Kara Sears
Mary Katherine Horony Cummings, more commonly known as Big Nose Kate, was the common-law wife of Doc Holliday. She was a Hungarian-born American outlaw, gambler, prostitute, and Holliday's longtime companion. Big Nose Kate was a significant part of Holliday's life, and their relationship was a turbulent one. Despite their frequent fights, Kate remained by Holliday's side until his death from tuberculosis.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Mary Katherine Horony Cummings |
| Nickname | Big Nose Kate |
| Birth Name | Mary Katharine Horony |
| Other Names | Kate Elder |
| Birth Date | November 7, 1849 or 1850 |
| Birth Place | Érsekújvár, Kingdom of Hungary (now Nové Zámky, Slovakia) or Budapest, Hungary |
| Parents | Mihály Horony (father), Katalin Boldizsár (mother) |
| Education | Well-educated, could speak several languages |
| Occupation | Prostitute, gambler, outlaw |
| Relationship Status | Common-law wife, companion |
| Relationship Duration | Until Doc Holliday's death in 1887 |
| Marital Status After Doc Holliday's Death | Remarried to George Cummings in 1890 |
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What You'll Learn
Mary Katherine Horony Cummings, aka 'Big Nose Kate'
Mary Katherine Horony Cummings, better known as Big Nose Kate, was the common-law wife of Doc Holliday. Born in Hungary in 1849 or 1850, she was the daughter of a physician and was well-educated, speaking multiple languages. However, she chose to work as a prostitute due to the independence it provided her.
Big Nose Kate met Doc Holliday in the early 1870s, and they travelled together to the Arizona Territory with Wyatt Earp. She was Holliday's intellectual equal, and he appreciated her refined manners. Big Nose Kate is reported to have been the only woman Holliday had a relationship with. The couple had a dramatic departure from Fort Griffin, and they later reunited in Tombstone, Arizona, in 1880.
Big Nose Kate may have witnessed the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881, which involved Holliday and the Earp brothers. She disputed accounts of the event, stating that it did not occur at the O.K. Corral but rather down the street. After Holliday's death in 1887, she married Irish blacksmith George Cummings in 1890 and returned to Arizona. She worked as a cook in mining camps and later as a housekeeper in Cochise and Dos Cabezas, Arizona. She separated from Cummings due to his abuse and alcoholism in 1900.
Big Nose Kate applied for the Arizona Pioneer Home in Prescott in 1930 and died in 1940. She is buried in Prescott, Arizona, in the Pioneer Cemetery. She is remembered as a "rip-roarin', hard-drinkin', gun-slingin' prostitute" and a legend of the Old West.
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Kate was educated but chose prostitution for independence
Mary Katherine Horony Cummings, better known as Big Nose Kate, was the common-law wife of Doc Holliday. Born in Hungary in 1849, she moved to the United States with her family in 1860. Despite receiving an education, she chose to work as a prostitute due to the independence it provided her.
Big Nose Kate had a reputation for being "tough, stubborn, and fearless." She was also known for her temper, which matched that of her husband, Doc Holliday. The two first met in 1877 at John Shanssey's Saloon in Fort Griffin, Texas, where Holliday was dealing cards. They quickly formed a connection, with Holliday considering Horony to be his intellectual equal, and her appreciating his refined manners.
Before meeting Holliday, Big Nose Kate had a tumultuous life. At the age of 16, she ran away from her foster home and stowed away on a riverboat bound for St. Louis, Missouri. She later claimed that she married a dentist named Silas Melvin in St. Louis and had a son with him, but both sadly passed away from yellow fever. However, census records indicate that Silas Melvin was married to someone else during this period.
Big Nose Kate began working as a prostitute in the late 1860s, and in 1874, she was fined for working as a "sporting woman" in a "sporting house" in Dodge City, Kansas. Despite this setback, she continued her work and even helped Holliday escape from a vigilante group formed by angry townsfolk after he killed a man in a confrontation. The couple's relationship was volatile, with regular and sometimes violent fights, but they always made up afterward.
Big Nose Kate was the only woman with whom Holliday is known to have had a relationship. She was by his side during his final days, and she later claimed to have attended to him as he succumbed to tuberculosis in 1887. After Holliday's death, she married Irish blacksmith George Cummings in 1890.
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Kate and Doc met in 1877 at Fort Griffin
Mary Katherine Horony Cummings, better known as "Big Nose Kate", was the common-law wife of Doc Holliday. Kate and Doc met in 1877 at Fort Griffin, likely at a bordello or John Shanssey's Saloon, where Holliday was dealing cards. They both came from upper-middle-class families but chose a life of lawlessness in the Wild West. They shared a love of drink and had short tempers.
Mary Katherine Horony was born on November 7, 1849, in Érsekújvár, Kingdom of Hungary (present-day Nové Zámky, Slovakia). She was the second daughter of a Hungarian physician and teacher. In 1860, her family left Hungary for the United States, arriving in New York City. By 1866, at age 16, Horony had run away from her foster home and stowed away on a riverboat bound for St. Louis, Missouri. She later claimed that while she lived in St. Louis, she married a dentist named Silas Melvin, with whom she had a son, and that both died of yellow fever. However, census records suggest she may have confused the identities of the people she was referring to.
In 1869, Horony was recorded as working as a prostitute for madam Blanche Tribole in St. Louis. In 1874, she was fined for working as a prostitute in a "sporting house" in Dodge City, Kansas. In 1876, Horony moved to Fort Griffin, Texas, where she met Doc Holliday. By this time, she had earned the nickname "Big Nose Kate". Their relationship was turbulent, and they often fought, but they always made up. They signed guest ledgers at boarding houses as Mr. and Mrs., and she was considered his common-law wife. Holliday considered her his intellectual equal.
After Holliday's death in 1887, Kate married Irish blacksmith George Cummings in Aspen, Colorado, in 1890. They worked in several mining camps together before moving to Bisbee, Arizona, where Kate ran a bakery. Kate eventually left her abusive husband and lived a resilient and independent life. She worked as a prostitute and eventually joined the Arizona Pioneer's Home before her death at the age of 90.
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Their relationship was fiery and tempestuous
The common-law wife of Doc Holliday, Mary Katherine Horony Cummings, was popularly known as Big Nose Kate. Kate was a Hungarian-born American outlaw, gambler, prostitute, and longtime companion of Holliday. Their relationship was fiery and tempestuous, a mirror of the booms and busts of life in the Wild West.
Kate and Holliday's relationship was turbulent, and they often fought. They shared a love of drink and had tempers so hot that they could scorch an entire town. In fact, they almost burned down a town. During a poker game with a locally popular bully, Ed Bailey, Holliday's infamous temper flared up. Bailey kept peeking at the cards in the discard pile, which was against the rules. Holliday warned Bailey to "play poker" and not to look at the discard pile. Bailey, however, disregarded the warning.
Kate was a prostitute for much of her life, despite receiving a good education and having ample opportunities to do other things. She found the work agreeable and valued the independence it gave her. She had a blazing temper and was a hard drinker. She also had a large "determined" nose, which earned her the insensitive nickname "Big Nose."
Kate and Holliday's departure from Fort Griffin was dramatic. After Holliday was released from prison, he gave Kate money and put her on a stage. Kate returned to Globe for a time, but she returned to Tombstone in October of that year. In a 1939 letter to her niece Lillian Rafferty, Kate described the aftermath of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, explaining how much it affected Doc. Despite their frequent fights, Kate remained by Doc's side until his death from tuberculosis.
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Kate remained by Doc's side until his death
Mary Katherine Horony Cummings, better known as Big Nose Kate, was the common-law wife of Doc Holliday. Kate and Doc Holliday had a fiery and passionate romance that began in 1877 in Fort Griffin, Texas. They were both gamblers, and their relationship was turbulent, with frequent fights and a shared love of drink and a temper.
Despite their differences, Kate remained devoted to Doc until his death. She visited him in his final days, and they reconciled their differences. Kate was the only woman Doc Holliday was known to have had a relationship with, and he considered her his intellectual equal. They signed guest ledgers as Mr. and Mrs., and she was considered his common-law wife.
Kate and Doc's relationship was not without its challenges. Kate was a prostitute, and her line of work sometimes took her away from Doc. On one occasion, she signed an affidavit implicating Holliday in murders and an attempted robbery, which resulted in his arrest. However, witnesses proved his innocence, and he was released. After his release, Doc gave Kate money and put her on a stagecoach.
Kate and Doc's relationship ended when he left for Colorado in April 1882. He died there in 1887 of tuberculosis. After his death, Kate remarried an Irish blacksmith, George Cummings, in 1890. She lived a resilient and independent life, working as a prostitute and eventually joining the Arizona Pioneer's Home before her death at the age of 90.
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Frequently asked questions
Mary Katherine Horony Cummings, popularly known as Big Nose Kate, was the common-law wife of Doc Holliday.
Big Nose Kate was a prostitute, gambler, and outlaw.
She was born on November 7, 1849, in Érsekújvár, Kingdom of Hungary (present-day Nové Zámky, Slovakia).
Big Nose Kate met Doc Holliday at Fort Griffin in 1877, likely at a bordello.
Their relationship was turbulent, and they often fought. However, despite their differences, they shared a love of drink and had similar temperaments.
