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It is "domestic." That means she was keeping someone else's house, unlike a housewife. In other words, she was a maid.
One of the few occupations available to young women with little training. I have a 2ggm who worked as a maid in a boarding house where she met my 2ggf.
Not necessarily. Adult females were often listed as such things as: domestic work, keeping house, etc. It could mean she was employed by someone, but it also can mean that she was a homemaker (not employed outside of her own home.)
Not necessarily. Adult females were often listed as such things as: domestic work, keeping house, etc. It could mean she was employed by someone, but it also can mean that she was a homemaker (not employed outside of her own home.)
OP, if there is a city directory you may be able find out who she worked for, which could be helpful for new leads. Some city directories listed the person's name, employer, and there specific job: : nanny, cook, maid, etc.
Yes, generally. But who knows what was in the mind of the single clerk who wrote out the cert?
More documentation is needed, i.e. city directories may help.
It also might help to find directions for filling out the certificate. There might be a list of occupations and standardized definitions. The state archives may be able to help:
Domestic.
As others have said, it is reference to household indoor help. If it was something specialized it would list as governess, cook, tutor or nurse. Additionally, I have seen lady's maid, upstairs maid, house servant, and chamber maid delineated on US census reports. When domestics resided within the household, it frequently referenced that as boarding, board in, or live in.
A lot of people have said they've never seen "domestic" listed when someone wasn't a hired servant. I have several female ancestors in Ohio who are listed on every census and city directory as "Keeping House" or "housewife", yet their death certificates list them as "domestic". I'm as positive as I can be that they didn't work outside the home.
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