White House Historical Association

Mary Carolton

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"Mary Carolton," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/349.
Position
Maid
Years in President's House
circa 1860
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Female
Race/Ethnicity
White
Presidency
James Buchanan
Biography
Mary Carolton was born around 1825 in Ireland. Little is known about her life; however, she is documented as living and working in President James Buchanan’s White House in 1860, serving as an all-maid.1 As an all-maid, Carolton would have performed a wide range of household duties, including maintaining and cleaning the residence. It is possible that Carolton served for the entirety of James Buchanan’s presidency; however, no additional documentation has been identified to confirm the length of her service. Mary Carolton died on January 25, 1879, and was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, D.C.2
  1.  1860 U.S. Census, Washington, District of Columbia, Ward 1, p. 203, dwelling 1471, family 1470; National Archives microfilm publication M653, Washington, DC, https://www.archives.gov/research/census/presidents/buchanan.html.  
  2. Mary Carolton death certificate, January 25, 1879, Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Death Certificates, 1874–1931, Death Certificates: 018001–021100, 1878–1879, accessed via Ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62876/records/210447?tid=&pid=&queryId=666d34b9-9d73-40d9-b047-37d3d17dd815&_phsrc=fQN393&_phstart=successSource.
Birthplace
Ireland
Mount Olivet Cemetery