Abigail Brownell

Abigail's designation as "Lodger Partner" in 1930 is the earliest appearance of the term "partner" in a Narberth census; it reappears once in 1940, then 8 times in the 1950 census.

Rena Kurth, the "head" of the household, has no occupation listed. A passenger manifest on July 5, 1930 lists Rena and Abigail disembarking the S. S. Augustus in New York, sailing from Genoa, Italy. In the 1940 census, Abigail and Rena share an apartment in the newly built Mermont apartments in Bryn Mawr; Abigail is the "head", Rena the "lodger".

So "partner" seems more accurate than "lodger". The entry, all in one hand, may represent a re-consideration on the part of the enumerator, "lodger" written on top of "partner". But "partner" is not crossed out.

“Partners” in the Census

"Partner" seems to be used for similar circumstances for seven of the eight women and the one man listed below. (The exception, Florence Furber, was the sister of her widowed "partner".) None run a business with their "partner", although two pairs do seem to work together. This is much too small a sample from which to draw any broad conclusions.

The one other case, not listed here, is "partner's son", of Blanche Humphries in 1950.

Updated September 1, 2025.