Kate Phillips (Mrs Henry Marshall)

[Rosalie Sluss]

Hi, all - I've been beating out my brains trying to find out any info about 19-year od Kate Phillips who was travelling with Henry Samuel Morley in Second Class. They were supposedly running away to America to get married or some such nonsense. ANYWAY, I CANNOT find anything out about a birth or death date for her. DID SHE FALL OFF THE FACE OF THE EART, OR WHAT? I read Judith Geller's book about her, and details are sketchy. I don't know where else to look. Anyone have any clues? Sure hope you can help me out. Thanks. Talk to ya . . . Rosalie

 

[Eric S. Silvia]

Rosalie,

Look under the "Happy Birthday Ellen" category in this section. There were a few posts regarding Kate and Henry.

-Eric-

 

[Kyrila Scully]

Rosalie, Denis Cochrane wrote a book about Kate and her daughter, Ellen, who was the love child of Henry and Kate, likely conceived on Titanic. The book is called "Titanic - The 'Marshalls': A Love Story" and is published by International Gem & Jewelry Show, Inc. It does not reveal the date of Kate's death, as Ellen had lost touch with her mother, who suffered mental illness due to her experience on Titanic. Ellen did not learn of her mother's death for several months. Perhaps you could contact the London records office that keeps death certificates on file and see if they can provide that information for you.

Kyrila

 

[beverley lynn farmer]

Hello Rosalie

My name is Beverley Farmer. Henry Samuel Morley & Kate Phillips are my Great Grandparents! Ellen is my Grandmother. If i can help with any questions feel free to ask. I find my family history fascinating!

 

[Kyrila Scully]

Hi, Beverley! So happy to "meet" you! I have always been fascinated by Kate's tragic story. One question we are all wondering about is what were the results of the DNA tests? Was it conclusive that Henry was indeed Ellen's biological father? We know that tests were made, but the results were not published for public scrutiny. BTW, I would have to say that Kate and Henry's story is the stuff of romance novels and since I am a romance novelist, I'd love to fill in some blanks for the day I am able to sit down and write my Titanic novel. I've been drawn to their story ever since I learned about them, and I even have Denis Cochrane's book about Kate and Ellen. Do tell us everything! This is a forum for historic preservation and study of all things Titanic. Do you know where Kate and Henry had planned to settle once they arrived in America? Did they know anyone here to sponsor them (help them get settled)? Who purchased the necklace Henry gave Kate? Did you ever get to see it? It must have been lovely! I've only seen a sepia photograph of it. BTW, I'm a single mother, too, and my birthday is the day before yours!

All the best,
Kyrila

 

[Rosalie Sluss]

Hi, Beverley, I'm soo happey to finally meet you! I've been trying to find out about Kate and Ellen for a long time. Would you be a dear and help me fill in some answers, please. Do you have birth and death dates for Kate, please? What actually happened with Kate - was there a mental collapse? I suppose with the strain of losing Henry and the pregnancy and all, that would constitute a large reason for all of it. ANYWAY, I am truly lost with this, so any help you could give me would be so greatly appreciated. What's this about a necklace? Forgive me, I have been in a fog due to my surgeries and all, but I am trying to keep up with as best I can. But what is this about a necklace. Kyrila was saying something about a necklace, and I said to myself "What cave have I been in? What necklace is she talking about?" Is there anything else you can tell me about Ellen? Gosh, I'm so excited to actually meet a great-granddaughter! This is great! Thanks for any help you can give me. Talk to 'ya! Rosalie (Please forgive spelling errors - I'm on medication, and don't always realize I've made mistakes until it is too late, but isn't it like that with everything?) Thanks.

 

[beverley lynn farmer]

Hi, Kyrila, i never got to find out the results of the DNA test, my Grandmother always said that his family decided not to go ahead with it right towards the end and she said they then cut all ties. She used to get very upset when she used to speak of it because all she wanted was her fathers name on her birth certificate before she died. I find it hard to believe that she did get any results and not tell my dad! Gran said they were on the Titanic eloping to San Francisco to start up another business of there own together, dont know about anyone helping them it was never mentioned. Henry brought the necklace for Kate as a token of his love for her, i would love to see the necklace which i wish was still in our family but sadly never will be. Let me know if you ever know of its whereabouts?

Thanks

Beverley

 

[beverley lynn farmer]

Hi Rosalie, Kate ended up in a mental institution in the end, cant blame her really! not sure what date she died but i will ask my dad & let you know. There is definately a necklace which Henry gave to Kate onboard the Titanic as a token of his love, which went down with the ship & was later retreaved. Have only ever seen pictures of it over the internet but couldnt see it properly which was very annoying. Will see it one day i hope! I'm trying to find out a lot more myself at the moment Gran always tells me the same story a the time but i'm sure i will find out more about Henry on my own one day!

Speak soon

Beverley

 

[Dave Gittins]

I've seen the necklace, which appears to have disappeared from the Internet. The last I heard of it, it was part of an exhibition of jewellery that was touring the US. That was probably two years ago. It's quite attractive in a modest way. The Internet pictures gave a poor idea of the colour of the stone, which is blue.

 

[Rosalie Sluss]

Hi, Beverley, good to hear from you again. Yes, I guess Kate had good reason for her mental condition, it is still such a shame though. But you can be sure that Henry and Kate's love story is timelessly classic, as I'm sure Kyrila will agree. Please let me know if I can help with searches or anything; I would be only to happy to further the cause, as they say. Don't know if you can coax "Gran" into any tidbits, but keep trying. Maybe one day, she will actually tell you something that you really wnted to hear. Keep trying, though, because I've been doing other people's family trees long enough to know that once gems like "Gran" are no longer with us, everything they knew goes too. I once went to a wedding of our daughter's friend. I decided just for good measure to take some family tree worksheets with me, and surprise the bride and groom with jotting down info from whomever I could corner for a chat. Well, the groom's grandmother was there, she was 90+ years, and I sat down with jer for about ten minutes, and scribbled down stuff frantically as she rambled on about her ancestors. Later on that evening I got home, and made sense of it, and copied it neatly down,and presented it to the couple in a few days. Two weeks later, the grandmother passed on from a heart attack. Turns out that no one had ever sat down and talked to her about this; they had what they called a "goldmine" of info in these papers that I gave the couple. Needless to say, I was glad I had done it, and it just goes to show you that you have to get every piece of info you can while you can. Talk to 'ya! Rosalie

 

[Kyrila Scully]

Rosalie, that's such a moving story, and you were so wise to do that for the bridal couple. Too often we realize too late the treasures we have so close to us. The company I work for provides family name origins and coats of arms for family heritage gifts. It's interesting work, learning how clans and families came about and migrated.
Beverley, Denis Cochrane wrote a lovely little book about your Gran and Great-grandmother. I don't know if copies are still available, but I got mine at the Titanic Ship of Dreams museum in Orlando. Perhaps someone on the board can hook you up with Mr. Cochrane?

Kyrila

 

[Helen Miller]

Hello everyone. Just still learning and finding my way around the Titanic site. I am thrilled with what I see. Please, I feel as though I have come in half way. What is the story of Kate Phillips. I have read your posts and it would seem she had a tragic love affair. Am I right. Can anyone fill me in or tell me where to read up on her.
Also any info on the best places to go in this site for a beginner.

 

[Eamon Honan]

> Perhaps someone on the board can hook you up with Mr. Cochrane?

Mr Cochrane is currently in prison for being a paedophile.

Chiswick man found guilty of indecent assault

Police praise victims’ courage

(I was a pupil at the school.)

 

[AFL23]

Rosalie, Denis Cochrane wrote a book about Kate and her daughter, Ellen, who was the love child of Henry and Kate, likely conceived on Titanic. The book is called "Titanic - The 'Marshalls': A Love Story" and is published by International Gem & Jewelry Show, Inc. It does not reveal the date of Kate's death, as Ellen had lost touch with her mother, who suffered mental illness due to her experience on Titanic. Ellen did not learn of her mother's death for several months. Perhaps you could contact the London records office that keeps death certificates on file and see if they can provide that information for you.

Kyrila

That's not romantic, that's the case of a married man leaving his wife and kid(s) to fend for themselves for a younger woman he cheated on his wife for and then running away to commit what is essentially bigamy. That's not what I call love, that's what I call being a jerk.

 

[Thomas Krom]

That's not romantic, that's the case of a married man leaving his wife and kid(s) to fend for themselves for a younger woman he cheated on his wife for and then running away to commit what is essentially bigamy. That's not what I call love, that's what I call being a jerk.

Henry Morley his actions not only were very ungrateful and unfaithful to his wife Louisa and their daughter Doris, but also directly caused a lot of problems mentally for Kate Phillips and their daughter Ellen Mary Phillips. After all, if Henry didn't have an affair with Kate she wouldn't have been on the Titanic as a second class passenger to begin with, as Henry his lost and the disaster itself caused a lot of mental problems. One just has to listen to the stories Ellen told about her mother:

"All she had on was a nightgown, but one of the sailors wrapped his jumper around her. She went on to New York and stayed there for three or four months discovering she was pregnant and returning to Worecester."

"The shock of the Titanic must have disturbed my mother's mind, it's my deepest regret that I didn't make her tell me about him."

My mother became more and more disturbed- once she swallowed some acid and it burned the walls of her stomach."

"She was eventually put in an asylum and my stepfather left her."

Ellen's granddaugther later stated:

"It was always a very sore point with my grandmother Ellen that she never knew her father. 'My great-grandmother died in the 1960s- so I never really knew her- but she never talked about Henry. Her friends and family always said she was never the same after she came back to Worcester."

I can't help but to feel sorry for Kate Phillips, and with that Ellen too. This young, likely naive, young lady was taken advantage off by her employer who in a literal sense took advantage of her innocence as it's very likely Ellen was conceived on-board the Titanic.