Elizabeth Brent
Cite this Page
"Elizabeth Brent," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/389.
- Position
- Laundress
- Years in President's House
- circa 1865
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Female
- Race/Ethnicity
- Unclear from Context
- Presidency
- Andrew Johnson
- Biography
- Elizabeth Brent worked as a laundress in the White House during the presidency of Andrew Johnson. Surviving financial records document her service in September 1865, when she worked alongside fellow laundress Maria Meredith.1 As a laundress, Brent 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. No additional records have been identified that shed light on her life or career.2
- 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.
- Because the name Elizabeth Brent was relatively common, it is difficult to distinguish her records without risking conflation with another individual. Therefore, this biography relies only on information that can be explicitly confirmed.
- Birthplace
- Unclear from Context
- Unclear from Context
- Related Worker
- Maria MeredithHousekeeping and Laundry, circa 1865