The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812
by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
I thought this book would be a collection of case studies, or at least an account of the woman\’s life told in narrative fashion. It\’s not. The diary it is based on were the records kept by a midwife in an early Maine settlement. Her diary was very sparse- noting down who she tended to, who she visited, who came to her house, where she went, sometimes what herbs or cures she used, how people recovered (or didn\’t) and what she was paid in return for her services (sometimes a year or more later!) There\’s very little description. The work of the author is incredible in contrast- she meticulously combs through the diary to see how all the parts fit together, the untold story behind the succinct phrases. She compares Martha Ballard\’s account to other diaries from the same era, and uses historical records from the town to piece together what might have been going on. Unraveling a complex web of commerce and relationships, laying bare the hard work that women did behind the scenes as it were. I was impressed in particular with the effort it took to make clothing- Martha grew her own flax, but the preparation of it after harvesting took over a years\’ time, and various people worked through the final process to turn it into cloth, then clothing. More than just household industry and how this complemented or complicated Martha\’s job as a midwife, the author examines what the role of midwife was compared to town physicians, how she interacted with them, how other women also used healing arts. She looks at marital relationships, disease epidemics, accusations of rape, murders and other trials.
But the way it is all patched together- little bits of terse quotes from the diary, excerpts from other records, a brief musing sentence here and there- rather gave me a headache. It\’s not smooth reading. For the right reader, this would be fascinating, even a book to be treasured. For the casual interest, it\’s rather dry and difficult to wade through. I did not make it so far. Too bad. This book won a Pulitzer prize! If you\’re interested in cultural history or women\’s studies, I\’d definitely give this book a try. It\’s just not for me. At least, not right now.
Abandoned 445 pages, 1990
