Who was Catherine Armstrong?
Things are not always what they seem when you visit local cemeteries.
In the old Mt Ida Cemetery on the east side of Pawling Avenue there is one obelisk monument that is the largest in the cemetery. One would imagine it has to be one of Troy’s most famous people. Perhaps it was a mayor (Troy’s first mayor Albert Pawling is buried there), a prominent businessman, or clergy? Clearly it had to be someone important and notable.
Well, it turns out that it belonged to an Irish-born servant named Catherine Armstrong.
Catherine worked for George Bouton Warren, a former NYS Assemblyman from Troy, (1797-1879), and son of the second mayor of the City of Troy, Esaias Warren. What is unusual is that Catherine paid for the monument herself. We know that fact because she had it chiseled right on the monument to let everyone see it. It reads “ERECTED BY HERSELF.”
It’s located close to the Pawling Avenue side of the cemetery.
Catherine came to America from Ireland in 1859 and was naturalized on March 9, 1865. She was born in the market town of McGuire’s Bridge, parish of Aghalurcher, County of Fermanagh, Ireland. Catherine died of cancer on October 22, 1881, at age 60, and her services were held at the Church of Ascension on Congress Street and laid to rest on October 24.
Interestingly on July 6, 1864, when she was 17, she was in front of police court to “Give bail to keep the peace for a year.” A peace bond requires another person to “keep the peace” for a certain amount of time and obey any other conditions ordered. Not sure what she did however?
Her nickname was Cattie and she was living with the Warrens and three other servants for many years as their domestic. How she came into money working as a servant is speculative. When she died her Will was soundly contested by her relatives:
“Before Orin Gambell as referee yesterday afternoon a hearing was had in the contest of the will of Catharine Armstrong, late of this city. The deceased made provision in her will for the erection of monuments to herself and several relatives, and after paying for the monuments there would remain about $2,000. The will contains no residuary clause. John Armstrong, brother of the deceased, and one of the executors under the will, claims that his sister presented him with her bank book, showing a deposit of $1,700 in the Troy savings bank, prior to her death and before
the will was executed. Two sisters of the deceased and several nephews and nieces contest the title of Mr. Armstrong to the bank account of his sister. James Lansing appears for the executors and Hyman Hess and M. H. Myers for the contestants. The hearing will be continued this afternoon.” Contesting a Will. Troy
Daily Times. October 17, 1883: 3 col 3.
“The hearing in the Armstrong contested will case was continued before referee Orin Gambell yesterday afternoon, and an adjournment was taken until Friday morning. The deceased Catharine Armstrong was for many years a domestic in one of the Warren families. Her estate is valued at about $4,000.” City Notes. Troy Daily Times. October 18, 1883: 3 col 1.
It appears that Catherine may have also had her own home at 71 13th Street, a small two-story frame house. The quaint little house is still standing. She may have purchased that later in life. The $1,700 left from the bank account was split among the relatives as a final solution of the contested Will. The Troy Daily Times published the results in its November 16, 1883 edition:
“A judicial settlement of the estate of the late Catherine Armstrong was held in surrogate’s court this morning. The $1,700 deposited in bank by the deceased, and of which no mention was made in the will, and which was claimed by John Armstrong, a brother of the deceased, was divided among he legatees prorata, as recommended in the report of Orin Gambell, the referee appointed to take the testimony of parties interested.”
The question is how did a servant working for the Warren family make so much money? Was she romantic with Warren? Catherine never married. Could it be the man she loved was already married and gave her money during the affair to keep her quiet? Or was she simply frugal? $2000 in 1881 is worth today over $50,000. The $1700 she had in the bank was worth $43,000, a combined worth of $93,000 spending power in 1888.
Great wages for a servant — if you can get it. This is a mystery that remains to be solved.