During the Gilded Age and into the Progressive Era, as many as twenty domestic servants lived and worked on the Stokes family estate in Trenton, now the William Trent House Museum. This project seeks to discover whether the individuals were immigrants and, if so, from whence and why they came; what activities in the community they might have participated in, social standing, and regular daily life; as well as the perceived and real opportunities available to them and their families within the broader context of this dichotomous era.

Using multiple sources, the project team will investigate what can be learned about these individuals whose work made the Stokes family life comfortable and explore ways to tell their stories in the context of urban American life of the times.