Daily AncestorCharwoman
A charwoman was a cleaning woman who came in by the day or the hour to scrub homes, offices or public buildings, rather than living in.
Unlike a maid, who lived with the family, a charwoman went home at night and was paid by the day or week. Many were widows or married women working part time.
In the United States charwoman was an official job title for building cleaners in government offices, including the Census Bureau, until about 1960.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1900 to 1940 census
Ann Walsh, 52, Charwoman, Office bldg.
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Daily Ancestor. "Charwoman." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/charwoman. Last checked 2026-10-01.