Domestic Staff

The Jewett family retained a small staff: one or two women for housekeeping and cooking, and a man for general purpose work, such as household maintenance, care of the horses, and driving. Sarah Orne Jewett’s letters to family and friends make mention of staff members with affection and the family-staff relationship appears to have been a comfortable one.

In a few cases, Jewett domestic staff stayed with the family for decades. This would have been unusual in an era when workers were drawn to cities and to mills for job opportunities.