'Be Careful, Active & Complying': Ruth Hunt at The Old Manse

Indenture of thirteen-year old girl illuminates life in colonial Concord

          In 1772, thirteen-year-old Ruth Hunt was indentured for five years to the Reverend William Emerson and his wife, Phebe, owners of the Manse.  Much notice has been paid in recent years to the Emerson slaves.  As an indentured servant, Ruth represents another kind of laborer working at the Manse.  Her life offers a peek into a common aspect of colonial working class life, being bound out, or indentured, as a youth for a hands-on vocational education.  

         During her apprenticeship at the Manse, Ruth, the daughter of a poor family from Punkatasset Hill, learned to run a household and care for small children, as well as the special training needed to be servant in a home of the well-to-do.  Her experiences provide modern- day guests with insight into day-to-day life in 1770s Concord: the domestic tasks performed; views on childhood, and the social rolls of men and women, rich and poor.  Ruth was also an eye-witness to the battle at the old North Bridge in April 1775.   

           In "'Be Careful, Active, & Complying': Ruth Hunt at the Old Manse," historian Camille Arbogast, utilizing original research, will discuss Ruth's life and the Concord indenture experience.  The talk will be held at the Manse on November 11 at 7 p.m.  Before or after the presentation (6 pm and 8 pm), guests will have the option of touring the actual servant spaces Ruth inhabited.  Enjoy a rare opportunity to view the cellar and climb the back stairs.   Lecture: 7pm ($15); Servant-space tours: 6pm and 8pm ($10); Combined lecture and tour ($22). Seating is limited. 

Reservations suggested.  For information and reservations, contact The Old Manse at 978.369.3909.  

          Camille Arbogast is a historian who focuses on local history and the lives of women.  Her research subjects include Federal Era domestic Mary Stone and the Codman family of Lincoln and Boston.  She is a curator of the Brookline Historical Society and has presented programs and lectures at many area museums and cultural institutions.

        The Old Manse, located at 269 Monument Street, Concord MA, is a property of The Trustees of Reservations.