Frank Norcross (1861)

Born 9 Apr 1861 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States

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Biography

Frank Norcross was a Massachusettsan.

Frank was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1861.^[1] Their parents were George Warren and Maria Estelle Norcross. They grew up in Washington Village with their parents and younger brother George Russell.^[2] In 1879, George Sr. passed away.

In 1880, Frank did not live with their mother and brother. Even before that, they began using female aliases such as "Kitty Russell," living with a couple in North End, and working as a maid for wealthy families around Downtown.^[3] Around 1882, they married John King and moved to the Mattapan neighborhood; John and Frank stayed together for less than three years, and Frank moved back to the Downtown area.^[4] In 1884, she began working for or living with a Mrs. Morrill on Springfield St. (South of Washington).

In 1887, Frank was accused of going through people's pockets in the Chelsea neighborhood and arrested.^[3] They were forced into men's clothing and outed to their foster family, who lived on 488 Commercial Street when newspapers interviewed them. In interviews, they also mentioned that they planned to move out of Massachusetts as soon as possible. In 1888, maid "Mabel Stanley," outed as Frank Norcross, was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison in Rhode Island.^[4][5]

Frank moved back to South End in the aftermath. In 1900, they lived with their mother, where they both worked in laundry.^[6] In 1910, Frank was listed as a house decorator.^[7]

Research Notes

Frank never married or had any children. Their death date is currently unknown. While Frank was listed as a man in 1900 and 1910, they may have become a woman full time later in life and/or may have gone by a female alias when they passed away.

During both arrests, newspapers claimed that they were "adopted" by either a "Peter Cottrell" or "Cordin" and his wife, a couple who moved to Washington Village around 1871 and lived in North End in 1887. Peter Cottrell may be Peter Cottell, but this is not confirmed.

Sources

1. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHQK-YJV : 15 January 2020), Frank Norcross, 1861.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD3G-5K2 : 29 May 2021), Frank Norcross in entry for George Warren Norcross, 1870.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "From a Girl to a Boy." Morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.), 03 Nov. 1887. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86063034/1887-11-03/ed-1/seq-3/
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "Masquerading as a Woman." Lancaster Daily Intelligencer (Pennsylvania), September 29, 1888. Chronicling America, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83032300/1888-09-29/ed-1/seq-2/
5. ↑ "Norcross's Career in Petticoats." The Indianapolis Journal (Indiana), September 27, 1888. Chronicling America, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82015679/1888-09-27/ed-1/seq-1/
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1900", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9TT-PXC : 22 January 2022), Frank Norcross in entry for Marish E Norcross, 1900.
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2KL-8WH : accessed 25 September 2022), Frank Norcross, Boston Ward 9, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 1379, sheet 5B, family 102, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 616; FHL microfilm 1,374,629.