Honor Mary Alberta Childs and Hattie Barnes' Midwife Legacy

Honoring a Legacy of Life: A Family Tribute to Two Beloved Midwives

I am the proud great- and great-great-grandson of two remarkable women who served generations of families in McDonough, Georgia, and throughout Henry County: Mrs. Hattie Miranda Stewart Barnes (“Ma Hattie”) and Mrs. Mary Alberta Childs (“Big Mama”).

Their legacy is more than just a part of our family history—it's part of the very fabric of this community. Since I was seven years old, I’ve listened to stories about their selfless work as midwives. I still remember sitting with Big Mama and my grandmother, Lillie Ruth Childs Phillips, listening to them recount the rich tapestry of our family's past. In 2010, my grandmother began to say often, “People need to know them.”

That calling stayed with me. In February 2022, it was reignited when the Henry County Board of Education reached out to honor local Black leaders for Black History Month. After that tribute, I began a journey—petitioning local officials for formal recognition of Ma Hattie and Big Mama. From proclamations to parks, from street signs to public acknowledgment, I pursued every possible avenue.

In March 2022—Women's History Month—their names were finally recognized with proclamations from the City of McDonough. Shortly afterward, the city renamed two streets in their honor: Mary Childs Street and Hattie Barnes Street now stand as a permanent testament to their impact.

We are now working to honor them in one more sacred way—by restoring and enhancing the Childs Family Burial Plot:

A new headstone for Hattie, with “Midwife” proudly inscribed

An upgraded headstone for Mary Alberta Childs with formal midwife recognition

A Childs Family Monument to honor all those laid to rest there

Bordering the graves with granite rocks and coping

Adding flowers for the unveiling ceremony and throughout the seasons

Upgrading the children’s headstones to ensure every life is remembered beautifully

These women ushered thousands of lives into this world. We now seek to honor theirs with dignity, love, and lasting remembrance.

If you feel moved to support this effort, please consider donating:

GoFundMe Link – https://gofund.me/f999cd0d

Thank you for helping preserve the legacy of McDonough’s midwives, and for being part of a tribute that is generations in the making.