Birth Records of Catherine Ling, Midwife
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Abstract
A register of children delivered primarily in Brooklyn, New York by Catherine Ling, a midwife.
Arrangement
The birth records in this volume are interspersed between stretches of blank pages, presumably left to accommodate future records. The records are arranged alphabetically within the volume and roughly chronologically within each alphabetical section. There is an alphabetical index at the beginning of the volume and a loosely-arranged chronological index at the end of the volume, starting on page 500.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of the handwritten birth register and typewritten professional permit of a Brooklyn midwife, Catherine Ling. The register is a canvas-bound volume with leather corners; about one tenth of the pages are filled with records of home births in Brooklyn (and some in Manhattan) delivered by midwife Catherine Ling.
Each record contains the name of a newborn, the day and date of birth, home address, names of the parents, their addresses, ages, places of birth and occupations as well as total number of living children in the household. Most records also contain a birth certificate number which appears in the ledger as an "R.h." Some records contain additional information, such as the race of the child, mother's maiden names, unusual health conditions, midwife's fees, and the name of the doctor who issued the birth certificate.
The collection also includes an undated professional permit issued to midwife Catherine Ling by the Department of Health of the City of New York, Bureau of Child Hygiene.
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Access
This collection is located in the Brooklyn Collection at Brooklyn Public Library's Central Branch at Grand Army Plaza. The collection may only be used in the library and is not available through interlibrary loan. Requests to view the collection must be made at least 48 hours in advance of visit.
Use
While many items in the Brooklyn Collection are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as the Birth Records of Catherine Ling, Brooklyn Public Library – Brooklyn Collection.
Provenance
This collection was donated to the Brooklyn Collection by a friend of the Ling family, John M. Witthohn, in 2015.
