THIS IS ONE IN A SERIES OF POSTS ABOUT STORIES BEING EXPLORED AS PART OF RECOVERING NEW ENGLAND’S VOICES
This summer visitors to Gilman Garrison House in Exeter, N.H., take a tour that includes the newly recovered story of Asenath Harvey Darling, a milliner and shopkeeper who owned the property between 1864 and 1874.
Born Asenath Harvey in 1823 in Nottingham, N.H., she married Manly Darling in 1848. They lived in Concord, N.H., for a few years before moving to Exeter. After several years of renting, Asenath Darling purchased the Gilman Garrison House. She wished her property to be “independent of her present or any future husbands.” Remarkably, the property was conveyed via deed in 1864 to “Asenath W. Darling wife of the said Manly Darling, to her sole and separate use free from the interference or control of her present husband Manly Darling, or any future husband, and to her heirs and assigns forever.” Asenath Darling kept her financial dealings separate from those of her husband which was unusual for married women at that time.
Shortly after moving into her new house, she opened a shop in the c. 1770 parlor. The shop specialized in hat making, but also sold millinery supplies, sewing notions, and fabrics. The shop was successful and made her financially independent. She was listed in the 1870 census as a milliner with $6,000 in real estate and a personal estate valued at $2,500.
In May 1874, due to poor health, Asenath Darling sold her business. She lived in the house until her death in 1893. Her obituary appeared in the local paper and noted that she had successfully run a millinery business, had many friends, and was a member of the local Baptist Church. Although we do not have objects related to Asenath Darling’s business in our collection, this milliner’s model head represents how this entrepreneur would have advertised her fashionable goods.
Take a tour to hear about Asenath Harvey Darling and her sister Jane. Jane Harvey inherited the house in 1895. She was a schoolteacher who supplemented her income by taking in boarders and was the first to show the interior of the house to visitors. Gilman Garrison House is open on Fridays and Saturdays through October 15. Get your tickets today.
Media Contact: Susanna Crampton, News@HistoricNewEngland.org
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