Hannah Leary

[CagneyBT]

From the Witness Statements: Sunday 21." Summoning witnesses, Bestcome A. Case (Rescome Case) and wife of 199 Second street. Their statement. Understood from general talk the girls and Mrs. Borden did not get along very pleasantly. Never heard Mrs. Borden say anything about the family relations. Her allowance was about $200. a year; but much of it was spent on articles for the house. The lace curtains in the parlor she purchased. The girls got the same amount as she, but it was for their own use. A short time ago Mrs. Borden, for the first time, told me of the robbery, which took place about a year ago. She simply mentioned it, and said she would tell me all about it some time. Mrs. Case directed me to Mrs. Daniel O’Leary of Fifth street, who at times worked for the Borden’s. She could give no information." (Note: Mrs. Rescome Case (b. Almy Manchester) wasn’t just a friend and neighbor of Abby Borden. She was Abby’s first cousin. Their mothers, Sarah Sawyer Gray and Cynthia Sawyer Manchester, were sisters. Mrs. Case was reported to be present at the Borden funeral).

Hannah Leary (obituary), Fall River Daily Globe, Oct. 3, 1892. “Beloved wife of Daniel Leary, age 38 years. Funeral will take place from Mr. Leary’s residence, No. 56 Fifth street...”

“The death recently reported of Mrs. Hannah Leary of Fourth street forms the last link in a chain of very peculiar circumstances. Some time before the murder of the Bordens, Mrs. Borden engaged Mrs. Leary to do the housework for the fall. Upon hearing of Mrs. Borden’s sudden death, Mrs. Leary is said to have remarked upon the strangeness of having been engaged to do work and of being prevented by the death of her prospective employer from fulfilling the contract. She said that it seemed as though she wasn’t fated to do the work. Not long afterwards she died herself.”
The Fall River Daily Herald, pg. 6, Oct. 7, 1892.

If the report is true, why would Abby hire Hannah to do housework for the fall? Was Bridget threatening to quit just before the murders?

[camgarsky4]

Cagney, another unique and interesting find! I don't recall Hannah Leary being discussed before. Thanks!
------------------------------

More information on Hannah Leary's death and a subsequent family tragedy.

October 2nd, 1892, Hannah Leary gave birth to a daughter, Maggie Jane. Hannah died that same day. The death register records the cause of death as Eclampsia.

Nine months later, on July 13, 1893, little Maggie Jane, died from Cholera. Heartbreaking. Medical treatment and care in the Victorian age left so much to be desired.

Fall River Birth Register 1892

Screenshot 2023-10-19 233332.png

Screenshot 2023-10-19 221721.png

Fall River Death Register 1893

Screenshot 2023-10-19 232737.png

Fall River Death Register 1892. Page 192.

Screenshot 2023-10-19 184136.png

[camgarsky4]

Source: Knowlton Papers. Pages 33-35
Letter from Nellie McHenry to Rufus Hilliard, City Marshall, Fall River. August 25, 1892.
Excerpt below is the next to last paragraph of the letter, page 35. Spelling and punctuation as presented in Knowlton Papers.
"She (Bridget) further stated that she made up her mind three times to leave their and gave in her notice but Ms. Borden coaxed her to stay and once raised her wages. Mrs. Borden was so good that Bridget stayed but was intending to leave? she gave as her reason that while the work was not hard the place was not pleasant for any girl on account of the odd habits of the family she said things were not very pleasant in the house, I asked how it was, well the girls kept so much to themselves their was no love for their stepmother."

[CagneyBT]

Very sad about little Maggie Leary. Unforiunately, it was the period of high infant mortality rates, especially among the lower classes.

As sketchy as the McHenry's were, the newspaper article seems to have some credence in light of Mrs. Case's suggestion to question Hannah.

Hannah was married with children and pregnant at the time Abby allegedly hired her. Unlike Bridget, she would not have been a live-in servant She may have been hired to work certain hours or on particular days.

[camgarsky4]

Bridget's primary roles were cooking and laundry. I think it would have been awkward (albeit not impossible) for Mrs. Leary to have provided the cooking services and still take care of her own children.

So your idea that she might have been hired to supplement Bridget or another live-in maid makes sense. Maybe the house occupants were tired of being responsible for their own bedrooms!! That was a joke, but maybe it shouldn't have been.

More support for the general idea that Abby would bring in supplemental house held beyond the full time servant:
Jennings Journals pages 64-66.
Mrs. William B. Cluny (1851-1940). Boston Sunday Herald, August 8, 1892. Per the article, Mrs. Cluny was a cousin of Andrew J. Borden's.
This afternoon, Mrs. Cluney (sic) described some of the oddities of Lizzie Borden to a Herald reporter who called there.
“I have frequently worked for my cousin (Andrew),” she remarked, “and often have spent a week or more at his home. I helped them generally at house cleaning, but I do not think they considered me as a servant. They always treated me as one of the family.”
(later in the article, Mrs. Cluny continues....)
”I have been there at work for a week and not had her (Lizzie) speak to me once after the first day. Then she was as pleasant as could be.”