Bethel’s Patty Bartlett Sessions The mother of Mormon midwifery

by James Nalley

In the 1800s, as the sparse Western frontier was being slowly populated, there was a growing need for trained birth attendants who could ensure that the mother and child survived the grueling labor and delivery process. In this regard, in 1846, Brigham Young instructed his Latter-Day Saints to head to Salt Lake Valley, which was then Mexico. His expedition was one of the largest and best organized Westward treks. Among the group was a woman from Bethel, Maine, who eventually assisted in and documented approximately 4,000 births over the course of her career, including the birth of the first male born in Salt Lake Valley. Over the next year, she had become one of the most trusted women in the midwife profes- sion. Even today, the Mormon Church recognizes her as the “Mother of Mormon Midwifery.”

Patty Bartlett was born in Bethel on February 4, 1795. She was the first of nine children born to Enoch and Anna Bartlett. According to the article Wild Women of the West: Patty Bartlett Sessions (2019) by Chris Enss, “Like all her brothers and sisters, Patty was raised on the family farm and required to do a variety of chores.” Among such chores were spinning, weaving, and sewing/stitching, the latter of which would become important for her future medical profession. Although the women of the family were not required to attend school, Patty learned to read and write from the town’s schoolmistress.

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At the age of 17, Patty married (against her parent’s wishes) a local farmer, David Sessions, and immediately moved in with David’s parents in Ketchum, Maine. At that time, her new mother-in-law, Rachel, suffered from rheumatism and required constant attention. In this case, as David tended the crops, Patty took care of Rachel, who, by chance, was the midwife in the area. As stated by Enss, “One afternoon, she (Rachel) received a frantic summons to the bedside of an expectant mother who was extremely ill. Physically unable to get to the mother-to-be quickly, Rachel decided to send Patty. She reassured Patty that she had the compassion and common sense necessary to help.” When Patty arrived at the delivery, the expectant mother was in labor and extremely sick. “Patty’s presence and calming attitude comforted the distressed woman. She then took charge of the situation, ordering the expect- ant mother to breath easily through the contractions. By the time the doctor arrived, the baby had been born, and both the mother and child were resting comfortably.” After they “received a clean bill of health, the doctor commended Patty and encouraged her to enter the midwifery profession.”

As in her other educational endeavors, Patty took the doctor’s suggestion seriously and pursued a well-rounded education. For example, she studied obstetrics with Dr. Timothy Carter, a physician in Bethel, and learned about natural herb remedies from the local Native Americans. This was in addition to interning with various midwives in the area and reading numerous books about childbirth.

Regarding her personal life, over the course of their 38-year marriage, Patty and David had eight children. However, typhus fever swept through Maine, claiming the lives of two of their chil- dren as well as many other residents in the area. Although Patty effectively dealt with the losses, David fell into a period of depression. In 1833, a group of Mormon missionaries established a camp nearby and began ministering to the couple. Approximately a year later, Patty and David were baptized into the faith. Then, according to book In Sacred Loneliness (2001), by Todd Compton, “After attending a conference in 1836, where church leaders preached the importance of gathering the Saints, the Sessions family moved to Far West, Missouri, until they were driven out by the governor’s Mormon Extermination Order (in response to a clash between the Mormons and the Missouri State Militia, which made them “enemies of the state”). Leaving behind almost everything they owned, the family relocated to Nauvoo, Illinois.”

While in Nauvoo, Patty and David met the town’s founder, Joseph Smith, who was also the President and Founder of the Mormon Church. Interestingly, as stated by Enss, “Smith was taken with Patty’s medical ability and the role she played as caregiver for other migrating Mormons. In keeping with the religion’s polygamist practice, in 1842, Patty accepted a proposal of marriage from Joseph Smith.” It is important to note that some of these marriages, including Patty’s, were performed with the consent of the first husbands, and considered “eternity-only” sealings, in which the marriage would not take effect until after death.

Over the next few years, Patty assisted in bringing hundreds of babies into the Mormon family, and she continued to offer her services to expectant mothers after their arrival in Salt Lake Valley. In addition, due to her education and expertise, Patty provided a variety of healthcare treatments to members of the congregation. Accord- ing to Enss, “Those whose health she had helped restore lovingly referred to her as ‘Doctor Patty.’ The leaders of the Mormon Church wholeheartedly approved of her title and work, and even encouraged other females to enter the profession.

On August 11, 1850, after more than 38 years of marriage, David passed away. Approximately a year later, Patty married John Parry, who was the first leader of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Their marriage lasted for 17 years, until his death in 1869.

Most importantly, beginning in 1846, Patty maintained a diary, which included every birth that she attended, detailed lists of the activities of the Mormon Church, the families that she assisted, and the classes that she taught as well as recipes for certain ailments. For example, as stated in the book Mormon Sisters (1997) by Claudia Bushman, “Within one year of arriving in

Salt Lake Valley, Sessions delivered 248 babies. Over the course of her long career, she recorded 3,977 births, with only ‘two difficult cases.’ She continued to deliver babies until she was 85 years old.” On December 14, 1892, Patty died of natural causes and was buried in Bountiful, Utah, which was founded by one of her sons, Perrigrine Sessions. She was 97 years of age.

Throughout her career, which spanned more than seven decades, Patty, despite the devastating losses of her own children and husbands, never wavered in her Mormon faith and believed that her role on Earth was to serve God and help expand the Mormon population. Perhaps her devotion is best seen in one of her diary entries, recorded on the day that she assisted in the birth of the first male in Salt Lake Valley: “It was said to me more than five months ago that my hands should be the first to

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(cont. from page 15) handle the first-born son in the place of rest for the saints even in the city of our God. I have come more than one thousand miles to do it since it was spoken” (September 26, 1847).

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