Interview with Martha Prewitt Breckinridge, March 30, 1979

Partial Transcript: This is an interview with Mrs. Martha Prewitt Breckinridge for the Frontier Nursing Service Oral History Project...

Segment Synopsis: Martha Prewitt Breckinridge is introduced. She talks about her family and educational background in Lexington, Kentucky. She talks about meeting Mary Breckinridge and taking a job at the Frontier Nursing Service headquarters at Wendover. She describes her arrival at Wendover.

Keywords: Breckinridge family; Bryn Mawr College; Clifton Rodes Breckinridge; Construction; Governesses; Hamilton College; Horseback; Mary Breckinridge; Mitch Begley; Northampton; Prep schools; Wendover (Ky.)

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Education--Kentucky; Families.; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Lexington (Ky.).; Rural conditions

Partial Transcript: How did you spend your time when you first got to Wendover?

Segment Synopsis: Breckinridge talks about her various duties at Wendover, including taking dictation for Mary Breckinridge and being the postmistress. She talks about some of the first FNS nurses.

Keywords: Correspondence; Dictation; Duties; Edith Rockstroh; Frieda Caffin; Gladys Peacock; Mary Willeford; Post offices; Postmistress; Relatives; Secretary

Subjects: Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Nurses; Occupations.

Partial Transcript: And you see that was the headquarters at that time; the hospital had not been built.

Segment Synopsis: Breckinridge tells several stories about the difficulty of riding horses throughout Eastern Kentucky. She talks about some of the local people she met during her time there.

Keywords: Beech Fork Center; Local people; Pineville (Ky.); Wilk Asher

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social life and customs; Country life; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Horses--Transportation; Rural conditions; Transportation--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Tell me a little bit about Juliette and Henri.

Segment Synopsis: Breckinridge talks about some of the people who worked for the Frontier Nursing Service, as well as some of the local people she met while there. She talks about the local people bartering food for the FNS services. She talks about a local murder, and a film made about the FNS.

Keywords: "Hyden Gets A Hospital"; Ardell Farmer; Bartering; Cooks; Duties; Films; Food; Henri Carni; Housekeepers; Jean Tolk; Juliette Carni; Local people; Mary Breckinridge; Murders; Nurses; Relationships; Ruth Byers; Ruth Huston; Supplies; Swiss; Wendover (Ky.)

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social life and customs; Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Country life; Families.; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.

Partial Transcript: Well alright, maybe we ought to go back and, uh, and talk a little bit about the winter then of 1926.

Segment Synopsis: Breckinridge talks about taking Mary Breckinridge and some local children on a boat down the river to get to a train which would take them to Lexington, Kentucky so they could each receive an operation.

Keywords: Boats; Joe Morgan; Juliette Carni; Lexington (Ky.); Mary Breckinridge; Medical operations; New York; Taylor Morgan; Trains

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Children; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Medical care--Appalachian Region; Rural children; Rural conditions; Rural health services; Transportation--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Well what, what happened, uh, my husband Brett and I had just arrived from Florida to go through the trunks down in Louisville...

Segment Synopsis: Breckinridge describes some of the guests that came to Kentucky for the dedication of the new Frontier Nursing Service hospital. She talks about the humor of seeing these elegant people riding in wagons and on horseback.

Keywords: Dedications; Donors; Dr. McCormick; Guests; Hospitals; Marvin Breckinridge; Mary Breckinridge; Riding horses; Sir Leslie MacKenzie; Traveling

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Health facilities.; Horses--Transportation; Mary Breckinridge Hospital; Rural conditions; Rural health services; Rural roads

Partial Transcript: Uh, I would like to also talk about the building of the first hospital.

Segment Synopsis: Breckinridge talks about her involvement in the construction of the new Frontier Nursing Service hospital, and how she convinced the workers to finish the roof before winter.

Keywords: Cement; Construction workers; Contractors; Roof; Supplies

Subjects: Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Health facilities.; Hospital buildings--Design and construction; Mary Breckinridge Hospital; Rural conditions

Partial Transcript: Did you call Mrs. Breckinridge Mary during this period?

Segment Synopsis: Breckinridge talks about Mary Breckinridge offering her silver set as a wedding present. She talks about Christmas at the Frontier Nursing Service. She describes Mary Breckinridge's personality, her love for shocking people, and whether she discussed her children and former husbands.

Keywords: Attitudes; Childbirth; Clifford Breckinridge Thompson ("Breckie"); Compassion; Dolls; Donations; Donors; Engagement; Eyes; Handwriting; Henry Ruffner Morrison; Husbands; Local people; Mary Breckinridge; Masculine; Names; Perfectionists; Polly Breckinridge Thompson; Richard Thompson; Shocking; Silver; Smoking

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Children; Christmas--Appalachian Region; Families.; Family histories.; Family--history; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.

Partial Transcript: What--do you remember any other interesting stories from those days?

Segment Synopsis: Breckinridge talks more about the local people she met while working for the Frontier Nursing Service. She talks about marrying into the Breckinridge family, and how her husband felt about his family. She talks about some of Mary Breckinridge's relatives.

Keywords: Bathtubs; Clifton Rodes Breckinridge; Couriers; Dr. Josie Breckinridge; Dr. Scott Breckinridge; Ghost stories; Husbands; Influence; Local people; Mary Breckinridge; Personal growth; Relatives; Sisters; Skeptical

Subjects: Breckinridge family; Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Country life; Families.; Family histories.; Family--history; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Rural conditions

Partial Transcript: Can you think of anything else I haven't asked you that you'd like to--

Segment Synopsis: Breckinridge talks about accompanying Mary Breckinridge when she would travel to speak to various groups about making donations to the Frontier Nursing Service. She talks about the FNS film that was often shown at these gatherings. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: "Trail of the Pioneer"; Corsages; Cosmopolitan Club; Detroit (Mich.); Donations; Donors; Elizabeth Perkins; Films; Flowers; Fundraising; John C. Breckinridge; Mary Breckinridge; Meetings; Money; Public speaking; Salary; Speeches; Traveling; Wages

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Fund raising; Occupations.; Philanthropists.