“The Forest was green when I was a-born and I’m green yet.”
Of the 469 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway, milepost 189.1 boasts a legend. It is likely that anyone born in Patrick or Carroll counties in Virginia have ancestors brought into this world by the famed “Aunt” Orlean Hawks Puckett. Aunt Orlean’s talents as a midwife and sturdy woman have echoed through the hollows and peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains that she loved so dearly.
Born in 1837, 1839 or possibly 1844, Orlean Hawks came into this world in Lambsburg, Virginia. The small unincorporated community is in Carroll County, about 20 minutes from the town of Galax. Raised among the mountains, Orlean gained a strong understanding of farm life and natural living. By most accounts she was admired for being beautiful and with her blue eyes, blonde hair, and tall slender stature, who could argue? Naturally, these traits attracted suitors, and at the questionable age of 16 Orlean was married to John Puckett, age 22, sometime in 1860 just before the Civil War.
The young couple moved into a small cabin after their wedding, but shortly after relocated again to their home in the Hollow that resided at the foot of Groundhog Mountain. This is where John and Orlean’s daughter Julia would be born, and John would enlist with the confederate forces in Virginia. In June of 1861, John enlisted in the Confederate Army and remained so for about a year until he deserted to come home. Some sources suggest his timely departure from the life of a soldier was due in part to his daughter Julia’s ailing health. Julia had contracted diphtheria, a bacterial infection that affects the respiratory system, causing weak breathing or total obstructions.
On Sept. 27, 1862, Julia Puckett died at 7 months of age. Orlean would become pregnant 23 more times, with none of her children living past 7 months. Ten of her children were stillborn, and other multiple miscarriages and quick deaths took the lives of her other offspring. Orlean was once quoted, “I would have been glad if it had been the Lord’s will to let one of my children live.”
There was and still is a lot of skepticism around the true cause of Orlean’s losses. Some local folk believed John to be abusive during Orlean’s pregnancies; some closer to the family believed it was simply the Lord’s will. Today some would suggest that Orlean had the RH Blood factor. This can cause complications when the fetus and mother are not a match. However, despite all this pain, loss, and disappointment Orlean’s love for children did not falter. In 1875 John and Orlean moved to their new home on Groundhog Mountain.
In 1889, at the age of 50, give or take a few years, Orlean delivered her first baby as a midwife. From this time forward Orlean began to deliver child after child. In her time as a midwife, she never lost a child nor mother during the process. When the news came that a mother was nearing the birthing time, Orlean would set out walking sometimes 20 miles or more to help a family in need. When the weather was icy or slick, she would nail tacks to the bottom of her shoes for better traction. If a home were further away, she would ride an old mule or go on horseback. Sometimes, horse and buggies would pull up to retrieve the midwife and later even cars.
Aunt Orlean carried with her a doctor’s bag usually containing eye drops (required by the state), scissors, string, gauze, camphor, and sometimes brandy. Some say she never asked for money or compensation, others say she did. One source suggests that around 1890, Orlean would charge upwards of $6 for her services. Regardless of price, the people surrounding her Groundhog Mountain home needed and wanted her services. During her devotion as a midwife, Orlean Puckett delivered more than 1,000 children. Using her common sense, mountain know how, and granny superstitions to literally save the day.
Today at milepost 189.1 on the Blue Ridge Parkway you can see a cabin that is often misinterpreted as The Puckett Cabin. The Puckett’s original cabin would have been close by, possibly in the garden plot at the site. The current cabin belonged to Aunt Betty Puckett, a close relative. Despite this small misconception, the National Park Service uses this space to preserve and remember the legacy of this mountain legend. The site offers interpretive markers, as well as, a small path around the cabin.
Orlean Puckett died Oct. 21, 1939. While she left behind no children of her own, she left behind a legacy that would last for the ages.
Emily Morgan is the guest services manager at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. She and her family live in Westfield. She can be reached at eamorgan@northcarolinamuseum.org or by calling 336-786-4478 x229
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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