The Doctor Woman
A Brief Bio of Amanda "Mandy" Mister Williams
Based on the recollections of Robbie Williams Townes and Hattie Williams Toney
Amanda Mister was born free sometime in January 1866 in Grenada, Mississippi. Her mother, Rachel Mister, was born a slave in 1819 or 1820 in Mississippi. Amanda's father is unknown but according to family lore he was born in Virginia.
Amanda, or "Mandy" as everyone called her, was a tall, beautiful woman with light brown skin, lots of freckles, and a mole on her face. She often wore her long silky hair in a bun at the nape of her neck and sometimes wore a scarf about her head.
On February 16, 1881, Mandy married George Williams in Grenada, Mississippi. George was born a slave sometime in January 1860. Together, George and Mandy had 16 children.
George was a quiet, mild mannered man. George and Mandy owned their own home, wagon, mules, and other property during a time when few Blacks owned anything. While George was a farmer, Mandy was a healthcare professional. She was a midwife who delivered hundreds of babies, Black and White. She took a great deal of pride in her work and everyone referred to her as "the doctor woman." Mandy always wore white, a big apron she draped around her waist, and a dark cape she wore around her shoulders. She carried her instruments in a black doctor's bag.
People came from near and far, by mule, horseback, buggy, or foot to call on Mandy when it was time for their babies to be born. At times, Mandy was gone from her own children for days or weeks delivering other people's babies. People rarely paid her with money though. Usually bartering was used and Mandy often accepted chickens or vegetables as payment for her services.
To honor "The Doctor Woman" and keep her legacy alive, Hazel "Tutti" Townes Dalton, Mandy's great grand-daughter who worked as a healthcare professional herself for over 30 years, established the Amanda Williams Scholarship Award, which is given to a minority student in the School of Health Professions Program in Histotechnology at the University of Texas. The award is administered by Souls of My Sisters (SOMS), an organization founded by Sonya Dalton Salahuddin who is Mandy's great great grand-daughter.
Amanda, or "Mandy" as everyone called her, was a tall, beautiful woman with light brown skin, lots of freckles, and a mole on her face. She often wore her long silky hair in a bun at the nape of her neck and sometimes wore a scarf about her head.
On February 16, 1881, Mandy married George Williams in Grenada, Mississippi. George was born a slave sometime in January 1860. Together, George and Mandy had 16 children.
George was a quiet, mild mannered man. George and Mandy owned their own home, wagon, mules, and other property during a time when few Blacks owned anything. While George was a farmer, Mandy was a healthcare professional. She was a midwife who delivered hundreds of babies, Black and White. She took a great deal of pride in her work and everyone referred to her as "the doctor woman." Mandy always wore white, a big apron she draped around her waist, and a dark cape she wore around her shoulders. She carried her instruments in a black doctor's bag.
People came from near and far, by mule, horseback, buggy, or foot to call on Mandy when it was time for their babies to be born. At times, Mandy was gone from her own children for days or weeks delivering other people's babies. People rarely paid her with money though. Usually bartering was used and Mandy often accepted chickens or vegetables as payment for her services.
To honor "The Doctor Woman" and keep her legacy alive, Hazel "Tutti" Townes Dalton, Mandy's great grand-daughter who worked as a healthcare professional herself for over 30 years, established the Amanda Williams Scholarship Award, which is given to a minority student in the School of Health Professions Program in Histotechnology at the University of Texas. The award is administered by Souls of My Sisters (SOMS), an organization founded by Sonya Dalton Salahuddin who is Mandy's great great grand-daughter.
