Sharecroppers to Start
( A sharecropper family in Southwest Georgia around Dougherty County )
Our beloved grandmother Naynee was born Mary Jane Hill in July 1904 in the Sylvester/Oakfield area of SW Georgia. Their family along with many in the area were sharecroppers. When she came of age she worked in the fields alongside her brothers and sisters and mother. After a while, Mary
stopped going to school. The work in the field would take over her daily chores and soon her
grandmother, who was herself a midwife, began to see the “gift” in young Mary. Pulling her aside and
training her to become a midwife was easy because she already had it in her blood. Mary would work
alongside her grandmother catching babies & making medicine at first. Even with only a fourth-grade education she managed to build a reputation as a trusted deliverer.
stopped going to school. The work in the field would take over her daily chores and soon her
grandmother, who was herself a midwife, began to see the “gift” in young Mary. Pulling her aside and
training her to become a midwife was easy because she already had it in her blood. Mary would work
alongside her grandmother catching babies & making medicine at first. Even with only a fourth-grade education she managed to build a reputation as a trusted deliverer.