DURING THE AMERICAN Civil War there were two Presidents, and two White Houses. While Lincoln presided in Washington, the Executive Mansion chosen by the South for its President was a white, three-storey house in Richmond, Virginia. Not surprisingly, it also became known as the White House.
The South’s President, Jefferson Davis, moved into the Richmond White House in 1861 with his second wife Varina. The Davises had three young children, two boys and a girl. Their first-born, Samuel, was already dead. A fourth son would be born later that year.
Of the 20 White House staff, at least two were Irish. One was Mary O’Melia, (née Larkin), a widow from Galway. She had left her children at home in Baltimore (Maryland) to visit Richmond in 1861, but was trapped there by the Civil War. She was hired as housekeeper in the White House, becoming a friend to the Davises, and a confidante of Mrs Davis.
‘Catherine, the Irish nanny’
But less is known about the second Irish woman, who now seems forgotten to her native land. Not even her second name is known. She is simply known now as Catherine, the Irish nanny.
Some time after the Davises’ arrival in Richmond, Mrs Davis went to the Daughters of Charity nuns to ask for their prayers, and a practising Catholic to help in the nursery. They sent her Catherine.
By all accounts, Catherine the Irish nanny was a cherished employee. She slept in the nursery with the children, and clearly formed a close, loving bond with them. Doubtlessly, she was proud of her position as nanny to the Presidential family, and although the Civil War raged about them, her life must have been relatively comfortable. But the war and defeat were edging closer and closer.
Tragedy strikes
Then tragedy struck the household. Joseph, the second youngest Davis child had just celebrated his fifth birthday, when on 30 April 1864, he fell to his death from a third floor balcony.
Little Joe was the pet of the family. He had been playing and apparently climbed out on the balcony – but mystery surrounds the tragedy. Reports are contradictory, as if half-hearted attempts were made at a cover-up to protect the family. Was he, in fact, pushed by his older brother, Jeff? Both parents were out of the house, but Varina attempted to downplay her absence to avoid any hints of a neglectful parent (she was, in fact, a devoted mother). And it’s not clear how long it took to discover Joe – was medical attention fatally delayed? The parents arrived at the scene just in time to hold their dying son.
Catherine was utterly distraught. While brother Jeff prayed and tried to revive Joe, she is described as lying prone on the floor next to the body, weeping and wailing “as only an Irishwoman can”.
Was she blamed for Joe’s death?
There is no avoiding the fact that, with both parents out of the house, Catherine was responsible for the children at the time of the tragedy and Joe should not have playing on the balcony. But it’s not clear if the Davises blamed Catherine. Her employment seems to cease at this point; did she quit or was she fired by parents who blamed her for the death of their son?
Mary Chesnut, the diarist, was a close friend of Mrs Davis, and observed these events at close hand. Chesnut stayed at the White House on the night of the tragedy, consoling the grieving parents. In her diary, her attitude is clear-cut and harsh; she blames Catherine. She is scornful of Catherine’s “Irish howl” – cheap, she calls it. She goes on to ask; where was Catherine when it all happened? “Her place was to have been with the child”. She then chillingly adds; “Whom will they kill next of that devoted household?” Did Mary Chesnut’s reaction reflect the private view of her close friend, Varina Davis?
(By a strange twist of fate, Lincoln in the Washington White House also lost a beloved son during the war. Despite the enmity, both Presidents exchanged heartfelt condolences. The remaining two Davis boys died young, so the ill-fated Davises buried all four of their sons).
There are hints in the Jefferson Davis papers that the Davises remained on good terms with Catherine, and in fact regarded her as one of the loyal friends who stood by them in defeat. In a letter from prison to his wife, Davis writes of “our humblest friends”, and mentions Ellen (a “mulatto” maid-servant) and Catherine (and surely this is the Irish nanny!) and their “truth and faithfulness”. There are elsewhere hints that Catherine lived in Baltimore after the war and a tantalising suggestion that she and Mrs O’Melia remained friends.
But thankfully, Catherine is not completely forgotten, If you take a tour of the Richmond White House today, you won’t see the balcony – Davis had it torn down after the tragedy – but you will see the nursery complete with bed where Catherine slept. And the guide will mention her name and say a few words about her – Catherine, the Irish nanny. And so that will be her memorial.
Frank Burns has an interest in the American Civil War, and stumbled across this story of an Irish woman who found herself a close witness to historic events. He tweets at @bonuschief. This story was first posted on Irish in the American Civil War.
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