Margaret Gertrell
Cite this Page
"Margaret Gertrell," White House Workers History Project, White House Historical Association, 2026, https://whha.whirlihost.com/Detail/workers/398.
- Position
- Laundress
- Years in President's House
- circa 1865
- Legal Status
- Free Person
- Gender
- Female
- Race/Ethnicity
- Unclear from Context
- Presidency
- Andrew Johnson
- Biography
- Margaret Gertrell worked as a laundress in the White House during the presidency of Andrew Johnson. Surviving financial records document her service in June 1865, when she worked alongside fellow laundress Maria Meredith.1 As a laundress, Gertrell would have assisted with the first family’s laundry, including washing, drying, and folding textiles. No additional records have been identified that shed light on her life or career, including whether she worked at the White House before or after June 1865.
- 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=0.04,0.511,0.657,0.36,0.
- Birthplace
- Unclear From Context
- Unclear From Context
- Related Worker
- Maria MeredithHousekeeping and Laundry, circa 1865