Grace Marks
Summary
Name:
Grace MarksNickname:
Mary WhitneyYears Active:
1843Status:
DeceasedClass:
MurdererVictims:
1Method:
Shooting / Bludgeoning / StrangulationNationality:
CanadaGrace Marks
Summary: Murderer
Name:
Grace MarksNickname:
Mary WhitneyStatus:
DeceasedVictims:
1Method:
Shooting / Bludgeoning / StrangulationNationality:
CanadaYears Active:
1843bio
Born around 1828 in Ulster, Ireland, Grace Marks was one of nine children in a family marked by hardship. Her father, John Marks, was a stonemason and an abusive alcoholic. In 1840, seeking better opportunities, the Marks family emigrated to Upper Canada (now Ontario). Tragically, Grace's mother died during the voyage and was buried at sea.
Upon arrival in Canada, the family settled in Toronto. At the age of 12, Grace began working as a domestic servant to support her siblings, given her father's inability to provide due to his alcoholism. During her early employment, she formed a close friendship with a fellow servant named Mary Whitney, who later died from complications of a botched abortion. This event profoundly affected Grace and influenced her subsequent experiences.
murder story
In 1843, at approximately 16 years old, Grace secured employment in the household of Thomas Kinnear, a wealthy farmer residing in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Kinnear was known to have a contentious relationship with his housekeeper and mistress, Nancy Montgomery. Another servant, James McDermott, also worked in the Kinnear household.
On July 29, 1843, both Kinnear and Montgomery were murdered. Kinnear was shot, while Montgomery was struck on the head with an axe and then strangled. Following the murders, McDermott and Marks fled to the United States but were apprehended in Lewiston, New York, and returned to Canada to stand trial.
The trial commenced in November 1843 and garnered significant public attention. McDermott was convicted of first-degree murder and subsequently hanged. Grace was found guilty as an accessory before and after the fact in Kinnear's murder. Due to her youth and the prevailing gender biases of the time, her death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
Grace served nearly 29 years in Kingston Penitentiary, with a brief period in the Provincial Lunatic Asylum from 1852 to 1853. She was pardoned on August 7, 1872, and released. Upon her release, she reportedly moved to New York State, after which she disappeared from the historical record.
