Frances Eleanor "Ellen" Work

Notes:

Wikipedia Biography Frances Ellen Work

Born in New York City, she was a daughter of Franklin H. Work "Frank" (1819? 1911), a well-known stockbroker and prot?g? of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and his wife, Ellen Wood (1831? 1877). [1]

On September 22, 1880, at Christ Church, New York City, Frances Work married the Hon. James Boothby Burke Roche, who would later become the 3rd Baron Fermoy. They had four children: two daughters Cynthia Roche and Eileen, and twin sons Francis and Edmund. Edmund later became the 4th Baron Fermoy, and was the grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales. Frances divorced Roche for desertion in 1891, before he had succeeded to the barony. Her lawyer was Thomas F. Bayard, former United States Secretary of State.[2]

On August 4, 1905, the Hon. Mrs. Burke Roche married Aurel de Batonyi, a Hungarian-born riding instructor and society horseman. When he had immigrated to the United States on the Majestic in 1891, Batonyi claimed he was a count. [3] It was also suggested that his real name was Arthur Cohn. [4] Frances sued de Batonyi for divorce two years after their marriage, allegedly because her father threatened to disinherit her if she continued to live with her husband. [4]

She was a prominent figure in the New York City and Newport, Rhode Island, social sets, and was friends with Mrs Reginald Vanderbilt. Her sister, Lucy Bond Work married Peter Cooper Hewitt, a son of New York City Mayor Abram Stevens Hewitt.
She died in the city of her birth at the age of 89. [1]

References

[1] Williamson, D. (1981) The Ancestry of Lady Diana Spencer In: Genealogist's Magazine vol. 20 (no. 6) p. 192-199 and vol. 20 (no. 8) pp. 281? 282.
[2] The Times (London) Friday, 27 March 1896, p. 7 col. F.
[3] United States Government. 1891 New York Ship's Arrivals Records Index. Washington, D.C.: National Archives. Series M237, Roll #571, July 8, 1891.
[4] Oakland Tribune, September 8 1907, pp. 17? 18.


PRI article, "Dollar Princesses"

Next week, Prince William will take Kate Middleton as his wife in what's being hailed, again, as the wedding of the century.

The pews will be filled with world leaders, other royal family and members of the British aristocracy.

Within that aristocracy will be a strong American connection. For many of their number are descendants of a generation of U.S. women. They were called the "dollar princesses."

The dollar princesses were a breed of very rich American girls who came over at the end of the 19th century to Britain and to Europe, looking for titles. And it was simple as that. It was cash in return for a title.

Daisy Goodwin has written novel, "The American Heiress," based on the lives of these women. Goodwin said newly wealthy Americans like the Vanderbilts had just about everything they wanted, except social status.

"Even though the Vanderbilts, for example, had more money than anybody, they weren't being asked to the nicest parties."

Consuelo Vanderbilt
The solution lay across the Atlantic in Britain. Dukes and earls, struggling with debt and dilapidated castles, were looking for wives with multi-million dollar dowries. The Vanderbilts 19-year-old daughter, Consuelo, married the Duke of Marlborough in 1895.
Goodwin said she was one of the first to make the journey, and the deal.

"When these American girls came over they were so much richer, so the men could hardly resist. And a quarter of the British aristocracy married American money in the period between 1890 and 1910. It's no exaggeration to say these dollar princesses saved the British aristocracy for a generation. They kept the stately homes of England going."

The phenomenon sparked a magazine called "Titled American," which Goodwin said was the "match.com" of its day.

The lives of the dollar princesses were closely followed in the U.S. press.

British men found them vivacious and independent. But for all their fame and considerable fortune, Goodwin said they failed to make fans out of one group ? the English women who suddenly lost their chance at nobility.

"They had kind of grown up from the nursery expecting to marry the Duke of This or the Earl of That, and that's what they were trained to do. And then suddenly, their career prospects were kind of jettisoned by some American girl from nowhere in their opinion who came in looking lovely but had no idea about how to dress, what to do, how to hold her fork or whatever and she would just pinch the most eligible bachelor from under these poor British girls' noses. And they hated it."

As in the much-watched case of Princesses Diana, many of the dollar princesses ended up in loveless marriages. That includes Diana's own great grandmother, Frances Work who was, in fact a dollar princess.

And so, Prince William also has stateside ancestry, thanks to the American obsession with British class and status. In some ways, said Goodwin, it marked the start of Anglo-mania.

"America had all the money but Britain had all the tradition and hey, that's something that hasn't really changed has it, you know. I would say that in America, there's probably more interest in the royal wedding than there is here even. And I'm amazed by that. But I think it's rather wonderful."

http://www.theworld.org/2011/04/a-look-back-at-the-dollar-princesse/

Frances married Rt. Hon. James Boothby Burke Roche, 3rd Baron Fermoy on 22 Sep 1880 in New York City, New York County, New York. James was born on 28 Jul 1852 in Middlesex, England; died on 30 Oct 1920 in London, Middlesex, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Edmund Maurice Burke Roche, 4rth Baron Femoy was born on 15 May 1885 in Chelsea, Middlesex, England; died on 8 Jul 1955 in Norfolk, England.
2. Francis George Roche was born on 15 May 1885 in Chelsea, Middlesex, England; and died.

Notes:

Said to be a son of Jon Work and Sarah Duncan Boude.

Franklin married Ellen Wood about 1857 in New York. Ellen (daughter of John Wood and Eleanor Strong) was born on 18 Jul 1831 in Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio; died on 22 Feb 1877 in New York City, New York County, New York. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married Eleanor Strong on 13 Mar 1823 in Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio. Eleanor (daughter of Joseph Strong and Rebecca Young) was born about 1802-1803 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; died on 9 Jul 1863 in New York City, New York County, New York. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Joseph married Rebecca Young on 8 Sep 1796 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Rebecca was born about 1780; died about 1862. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Said to be a daughter of Captain Peter and Eleanor Young.