A Rare and
Necessary Presence
Most women came to Maryland as indentured servants. They typically worked in and around the house, cooked and tended the household, and occasionally, worked in the fields alongside the men. Although women in early Maryland did not participate in public affairs, it was not uncommon to find them operating ordinaries or taverns. Women were in the minority throughout most of the 17th century since the immigrant population was dominated by male laborers. With high death rates and a surplus of men, unmarried women and widows were always in demand as spouses.