Catherine Furlong (1848 - 1888)

Born 1848 in Fayette City, Fayette, Pennsylvania, United States

Wife of Thomas Furlong — married 1875 in Jefferson Township, Fayette, Pennsylvania, United States

Descendants

Died 1888 at about age 40 in Pennsylvania, United States

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Biography

Kate Furlong was born in 1848 in Fayette City, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Otho Holman Furlong and Hannah Stimmell (see Family Search profile}. Below is a discussion of the evidence for her parentage.

In the 1850 census Catharine (age 3) was in Jefferson, Fayette, Pennsylvania, United States.^[1]

In the 1860 census Catharine (age 11) was in Fayette City, Fayette, Pennsylvania.^[2]

The only records for Kate as the wife of Thomas are 1) a FindaGrave memorial with a gravestone showing 1848-1888, and 2) the 1880 census, which states she was 32, born in Pennsylvania, and her parents were both born in Pennsylvania.^[3]

The death certificates for her children Jesse, and Annie, and both the marriage and death certificates for her daughter Mary, all give her name as Catherine Furlong.

The death certificate for Henry Thomas Furlong, son of Thomas and Kate, states that Henry's mother was Catherine Furlong, born in Fayette City. The informant was his sister, Mary Furlong Shelbaer. The place of birth of their mother appears to be written in Mary's handwriting.

On death certificates, sometimes the informant uses the married surname for the mother. Therefore, no conclusion can be drawn regarding Kate's maiden name when her name is listed as Catherine Furlong. On the other hand, the certificates are certainly consistent with her maiden name being Furlong.

IF she was indeed born in Fayette, and IF her maiden name was Furlong, the only Catherine in the 1850, 1860 and 1870 U.S. Census records is in the family of Otho and Hannah. Otho was born in Maryland, which doesn't agree with Kate's 1880 census record stating that her father was born in Pennsylvania. However, census records aren't very reliable when it comes to this information.

Additional circumstantial evidence that Kate may be the daughter of Otho and Hannah is the fact that Kate and Thomas named a son Otho, a very unusual name.

A key piece of information is in the 1920 Census. Several of Kate's children remained unmarried throughout their lives: Harry, Jesse, and Anna. Based on census records, it appears that these three lived together for many years. In the 1920 census, they were living with their aunt, Francis Furlong, age 50.

There is nobody named Francis on their father's side (Thomas Furlong). However, one of the daughters of Otho and Hannah was Martha Frances Furlong, born about 1865. Her age of 50 in the 1920 census is a little off, but this is the only person who could be the aunt named Francis/Frances living with Kate's children. Martha Frances Furlong remained single her whole life and lived with various family members. She was referred to as Frances in other records.

Considering all of the clues and evidence above, it seems highly likely that Kate's parents were Otho Furlong and Hannah Stimmel. There are likely more clues in the records of that family.

Kate Furlong Furlong died in 1888 in Pennsylvania, and is buried in Howe Cemetery.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ 1850 Census: "1850 United States Federal Census"
   The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: Jefferson, Fayette, Pennsylvania; Roll: 780; Page: 278b; Line Number: 27
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8054 #187395 (accessed 4 April 2023)
   Catharine Furlong (3) in Jefferson, Fayette, Pennsylvania, USA. Born in Pennsylvania.
2. ↑ 1860 Census: "1860 United States Federal Census"
   The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Fayette City, Fayette, Pennsylvania; Roll: M653_1109; Page: 237; Family History Library Film: 805109
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7667 #1847650 (accessed 4 April 2023)
   Catharine Furlough (11) in Fayette City, Fayette, Pennsylvania. Born in Pennsylvania.
3. ↑ 1880 Census: "1880 United States Federal Census"
   Year: 1880; Census Place: Jefferson, Fayette, Pennsylvania; Roll: 1130; Page: 269C; Enumeration District: 043
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6742 #50160982 (accessed 4 April 2023)
   Kate Furlong (32), wife, Keeping House, in household of Thomas Furlong (35) in Jefferson, Fayette, Pennsylvania, USA. Born in Pennsylvania.
4. ↑ Burial: Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25946386/kate-furlong: accessed 21 September 2022), memorial page for Kate Furlong (1848–1888), Find A Grave: Memorial #25946386, citing Howe Cemetery, Coal Center, Washington County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by Harry Adams (contributor 46984251)

• Kate Furlong at FamilySearch