Midwife for 55 Years, (Granny) Mack, Dies
The Courier-Journal East KY Bureau
Pikeville, Ky., March 31.—- Mrs. Ida Akers Mack who delivered more than 1,000 babies without losing a mother in 55 years as a midwife, died yesterday in a Pikeville Hospital.
Mrs. Mack. known as "Granny Ida" never had any children of her own. She was married three times, and her third husband, Gottlieb Mack, died in 1946.
She lived on Ferguson Creek, just outside Pikeville. She was 75. She became a midwife when she was 18. In those days there were few roads. She rode a horse or a mule when word came that a woman needed her help. She never refused a call.
Went Through 6th Grade
Mrs. Mack went through only the sixth grade in school, but she took four years of training under a doctor more than half a century ago at Virgie, Ky. She was respected by Pikeville doctors. One of them said a few years ago that she had probably delivered half as many babies as all the physicians there put together.
Once recalling the superstitions about midwifery in the early days of her practice, Mrs. Mack said she never had any truck with that foolishness.
One common treatment to ease the pain and hasten a birth in those days was for a woman in labor to put on a man's hat. Mrs. Mack knew better than to think that process would work.
She was a stalwart mountain with a lot of native charm. She announced in 1951 that she had retired from her profession as a licensed midwife.
But at that time she added that if she got a call to help some woman, she would go. "I just couldn't turn her down," she said.
it wasn't the monetary reward either. Her fee was only $15 and she didn't collect on half her calls. If the families who called her didn't have money to pay, she didn't expect any.
Courier-Journal • Louisville, Kentucky • Page 12 • Wednesday, April 01, 1953
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reported Problem: I searched the entire cemetery and could not find the grave.
Details: This cemetery is located on property owned by my family- but not always accessible as it is on top of a mountain. The headstone was there in the late 1980s. However, when I was last at the cemetery in 2017, it was not there. They are continuing to clear the cemetery and are unearthing headstones. When (or if) it is located, I will post it here.
Volunteer's Profile (47394763)
The Courier-Journal East KY Bureau
Pikeville, Ky., March 31.—- Mrs. Ida Akers Mack who delivered more than 1,000 babies without losing a mother in 55 years as a midwife, died yesterday in a Pikeville Hospital.
Mrs. Mack. known as "Granny Ida" never had any children of her own. She was married three times, and her third husband, Gottlieb Mack, died in 1946.
She lived on Ferguson Creek, just outside Pikeville. She was 75. She became a midwife when she was 18. In those days there were few roads. She rode a horse or a mule when word came that a woman needed her help. She never refused a call.
Went Through 6th Grade
Mrs. Mack went through only the sixth grade in school, but she took four years of training under a doctor more than half a century ago at Virgie, Ky. She was respected by Pikeville doctors. One of them said a few years ago that she had probably delivered half as many babies as all the physicians there put together.
Once recalling the superstitions about midwifery in the early days of her practice, Mrs. Mack said she never had any truck with that foolishness.
One common treatment to ease the pain and hasten a birth in those days was for a woman in labor to put on a man's hat. Mrs. Mack knew better than to think that process would work.
She was a stalwart mountain with a lot of native charm. She announced in 1951 that she had retired from her profession as a licensed midwife.
But at that time she added that if she got a call to help some woman, she would go. "I just couldn't turn her down," she said.
it wasn't the monetary reward either. Her fee was only $15 and she didn't collect on half her calls. If the families who called her didn't have money to pay, she didn't expect any.
Courier-Journal • Louisville, Kentucky • Page 12 • Wednesday, April 01, 1953
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reported Problem: I searched the entire cemetery and could not find the grave.
Details: This cemetery is located on property owned by my family- but not always accessible as it is on top of a mountain. The headstone was there in the late 1980s. However, when I was last at the cemetery in 2017, it was not there. They are continuing to clear the cemetery and are unearthing headstones. When (or if) it is located, I will post it here.
Volunteer's Profile (47394763)
Midwife for 55 Years, (Granny) Mack, Dies
The Courier-Journal East KY Bureau
Pikeville, Ky., March 31.—- Mrs. Ida Akers Mack who delivered more than 1,000 babies without losing a mother in 55 years as a midwife, died yesterday in a Pikeville Hospital.
Mrs. Mack. known as "Granny Ida" never had any children of her own. She was married three times, and her third husband, Gottlieb Mack, died in 1946.
She lived on Ferguson Creek, just outside Pikeville. She was 75. She became a midwife when she was 18. In those days there were few roads. She rode a horse or a mule when word came that a woman needed her help. She never refused a call.
Went Through 6th Grade
Mrs. Mack went through only the sixth grade in school, but she took four years of training under a doctor more than half a century ago at Virgie, Ky. She was respected by Pikeville doctors. One of them said a few years ago that she had probably delivered half as many babies as all the physicians there put together.
Once recalling the superstitions about midwifery in the early days of her practice, Mrs. Mack said she never had any truck with that foolishness.
One common treatment to ease the pain and hasten a birth in those days was for a woman in labor to put on a man's hat. Mrs. Mack knew better than to think that process would work.
She was a stalwart mountain with a lot of native charm. She announced in 1951 that she had retired from her profession as a licensed midwife.
But at that time she added that if she got a call to help some woman, she would go. "I just couldn't turn her down," she said.
it wasn't the monetary reward either. Her fee was only $15 and she didn't collect on half her calls. If the families who called her didn't have money to pay, she didn't expect any.
Courier-Journal • Louisville, Kentucky • Page 12 • Wednesday, April 01, 1953
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reported Problem: I searched the entire cemetery and could not find the grave.
Details: This cemetery is located on property owned by my family- but not always accessible as it is on top of a mountain. The headstone was there in the late 1980s. However, when I was last at the cemetery in 2017, it was not there. They are continuing to clear the cemetery and are unearthing headstones. When (or if) it is located, I will post it here.
Volunteer's Profile (47394763)
The Courier-Journal East KY Bureau
Pikeville, Ky., March 31.—- Mrs. Ida Akers Mack who delivered more than 1,000 babies without losing a mother in 55 years as a midwife, died yesterday in a Pikeville Hospital.
Mrs. Mack. known as "Granny Ida" never had any children of her own. She was married three times, and her third husband, Gottlieb Mack, died in 1946.
She lived on Ferguson Creek, just outside Pikeville. She was 75. She became a midwife when she was 18. In those days there were few roads. She rode a horse or a mule when word came that a woman needed her help. She never refused a call.
Went Through 6th Grade
Mrs. Mack went through only the sixth grade in school, but she took four years of training under a doctor more than half a century ago at Virgie, Ky. She was respected by Pikeville doctors. One of them said a few years ago that she had probably delivered half as many babies as all the physicians there put together.
Once recalling the superstitions about midwifery in the early days of her practice, Mrs. Mack said she never had any truck with that foolishness.
One common treatment to ease the pain and hasten a birth in those days was for a woman in labor to put on a man's hat. Mrs. Mack knew better than to think that process would work.
She was a stalwart mountain with a lot of native charm. She announced in 1951 that she had retired from her profession as a licensed midwife.
But at that time she added that if she got a call to help some woman, she would go. "I just couldn't turn her down," she said.
it wasn't the monetary reward either. Her fee was only $15 and she didn't collect on half her calls. If the families who called her didn't have money to pay, she didn't expect any.
Courier-Journal • Louisville, Kentucky • Page 12 • Wednesday, April 01, 1953
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reported Problem: I searched the entire cemetery and could not find the grave.
Details: This cemetery is located on property owned by my family- but not always accessible as it is on top of a mountain. The headstone was there in the late 1980s. However, when I was last at the cemetery in 2017, it was not there. They are continuing to clear the cemetery and are unearthing headstones. When (or if) it is located, I will post it here.
Volunteer's Profile (47394763)
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