This study was conducted to gain a perspective on the social history of nursing during the 1920s and 1930s. Fifteen nurses who worked or who trained during this time were interviewed. These nurses were recruited for the study using a snowball technique of a cross‐sectional, nonrandom sample of older Nova Scotian nurses throughout the province.The interview followed a semi‐structured interview technique. The grounded theory methodology was employed, and from the data the concept of mother surrogate role of the nurse evolved.Many theorists believe the role of mother surrogate is detrimental to the nursing profession. The data suggest that during the 1920s and 1930s, the role of the nurse as mother surrogate was influential in the evolution of nursing. If this role has existed since the beginning of the profession, nursing theorists may be forced to conclude that it will always remain an integral component of the nursing role.