The Laundress

Barbara McRobie Wilt

I have previously written about Samuel and Sarah Weimer McRobie (“Wanted for Murder”). They had four children, three sons, and one daughter. The daughter, Barbara Ellen McRobie (1870-1949), married John Hanson Wilt (1871-1910) on May 9, 1893; they lived in Garrett County, Maryland.  Between 1895 and 1906, they had seven children. Then, in either 1906 or 1907, Barbara’s life drastically changed—her husband became paralyzed.

According to John Wilt’s obituary, a tree fell on him crushing his spine and paralyzing him from the hips down. I have not been able to find out what John did for a living; but whatever it was, income was no longer coming into the home. Barbara had to go to work. So, she and her then 11-year-old daughter, Susan M. “Susie” Wilt, 1895-1984, took in laundry. And, according to the 1910 U.S. census, she and her daughter were still doing laundry at the time of her husband’s death.

Taking in laundry was probably not an easy decision to make. However, according to the 1940 U.S. census, Barbara only had a sixth-grade education--typical for her time. So, not only were her options limited based on her education, but employment options were also very limited for women at this time.

So, what was life like in the early 1900s compared to today? The average life expectancy for men was 47 years; today, it is 75 years or older. Women only washed their hair once a month usually using Borax or egg yolks; today, some women wash their hair every day with special hair care products. Only six percent of the population had graduated from high school; today, 90 percent of the population has graduated from high school. The average wage was 22 cents per hour; today, the minimum wage is $7.50 per hour. To put the wages in perspective, $1 then is the equivalent to $27.15 today. In terms of purchasing power, it took 63 percent of the hourly wage to buy a dozen eggs; today, it’s about 28 percent.

So, life in the early 1900’s was not easy. And, Barbara and her daughter did not make 22 cents per hour. Generally, a laundress was paid by the number of pieces laundered (and supposedly ironed). And, the means for doing laundry is nowhere as easy as it is today.

Electric washing machines were introduced in America about 1900. However, the machines were primarily made out of wood, with a tub that was rotated by a motor. The motor, which was under the wash tub, was not protected, and water commonly dripped into the motor causing the electricity to short-circuit and cause the user to experience severe shocks. 

Typical 1900-1920's washing machines. Typical woman's dress 1910.

Once the clothes were washed, they had to be wrung out with a hand-cranked wringer. From there, the damp clothes were pinned to a clothes line to dry; and finally, brought in to be ironed. Ironing was no easy task. The irons would have wood handles, they were made of iron, the irons were heavy and usually heated with charcoal contained within the iron itself. Keep in mind this was done while dressed in the typical clothing of women of the early 1900s: floor-length skirts and long sleeves.

Charcoal iron (left), iron heated on stove top; clothers wringer

It was a hard life Barbara had, but hopefully, a good life. Her mother, Sarah, did move in to help her with the children. She managed to make a living and provide for her family.

Barbara is my daughter-in-law’s, Melissa Murphy Oliver, 2nd cousin 4 times removed.

Sources:

1 – Depenweiller, Maria. “The Brief History of Laundry.” OHEA, Ontario Home Economics Association, 22 Apr. 2013, www.ohea.on.ca/blog/the-brief-history-of-laundry.

2 – “Life in 1910.” Inspire More, InspireMore LLC, 2020, www.inspiremore.com/2-crazy-facts-about-life-in-1910-america-that-will-make-you-appreciate-today-a-lot/.

3 - Images other than Barbara Wilt's are from Google Images.