The Hired Help

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 11:02 am

According to David Kent's "Forty Whacks", when Lizzie died she had two maids. (From her obituary in the Fall River Globe, pg. 217 in "Forty Whacks".) I thought she had Ernest Terry working for her too, then. And maybe some additional persons.

"The third floor of Maplecroft quartered the servants, a maid and a housekeeper remored to be the best paid servants in Fall River at $10 a week. Later, a chauffeur was added to drive a handsome black Packard phaeton......" (This from David Kent's "Forty Whacks", page 207)

I could swear I read that Lizzie's had a coachman to first drive her in her carriage. Didn't someone post about a brick still at Maplecroft that is supposed to be one that Lizzie used to step up into her carriage with? And then later when she got an automobile, the coachman drove that. (I don't know if the carriage driver and coachman were both the same man.)

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Fri Dec 24, 2004 8:46 pm

I found a recent topic with census info, dated 1910 for French Street:
viewtopic.php?p=3701#3701

Gramma · Post by **Gramma** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:32 pm

There was an earlier driver named Henry Cook.

Gramma

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 6:38 pm

Oh, I see. There were two servants that lived in with her at Maplecroft. (Duh!) It didn't mean that was all she had working for her.

Thanks for the link, Kat, which was very interesting. I hadn't heard of those ladies before. I wonder, if we studied it, if there was a somewhat high turnover at Maplecroft?

I hadn't heard of the other driver, Gramma. Thanks.

Do we know anything at all about the people who worked for Lizzie? I think this would be an aspect of study that would benefit us in trying to crack Lizzie's character a little more. We know so little.

Gramma · Post by **Gramma** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 7:53 pm

Henry Cook was a driver and his wife Emily was Lizzie's cook (it's all in the name, huh?). They were not "live-ins" but I think they lived around the corner. Have to track that more. They were dear friends of my grandmother and grandfather. My parents bought the house Henry and his brother in law built and that is where I grew up. I was one of the very few children they tolerated. I thought they were great! Henry talked with a very thick English accent. Emily WAS a great cook!
The turnover at Lizzie's was small. She did not like people leaving as it reflected badly on her. That is one of the things my grandmother had to struggle with when making the decision to leave Lizzie's. She regretted her decision later as she said another few years would not have made that much difference and she knew she hurt Lizzie's feelings deeply.

Gramma