Maryann McFadden

Author

Historic Photos of Centenary University in the Tillie Smith Era

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Thanks to Centenary University for permission to share these photos. I cannot thank them enough as I know so many of you will be interested in seeing Tillie Smith’s surroundings in 1886.

I hope this gives you a bit more of the flavor of Tillie’s world.

1867

Seeking to establish an “academic institution that shall be an honor to the church and a blessing to future generations,” Centenary Collegiate Institute (C.C.I.) is founded by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church in Hackettstown, N.J. Ten prominent citizens of the town donated $10,000 and 10 acres of land to build the Institute.

 

 

Jan-April 1886 

Tillie Smith began working in this building in January 1886. She was a potato peeler, a step up in her poor existence. She worked in the basement kitchen, and slept in the women’s servant’s quarters above. This is where Tillie Smith lived and worked, and where she was murdered. Her body was found in the early morning of April 8, 1886 in the field behind this building.

 

This portrait of Tillie Smith is the only “known” photograph of her (courtesy Betty Jo King). Of course in my research I learned differently, as you discover in reading THE CEMETERY KEEPER’S WIFE. Some think she looks much older than 18 or 19. Remember how hard life was, and that you had to be still for a long time when being photographed. I believe this was taken in the year she was murdered.

 

The sketches of Tillie and James Titus in the NATIONAL POLICE GAZETTE  appeared toward the end of the janitor’s trial for her murder, in October 1886. It also speaks to the national interest in a murder in this small town.

1899

Fire destroys the main building of C.C.I., and amazingly, every student and faculty member escapes unharmed. Classes resume at local churches and construction of a new building begins. Centenary’s signature structure, the domed Administration Building, is dedicated in 1901.

The fire of that main building in 1899 has been attributed by some back then to have been caused by Tillie’s ghost on Halloween night.

 

Letter from James Titus Attorney

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Possible Spoiler if you haven’t read the book yet

 

A letter from James Titus to then President Mooney at Centenary College, December 1932. What strikes me here is the sentence about regret and errors that Titus mentions in the verses on the calendar he is referencing. Keep in mind this is nearly 50 years after Tillie’s murder and his conviction. In particular, his own thought that “If life could be lived backward and one could begin with the knowledge and experience of years, it might be possible to do better.” If you’ve read THE CEMETERY KEEPER’S WIFE already, you will understand Titus’s regret. I have been told by a local that once Titus returned from prison, he slept in the cellar of his house on Sharp Street for the rest of his days. I am struck by his beautiful handwriting.

 

Video Trailer for THE CEMETERY KEEPER’S WIFE

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“Based on a true story, McFadden’s research is meticulous as she weaves the murder of Tillie Smith with the blistering fictional story of Rachel, a newlywed who is determined to solve the crime which echoes the denial and secrets that surround her marriage to the cemetery keeper. This is an original novel, one readers will savor.”

ADRIANA TRIGIANI, New York Times bestselling author of Big Stone Gap and Brava Valentine

“A riveting emotional ride of 2 women a century apart, coming together finding peace, one in death, one in life. This is historical fiction at its best.”

STEPHANIE SUPINSKI, Branch Manager, Palmer Library, Easton PA

“A heartbreaking story of shame, secrets, and the quest for love and redemption. McFadden relays a forgotten tragedy, which once held Victorian America in thrall, through the eyes of Rachel Miller, the cemetery keeper’s wife.  With passion and a keen sense of detail, McFadden, whose real life coincidences mirror Rachel’s, is the perfect person to tell this story.”

MARY ALICE MONROE,  New York Times bestselling author of The Beach House and The Butterfly’s Daughter

“Book clubs will savor the rich details of life in the 1800’s and the ripped from the headlines current story of Rachel.

J. FRANK BURLESON, Park Road Books