Mary Breckinridge
Encyclopedia
Mary Breckinridge was an American nurse-midwife and the founder of the Frontier Nursing Service
. She also was known as Mary Carson Breckinridge.
She started family care centers in the Appalachian mountains. She was known for helping many people with her hospitals.
into a prominent family, Breckinridge was a daughter of Arkansas
Congressman Clifton Rodes Breckinridge and a granddaughter of John C. Breckinridge
. She was educated by private tutors in Washington, DC and in St. Petersburg, Russia.
In 1894, Breckinridge and her family moved to Russia
when President Grover Cleveland
appointed her father to serve as the U.S. minister to that country. They returned to the United States in 1897.
Breckinridge’s mother disapproved of her cousin Sophonisba Breckinridge
’s going to college and starting a career. She helped ensure her daughter followed a more traditional path. Breckinridge was married in 1904 to a lawyer, Henry Ruffner Morrison, of Hot Springs, Arkansas
. He died only two years later; the couple had no children. Following his death, Breckinridge entered a nursing class at New York City
’s St. Luke’s Hospital. She remained there three years, taking a degree in nursing in 1910 before returning to the South. In 1912 she married Richard Ryan Thompson, a Kentucky
native who was serving as the president of Crescent College and Conservatory in Eureka Springs, Arkansas
. The couple had two children. Their daughter, Polly, was born prematurely in 1916 and died when only six hours old. Two years later, their beloved four-year-old boy, Clifford Breckinridge (“Breckie”) Thompson, died suddenly of appendicitis
. Breckinridge's husband was unfaithful; they were divorced in 1920 and Breckinridge resumed the use of her birth name.
she met French
and British
nurse-midwives and realized that people with their training could meet the healthcare needs of rural America’s mothers and babies. A deeply religious woman, Breckinridge considered this path to be her life’s calling.
Since no midwifery course was then offered in the United States Breckinridge returned to England
to receive the training she needed at the British Hospital for Mothers and Babies
. She was then certified by the Central Midwives Board. She returned to the United States in 1925 and on May 28 of that year founded the Kentucky Committee for Mothers and Babies, which soon became the Frontier Nursing Service
.
Breckinridge had a large log house, called the Big House, built in Wendover, Kentucky
to serve as her home and the Frontier Nursing Service headquarters. In 1939 she started her own midwifery school. There, Breckinridge conducted Sunday afternoon services using the Episcopal prayer book. In 1952 she completed her memoir "Wide Neighborhoods" which is still available from the University of Kentucky Press.
She continued to lead the Frontier Nursing Service
until her death in 1965.
with a 77¢ Great Americans series
postage stamp
.
Frontier Nursing Service
The Frontier Nursing Service provides healthcare services to rural, underserved populations and educates nurse-midwives.The Service maintains six rural healthcare clinics in eastern Kentucky, the Mary Breckinridge Hospital, the Mary Breckinridge Home Health Agency, the Frontier School of Midwifery...
. She also was known as Mary Carson Breckinridge.
She started family care centers in the Appalachian mountains. She was known for helping many people with her hospitals.
Family and early Life
Born in Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
into a prominent family, Breckinridge was a daughter of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
Congressman Clifton Rodes Breckinridge and a granddaughter of John C. Breckinridge
John C. Breckinridge
John Cabell Breckinridge was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky and was the 14th Vice President of the United States , to date the youngest vice president in U.S...
. She was educated by private tutors in Washington, DC and in St. Petersburg, Russia.
In 1894, Breckinridge and her family moved to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
when President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
appointed her father to serve as the U.S. minister to that country. They returned to the United States in 1897.
Breckinridge’s mother disapproved of her cousin Sophonisba Breckinridge
Sophonisba Breckinridge
Sophonisba Preston Breckinridge was an American activist, Progressive Era social reformer, social scientist and innovator in higher education.- Background :...
’s going to college and starting a career. She helped ensure her daughter followed a more traditional path. Breckinridge was married in 1904 to a lawyer, Henry Ruffner Morrison, of Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
. He died only two years later; the couple had no children. Following his death, Breckinridge entered a nursing class at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
’s St. Luke’s Hospital. She remained there three years, taking a degree in nursing in 1910 before returning to the South. In 1912 she married Richard Ryan Thompson, a Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
native who was serving as the president of Crescent College and Conservatory in Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Eureka Springs is a city in Carroll County, Arkansas, United States. Along with Berryville, it is one of the two county seats for the county. It is located in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 2,350...
. The couple had two children. Their daughter, Polly, was born prematurely in 1916 and died when only six hours old. Two years later, their beloved four-year-old boy, Clifford Breckinridge (“Breckie”) Thompson, died suddenly of appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
. Breckinridge's husband was unfaithful; they were divorced in 1920 and Breckinridge resumed the use of her birth name.
Nursing
Breckinridge turned to nursing to overcome the travails of her children’s deaths and her divorce, joining the American Committee for Devastated France. While in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
she met French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
nurse-midwives and realized that people with their training could meet the healthcare needs of rural America’s mothers and babies. A deeply religious woman, Breckinridge considered this path to be her life’s calling.
Since no midwifery course was then offered in the United States Breckinridge returned to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to receive the training she needed at the British Hospital for Mothers and Babies
British Hospital for Mothers and Babies
The British Hospital for Mothers and Babies was a maternity hospital in Samuel Street, Woolwich, United Kingdom.It was created from the amalgamation in 1915 of the Home for Mothers and Babies with the British Lying-In Hospital, Holborn...
. She was then certified by the Central Midwives Board. She returned to the United States in 1925 and on May 28 of that year founded the Kentucky Committee for Mothers and Babies, which soon became the Frontier Nursing Service
Frontier Nursing Service
The Frontier Nursing Service provides healthcare services to rural, underserved populations and educates nurse-midwives.The Service maintains six rural healthcare clinics in eastern Kentucky, the Mary Breckinridge Hospital, the Mary Breckinridge Home Health Agency, the Frontier School of Midwifery...
.
Breckinridge had a large log house, called the Big House, built in Wendover, Kentucky
Wendover (Kentucky)
Wendover, also known as Frontier Nursing Service or Big House, has been named a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The first American attempt to professionalize midwifery, was led by Mary Breckinridge. The Frontier Nursing Service continues today....
to serve as her home and the Frontier Nursing Service headquarters. In 1939 she started her own midwifery school. There, Breckinridge conducted Sunday afternoon services using the Episcopal prayer book. In 1952 she completed her memoir "Wide Neighborhoods" which is still available from the University of Kentucky Press.
She continued to lead the Frontier Nursing Service
Frontier Nursing Service
The Frontier Nursing Service provides healthcare services to rural, underserved populations and educates nurse-midwives.The Service maintains six rural healthcare clinics in eastern Kentucky, the Mary Breckinridge Hospital, the Mary Breckinridge Home Health Agency, the Frontier School of Midwifery...
until her death in 1965.
Honors
In 1998, she was honored by the United States Postal ServiceUnited States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
with a 77¢ Great Americans series
Great Americans series
The Great Americans series is a set of definitive stamps issued by the United States Postal Service, starting on December 27, 1980 with the 19¢ stamp depicting Sequoyah, and continuing through 2002, the final stamp being the 78¢ Alice Paul self-adhesive stamp. The series, noted for its simplicity...
postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
.
See also
- The BreckinridgeBreckinridge-People:Breckinridge family political dynasty* Breckinridge family* Aida de Acosta Breckinridge, in 1903 flew Santos Dumont's dirigible airship* Clifton R. Breckinridge, congressman from Kentucky, Minister to Russia, son of John C...
Family - Marvin Breckinridge PattersonMarvin Breckinridge PattersonMary Marvin Breckinridge Patterson , was an American photojournalist, cinematographer, and philanthropist. She used her middle name, Marvin, both professionally and personally....
- The Forgotten FrontierThe Forgotten FrontierThe Forgotten Frontier is a documentary film about the Frontier Nursing Service, nurses on horseback, who traveled the back roads of the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States...