July 5-12, 1917
July 5, 1917, the day after celebrating a patriotic July Fourth visiting troops stationed at Camp Dix in Wrightstown bound for warfare in the trenches of France and doing a drive-by to admire the ruins of Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother, Joseph’s estate in Bordentown, New Jersey, Kate Roosevelt was settling into life in the country. Her farm, Merdlemouth, was the perfect spot to entertain family and friends, pick wild strawberries and serve afternoon tea. It was perfect for the wealthy widow of President Theodore Roosevelt’s cousin, Hilborne Roosevelt, but not so for the stable of servants it took to run the small “gentleman’s” farm located in Hightstown, New Jersey not far from the campus of Princeton University and the state capital, Trenton. According the Kate’s diary entry, during the first week in July, she lamented about the family’s lack of loyal help. That included her daughter, Dorothy Roosevelt Geer who was also a wealthy widow trying to maintain life as a socialite and female “country squire.”
Household Help
The week’s diary entries are a testament to the domestically-challenged mother-daughter team. “Dorothy interviewing for new chauffeur. Edgar Archer announced that he was leaving. He as well as Elmer McCue feel they are overworked and abused!” “Dorothy and I to Hightstown to do marketing and meet the new chauffeur whom we hope will turn-up. Olaf arrived. Nice boy, but not an expert chauffeur. Olaf couldn’t operate the Ford station wagon at all. In time he will learn to drive better, but is far from experienced now.” Elmer McCue is very impertinent. I dismissed him and Edgar. Sent Olaf, the new chauffeur, in with them to Hightstown. Had talk with Olaf. He consents to stay with us at lower wages and do extra work about the house and grounds and help in the garage with the motors.”
Soon after this tirade, Kate Roosevelt wrote, “Dorothy and I picked strawberries for canning in garden which is back of the farm house. I to New York to see about a chauffeur for the city. Spent night at 301 Lexington Avenue where Maud Blakely, the maid, is in charge for the summer. Augusta, the cook is coming back to Hightstown with me. To Lincoln Garage to see about hiring a new chauffeur. Enjoyed meeting George Nast. Hope he will stay on and also help out in Hightstown.”
Shrafft’s Shop Window
“Lunched at Shrafft’s. Quite good, not expensive. Shopping. Very crowded. Back to New York. Olaf met us in the Buick at Princeton Junction. Olaf and George Nast to Englishtown to obtain chauffeur’s permits. They must be licensed to drive my car.” So far, Olaf had not been given a last name and I began to wonder if it was a bad omen for the young, inexperienced “jack-of-all trades.”
All the servants, chauffeurs, cooks, maids, laundresses, governesses and groundskeepers made it possible for Kate and Dorothy to idle away the days picking fruit on the farm and lunching at Shrafft’s in the city. I must admit I was a bit surprised that the small restaurant that was part of a chain that began as a candy store in Boston and began serving affordable meals in New York City in 1909 would be Kate Roosevelt’s cup of tea. Ladies who Lunch by Jan Whitaker describes Shrafft’s as “Offering large, pleasant dining rooms in the better areas of town which often attracted ladies who were shopping. It was one of the first restaurants to welcome unescorted women.” Its affordable and socially-acceptable lunch counter catered to the ever-growing cadre of female clerks working in the elegant department stores like Lord & Taylor, Arnold Constable, B. Altman, Bonwit Teller and Siegal Cooper that lined lower Broadway.
Siegel-Cooper Department Store on Ladies’ Mile, Lower Manhattan
The Shrafft’s described as “quite good” was most likely the one located at 54 West 23rd Street, right in the middle of Lower Manhattan’s famous Ladies’ Mile Shopping District. Offering the “gentility of a typical upper-class dining room, their menu included a light lunch consisting of salads, creamed cauliflower, fried eggplant, scrambled eggs in butter and of course their own brand of Shrafft’s ice cream, all served on linen tablecloths.
Speaking of linens, I couldn’t help but wonder if Kate and Dorothy ever found a laundress to take care of the mounds of embroidered tablecloths, monogrammed napkins, starched white blouses and children’s knickers that were piling up back at Merdlemouth. As of last week no had applied for the “coveted” position.
From all of her writings I was beginning to see that running a small empire wasn’t easy, even for a member of the nearly “royal” Roosevelt Family.
Sharon Hazard’s Dowager’s Diary appears on Thursday.
Photo One:
Staff
National Library of Ireland
Photo Two:
Household Help
public domain
Photo Three:
Shrafft’s Shop Window
Library of Congress
Photo Four:
Siegel-Cooper Department Store on Ladies’ Mile, Lower Manhattan
Postcard, public domain
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