Patterns in Parenting Oral History Project

Women in the Whitley County area discuss childbearing and child-rearing practices from the 1920s to the 1950s. Topics discussed include, prenatal care, giving birth at home and in the hospital, midwives, childhood diseases and illnesses, medical care, home remedies, and superstitions. Many of the mothers talk about breastfeeding, feeding, clothing, and toilet training their children. They discuss what toys and books were available and reveal some of the social life and customs of the time. Many of the families lived in coal mining camps during the Great Depression; some faced poverty and hunger and depended on farming and gardening for most of their food.

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Interviews