Governor Hugh Gallen signing New Hampshire
midwifery legislation, with group of women
including Carol Leonard looking on, 15 August 1981
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
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
This collection is organized into four series:
The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection, although researchers must sign the "Access Agreement Form" before viewing them. Certain photographs are closed, and new accessions are closed until processed.
The Sophia Smith Collection owns copyright to the papers, with the exception of Leonard's book,
Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:
Carol Leonard Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.
This is a continuing collection to which materials will be added from time to time.
Carol Leonard began donating her papers to the Sophia Smith Collection in 1991.
Processed by Burd Schlessinger, 2008
Related materials can be found in
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.
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.
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).
Materials pertaining to Carol Leonard's writings include a pre-publication copy of her book
[see also Oversize Materials]
[see also Oversize Materials]
[see also SERIES III. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES: Midwives Alliance of North America]
[see also Oversize Materials]
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