Patty Bartlett Sessions
Encyclopedia
Patty Bartlett Sessions (February 4, 1795 – December 14, 1892) was a Mormon
midwife. She was one of the wives of Joseph Smith, Jr. while still married to her first husband, David Sessions. She was the mother of Perrigrine Sessions, founder of Bountiful
, Utah
. She is best known for her diaries, which recorded the daily activities of the Latter Day Saints during the first year of the Mormon migration to Utah, and the earliest days of their settlement there. These diaries document the physical, social, and religious circumstances of the settlers, especially of the women, and are frequently cited by historians. Her records are also a primary source of birth records in the LDS community during this period, and are highly prized for documenting almost 4,000 births.
on February 4, 1795. She married David Sessions on June 28, 1812, and they cleared and ran a farm for some years, during which time she had 8 children. Around 1812, she delivered her first baby. A doctor came later, congratulated her, and said, "Must attend to the business." She subsequently continued delivering children.
While she grew up Methodist, in 1834 she was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She and her family then moved to Missouri
in 1836, where they lived in Far West
until they were driven out by the Extermination Order. Leaving behind almost everything they owned, they traveled to Nauvoo, Illinois
.
Session's diaries begin with a journal that she received from her daughter, Sylvia, on February 4, 1846. (Earlier diaries that she had kept since 1812 have been lost.) Her diaries provide daily record for over 20 years, included every birth. After 1868, there are gaps in her record, but she continued to record entries in her diary until she was 94 years old, in 1888. Her journal also included recipes for ailments.
In 1846, Brigham Young
instructed Latter-Day Saints to head west, beyond the western frontier into what was then Mexico
. He instructed Patty Sessions to go with the pilot company to care for the sick and afflicted, as well as to serve as midwife. She delivered nine babies on the banks of the Mississippi River
, and many others on the pioneer trek. She spent the winter of 1846–47 at Winter Quarters, Nebraska
, and on June 15, 1847, at 52 years old, Sessions left Winter Quarters for “the mountains.” On September 24, 1847 she arrived in the Salt Lake Valley
. “I had driven my wagon all the way, except for the last two mountain, and had walked 1,030 miles.”
Within one year of arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, Sessions delivered 248 babies. She recorded 3,977 births with only “two difficult cases.” She made an average of $2 per birth and continued to deliver babies until she was about 85 years old.
When she died in 1892 at the age of 97, she was survived by two sons, 33 grandchildren, 137 great-grandchildren, and 22 great-great-grandchildren.
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
midwife. She was one of the wives of Joseph Smith, Jr. while still married to her first husband, David Sessions. She was the mother of Perrigrine Sessions, founder of Bountiful
Bountiful, Utah
Bountiful is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 42,552, a three percent increase over the 2000 figure of 41,301...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. She is best known for her diaries, which recorded the daily activities of the Latter Day Saints during the first year of the Mormon migration to Utah, and the earliest days of their settlement there. These diaries document the physical, social, and religious circumstances of the settlers, especially of the women, and are frequently cited by historians. Her records are also a primary source of birth records in the LDS community during this period, and are highly prized for documenting almost 4,000 births.
Life history
Patty Bartlett was born in Bethel, MaineBethel, Maine
Bethel is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,411 at the 2000 census. It includes the villages of West Bethel and South Bethel...
on February 4, 1795. She married David Sessions on June 28, 1812, and they cleared and ran a farm for some years, during which time she had 8 children. Around 1812, she delivered her first baby. A doctor came later, congratulated her, and said, "Must attend to the business." She subsequently continued delivering children.
While she grew up Methodist, in 1834 she was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She and her family then moved to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
in 1836, where they lived in Far West
Far West, Missouri
Far West, Missouri, was a Latter Day Saint settlement in Caldwell County, Missouri.-Foundation and early history:The town was founded by Missouri Mormon leaders, W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer in August 1836 shortly before the county's creation. The town was platted originally as a square area,...
until they were driven out by the Extermination Order. Leaving behind almost everything they owned, they traveled to Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
.
Session's diaries begin with a journal that she received from her daughter, Sylvia, on February 4, 1846. (Earlier diaries that she had kept since 1812 have been lost.) Her diaries provide daily record for over 20 years, included every birth. After 1868, there are gaps in her record, but she continued to record entries in her diary until she was 94 years old, in 1888. Her journal also included recipes for ailments.
In 1846, Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
instructed Latter-Day Saints to head west, beyond the western frontier into what was then Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. He instructed Patty Sessions to go with the pilot company to care for the sick and afflicted, as well as to serve as midwife. She delivered nine babies on the banks of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, and many others on the pioneer trek. She spent the winter of 1846–47 at Winter Quarters, Nebraska
Winter Quarters, Nebraska
Winter Quarters was an encampment formed by approximately 2,500 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as they waited during the winter of 1846–47 for better conditions for their trek westward. It followed a preliminary tent settlement some 3½ miles west at Cutler's Park. The...
, and on June 15, 1847, at 52 years old, Sessions left Winter Quarters for “the mountains.” On September 24, 1847 she arrived in the Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably West Valley City, Murray, Sandy, and West Jordan; its total population is 1,029,655 as of 2010...
. “I had driven my wagon all the way, except for the last two mountain, and had walked 1,030 miles.”
Within one year of arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, Sessions delivered 248 babies. She recorded 3,977 births with only “two difficult cases.” She made an average of $2 per birth and continued to deliver babies until she was about 85 years old.
When she died in 1892 at the age of 97, she was survived by two sons, 33 grandchildren, 137 great-grandchildren, and 22 great-great-grandchildren.
External links
- Photograph of plaque quoting Sessions
- Mormon Midwife: The 1846-1888 Diaries of Patty Sessions Utah State UniversityUtah State UniversityUtah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
Press catalog - Pioneer Details:Patty Bartlett Sessions, LDS.org
- "What is Patty Sessions To Me?", Encounter Essay, Journal of Mormon History