Rosa Fineberg
Rosa Edelhurst Fineberg kept detailed records of her work as a midwife that shed light on the lives of Jewish immigrants at the turn of the century. The only girl in a family of seven, Fineberg is thought to have learned her medical skills from her brothers, who all became doctors and rabbis. Fineberg married the chief rabbi of Katrinaslav, Russia before emigrating to the US alone. While she eventually brought her three daughters to join her, her husband remained in Russia. Fineberg’s records of her midwifery practice span 1895–1919 and document the birthdate, sex, number of older siblings, parents’ origins, and father’s occupation for each child, offering portraits of immigrant families in Baltimore in the early twentieth century.