Tishann Woods Deemer Was a Midwife in Clinton, Louisiana

Tishann Woods Deemer
Photo Courtesy of Gwendolyn R. Carter

Tishann was born in 1853 in Clinton, Louisiana  in a small community called Blairtown. She passed away in Hammond, Louisiana in 1947. She met and married  Richard Deemer  in 1872, and to their union the following children were born; Sarah, Richard, Edward, and Ezecial. Her husband Richard was born in 1840 and died on February 25, 1923 in Blairtown, East Feliciana, Louisiana. 

Oral history was passed down to her great granddaugher Gwendolyn R. Carter.  Gwendolyn said that she was told that  her great-grandmother Tishann was a midwife in Clinton, Louisiana. 

Tishann was the grandmother of Mary Deemer Carter of Ponchatoula, Louisiana. Mary Deemer Carter was the wife of Gideon T. Carter a trailblazer in Ponchatoula, Louisiana.  Of course I googled her name to find out if any information was recorded about her as a midwife and I couldn't find any information about her. I search the search engines for information on Mandy Jones Wheat who was a midwife in Tangipahoa Parish and I couldn't find anything on her as well. Many midwives were also herbalist and for the most part they administered the only health care African-American people received in rural communities. I hope that we will do a better at recording the history that was passed down to us about the midwives. After all they are the ones who delivered many babies, both African- Americans and Caucasian people.

Gwendolyn was told that Tishann father was the plantation owner and he asked the local doctor to allow Tishann to work with him to learn about  medical care. When Tishann's  mother Sarah Green married a man with the last name Woods, Tishaan took on that name, although they knew that her father was the plantation owner.