Laverne Griffin

DR. ROBERT LUCKETT: This is Robby Luckett. It is Saturday, December the 19th, 2015. We are at the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center in Jackson, Mississippi. Can you tell me your name and spell it, please?

LAVERNE GRIFFIN: Laverne Griffin, capital L-A-V-E-R-N-E G-R-I-F-F-I-N.

RL: And do we have your permission to record this interview today?

LG: Yes, you do.

RL: Can you just begin by telling us a little bit about yourself, where and when you were born, and a little bit about your family life growin’ up?

LG: Well, I was born in Rankin County, July the 28th, 1927, and the midwife was Lovica McAfee. And I went to Jay Rubin [ph] School. And I also graduated in 1946 at Holy Ghost Catholic School. 00:01:00I didn’t go to college, but I did finish 12th grade.

RL: And have you lived in Jackson or Rankin County, in the Jackson area, your entire life?

LG: All my life.

RL: And what about your family? Can you tell us about both your parents and your immediate family, as well as any children or anything like that that you might have?

LG: I was married for 43 years. My husband passed on. And I got four children, three daughters and one son. Got 13 grandchildren.

RL: That’s wonderful. Tell us a little bit about your experience with midwives and midwifery, and the Scott Ford House.

LG: No, I don’t have any experience with the midwives, but I’ve just heard the stories was told about the midwives.

RL: What are some of the stories that you’ve heard?

LG: Well, 00:02:00the history of the midwife that I was told, Mrs. Virgil Hopson [sp?] of St. Mary Baptist Church; Ms. Berta Horne [sp?], St. Matthew’s Baptist Church; Mrs. Wilbert Meyers [sp?] of Jerusalem Baptist Church; Mrs. Mammy Low [sp?], Pine Valley Baptist Church; Mrs. Hattie Lee Trees [sp?] of St. James United Methodist Church. Most of the babies were born at night. The mens would hitch up the mules and wagons or the horses and buggy and go get the midwives. The midwife would come in sleet, rain, or snow. The midwives said 00:03:00they would always wear white aprons, and they would tell the ones at the house to get some hot water, some blankets and quilts ready. Sometime the babies would come quick, and sometime it would be a long time, hours and hours, but the midwives would stay and stay until the babies would be delivered into this world. Sometimes the midwives would wear a white cap on their head, a white uniform, and white shoes, but if they didn’t have the uniforms or white shoes, they would wear whatever they had. But they would always be clean. But they always wear the white apron. The midwife 00:04:00boiled the scissors so she could cut the naval string. Sometime the babies would have a large naval. They would put a white cloth around the baby’s stomach, put safety pins to hold the naval in place. But if the naval started to get a little large, they would put a 50-cent piece in a cloth on the baby’s naval to hold it down, keep from stickin’ out. There were no [inaudible] diapers at that time. The people would tear sheets or pillow, white pillowcase, and make the babies’ diapers.

RL: And were you delivered by a midwife?

LG: I sure were.

RL: Do you know who that was?

LG: Her name is Lovica McAfee of Rankin County.

RL: Do you know how you spell 00:05:00 that?

LG: I would spell it L-O-V-I-C-A M-C-A-F-E-E. I think that’s the way they spell it. [Laughter.] RL: And did you have any brothers or sisters that were delivered by Ms. McAfee?

LG: No. I don’t have any brothers and sisters at all. I’m the only child.

RL: And did you happen to know her when you were growing up?

LG: No, I did not. I know her family, some of the family, the younger generation.

RL: Were there other members of her family who became midwives, or was she a part of generations of midwives?

LG: I don’t know that. I’m just goin’ by what I was told.

RL: Why were midwives important?

LG: Well, to be honest, I don’t think there was that many doctors at the time. That’s my way of thinking. 00:06:00Because there was always midwives they would go get to deliver the babies, in my lifetime, when I was comin’ up.

RL: Right. And did you know any midwives yourself?

LG: Yes. Ms. Virgil Hopson, as I said, and I know Ms. Bertha Horne, and I know Ms. Wilbert Meyers and Ms. Hattie Lee Trees, but I didn’t know Ms. Mammy Low.

RL: Do you know how they became midwives?

LG: No, I do not. [Laughs.] RL: What kind of training did they have? Did they work with doctors, or did they work by themselves?

LG: Now, from what I heard, Ms. Virgil Hopson worked with Dr. Watson, or Brandon, along with him, but the others, I don’t know.

RL: Were most of the children in your community delivered by midwives in that era?

LG: Far as I know. From what I 00:07:00 heard.

RL: And what was the standing of midwives in the community? What kind of people were they?

LG: From what I hear, my grandmother would always say to us, always when they wanted—a baby got sick, they would say, “Go to the midwife, ask her what to do.” RL: So they were very highly respected, and— LG: Yes, yes.

RL: —called upon frequently.

LG: Yes, yes.

RL: Were any of your children delivered by midwives?

LG: No.

RL: All in the hospital.

LG: Yes.

RL: At what time did that begin to change? Do you remember?

LG: No, I do not. [Laughs.] RL: Are there any stories about midwives that you remember that were told to you, or that you knew about?

LG: No, this is the only one, the story I’ve told. It might be a little bit 00:08:00more, but I didn’t write a lot of the rest of it down because—I just didn’t. [Laughs.] RL: Is there anything else that you remember about midwives at the time, or midwifery, that you could share with us?

LG: Well, they would just always say the midwives had—my grandmama always told me they had the smooth hand, so I don’t know what the hand meant, but they say they had smooth hands. Now, if people had any gloves, back in those days, I don’t remember about no gloves, you know. They just always said—my grandmama always said they had the smooth hands, or the healin’ hands. That’s what she would say. And my grandmother lived to get 87.

RL: Wow. And the healing hands.

LG: Uh-huh [affirmative].

RL: And you mentioned before that they all wore white uniforms?

LG: Yes. Most of them wore white uniforms, but if they didn’t have the uniforms they’d always wear the white apron. And 00:09:00I don’t know what it was about the white apron, but they’d always wear white aprons. You never did see a midwife with a flowered or colored apron; it always was white, and why, I don’t know about that, but they always wore white.

RL: And did they always come to the house, or were there places that mothers would go to, a specific place, to deliver those babies?

LG: From what I heard, they’d always go to their home, deliver the babies.

RL: And did they carry midwifery tools with them? Did they have some kind of a bag, or what kind of instruments would they have?

LG: I’m sure they did. I’m sure they did, ’cause—sometimes they may have a bag, but now what’s in the bags, I don’t know, you know. [Laughs.] RL: Right. Right. Is 00:10:00there anything else that you’d like to share with us today?

LG: I think that’s about it.

RL: Well, thank you so much for being with us. We really appreciate it. This is— LG: Thank you, thank you.

RL: —wonderful, and very important information.

LG: Thank you for having me today.

RL: Thank you. [END OF INTERVIEW]