.

[Dorcas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Orlean Puckett. Such a strong, tenderhearted woman. She travelled all over the mountains birthing hundreds of babies and yet buried 24 children herself (a result of RH hemolytic disease) . So heartbreaking. And so inspiring. This is a true story and a good one. She gave her heart and soul for the love of children.
There's some humor too. Orleans husband-to-be was super shy. When he finally got the courage up to express himself this is what he said, "they just wasted purty on you when they made you, didn't they? They made you purty as they could and then pitched a shovel full in your face."
They were married the next Saturday.

CONTENT: Suitable reading for all audiences.

[Paula · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading about the life of Orlean Puckett and then had trouble getting into it. The "stories" were a choppy compilation from various sources, each source tediously identified in the text, and often with two or more versions of the same or similar information coming from multiple sources. I didn't care for this type of historic documentation as a biography and wished that it read more like a vivid, flowing story with the source information relegated to endnotes. I didn't finish this one.

[Joanne Bischof · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic book and an incredible look into the life of Aunt Orlean and the area around her. As a fan of the Blue Ridge Mountain history, this book has a special home on my keeper shelf and I am so glad to have discovered it! Not only is Orlean's incredibly story true, but it's powerful, filled with lessons that reach hearts even today.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I visited Puckett Cabin on the Virginia Blue Ridge Parkway and was intrigued by the marker that said Orlean Puckett, the woman who had lived there, gave birth to 24 babies, none having lived past infancy. When the book came out, I hesitated to purchase it because I thought it would be just about midwifery. However, after seeing it on the shelf at a local Barnes and Noble and thumbing through it, I saw that there were many interesting topics such as the old mountain ways, creation of the Blue Ridge Parkway, info about Primitive Baptists, the American Civil War, etc. The author's research shines through in interviews and old photographs that are included in the book. The book is nicely arranged by dates and topics, giving it a smooth flow which made it an easy read. I highly recommend this biography about midwife Orlean Puckett.

[Julie Bell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite. I wish it were more historical fiction and less like a term paper.

[Stephanie Holcombe · Rating 3 out of 5]

By amalgamating the memories of numerous relatives and neighbors – most of whom were in their 80’s and 90’s and recalled events that took place a century ago, Karen Cecil Smith wrote this book to honor a “Granny midwife”, Orlean Puckett, who lived in the mountains of western Virginia at the turn of the 20th century. At the age of 45, despite multiple attempts to have children of her own and subsequently burying 24 and remaining childless, Orlean miraculously began working as until the age of 94. She is a small-town legend in the mountains of Virginia and, until this book, her life was never fully researched. Up to this point, everything about this woman had been handed down generation to generation orally. Thus, Smith’s purpose for documenting the life of the Orlean Puckett was to simply learn ‘the rest of the story’ from what is offered currently at Milepost 189.9 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. There, emblazoned for all tourists to see, is a small plaque in front of a refurbished cabin that claims to be her home. It was here, on a driving tour of the area, that Smith first learned of Orlean. Intrigue got the best of Smith, and after three years of research, much of which was based on personal interviews, this humble book was written as the only documentation of the life and times of this remarkable woman.

While the writing style is often choppy and heavily inclusive of many long quotes from her research subjects, it overall manages to succinctly have multiple story lines. Not only is this book a testament to the dedication and perseverance of an uneducated, illiterate mountain midwife who brought access to care and safe births to 1,000’s of families in lower Virginia, but it is also an excellent education of many day-in-the-life events during the early 1900’s (i.e. harvesting chestnuts, making lye soap, building log cabins). The theme, therefore, is two-fold: to document an important figure in the history of our profession, specifically of that region, while also expanding the current knowledge of activities and events in that time period. Because of this dual thematic focus, the primary audience is most likely not midwives, but rather those interested in regional history of rural Appalachian mountain communities in western Virginia.

[Gabrielle Bacon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book! It's not so much about midwifing as it is about the life of a mountaineer. Very relative to anyone living in the southeast. It, also, has some history on the Blue Ridge Parkway and its construction. This woman was a great woman and lived a simple, hard, but interesting life. It's interesting to see the way laws have changed on midwifery now. Good book, makes me want to take a road trip along to Parkway!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A historical overview of the life of a Virginia mountain midwife, Orlean Puckett. Excerpts from actual interviews of people who knew Orlean and were "borned" by Aunt Orlean. Interesting from a historical perspective but keeping that in mind, a bit dry at times since the volume of information was based on records the author had to piece together from Orlean's earlier life in the mid 1800's.

Orlean touched many, many lives in her 95 years and yet was never able to raise a child of her own after reportedly losing twenty-four babies through miscarriages and other maladies. It was recorded through the community she lived in, she never lost a mother or a baby in her midwifery duties which she didn't start until by accident in her mid 40's.

If you're on Virginia's Blue Ridge Parkway and come across Milepost marker 189.9, honoring Orlean Puckett, you should pick up this book and discover why she was so remarkable.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orlean Puckett seems like she was a wonderful human being and reading about her life was really a joy. This book would also be relevant to those interested in folk practices and superstitions as well as those interested in the lives of Appalachian mountain people.

The writing can be a bit tedious or repetitive and the author sometimes goes on too long explaining things only tangentially related to Orlean Puckett, but it is a good read overall.

[Challis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book didn't talk about the births, but about a remarkable woman and her life growing up and growing old in the back woods mountains. Very interesting to me, as I like to read about how people used to live.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Excellent, informative and hard to put down. Full of rich, picturesque descriptions of life in the Blue Ridge Mountains during the extraordinary times of mountain woman and midwife Orlean Puckett.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed and appreciated a work well researched and well written.
I will be following the writing of Karen Cecil Smith in the future.

Blessings

Carmen Barnes-Holden
Library Specialist
Catawba Valley Community College

[Tamatha Picolla · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content was compelling and interesting. It was too much of a research paper and not enough of a narrative. Although, this book has inspired me to stop at Aunt Betty's cabin to pay my respects to Orlean.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting subject matter especially as it pertains to an area of the world where I (and my family) were raised. Writing is a bit choppy, but the subject is worth the read.

[Shasta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story of a kind gentle woman who delivered happiness in every sense of the word and yet suffered so much sadness and heartache herself.

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely book about a woman who had such an impact on her community but has since been kind of lost in time. More than anything, this book is a reminder that you don’t need to be the president or a movie star to impact people’s lives. Sometimes you can be a midwife in the mountains of Virginia who can’t read or write, and you can make the deepest impact of all.

The writing was easy to follow, and it made the book read more like a novel than a biography, which is always something I enjoy about nonfiction books. Orlean’s spirit is lovingly caught in these pages, as is the spirit and the culture of southern mountaineers. It’s clear the author did a bunch of research on mountain culture, farming, the family, and more, so extra kudos for that!

Sometimes it was difficult to keep up with the family lineage and who was who. I’d constantly have to go back to previous pages to see how so-and-so was related to Orlean, whether by blood or neighborly association. Also, additional details bogged things down from time to time, I.e. the chapter on the construction of the parkway. Cool, yes. Kind of tedious? Also yes.

Highly recommend for history lovers, especially women’s history and southern/mountaineer history, too!

[Cynthia Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

On a visit some years ago to the Blue Ridge Parkway, I read a sign outside a cabin which said Orlean had 24 children, none of whom lived to be a year old. Frankly, the sign seemed like an accusation of wrong-doing. I certainly hope the wording is better now. I found this book, hoping for a more definitive explanation. Although some may have suspected immoral behavior as the cause of the deaths, the author says those who lived around her did not think John or Orlean capable of harming anyone. It points to a blood incompatibility (Rh hemolytic disease) that allows the first child to be unaffected, but it is deadly to later children. Little Julia Ann, their first child, died of diptheria at seven months.
The author interviewed many neighbors and family who knew, loved, were nursed by and delivered by Orlean. It is by this that the author describes her long life. Some of the book is about mountain life in general, some is about the benefits and sorrows that the building of the parkway brought, but mostly it is about Orlean as an inhabitant of a particular place and time.

[Jeff Garrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I’ve been doing since I moved here last October, this another book that I read in my attempts to learn this new area I find myself ministering. A little over a mile north of Bluemont Presbyterian Church, along the Blueridge Parkway, there is a cabin with a historical marker about a famous midwife in these parks, Orlean Puckett. However, the cabin belonged her sister-in-law, Betty Puckett. Orlean’s larger home was torn down after the Park Service refused to allow her to live in it until her death. She died shortly after having to move and the parkway was open for traffic through southwest Virginia.

There is a lot that is not known about Orlean. Even her birthyear is in question (some records said 1839). Before the Civil War, she married John Puckett. He would serve in the Confederate Army, but like many, he deserted and lived in the Virginia mountains for the rest of the war. There seems to be some question as if the two of them got along or if there was abuse. He did drink a lot, but Smith makes the case that two loved each other. Orlean had 24 babies. All but one died either in womb or shortly after birth. The one surviving, her firstborn, lived a few years. It is now thought she suffered from Rh Hemolytic disease, which was unknown at the time. While some may have thought the children died from mistreatment, it seems unlikely many felt that way since so many women on the mountain would employ her as a midwife.

After taking on the role of midwife, for 49 years helped deliver over a thousand children. She would travel by foot or horse, all over the mountains, in all kinds of weather. She served as a midwife until just before she died.

Smith overcomes the lack of direct knowledge about much of Orlean’s life by providing a background into mountain ways of life, the history of midwifery, and the development of the Blue Ridge Parkway. There are also interesting tidbits of folklore used by midwives. At times, the story seems a bit disjointed, but I found it interesting. The book draws heavily on oral interviews, of which Smith quotes from extensively.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as part of an assignment for midwifery school. I appreciated the background information on mountain life in the late 1800s-early 1930s. The book itself was less biography of one person and more that of a whole group of people. The chapters on midwifery were scant, a fact I should have realized when in an early chapter we learn that Orlean did not read or write. I would have loved to have seen records of the births she attended, but such were not kept.

The book is choppy, much more a series of short research papers vs cohesive book. All in all, this will definitely be a stop the next time I take drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

As we wandered along the Blue Ridge Parkway, we came across the cabin of Orlean Puckett and a brief summary of her life. Her story fascinated me, so I bought this book. What an amazing woman! She experienced so much sorrow but was such a blessing to thousands of people around Groundhog Mountain.

It turns out that Orleana and John never lived in the little cabin (uh, oh! Someone on the Parkway historical committee didn’t do their homework!). No matter. The biography is still a wonderful compilation of the memories of people familiar with Orleana’s life.

[Thea Marlowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet historical read❣️

[Cathyg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting account of a woman in Appalachia and her hardships. Including her life as a midwife. Learned a lot about the mountain ways including the history of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

[Cheryl Bledsoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book to read about a pioneer family from the Blue Ridge Mountains

[Salinn Barth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a fun read for me. Learning the local history while reading about an interesting person of the past.

[Cat Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched biography of a Virginia granny woman/midwife. Excellent historical perspective of the SW counties along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia.