Kathleen Forreststall, a determined Irish mail-order bride

image by RSuslenko, Deposit Photos

by Martha Hutchens

Kathleen Forreststall had the misfortune to be born in Ireland in the 1830s. Her parents and six siblings worked land that a British couple owned. Kathleen was an exceptional student and hoped to be a teacher. But in 1845, the Potato Famine began.

The population of Ireland before the famine was around 8.5 million. Between 1845 and 1852, an estimated one million people died of starvation and disease, and another million left Ireland. 

image by @swilphotos, deposit photos

By 1848, Kathleen had lost her mother and five of her siblings to starvation. She decided to leave Ireland as soon as she raised the money to do so.

Her opportunity came when a doctor shared a San Francisco newspaper with Kathleen. In it, Lieutenant Fred M. Carey posted an ad looking for a mail-order bride. Kathleen replied to the ad.

Carey proposed to Kathleen in his second letter. He also offered money to pay for her trip to America. She accepted.

During the journey, Kathleen befriended another woman on the ship, only to have the woman steal all the money Kathleen had left, $300. Kathleen arrived at San Francisco virtually penniless. Once the ship docked, she sent a wire to Lieutenant Carey, and he paid her stage fare.

image by Morphart, deposit photos

Kathleen met her lieutenant at Fort Klamath, in Oregon. He was shy, slightly balding, and stood around five-foot-five. He escorted her to the guest quarters at the fort, and she unpacked. They spent the next days getting to know each other, and set a wedding date for the next time a minister would be at the fort.

A week before their wedding, Carey was assigned to escort a supply wagon. While he was gone, Kathleen missed him dreadfully, and realized she had fallen in love with her soldier.

image by SeventyFour, deposit photos

During the lieutenant’s absence, the fort held a social in honor of the commanding officer’s birthday. Kathleen contributed a pie to the refreshments and joined in the dancing. When Carey returned, his men told him about the delicious pie Kathleen had made and that she was a wonderful dancer.

Fred was horrified. How dare his soon-to-be wife take part in such “inappropriate” activities? He called off the wedding and demanded the return of all the money he had sent for her travel.

With few options, Kathleen agreed to become the laundress for the fort. After she returned the lieutenant’s money, she returned to San Francisco.

But Kathleen was nothing if not persistent. She answered another mail-order bride advertisement, this time to a man who opened a boarding house in a mining camp.

While there is no further record of Kathleen’s marriage, I think she was lucky to escape Lieutenant Carey, who never married.

Martha Hutchens is a history nerd who loves nothing more than finding a new place and time to explore. She won the 2019 Golden Heart for Romance with Religious and Spiritual Elements. A former analytical chemist and retired homeschool mom, Martha occasionally finds time for knitting when writing projects allow.

Martha’s debut novel, A Steadfast Heart, will release in June. Click here to pre-order.

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