It was something of a cliche: a young typist marries her boss and gains a fortune. But it did happen and with some frequency.
The Homer Index (Homer, Michigan), March 29, 1893 –
© 2022, Mark Adams. All rights reserved.
Crestline Advocate (Crestline, Ohio), March 18, 1897 –
© 2022, Mark Adams. All rights reserved.
What stories the classifieds tell! Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, teenagers posted advertisements offering services from child care to house cleaning to typewriting, testifying to their desperate poverty. Their stories were often untold, but the classifieds offer some details.
St. Louis Globe-Democrat (St. Louis, Missouri), July 1, 1895 –
Apparently, however, there was a market for teenagers who owned typewriters:
The Evening Times (Washington, DC), November 27, 1895 –
© 2022, Mark Adams. All rights reserved.
As scandalous as this might sound, it was not uncommon for women to leave their children at home while they worked, even the very young. In some cases, apparently, a parent might rent out her child.
The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana), March 20, 1893 –
© 2022, Mark Adams. All rights reserved.
The Province (Vancouver, British Columbia), July 19, 1925 –
© 2022, Mark Adams. All rights reserved.
Recent Comments