Willcox and Gibbs

Jane Stewart was employed by the Bowens for fifty years, from shortly after she arrived in the United States from Ireland to her retirement. This photo was taken on the front steps of the cottage, with a family pet at Miss Stewart’s feet. We are not certain what her role was in the household, but on the last census report that she appears in, she is listed as a seamstress. Perhaps she used this 1871 Willcox and Gibbs sewing machine, now in the Servants’ Hall at Roseland Cottage.