Catherine Elizabeth Finn (1862-1918)



Catherine Elizabeth Finn (1868-1918) aka Kate Finn; Immigrant from Wales in 1873-1874; Spinster; Servant; Private Secretary at American Lead Pencil Company (now Faber-Castell) in Hoboken, New Jersey (b. June 1868, Cardiff, Gamorgan County, Wales, United Kingdom - d. July 20, 1918, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, USA)

Parents

 * Daniel Finn (1818-1887)
 * Catherine Creedon (1834-1914)

Birth
Kate was born in June of 1868 according to the 1900 US Census.

Siblings
There were two other siblings that died at birth.
 * Mary A. Finn (1860-1885) who was born in Ireland or Wales
 * Nora M. Finn (1866-1898) who was born in Cardiff in Wales and married John Joseph Burke I (1868-1939)

Emigration
Daniel Finn and Catherine Creedon along with their children, emigrated to Wales around 1860 and in 1873 emigrated to the US. Catherine Creedon's sister, Nora Creedon (1829-1904) also emigrated with the family. The family was Irish and from Millstreet and Cullen in County Cork, but had left Ireland for Wales probably looking for work.

Jersey City, New Jersey
In 1880 Catherine Finn was working as a servant at the home of L.S. Williard, a drygoods salesman from New Hampshire. Her sister, Mary, may have been working as a servant for James B. Hance, a grocer in Jersey City.

Death of father
In 1887 Catherine's father died. In 1895 Catherine and her mother were living at 16 Elliot Place in Jersey City and Catherine was working as a "typewriter", probably at the American Lead Pencil Company on Willow Avenue and Fifth Street in Hoboken.

Death of sister
In 1898, Nora Finn, her sister, died of pneumonia and Catherine and her mother raised Mary Margaret Burke, Nora's daughter.

Jersey City, New Jersey
In 1900 She was living with her widowed mother at 16 Ellicott Place in Jersey City. Also living there was her neice: Mary Margaret Burke. Katherine's age was listed as "31" and her birth date as "June 1868". She listed her immigration as "1874" and was working as a "stenographer".

American Lead Pencil Company
In 1910 Catherine was living with her mother at 41 Hopkins Avenue in Jersey City working as a private secretary at the American Lead Pencil Company in Hoboken.

Death of mother
On January 01, 1914, Catherine's mother died and she raised Mary Burke on her own. The house was filled with crystal vases, bronzes, a sterling silver tea set and oil paintings. They also had a piano. Some of the furnishings still exist and are with Vincent Gerard Norton (1923-2005) and James Norton. James and Vincent are Mary Burke's children. Catherine Finn and Mary Burke would listen to classical music and attend operas.

Dowager's hump
As Catherine aged she developed a dowager's hump that left her bent over.

Last Will and Testament
Catherine's will was written on August 15, 1916, and named Mary Margaret Burke as her executrix. Will of Kate E. Finn, dated August 15th 1916. Mary Margaret Burke, Executrix. I, Kate E. Finn, of Jersey City Hudson County, State of New Jersey, being of sound and disposing mind and memory and wishing to make just disposition of all my worldly effects, do hereby make, publish and declare this my last will and testament. 1st, I direct that all my debts and funeral expenses be paid by my executrix as soon after my decease as possible. 2nd, I give and bequeath to my niece Mary Margaret Burke, everything that I die possessed of, real estate, money in bank, shares in any Building and Loan Association or any other monies due me. 3rd, I appoint my said niece Mary Margaret Burke my sole executrix, without bond. In witness whereof I affix my seal this fifteenth day of August, one thousand nine hundred and sixteen. Witness, A.L. Thompson, 439 77nd Street, Brooklyn, New York Witness, Fred Lachenauer, 27 Hackensack Avenue, Weehawken, New Jersey Heny Erbeck, being duly sworn according to law on his oath deposes and says that he is employed by American Lead Pencil Company in the city of Hoboken. That he is well acquainted with A.L. Thompson, who formerly resided at #439 Seventy-seventh Street. Brooklyn, New York.

Death
Catherine Finn, who never married, died on Saturday, July 20, 1918 in Jersey City, New Jersey. The cause of death was "cerebral apoplexy with uracemia".

Burial
She is buried in Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City in a family plot with her parents and siblings:
 * Mary A. Finn (1860-1885) child of Daniel Finn and Catherine Creedon
 * Daniel Finn (1818-1887) husband of Catherine Creedon
 * Nora M. Finn (1866-1898) child of Daniel Finn and Catherine Creedon
 * Nora Creedon (1829-1904) child of Daniel Finn and Catherine Creedon
 * Catherine Creedon (1834-1914) wife of Daniel Finn
 * John Burke Norton (1927) child of Thomas Patrick Norton and Mary Margaret Burke
 * Catherine Finn Norton (1930-1934) child of Thomas Patrick Norton and Mary Margaret Burke
 * Mary Margaret Burke (1890-1949) child of John Joseph Burke and Nora Finn
 * Thomas Patrick Norton I (1891-1968) husband of Mary Margaret Burke

Legacy
No picture of her is known to exist.

Relationship
Catherine Elizabeth Finn (c1863-1918) was the great-grandaunt of Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ).

Last update
This biography was last updated on December 16, 2008 by Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ).