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The Titanic Sinking: 1912: Notable People

This libguide overviews the history, the people, and the legacy of the Titanic and provides sources for additional research

Who's who on the Titanic

Some People on Board

( Sorry, no Jack and Rose here!)

  Name Position Interesting Remarks Survivor?

 

 

                          

Edward John Smith

 

 Commanding Officer
  • Rumored that he planned to retire after the maiden voyage
  • Refused to leave the sinking ship
  No

 

                              

Margaret Brown 

or

"The Unsinkable  Molly Brown"

        

First Class Passenger, Socialite, Activist, and Philanthropist
  • Called Molly after her death- friends called her Maggie
  • Had to be coaxed aboard a lifeboat. She was too concerned for others' well-being
  • When on the lifeboat, she tried to row back to the ship to save more people
  • Regarded as a heroine for her efforts

 Yes

 

 

                    

 Violet Constance  Jessop Nurse and Stewardess
  • Was on board not only the Titanic, but also its sister ships: the Olympic and the Britannic. Of these ships, the Titanic and the Britannic sank. The Olympic collided with the HMS Hawke and limped back to port
  • Ordered into a boat on the Titanic. She was given a baby to look after. This baby she said was later taken from her by a woman who didn't say a word.
  • When the Britannic sank, she grabbed her toothbrush, saying it was one thing she regretted not having when the Titanic went down.
  Yes

 

    

 

  John Clarke, Percy Taylor, Georges Krins, Wallace Hartley, W. Theodore Brailey, John Hume, Roger Bricoux, and John Woodward       

The Titanic Orchestra
  • They were all second-class passengers and not on the White Star Line's payroll. Instead, they were paid agents.
  • Although classified today as one group, they were actually two.
  • Together, they played as the ship went down. As people panicked, they played on as if nothing was wrong.
 All perished
            Father Thomas Byles  Priest/ Second Class Passenger
  • Held Mass on the ship in English, Irish, and French for the second- and third-class passengers
  • On the morning of April 12, his sermon was about the need for a spiritual lifebelt in the shape of prayer and the sacraments when in danger of spiritual shipwreck in times of temptation.
  • As the ship was sinking, he assisted passengers into lifeboats and reportedly refused a place on one.
  • During the sinking, he heard confessions and gave absolution to those trapped after all the lifeboats were gone.
  No
           Joseph Phillipe Lamercier Laroche, along with his wife Juliette Marie Louise, children Simonne and Marie Louise, and one child on the way First Class Passengers
  • The only known passengers of black ancestry on the ship
  • Joseph and Juliette were an interracial couple. Joseph was of Haitian descent, and Juliette was French.
  • Although first-class passengers, they were subjected to racism from fellow passengers and crew. After the sinking, The White Star Line apologized
  • On the day of the sinking, Joseph packed his coat full of jewels and money and wrapped it around his wife, telling her he would catch another boat.
  • After the sinking, Juliette returned to Paris.
 Juliette and the children survived; Joseph did not.

        

          

Edmond Navaratil and Michel Navaratil Jr., along with their father, Michel Sr. Second-class passengers
  • The boys are known as "The Titanic Orphans."
  • The boys were "kidnapped" by their father and taken on the Titanic under aliases. Michel Sr. wanted to take them to America.
  • Edmond and Michel Jr. were placed on the last lifeboat.
  • When their father died in the sinking, images of the siblings circulated the globe, hoping to find a relative.
 Edmond and Michel Jr. survived Michel Sr. did not.

 

 The Sage Family: John George, his wife Annie Elizabeth, and children Stella, George, Douglas, Frederick, William, Dorothy, Ada, Constance, and Thomas Third- Class Passengers
  • The family, from Southampton, England, was bound for Jacksonville, Fla.
  • John was previously in Jacksonville and bought land on which to farm pecans. He was returning for his family.
  • Reports state that Stella managed to get into a lifeboat, but went into the water when she saw her family was not with her.
 All perished
                Thomas Andrews    Designer of the ship
  • Went on the maiden voyage to look for improvements for future voyages.
  • Correctly calculated the amount of time the Titanic had left before she sank after her collision with an iceberg.
 No

 Georgians on the Titanic

Please follow the link below to find out about Georgia residents who perished on the White Star Line:

   Georgians Died on the Titanic by Donald E. Wilkes, Jr. (University of Georgia School of Law, 1994).