Marion "Minnie" Roosevelt died age 53 in 1902. She had for some years been a military widow with two daughters, but emigrated to New York. She had four children by Robert B Roosevelt, living as his mistress until they married in 1888 (a year after the death of his first wife). Both were well-known socialites.
PRESIDENT'S AUNT DEAD (Philadelphia Inquirer, 11 April 1902, p 3): "Mrs. Marion Roosevelt Was Stricken at the Shore and Never Regained Consciousness ATLANTIC CITY, N. J., April 10. Mrs. Marion Roosevelt, wife of Robert Roosevelt, of New York, and an aunt of President Roosevelt, died suddenly today of cerebral paralysis. Mrs. Roosevelt was stricken last evening and never regained consciousness."
Robert Barnwell Roosevelt marries Mrs Marion Theresa O'Shea Fortescue (The News Herald, Franklin PA, 22 Aug 1888, p 2): "R. B. Roosevelt, of New York, U.S. Minister to Netherlands, was married in London on Saturday to Mrs. Marion T. Fortescue, also of New York. As the bride is a Catholic and Mr. Roosevelt a Protestant, a special dispensation from the Pope was obtained for the ceremony. The ceremony took place in the Church of Our Lady of Victories, and the service was performed by three clergymen. The bride is the second daughter of Thos. O'Shea, editor of the Dublin Freeman's Journal. When only about 15 years of age she made a runaway marriage with Capt. Kenyon Fortescue, who was quartered at that time with his regiment at Dublin. The marriage proved a happy one. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Fortescue came to New York, where she became acquainted with Mr. Roosevelt while writing for the Citizen, in which paper Mr. R. was a large stockholder."
At Captain Fortescue's death, his widow reportedly was left with two daughters and without funds. What happened to these children?
Her next four children, Kenyon, Granville, unknown daughter, and Maude Fortescue, were fathered illegitimately from 1870 by Robert Barnwell Roosevelt, Sr. (1829-1906), who married Mrs. Fortescue in 1888. The Robert B Roosevelt family is detailed in the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal (1990) Vol XVI, no1; pp 37-38.
Further details at Spinzia, Raymond E. "Those Other Roosevelts: The Fortescues" The Freeholder 11 (Summer 2006) Oyster Bay Historical Society, p 8-9, 16-22. Revised 3rd edition 2020 at http://spinzialongislandestates.com/THOSE%20OTHER%20ROOSEVELTS.pdf
"Roosevelt initially established his satellite family in a Manhattan brownstone on the same street as his primary family's residence, listing himself in the New York City Directory as a fictitious lawyer named Robert F. Fortescue with Marion (1849-1902) as his wife. He would later relocate the Fortescues to Long Island, near his Bayport Lotos Lake estate, which he occupied with his Roosevelt family."
Marion "Minnie" Roosevelt died age 53 in 1902. She had for some years been a military widow with two daughters, but emigrated to New York. She had four children by Robert B Roosevelt, living as his mistress until they married in 1888 (a year after the death of his first wife). Both were well-known socialites.
PRESIDENT'S AUNT DEAD (Philadelphia Inquirer, 11 April 1902, p 3): "Mrs. Marion Roosevelt Was Stricken at the Shore and Never Regained Consciousness ATLANTIC CITY, N. J., April 10. Mrs. Marion Roosevelt, wife of Robert Roosevelt, of New York, and an aunt of President Roosevelt, died suddenly today of cerebral paralysis. Mrs. Roosevelt was stricken last evening and never regained consciousness."
Robert Barnwell Roosevelt marries Mrs Marion Theresa O'Shea Fortescue (The News Herald, Franklin PA, 22 Aug 1888, p 2): "R. B. Roosevelt, of New York, U.S. Minister to Netherlands, was married in London on Saturday to Mrs. Marion T. Fortescue, also of New York. As the bride is a Catholic and Mr. Roosevelt a Protestant, a special dispensation from the Pope was obtained for the ceremony. The ceremony took place in the Church of Our Lady of Victories, and the service was performed by three clergymen. The bride is the second daughter of Thos. O'Shea, editor of the Dublin Freeman's Journal. When only about 15 years of age she made a runaway marriage with Capt. Kenyon Fortescue, who was quartered at that time with his regiment at Dublin. The marriage proved a happy one. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Fortescue came to New York, where she became acquainted with Mr. Roosevelt while writing for the Citizen, in which paper Mr. R. was a large stockholder."
At Captain Fortescue's death, his widow reportedly was left with two daughters and without funds. What happened to these children?
Her next four children, Kenyon, Granville, unknown daughter, and Maude Fortescue, were fathered illegitimately from 1870 by Robert Barnwell Roosevelt, Sr. (1829-1906), who married Mrs. Fortescue in 1888. The Robert B Roosevelt family is detailed in the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal (1990) Vol XVI, no1; pp 37-38.
Further details at Spinzia, Raymond E. "Those Other Roosevelts: The Fortescues" The Freeholder 11 (Summer 2006) Oyster Bay Historical Society, p 8-9, 16-22. Revised 3rd edition 2020 at http://spinzialongislandestates.com/THOSE%20OTHER%20ROOSEVELTS.pdf
"Roosevelt initially established his satellite family in a Manhattan brownstone on the same street as his primary family's residence, listing himself in the New York City Directory as a fictitious lawyer named Robert F. Fortescue with Marion (1849-1902) as his wife. He would later relocate the Fortescues to Long Island, near his Bayport Lotos Lake estate, which he occupied with his Roosevelt family."
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