Marjorie Anne Newell- A Titanic Passenger Who Carried the Memory for a Century.
I have been looking into the lives of the people who were on board the RMS Titanic, and today I want to share the story of Marjorie Anne Newell.
Marjorie Anne Newell was born on the 12th of February 1889 in Lexington, Massachusetts. She was the youngest daughter of Arthur Webster Newell, a successful Boston banker, and Mary Greeley Newell. She grew up in a comfortable household. Music was a constant part of her life, which gives us an image of a woman that had creativity.
In early 1912, when Marjorie was only twenty-three years old, she travelled with her father and her older sister Madeleine. They travelled across Europe and into the Middle East. They celebrated Marjorie’s birthday in Cairo near the pyramids, before visiting places like Jaffa, Bethlehem, and Jericho. It must have been an amazing adventure for a her.
Arthur Newell surprised his daughters with first-class tickets home to America on the brand new Titanic. On the 10th of April 1912, they boarded the ship at Cherbourg. Marjorie later remembered how magnificent the ship seemed, it was filled with elegant furniture, carved wood panels, and was hugely luxurious. She and her sister shared a cabin, and the two brought their violins with them, practising music before bed.
On the afternoon of the 14th of April 1912, the family sat together in deck chairs, talking about their travels and the places they had visited. That evening, Marjorie was dressed in a long gown for dinner and she admired the elegance of all the other passengers. At 11:40 pm that night, everything changed for everyone on board when Titanic hit an iceberg.
Marjorie and her sister were asleep when they were woken up by a strange vibration and loud noise. Their father came to their cabin and told them to dress warmly and go up to the boat deck. At that point, Marjorie did not believe the ship was really sinking. The deck seemed quiet, and the orchestra was still playing.
Arthur Newell led his daughters to Lifeboat No. 6. Although he reportedly believed the ship itself seemed safer than the small boats, he still made sure his daughters were in one. When the lifeboat was lowered, he remained behind. Marjorie remembered seeing him calmly waving goodbye to them, reassuring them that he would follow in another boat.
From about a mile away, Marjorie watched Titanic’s lights, before they suddenly went out. She heard terrible cries from people left in the freezing water, sounds she would never forget. When dawn came the survivors saw the icebergs scattered around them. They were then rescued by the RMS Carpathia.
When Marjorie reached New York on the 18th of April 1912, she still had hope that her father might appear among the survivors. Instead, his name was sadly listed among the missing. Her mother was obviously devastated by the loss, and she asked her daughters never to speak about the disaster again.
For many years Marjorie honoured that wish. She became a music instructor and social worker, eventually marrying Floyd Newton Robb in 1917. Together they had four children, and she even named her son Arthur in memory of her father. Music remained central to her life, and she went on to teach violin and piano at Wells College and she also helped to establish the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.
It was only in the 1980s, many years after her mother’s death, did she begin sharing her memories in interviews and talks. The events of 1912 clearly remained vivid in her mind.
When the wreck of Titanic was discovered in 1985, Marjorie said that she thought that the ship should be left undisturbed as a memorial to those who had died.
Marjorie Anne Newell died peacefully on the 11th of June 1992 at the remarkable age of 103. At the time of her death, she was the last surviving first-class passenger of Titanic.
How do people carry such powerful memories for an entire lifetime, and what responsibility do we have today to remember the experiences they shared?
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