Catherine Elizabeth Finn

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)

Birth: Kate was born in June of 1868 according to the 1900 US Census. Her parents were Daniel Finn (1818-1887) and Catherine Creedon (1834-1914).

Siblings: Her siblings were: Mary A. Finn (1860-1885) who was born in Ireland or Wales; and 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.

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 with her parents and siblings.

Image: No picture of her is known to exist.

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

Source: Researched and written by Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) for Findagrave starting on July 3, 2003.