White House Historical Association

Frances Scott

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"Frances Scott," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/393.
Position
Laundress
Years in President's House
circa 1867 – 1868
Legal Status
Free Person
Gender
Female
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Presidency
Andrew Johnson
Biography
Frances Scott was born around 1830 in Virginia.1 Little is known about her early life. She worked as an assistant laundress in the White House during the presidency of Andrew Johnson. Surviving financial records document her service from March 1867 to January 1868, during which she worked under head laundress Cassa Bawdry.2 In this role, Scott would have assisted with the first family’s laundry, including washing, drying, and folding textiles. In the 1870 Census, Scott is listed as still living in Washington, D.C.3 No additional records have been identified that shed further light on her life or career.
  1. 1870 United States Federal Census, Washington City, Washington County, District of Columbia, Frances Scott, Ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/2874305?tid=&pid=&queryId=ba0fc8f5-b144-41bd-b668-a9219e74c0a6&_phsrc=fQN346&_phstart=successSource.
  2. Andrew Johnson Papers, Series 10, Financial Records, 1829–1877; Bills, 1835–1868, Oct., Image 515, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss27839.mss27839-051_0376_1142/?sp=515&st=image&r=0.341,0.039,0.929,0.509,0; Andrew Johnson Papers, Series 10, Financial Records, 1829–1877; Bills, 1835–1868, Oct., Image 552, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss27839.mss27839-051_0376_1142/?sp=552&st=image&r=0.084,0.255,0.812,0.445,0; Andrew Johnson Papers, Series 10, Financial Records, 1829–1877; Bills, 1835–1868, Oct., Image 629, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss27839.mss27839-051_0376_1142/?sp=629&st=image&r=0.048,0.88,0.57,0.312,0; Andrew Johnson Papers, Series 10, Financial Records, 1829–1877; Bills, 1835–1868, Oct., Image 663, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss27839.mss27839-051_0376_1142/?sp=653&st=image&r=0.085,0.638,0.738,0.404,0; Andrew Johnson Papers, Series 10, Financial Records, 1829–1877; Bills, 1835–1868, Oct., Image 668, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss27839.mss27839-051_0376_1142/?sp=688&st=image&r=0.151,0.617,0.9,0.493,0; Andrew Johnson Papers, Series 10, Financial Records, 1829–1877; Bills, 1835–1868, Oct., Image 705, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss27839.mss27839-051_0376_1142/?sp=705&st=image&r=0.316,0.195,0.758,0.415,0.
  3. 1870 United States Federal Census, Washington City, Washington County, District of Columbia, Frances Scott, Ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/2874305?tid=&pid=&queryId=ba0fc8f5-b144-41bd-b668-a9219e74c0a6&_phsrc=fQN346&_phstart=successSource.
Birthplace
Virginia, USA
Unclear from Context
Related Worker
Cassa Bawdry
Housekeeping and Laundry, circa 1865 – 1868