They opened the door to greet visitors. They cooked, served and cleaned up after the daily meals. They tidied the rooms and
Emma (Ryan) Fish and Nellie Ryan in servant’s uniforms, circa 1920; Manchester NH
changed the bed linens. They washed and ironed the family’s clothing. They provided transportation first in horse driven surreys and later in the earliest automobiles in New Hampshire. They moved quietly, and spoke in hushed tones. Although essential to the household, they were not family. They were invisible hands that always entered and left by the back door, not the front. They were maids, cooks, butlers, gardeners, and chauffeurs–hired servants of Manchester’s affluent. Continue reading
