Caroline Kearney faced a heart-breaking dilemma. A 31-year-old mother of six in Melbourne, Australia in 1865, she was newly widowed, and her husband’s will, written on his deathbed, offered a reasonable annuity to support her and the children. But it came with a catch: To get that money, she had to move to Ireland with her children and live in a house of her brothers-in-law’s choosing. Bettina Bradbury tells this extraordinary story through compelling historical detective work. 

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Image courtesy of interviewee. June 16, 2023