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Frances Ellen Work
Frances Ellen Work (October 27 or 28, 1857 – January 26, 1947) was an American heiress and socialite.
Frances was born in New York City on October 27 or 28, 1857. She was a daughter of Franklin H. Work, a well-known stockbroker and protégé of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and his wife, Ellen Wood. Her sister Lucy Bond Work was married to Peter Cooper Hewitt. She also had a brother, the horseman and road driver George Paul Work, who died from consumption in Davos, Switzerland.
In 1892, Frances was included in Ward McAllister's "Four Hundred", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in The New York Times. Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into Caroline Astor's ballroom.
Work was a prominent figure in the New York City and Newport, Rhode Island, social sets, and was friends with Mrs. Reginald Vanderbilt. When her father died in 1911, he left an estate, for the benefit of her, her children, and her sister, of $15 million ($417 million in 2025). Her father's will limited her yearly allowance to $80,000 ($2.22 million in 2025). In his will, Mr. Work stipulated that no part of his estate was to go to his "erstwhile son-in-law, James Boothby Burke Roche."
On September 22, 1880, at Christ Church, New York City, Work married the Hon. James Boothby Burke Roche, who would later become the 3rd Baron Fermoy in 1920 after his elder brother, Edward Roche, 2nd Baron Fermoy, died without any male heirs. He was the son of Edmond Roche, 1st Baron Fermoy, and his wife, Elizabeth Caroline Boothby.
They had four children (two daughters, then twin sons):
In 1890, Work divorced Roche, claiming desertion, before he had succeeded to the barony. The divorce was awarded on March 3, 1891. Her lawyer was Thomas F. Bayard, former United States Secretary of State. In 1899, her ex-husband, then a UK Member of Parliament, sued Work with a writ of habeas corpus to produce their daughter, Cynthia, in court. Roche claimed Work was depriving "the child of her liberty." The case was settled out of court shortly thereafter. Until 1920, sons Maurice and Francis used the surname Work.
On August 4, 1905, Work married Aurél de Bátonyi, a Hungarian-born riding master who claimed on his 1895 naturalization application to be an Austro-Hungarian count. The couple met in 1903, and they were quite happy together. Work encouraged Bátonyi to propose marriage, however Bátonyi was reluctant. Once they wed, Work did not inform her father, who was supporting her financially, until sometime in early-1906. Work's father did not trust Bátonyi, and he encouraged newspapers and society tabloids to publish suggestions that Bátonyi's real name was Arthur Cohn, and suggestions that Bátonyi's claim of nobiliary rank was fraudulent. However, the marriage remained successful.
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Frances Ellen Work
Frances Ellen Work (October 27 or 28, 1857 – January 26, 1947) was an American heiress and socialite.
Frances was born in New York City on October 27 or 28, 1857. She was a daughter of Franklin H. Work, a well-known stockbroker and protégé of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and his wife, Ellen Wood. Her sister Lucy Bond Work was married to Peter Cooper Hewitt. She also had a brother, the horseman and road driver George Paul Work, who died from consumption in Davos, Switzerland.
In 1892, Frances was included in Ward McAllister's "Four Hundred", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in The New York Times. Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into Caroline Astor's ballroom.
Work was a prominent figure in the New York City and Newport, Rhode Island, social sets, and was friends with Mrs. Reginald Vanderbilt. When her father died in 1911, he left an estate, for the benefit of her, her children, and her sister, of $15 million ($417 million in 2025). Her father's will limited her yearly allowance to $80,000 ($2.22 million in 2025). In his will, Mr. Work stipulated that no part of his estate was to go to his "erstwhile son-in-law, James Boothby Burke Roche."
On September 22, 1880, at Christ Church, New York City, Work married the Hon. James Boothby Burke Roche, who would later become the 3rd Baron Fermoy in 1920 after his elder brother, Edward Roche, 2nd Baron Fermoy, died without any male heirs. He was the son of Edmond Roche, 1st Baron Fermoy, and his wife, Elizabeth Caroline Boothby.
They had four children (two daughters, then twin sons):
In 1890, Work divorced Roche, claiming desertion, before he had succeeded to the barony. The divorce was awarded on March 3, 1891. Her lawyer was Thomas F. Bayard, former United States Secretary of State. In 1899, her ex-husband, then a UK Member of Parliament, sued Work with a writ of habeas corpus to produce their daughter, Cynthia, in court. Roche claimed Work was depriving "the child of her liberty." The case was settled out of court shortly thereafter. Until 1920, sons Maurice and Francis used the surname Work.
On August 4, 1905, Work married Aurél de Bátonyi, a Hungarian-born riding master who claimed on his 1895 naturalization application to be an Austro-Hungarian count. The couple met in 1903, and they were quite happy together. Work encouraged Bátonyi to propose marriage, however Bátonyi was reluctant. Once they wed, Work did not inform her father, who was supporting her financially, until sometime in early-1906. Work's father did not trust Bátonyi, and he encouraged newspapers and society tabloids to publish suggestions that Bátonyi's real name was Arthur Cohn, and suggestions that Bátonyi's claim of nobiliary rank was fraudulent. However, the marriage remained successful.