Carol Leonard Papers, 1966-2008

Carol Leonard was born in Bangor, Maine on June 10, 1950. She received a B.S. in biology from New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire in 1974. She trained as a midwife from 1975 to 1977 with Dr. Francis Brown and has been a practicing midwife since 1978. In 1979 she co-founded the Concord (New Hampshire) Midwifery Service, where she practiced until 1987. In 2000, she founded the Longmeadow Farm Midwifery Service and Birthing Home at her farm in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, one of only two midwife-owned and operated, free-standing birth centers in the state. Leonard was a board member of the New Hampshire Feminist Health Center, where she trained and was a well-woman health care provider, as well. She was the first midwife certified to practice in New Hampshire (1985) and a charter member of the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) (1982). Through the years she held numerous positions within MANA and was elected president of the organization in 1986. In 1984 Leonard received the Bronze Medal for Bravery from the Australian government for saving a man's life, and in 1990 she went to the former Soviet Union to study birthing practices. This trip was videotaped and featured on ABC's 20/20 in April 1991. Leonard is on the faculty of Birthwise Midwifery School in Bridgton, Maine, a nationally accredited program. She is the author of Lady's Hands, Lions Heart: Memoirs of a Midwife (2008), co-author, with Elizabeth Davis, of Women's Wheel of Life: Thirteen Archetypes of Woman at Her Fullest Power (1996), and published a two-part series on menopause titled Women of the Thirteenth Moon: The Baby Boomer's Survival Guide to Menopause.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Carol Leonard Papers consist of 3 linear ft., and date from 1966 to 2008. They offer a glimpse into the general practice of midwifery, the legal status of lay midwifery in the State of New Hampshire, and Leonard's profession as a midwife. Types of materials include correspondence, clippings, articles, photographs, case files, surveys, legal documents, and writings. They document the general practice of midwifery, the legal status of lay midwifery in the State of New Hampshire, and Leonard's profession as a midwife. Types of materials include correspondence, primarily from Leonard's clients expressing gratittude and describing their experiences and feelings following childbirth; clippings and articles about her; documentation of her travel to Russia in 1990 to observe childbirth practices and to help improve maternity care there. There are also records of Leonard's work with the New Hampshire Division of Public Health in formalizing the legalization and regulation of lay midwifery in that state; general information about the practice and legal status of midwifery in New Hampshire, the U.S. and other countries; materials pertaining to Leonard's involvement in several midwifery practices, as well as correspondence and printed materials pertaining to the early years of the Midwives Alliance of North America. Materials pertaining to Carol Leonard's writings include a pre-publication copy of her book Lady's Hands, Lions Heart: Memoirs of a Midwife. There are also photographs of Leonard, her clients, family and friends.

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Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into four series:

• SERIES I. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS
• SERIES II. CORRESPONDENCE
• SERIES III. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
• SERIES IV. WRITINGS
• OVERSIZE MATERIALS

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SERIES I. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS (1966-2008) .25 linear ft.

This series contains legal documents, including the contract stating the terms between Leonard and potential clients. It also includes photographs of Leonard alone, and with clients, family and friends; and clippings and articles about her, including documentation of her travel to Russia in 1990 to observe childbirth practices and to help improve maternity care there. Restricted photographs are filed separately.

SERIES II. CORRESPONDENCE (1976-92) .5 linear ft.

The correspondence, primarily from Leonard's clients, includes letters of gratitude and thanks. Numerous letters describe the women's experiences and feelings following childbirth; several also contain discussion of payment for Leonard's services. There is some personal correspondence from friends and colleagues, and a small amount of business correspondence not related to clients.

SERIES III. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES (1976-92) 1 linear ft.

This series primarily documents Leonard's work with the New Hampshire Division of Public Health in formalizing the legalization and regulation of lay midwifery in that state. There is general information about midwifery as a medical specialty, the practice and legal status of midwifery in other countries, applications for license to practice midwifery in New Hampshire, and documentation of the lay midwifery certification and examination process. The series also includes materials pertaining to Leonard's involvement in several midwifery practices, as well as correspondence and printed materials pertaining to the early years of the Midwives Alliance of North America. Also of interest is documentation of investigations into several cases of infant and maternal mortality (involving midwives other than Carol Leonard).

SERIES IV. WRITINGS (1988-2008) .25 linear ft.

Materials pertaining to Carol Leonard's writings include a pre-publication copy of her book Lady's Hands, Lions Heart: Memoirs of a Midwife, correspondence pertaining to an early proposal for the book, a diary entry, and a dream recall.

SERIES I. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS

SERIES II. CORRESPONDENCE

SERIES III. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

SERIES IV. WRITINGS

OVERSIZE MATERIALS

BOOKS ON SHELF