Friday Finds: An Old German Midwife’s Record

An Old German Midwife’s Record, 1795-1815

Yesterday, I was poking around online trying to find Huber information when I came across the most wonderful article. I found a book entitled The American Ethnographical Survey, Conestoga Expedition, 1902. In it there was an article that included a transcription of an old German midwife’s record.

Susanna (Rohrer) Müller (aka Miller) lived in Martic (now Providence) Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and served as a midwife from 1792 through 1815 when she died. She kept a careful record of her practice. It included the date, the number of children, the name of the family, and how much she charged them in pounds, shilling and pence. She scrupulously tried to capture the family name as she heard it. This record is a wonderful find for a genealogist—both as a possible source for birth information and as a German speakers record of both German and English names.

Scrolling through the pages, I recognized many, many names from my deed research in the Martic and Conestoga townships area. The following is a list of Huber/Hoover families she served and the relevant dates:

• 20 Dec 1795: Henrich Huber
• 24 Apr 1796: Martin Huber
• 5 Oct 1796: Hans Huber
• 19 Mar 1797: Abraham Huber [Christianna, daughter of Abraham & Anna (Huber) Huber?]
• 29 Sep 1797: Henrich Huber
• 20 Nov 1797: Hans Huber
• 11 Dec 1797: Marde [Martin] Huber [Jacob, son of Martin & Mary (Miller) Huber]
• 23 Feb 1799: Henrich Huber
• 20 Mar 1799: Abraham Huber [Anna, daughter of Abraham & Anna (Huber) Huber?]
• 19 Nov 1799: Peter Huber [Esther, daughter of Peter & Mary (Huber) Huber?]
• 28 Mar 1800: Marde [Martin] Huber [Martin Jr., son of Martin & Mary (Miller) Huber]
• 29 May 1800: Hener [Henry] Huber [Benjamin, son of Henry & Barbara (Huber) Huber?]
• 4 Jul 1800: Christle [Christian] Huber [Christian Jr., possible son of Christian Huber?]
• 17 Mar 1801: Abraham Huber [Mary, daughter of Abraham & Anna (Huber) Huber?]
• 1 Aug 1801: Martin Huber, Schreiner [Martin, son of Martin & Mary (Eshleman) Huber?]
• 6 Oct 1801: Hans Huber
• 1 Feb 1802: Abraham Huber
• 2 Sep 1802: Martin Huber [Samuel, son of Martin & Mary (Miller) Huber]
• 12 May 1803: Henner [Henry] Huber [child of Henry & Barbara (Huber) Huber?]
• 28 Jun 1803: Marden Huber, Schreiner [Anna or Elizabeth, daughter of Martin & Mary (Eshleman) Huber?]
• 26 Mar 1804: Abraham Huber
• 8 Apr 1804: Peder [Peter] Huber [John, son of Peter & Mary (Huber) Huber?]
• 21 Jun 1804: Henrich Huber
• 17 Sep 1805: Hanes [Johannes] Huber, Maurer
• 27 Mar 1806: Abraham Huber [Elizabeth, daughter of Abraham & Anna (Huber) Huber?]
• 27 Feb 1807: Jacob Huber
• 26 Apr 1807: Jacob Huber, living with Peder [Peter] Guth [Good]
• 25 May 1807: Christle Huber
• 17-23 Jun 1807: Marde Huber, Schreiner^[1] [child of Martin and Mary (Eshleman) Huber?]
• 3 Mar 1808: Mardin Huber, Schreiner [child of Martin and Mary (Eshleman) Huber?]
• 20 Sep 1808: Hans Huber, Maurer
• 14 Apr 1809: Abraham Huber, Schumacher [Jacob, son of Abraham & Mary (Huber?) Huber]
• 23 Mar 1810: Marde Huber [possibly David, son of Martin & Mary (Miller) Huber]
• 14 Aug 1810: Hans Huber, Maurer
• 5 Apr 1811: Henrich Huber
• 5 Sep 1811: Abraham Huber, Wewer
• 17 Oct 1811: Mardin Huber, Schreiner [Barbara, daughter of Martin & Mary (Eshleman) Huber?]
• 15 Nov 1811: Jacob Huber
• 24 Dec 1811: Abraham Huber
• 17 Oct 1812: John Huber, Maurer
• 30 Nov 1812: Marden Huber [possibly Mary, daughter of Martin & Mary (Miller) Huber]
• 2 Dec 1812: Henrich Huber
• 9 Jul 1813: Jacob Huber
• 18 Sep 1813: Abraham Huber
• 15 Feb 1814: Abraham Huber
• 13 Sep 1814: Abraham Huber, Wewer
• 12 Apr 1815: John Huber, Maurer
• 21 Apr 1815: Abraham Huber, Schum. [daughter of Abraham & Mary (Huber?) Huber?]
• 24 May 1815: Daniel Huber [Catharine, daughter of Daniel & Susanna (Moyer?) Huber?]
• 19 Sep 1815: Abraham Huber
• 30 Mar ??: Martin Huber

Some of the entries indicate an occupation. I’ve translated them, as follows:

• Schreiner = carpenter
• Maurer = mason
• Schumacher = shoemaker
• Wewer = weaver?

Unfortunately, the entries do not include the names of the babies she delivered. However, using other documents that provide approximate birth dates with the dates in this record could help determine exact birth dates for children born in this area in the late 1790s and early 1800s.

You never know what you’ll find online. I’m certainly glad that I followed this search result!