Mary Carson Breckinridge (abt. 1881 - 1965)

Born about 17 Feb 1881 in Memphis, Shelby, Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Henry Ruffner Morrison — married 21 Nov 1904 in Knox, Tennessee, United States

Wife of Richard Ryan Thompson — married 8 Oct 1912 in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada

Died 16 May 1965 at about age 84 in Hyden, Leslie, Kentucky, United States

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Biography

Mary Breckinridge is Notable.

Mary was the Founder of the Frontier Nursing Service

Mary was born about 1880. She is the daughter of Clifton Breckinridge, 14th Vice President of the United States, and Katherine Carson.

Her siblings were:

1. James Carson Breckinridge (1877 - 1942)
2. Susanna Lees Breckinridge (~1881 - )
3. Clifton Rhodes Breckinridge (1895 - 1966)

Descended from

Mary Breckinridge and Dr. Preston Satterwhite M.D. are second cousins both are descendants of Joseph Breckinridge.

1. Preston is the son of Thomas Palmer Satterwhite Jr. M.D. (1835-1917) [confident]

2. Thomas is the son of Mary Cabell (Breckinridge) Satterwhite (1815-1835) [confident]

3. Mary is the daughter of Joseph Cabell Breckinridge (1788-1823) [confident]

This makes Joseph the great grandfather of Preston.

1. Mary is the daughter of Clifton Rhodes Breckinridge (1846 - 1932) [confident]

2. Clifton is the son of US Vice President John Cabell Breckinridge (1821-1875) [confident]

3. John C. is the son of Joseph Cabell Breckinridge (1788-1823) [confident]

This makes Joseph the great grandfather of Mary.

Marriage

Mary (~23) married Henry Ruffner Morrison (29) (1875 - 1906) on 21 Nov 1904 in Knox, Tennessee. Unfortunately he died only two years later. ^[1] Mary (~31) married Richard Ryan Thompson (34) (1878 - 1971) on 8 Oct 1912 in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada.^[2]Their son was Clifford "Breckie" Breckenridge Thompson (1914 - 1918).

She returned to her maiden name after leaving her second husband.^[3]

Received Sep. 2020 from Ms. Amy Ritterholz of Kentucky: Dr. Preston Satterwhite has a special place in the hearts of those in our community. He donated a beautiful 15th century stained glass window of St. Christopher to, what I heard is his cousin, Mary Breckinridge. She would ask for the window every time she would visit Dr. Satterwhite. This window was a cherished part of our heritage. Community members raised money and built a special chapel for the window. Mary Breckinridge was a midwife who came from a wealthy family. She studied midwifery in England and came to the mountains of Eastern Kentucky to make a difference. She eventually started a school for midwifery in Hyden. A few years ago, the people who bought the Frontier Nursing University decided that our location was too inconvenient and moved their campus from the mountains to Versailles, KY, in central Kentucky. A few weeks ago, the window so generously donated to Mary Breckinridge and the people of Leslie County was moved to their new campus. I am so grateful for the time we had the window and was hoping to let Dr. Satterwhite’s family know of our community’s appreciation. We will continue to try to get this treasure back. I just wanted to share. I love learning about my family’s history and thought you might, too. Thank you so much for the information. I look forward to reading more about Dr. Satterwhite’s history. I am sending a couple of pictures of our window.

Window donated by Mary Breckinridge originally owned by Dr. Preston Pope Satterwhite

Death

Mary suffered cerebral hemorrhage due to leukemia on 16 May 1965 and died in Hyden, Leslie, Kentucky aged 84.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ "Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950," database with images, (FamilySearch Record: XZ4D-V6D) : Accessed 9 March 2021), Henry Ruffner Morrison and Mary Carson Breckinridge, 21 Nov 1904; citing Knox, Tennessee, United States, Marriage, p. 890, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville and county clerk offices from various counties; FHL microfilm 1,020,965.
2. ↑ "Canada, Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," database with images, (FamilySearch Record: KS8D-V92): Accessed 8 March 2021), Richard Ryan Thompson and Mary Breckenridge Morrison, 08 Oct 1912; citing registration , Lake Rosseau, Muskoka, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,906,618.
3. ↑ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, (FamilySearch Record: JPB3-C5M) : Accessed 9 January 2021), Mary Breckinridge, May 1965; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
4. ↑ "Kentucky Death Records, 1911-1967", database, (FamilySearch Record: QPQ7-QFGJ) : Accessed 2 March 2021), Mary Breckinridge, 1965.

• The Cabells and Their Kin: A Memorial Volume of History, Biography, and Genealogy Alexander Brown January 1, 1895 Houghton, Mifflin & Company: Parents, Siblings page 496, 497

See also:

• Wikipedia: Mary Carson Breckinridge
• Wikidata: Item Q3850444, en:Wikipedia
• Wide Neighborhoods: A Story of the Frontier Nursing Service, by Mary Breckenridge
• Emma Carter; "The Forgotten Frontier: Nursing Done in Wild Places"; Circulating Now from the Historical Collections of the National Library of Medicine https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2018/09/20/the-forgotten-frontier-nursing-done-in-wild-places/ Sept 20, 2018