Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-06-26
A S0RR0WFUL SINGER.
The First Wife Of the Inventor
Dead.
The Years Of Poverty Of One Of the Mil
liOnsirs Sewing Machine Mans
hates---The Matrimonial Ad-
ventures Of a Genius.

NEw YoRK, June 24.-Among the death
notices in morning paper yesterday was
this:
SIN6ER--Entered into rest. Sunday, June p,
after painful and lingering illness, CATHERINE NJ
SINGER, 4Ssd 60 years.
Funeral services Monday, June p, At O'Clock, at
her late residence, PA Schemerhorn street, Brook
Ign. Interment In Greenwood.
Mrs. Singer was the first wife of the late
Isaac Merritt Singer, inventor of the Singer
sewing machine He died leaving Sl4,-
OOO, 900, but Mrs. Singers name was not
mentioned in the will A divorce obtained
BY Mr.. Singer twenty-tOur years ago, and
twenty-four years after they had ceased to
live together. Mrs. Singer always declared
was obtained wrongfully. She continued
all her life to call herself Mrs. Singer.
While Mr. Singer was alive five women laid
claim to him as husband, aud twenty-four
children were recognized by him as his own.
The first Mrs Singer whose funeral took
place yesterday, was married to Mr.. Singer
in Palmyra, Wayne county, in this State,
where he was employed as mechanic. Her
maiden name was Catharine \. Haley, and
she went to Palmyra when a child with her
parents from what was then known as Cola
berg, now Croton Landing, q station on the
Hudson river railroad, in Winchester county.
Mr., Singer was known to have genius, but
he was lazy, and the young couple were
very poor. They remained poor as long as
they lived together. Prom Palmyra they
removed to Port Gibson, n. Y, and after
ward to Waterloo.
Singer on the Stage.
About 1885 they came to this city, and
soon afterward Mr.. Singer left his wife to
Join company of players which gave en-
tertainments in small towns in the South
and West. Mrs Singer remained in the
city. In one of the performances of the
troupe in Baltimore Singer was struck with
the beauty of Miss Sponsler, and he sought
heraequaintance, representing that he was
a single man. Miss Spensler accepted his
attentions. Mr. Singer returned to his first
wife, but they quarreled and separated, Mrs.
Singer taking the children. Singer brought
Miss SpOnsler to New York After hear
ing his account of his marriage with his
hrst wife. she agreed to live with him on
his promise that divorce was to be OBJ
tanned Then Mr.. Singer, who played on
the violin and Miss SpOnSler, who sang,
travelled through the country picking up a
precarious living playing at temperance en-
tertainmeuts in churches. While in Chi
cago he found that he could make more
more money by inventions, and ne took
out patents, first for reaper, and after
ward for a machine to carve type. In 1850
he invented improvements on the sewing
machine, by which he atterward reaped his
great fortune. He lived with Miss Spons-
Ter at IA Fifth Avenue. Ten horses and
six carriages were part of the eS abish-
ment. Between 1881 and 1851 Miss
Sponsler bore ten children to him. To give
the family an airing in the park, he had
gorgeous eauipage built to hold twenty-five
persons and dragged BY eight horses
Ten years after Singer took up his resi-
dence in New York, in Fifth avenue, when
he procured decree of divorce from his
first wife. 1t has since been contended BY
her and by her friends that she did not know
that divorce proceeding was in danger Of
being carried to an issue until the news
reached her that decree had been granted.
Mrs. Singer had, she said, legal paper
served on her, but was afterwards convinced
that the divorce suit had been withdrawn
and that the service Of the document was OF
no effect. Singers counsel declar ed that
there was no defense, and the decree went
into effect Mrs. Singers friends say that
she was too poor and too shrinking in dispo-
sition to recover her legal rights
Wife Beaten.
Mr. Singer, after the divorce was obtained,
lived anirregular life. Six months after the
divorce Miss SpOnSler discovered that he had
been ing with Miss Mary Ann MeGonigal
as NJ. and Mrs Mathews. She quarreIed
with hlm and he knocked her down, it is
said. and left her senSeleSs and bleeding in
the hall Of his Fifth avenue house She had
him arrested He gave bonds. and soon
afterward went to Europe for year. Then
it came ont that he had been living also
with Miss Mary +. Walter under the name
of Mr.. and Mrs Merritt Both Miss McGon-
igal and Miss Walter had children by him.
Miss Sponsler sued for divorce and Singer
compromised by giving her property. In
1868 he married Isabella Eugenia SOmmer-
Vile. whom he met in Paris He built cas-
tie on the Hudson, uesr Yonkers, but did
not occupy it long. With his wife he lived
most of the time in Paris When over so
wears old he started to build castle in Old
ham, Parqueton, near Torquay watering
place in England, but h. died in 1875 before
it was completed.
Mrs, Catherine NJ. Singer, with Others,
contested the viii offered for probate before
Surrogate Coffin in Whlse Films in Septem-
Der, 1875. Her son, William A. Singer,
was named for $500, and her daughter,