Mariah Bell Otey Reddick (1832–1922) was an American midwife, nurse, and domestic worker who was held as a

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

at Carnton Plantation in

Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020 Uni ...

. She worked for the family of Colonel John McGavock for four generations, both as a

house slave A house slave was a slave who worked, and often lived, in the house of the slave-owner, performing domestic labor. House slaves performed essentially the same duties as all domestic workers throughout history, such as cooking, cleaning, serving m ...

and as a freedwoman. At Carnton, Reddick was the head of the household staff and also worked as a maid, nanny, and midwife for the family. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, she was sent to

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

to stay at the home of

Varina Davis Varina Anne Banks Davis ( Howell; May 7, 1826 – October 16, 1906) was the only First Lady of the Confederate States of America, and the longtime second wife of President Jefferson Davis. She moved to the presidential mansion in Richmond, ...

' mother,

Margaret Kempe Howell Margaret Louisa Kempe Howell (January 6, 1806 – November 24, 1867) was an American heiress, planter, and slaveowner who was the mother of Confederate States of America, Confederate First Lady Varina Davis and mother-in-law of Confederate Preside ...

. During this time, she was employed as a nurse by the surgeon W.M. Gentry. After the war, Reddick was a favorite midwife of the women of Franklin's high society.

Biography

Reddick was born in Mississippi in about 1832. She was held as a slave by Colonel Van Perkins Winder and Martha Grundy Winder of Ducros Plantation in

Schriever, Louisiana Schriever is a census-designated place (CDP) in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,711 in 2020. It is part of the Houma, Louisiana, Houma–Bayou Cane, Louisiana, Bayou Cane–Thibodaux, Louisiana, Thibodaux Houma-B ...

. In December 1848, she was given to the Winder's daughter, Carrie Elizabeth Winder, as a wedding present upon her marriage to Colonel John McGavock, son of Randal McGavock of Carnton Plantation in

. Reddick was a personal

for Carrie Winder McGavock at Carnton and at St. Bridget, the McGavock's sugar plantation in Louisiana. Reddick worked for four generations of the McGavock family at Carnton as a nurse, maid, midwife, and head of the household staff. The McGavocks arranged Reddick's marriage to her first husband, Harvey Otey, who was fourteen years her senior. They had eight children together. Two of their children, who were twins, were stillborn. During the

, the McGavocks sent Reddick, who was pregnant at the time, to

to prevent her from being freed by the Union Army. She went without her husband and children and stayed at the home of Margaret Louisa Kempe Howell, the mother of Confederate First Lady

Varina Howell Davis Varina Anne Banks Davis ( Howell; May 7, 1826 – October 16, 1906) was the only First Lady of the Confederate States of America, and the longtime second wife of President Jefferson Davis. She moved to the presidential mansion in Richmond, ...

and mother-in-law of Confederate President

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

. Reddick gave birth to her eighth child in Alabama and, less than a month after she left Tennessee, her husband died. While in Montgomery, Reddick worked for the surgeon Dr. W.M. Gentry, assisting him as a nurse. During this time, she met Bolen Reddick, whom she later married. They had one son, John Watt Reddick. After the war, Reddick returned to Carnton as a freedwoman and continued to work for the McGavock family. She became the favorite midwife for Franklin's women of high society. She served as a nanny for the children of Hattie McGavock Cowan. Reddick lived near the "Bucket of Blood" neighborhood in Franklin, close to the railroad depot, before moving to a house on Columbia Avenue, just north of the Carter House. In 1906, she purchased a portrait of

Toussaint Louverture François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture (, ) also known as Toussaint L'Ouverture or Toussaint Bréda (20 May 1743 – 7 April 1803), was a Haitian general and the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution. During his life, Louvertu ...

, leader of the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution ( or ; ) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known Slave rebellion, slave up ...

, and hung it in her home. She died on December 14, 1922, and is buried at

Toussaint L'Ouverture County Cemetery The Toussaint L'Ouverture County Cemetery is an historical African-American cemetery located in Franklin, Tennessee. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. It is named for Toussaint Louverture, the leader of the Hai ...

Legacy

Reddick is the basis of the fictional main character, with the same name, in the book ''The Orphan Mother'' by Robert Hicks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reddick, Mariah 1830s births Year of birth uncertain 1922 deaths 19th-century American slaves 19th-century American women African-American women nurses American women nurses African-American nurses American domestic workers American midwives American women slaves House slaves Nannies People from Franklin, Tennessee Women in the American Civil War People enslaved in Tennessee