Mother George the Midwife Who Shocked Grays Lake

Mother George the Midwife who Shocked Grays Lake is a historical novel based on the life of a black midwife who delivered many children in southeastern Idaho during and after the gold rush on Caribou Mountain in that state.

Mother George delivered Lee Cantwell’s grandmother, Effie Allsop Greene, on June 14, 1889. As a child he heard her tell the story of her birth: “I was delivered by a Negro Mammy on a cattle ranch in Grays Lake, Idaho. My Mother told me that Mother George had the largest hands she had ever seen on a woman and that she wore men’s shoes.”

One day when Lee’s grandmother was telling her story, her cousin from the Grays Lake area was present. She said: “Oh Eff. Don’t tell that story. When Mother George died and they were dressing her for burial, they found out that she was a man.”

Years later, Lee had occasion to visit with a group of people from the Grays Lake area. They were all familiar with the story of the black midwife who had turned out to be a man. It was obvious to him that they believed the story to be true. They suggested he contact Ellen Carney, a historian and local author if he had other questions. He talked to her on the telephone several times and even drove up and spent the day with her, her father and other friends who knew the history of that part of Idaho.

Lee became fascinated with the mysterious Mother George whom everyone in the Grays Lake area seemed to have heard of but about whom no detailed facts were available. Two questions plagued him: How would a black man learn the skills of midwifery during that period of history, and why would he masquerade as a woman for over forty years in a remote community in southeastern Idaho? He decided to apply his skills as a writer of fiction to solving the mystery of Mother George. This book is the result of his efforts.