Laura McIntosh Scott
Many Estill Countians owe their existence to the services of one tiny woman who probably didn’t stand more than five feet tall.
Laura McIntosh Scott was a self-educated midwife who waded through thick mud, crossed frozen creeks and climbed steep cliffs to deliver medical services to those who were too inaccessible or poor to obtain the services of a doctor. Mrs. Scott was born in 1872 at a time when Estill County was suffering through hard economic times created by the collapse of the iron smelting industry. During this time the county had few roads and even fewer bridges. Medical services were provided by only a few overworked country doctors who made their rounds on horseback.
This scenario prohibited these country physicians from reaching quickly those individuals who lived in remote areas. This is where dedicated women like Mrs. Scott gave of their time and self to provide midwifery services. Midwives served an important and necessary service until fairly recent times. For the most part, these dedicated women worked for little or no compensation.
Many people now living would not be here if not for the efforts and talents of some long-forgotten midwife who arrived at an isolated cabin just in time to save their lives. Although Mrs. Scott had been studying the birthing process from a medical book, her first delivery happened by accident. When a neighbor woman’s baby would not wait for the arrival of the doctor, Mrs. Scott successfully delivered the child. After hearing of her first delivery, word spread like wildfire prompting other desperate families to seek the help of Mrs. Scott.
As long as she was able, she never refused any request for help and never charged for her services. Her philosophy was that help should be given to all in need regardless of the financial situation. Once when asked why she never charged, she responded, “ I have been where they didn’t have a bite to eat and the man’s hair sticks out of the top of his hat. I can’t charge nobody like that.”
By the time she died at the age of 95 in 1967, she had delivered 1,367 babies. That is more than the total population of Ravenna. The offspring of the babies that she delivered would exceed the present population of Estill County.
Although Mrs. Scott never achieved wealth and prominence, few people can equal her contribution to our community. Her earthly reward was to reflect on all of the lives that she had positively influenced by her good works. That knowledge must have given her great joy as she sat in a rocking chair, smoking her pipe at the conclusion of her many blessed events.
Her dedication to the people of Estill County will never be forgotten nor will her work. She has helped to create the community fabric that still holds strong today. She is survived by four grandchildren: Virginia Withers, Wilma Jo Parsons, Clara Henry and William Cooper.
Laura McIntosh Scott was a self-educated midwife who waded through thick mud, crossed frozen creeks and climbed steep cliffs to deliver medical services to those who were too inaccessible or poor to obtain the services of a doctor. Mrs. Scott was born in 1872 at a time when Estill County was suffering through hard economic times created by the collapse of the iron smelting industry. During this time the county had few roads and even fewer bridges. Medical services were provided by only a few overworked country doctors who made their rounds on horseback.
This scenario prohibited these country physicians from reaching quickly those individuals who lived in remote areas. This is where dedicated women like Mrs. Scott gave of their time and self to provide midwifery services. Midwives served an important and necessary service until fairly recent times. For the most part, these dedicated women worked for little or no compensation.
Many people now living would not be here if not for the efforts and talents of some long-forgotten midwife who arrived at an isolated cabin just in time to save their lives. Although Mrs. Scott had been studying the birthing process from a medical book, her first delivery happened by accident. When a neighbor woman’s baby would not wait for the arrival of the doctor, Mrs. Scott successfully delivered the child. After hearing of her first delivery, word spread like wildfire prompting other desperate families to seek the help of Mrs. Scott.
As long as she was able, she never refused any request for help and never charged for her services. Her philosophy was that help should be given to all in need regardless of the financial situation. Once when asked why she never charged, she responded, “ I have been where they didn’t have a bite to eat and the man’s hair sticks out of the top of his hat. I can’t charge nobody like that.”
By the time she died at the age of 95 in 1967, she had delivered 1,367 babies. That is more than the total population of Ravenna. The offspring of the babies that she delivered would exceed the present population of Estill County.
Although Mrs. Scott never achieved wealth and prominence, few people can equal her contribution to our community. Her earthly reward was to reflect on all of the lives that she had positively influenced by her good works. That knowledge must have given her great joy as she sat in a rocking chair, smoking her pipe at the conclusion of her many blessed events.
Her dedication to the people of Estill County will never be forgotten nor will her work. She has helped to create the community fabric that still holds strong today. She is survived by four grandchildren: Virginia Withers, Wilma Jo Parsons, Clara Henry and William Cooper.