Biltmore's Earliest Employees
A great deal of information about Biltmore’s earliest employees has been gleaned over the years from their descendants, our archives, and genealogical resources. Research efforts continue as we seek to gain a more complete picture of those who worked and lived at Biltmore House.
Head Housekeeper
The head housekeeper, the top position within servant hierarchy in upper-class American homes, oversaw all female staff and was responsible for the upkeep of the house. She paid household bills, hired and fired employees, reviewed daily plans with the Vanderbilts, and much more.
Biltmore’s head housekeepers:
- Laura Barker, 1895-1897 (White, believed to be English)
- Emily R. King, 1897-1914 (White, English)
- Martha Louise Andrews, 1914-1915 (White, English)
- Laura Howard, 1915-1921 (White, English)
- Bessie Donahue, 1921-1929 (White, American)
Butler
The butler’s main responsibility was to ensure all meals in Biltmore House were served smoothly. He also supervised male staff—including footmen and houseboys—created floral arrangements for the dining table, maintained china, crystal, and silver, and oversaw storage, decanting, and serving of wine.
Some of Biltmore’s butlers:
- Walter Harvey, 1897-1899 (White, English)
- John Burdett, 1899-1906 (White, English)
- Charles Spicer, 1914-1921 (White, English)
- Arthur Charles Hopkins, 1921-1925 (White, English)
- Herbert Noble, 1930-1939 (White, English)
Lady’s Maid
On call day and night, the lady’s maid was Edith Vanderbilt’s personal attendant. She assisted Mrs. Vanderbilt with dressing and undressing several times a day, fixed her hair and makeup, and cared for her clothing: cleaning, sewing, storing and packing. She traveled with the family when they went abroad, and speaking multiple languages was a highly desirable qualification.
Some of Edith Vanderbilt’s lady’s maids:
- Madeleine Henry, 1901-1904 (White, French)
- Laurette Delaplace, 1907-1910 (White, French)
- Martha Laube, 1913-1915 (White, German)
- Emma Storey, 1920-1923 (White, American)
- Emily Curtis, 1920-1925 (White, American)
Valet
George Vanderbilt had a personal valet who assisted him with dressing several times a day, drew his bath, maintained his clothes and shoes, made travel arrangements, and managed the family’s luggage while abroad. This was no small feat considering the size and number of trunks required for a several-month-long stay.
Some of George Vanderbilt’s valets:
- Wilfred Shackley, 1899-1906 (White, English)
- Ernest Carrington, 1904 (White, English)
- Horace Pridmore, 1911-1912 (White, English)
- James Pompe, 1913 (White, English)
Chef & Kitchen Staff
The chef oversaw a team of kitchen workers, including cooks, kitchen maids, and pastry cooks. Biltmore House’s Main Kitchen, Rotisserie Kitchen, and Pastry Kitchen would have been bustling spaces all day long, not just preparing multi-course meals for the Vanderbilts and their guests, but also for the house’s small army of servants.
Biltmore’s kitchen staff:
- Beck L. Vivian, chef, ca. 1900 (White, English)
- James Ceperlean, cook, ca. 1900 (White, French)
- Esther Anderson, cook, ca. 1904 (White, Swedish)
- Patience Randall, cook, 1915 (Black, American)
- Cordelia Curtis, pastry cook, ca. 1904 (White, American)
- Annie Scarborough, kitchen maid, 1898-1900 (White, American)
Maid
Different types of maids were employed at Biltmore House. Chambermaids cared for bedrooms while parlormaids cared for communal spaces. Their jobs included more than cleaning: they laid fires, refreshed linens, and prepared rooms for the evening. Maids also supported laundry and kitchen work and served meals in the staff dining room.
Some maids at Biltmore:
- Sarah Auld, ca. 1900 (White, Canadian)
- Mary Curtis, ca. 1900-1904 (White, American)
- Emily Curtis, ca. 1904-1920 (White, American)
- Annie Moore, ca. 1904 (Black, American)
- Louise Anderson, ca. 1910-1920 (White, Swedish)
Footman
Footmen, also known as underbutlers, carried out their duties under the watchful eye of the butler. These duties included serving meals in formal livery, polishing the silver collection each day, answering the door, and acting as valets for visiting male guests.
Some footmen at Biltmore:
- William McCellend, ca. 1900 (White, Irish)
- Hall West, 1910-1914 (White, American)
- Sefton Patrick, 1921-1924 (White, English)
- James Reekes, 1923-1926 (White, English)
Laundress
Despite advances in technology that facilitated their work, Biltmore House laundresses had one of the most demanding jobs. The multi-day process of washing clothes and linens required knowledge (how to treat any fabric, use chemicals to preserve or restore color, and formulate garment-specific starch recipes) and physical labor (multiple scrubbings with lye soap rinsed with boiling water, pressing using irons heated by a stove). A 1908 report documented a day in which two Biltmore House laundresses processed hundreds of linens while two others ironed hundreds of stockings, handkerchiefs, towels, napkins, pillowcases, petticoats, skirts, and more.
Some laundresses at Biltmore:
- Inga Bohberg, ca. 1900 (White, Swedish)
- Frances Collins, ca. 1900 (Black, American)
- Bonnie Alexander, ca. 1920 (White, American)
- Sarah Scott, ca. 1928-1932 (Black, American)
