Anna Marinelli: The volunteer midwife who helped deliver more than 1,500 babies

From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:

If you’re familiar with Sault Ste. Marie’s Jamestown area, you may know of Anna Marinelli Park, located on the corner of James and Albert Street West.  But do you know about the park’s namesake?

Born in 1862, Anna Marinelli spent the first decades of her life in Chieti, Italy. In the early 1900s, her husband travelled to Canada and passed through Sault Ste. Marie on his way north to work on the railroad.  

He returned to the Sault, working at the steel plant, before going back to Italy. After a few years, however, he moved back to Canada; Anna and their three children soon followed, and they put down roots in Sault Ste. Marie’s west end.

At that point, there were relatively few Italians living in Sault Ste. Marie. The Marinellis have been noted as some of the first people of Italian descent to immigrate to the Soo; they were included in the book The Italians in Canada as a “noteworthy pioneer [family]” from the area.

Anna quickly gained a reputation providing unofficial nursing and midwife services. Best known as Zi Miniccucia or Aunt Domenica, Anna delivered an estimated 1,500 babies, sometimes as many as three per day, working closely with doctors to develop her skills and knowledge. She had remedies at hand that she would use for minor medical issues, such as traditional poultices to treat sprains. She always carried Lysol, gauze, scissors, and string with her. She would even cook for people’s family events, such as weddings or funerals, when needed.

She was particularly well-loved among the new immigrant mothers of the west end. While Anna spoke little English, she could communicate with many of the new immigrants, including those of Italian, Ukrainian, and Croatian descent.

She did not charge people for her assistance, but she did receive items as thanks – food, blankets, or even a canary in a cage.

She retired from her services in 1938 when, at the age of 75, she suffered a stroke. She passed away five years after that.

In 1972, a park in the west end, between Albert Street West and Queen Street West, was named after her. On a chilly October day, over 125 officials, politicians, friends, and family turned out for the dedication of Anna Marinelli Memorial Park. At the event, MP Terry Murphy praised her accomplishments, saying that the country “would be nowhere without the Anna Marinellis of this world.”

In 2000, she was posthumously honoured by the Marconi Society with the Justice I.A. Vannini award, recognizing her significant contributions to the community.

In 2005, Anna Marinelli Park was relocated to the corner of Albert Street West and James Street. It still bears her name – a tribute to a woman Mayor Ron Irwin described as being “as much a part of the west end as the earth you are standing on.”

Each week, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library and its Archives provides SooToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past.

Find out more of what the Public Library has to offer at www.ssmpl.ca and look for more Remember This? columns here