Martha Ballard’s Diary

Martha Ballard’s Diary Name Institution Martha Ballard’s Diary Martha Ballard’s diary gives a detailed account of the events unfolding in the small town of Hallowell through the eyes of the midwife. Martha Ballard documents the events occurring in both her life and around the community through her selfless work of providing nursing care to those in need around the town. Her perception of the occurrences serves as an excellent platform for analyzing the past historical events in what was more of a patriarchal society. The fact the diary provides a woman’s point of view makes for an interesting interpretation and understanding of the social structures in existence during the late 18th to the early 19th century. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s use of piecing together of Martha’s diary entries to create a narration of the rape of Rebecca Foster further highlights some of the intricate difference in the evaluation and interpretation of historical resources. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785–1812 reveals the author’s ability to recreate the context of the events surrounding the rape or the accusations against three individuals for raping Rebeca Foster. The author gives a chronological account of the events leading to the specific date when Rebecca Foster confides in Martha Ballard on the said accusations CITATION Ulr10 \l 1033 (Ulrich, 2010). Ulrich pieces together Martha Ballard’s account of the daily occurrences to create a vivid picture of the Hallowell community in Maine. Like the diary’s author, Laurel exercises patience in her work as she evaluates and analyzes all the available resources to create a precise context through which the...