Maria Meredith
Cite this Page
"Maria Meredith," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/388.
- Position
- Laundress
- Years in President's House
- circa 1865
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Female
- Race/Ethnicity
- Black or African American
- Presidency
- Andrew Johnson
- Biography
- Maria Meredith was born around 1840 in Washington, D.C.1 She worked as a laundress in the White House during the presidency of Andrew Johnson. As a laundress, Meredith was responsible for washing clothing, bedding, and other household textiles for the first family, a labor-intensive process that required heating large quantities of water and scrubbing items by hand. Surviving financial records document her service from June to September 1865, during which she worked alongside Elizabeth Brent and Margaret Gentrell.2 The precise duration of her time at the White House remains unclear; however, city directory listings and the 1880 Census indicate that she continued to work in domestic service as a washerwoman or cook, though her place of employment is unspecified.3 No additional records have been identified that further illuminate her life or career.
- The White House Workers History Project relies on the U.S. Census Bureau’s updated guidelines for collecting demographic data related to race and ethnicity published in 2024. Adhering to these categories, this project identifies this person as Black or African American; however, there is documentation or other evidence suggesting that they were multiracial or mixed race. It is important to recognize that historical terms such as “mulatto” and “colored” are problematic, as these reflect the document writer’s views and the historical period more than the individual’s preferences or identity; 1870 United States Federal Census, Washington, District of Columbia, Maria Meredith; Ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/2043973?tid=&pid=&queryId=241c64e6-eaeb-4d30-a789-8bd5507344c8&_phsrc=zKN410&_phstart=successSource.
- Andrew Johnson Papers, Series 10, Financial Records, 1829–1877; Bills, 1835–1868, Oct., Image 72, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss27839.mss27839-051_0376_1142/?sp=72&st=image&r=0.257,0.781,0.456,0.25,0; Andrew Johnson Papers, Series 10, Financial Records, 1829–1877; Bills, 1835–1868, Oct., Image 104, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss27839.mss27839-051_0376_1142/?sp=104&st=image&r=0.221,0.318,0.71,0.389,0.
- Directory of the District of Columbia for 1870 (Washington, D.C.: R. L. Polk & Co., 1870), 311, HathiTrust Digital Library, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112107849926&seq=311&q1=meredith; 1880 United States Federal Census, Washington, District of Columbia, Maria Meredith; Ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/records/35435064?tid=&pid=&queryId=c3c81c71-3cc0-47a5-a01a-50ea9b36ca8c&_phsrc=fQN320&_phstart=successSource.
- Birthplace
- Washington, D.C., USA
- Unclear from Context
- Related Workers
- Elizabeth BrentHousekeeping and Laundry, circa 1865
- Margaret GertrellHousekeeping and Laundry, circa 1865