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I am looking for a little guidance on what was expected of domestic staff for holidays, particularly Thanksgiving. I am in the process of putting together a tour for the Phillips House in Salem, MA that focuses on how the family celebrated. I have a lot of great resources, but no direct information on the staff's role in the big day. In general, the staff had Thursday afternoons and Sundays off, but I would not expect that to be the case when the family hosted up to 12 people for a holiday dinner. If it helps, the staff included one cook, a first floor maid/waitress, and a second floor maid/nursemaid. The Phillips' earned most of their family money in Salem's Great Age of Sail after the American Revolution and continued to grow wealth as lawyers and trust managers, thought they were heavily involved with politics from the local to national levels and philanthropy as well. I look forward to some thoughts on the issue and appreciate anything you can offer! Sincerely, Julie Arrison Historic New England Site Manager Scott E. Randolph, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of History Armstrong Atlantic State University Curator, Erie Lackawanna Historical Society -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.
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