White House Historical Association

"Polly washwoman"

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""Polly washwoman"," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/32.
Position
Laundress
Years in President's House
circa 1796
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Female
Race/Ethnicity
Unclear from Context
Presidency
George Washington
Biography
“Polly washwoman” worked at the President’s House in Philadelphia for President George Washington. Polly appears in a single entry from a household account book in 1796 as a washerwoman. It is unclear whether she worked for the household prior to 1796. However, there are other women named Polly in the household. A woman named Polly Channing appears in 1793 and Polly Glenn appears in 1795. It is possible this is the same person and that Glenn is a married name.1 Additional details about Polly’s life are currently unknown.
  1. “References to People from the Presidential Household Account Books,” The President’s House in Philadelphia, accessed September 16, 2025, https://www.ushistory.org/presidentshouse/history/references.php?srsltid=AfmBOopFiYUZUdcz3kbbBsBpIznmonPRPLxke0tEsvIlh3pLFLeNRZ1Z.
Birthplace
Unclear from Context
Unclear from Context
Related Workers
Polly Glenn
circa 1795
Polly Channing
circa 1793
Patty Channing
Housekeeping and Laundry, circa 1792 – 1794