NOTES: Lydia Smallwood SMITH ----------------------------- b. Higher Bebington, Cheshire, England, U.K. [Family Register] West Derby [Birth Certificate in possession of Muriel E. (Gregory) Sterner] ba. Kirkdale, Kirkdale Parish, Lancaster County (Shire), England, U.K. [Cert. of Bapt. in possession of Muriel E. (Gregory) Sterner] d. at home, 158-3rd St., Newark, Essex County, NJ, U.S.A. [Death Certificate in possession of Muriel E. (Gregory) Sterner] bu. Fairmount Cemetary, Newark, Essex County, NJ, U.S.A. [Death Certificate, Deed to Fairmount Cemetery Plot in possession of Muriel E. (Gregory) Sterner] ==================================================== - Certificate of Baptism of Lydia Smallwood Smith, found in a box of old items in the possession of Murial E. Gregory Sterner: ---------------------------------------------------------- Certificate of Baptism administered with water, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. This is to certify that Lydia Smallwood daughter of John + Ann Smith of Kirkdale in the Parish of Kirkdale in the County of Lancaster was born April 24th, 1853 and baptized June 5th 18 53 By Mr. (?) Minister of the Gospel Given under my hand, thie 5 day of June 18 53 ---------------------------------------------------------- - From some notes found that Grammy (Murial E. G. Sterner) wrote on the Tolmies: "Robert (was a Baker in London) - b. Edinburgh, Scotland 7/2/48? d. 1920, cancer of Tongue, about 72, Newark. This firm of caterers made the last Duke of Edinburgh's Wedding Cake." [see notes for ROBERT TOLMIE, JR.] > "Married Lydia Smith in London - Lydia came of a good family - one antecedent was lady in waiting to Lady North. Seven children - of whom 3 lived to adulthood - Ernest (California) Percival Clifford (Neptune City, youngest), + Anne Tolmie Gregory (oldest)." [see] COMMENT: When I asked her who this "antecedent" was, she couldn't remember. But I have a feeling that it might have been Lilias Fisher, Agnes Fisher's sister. Note that there are errors in her statements above. Robert and Lydia were married at the Queen's Road United Presbyterian Church, Everton, Liverpool. Also, Robert Tolmie was a baker in, as far as I know for sure, Bootle, Liverpool, accord- ing to the GLASGOW BAKERY Business Card [see notes for ROBERT TOLMIE, JR.]. And, the writing on the back of Lillias Fisher's picture states that Lillias was a "housekeeper" living "c. Lords North + Rendlesham". So, if Lillias was the "Lady-In-Waiting" referred to by Grammy, there is a question then as to which occupation it was that she held. There is a big difference between a Lady-In-Waiting and a "housekeeper". [see also notes for LILLIAS FISHER] - [For the Marriage Certificate of Lydia Smith and Robert Tolmie, Jr., please see notes for ROBERT TOLMIE, JR.] - From a picture of the Smith sisters owned by Murial E. Gregory Sterner. On the back was scribbled the following in Muriel's handwriting: Left-to-Right Aunt Maggie Sweet (Mrs. John) \ Aunt Annie Bratt (Mrs. James) } Sisters (My) Grandma Lydia Tolmie (Mrs. Robert) / Mother of Ann Agnes, Ernest Geo., + Percival Clifford amoung others who died Aunt Annie had 18 children and a 19th was left on her door step Her husband, Judge James Bratt, founded the Dr. Bernardis children's homes in the area. - They sent Grandma (Lydia Smith Tolmie) the money to come to America Aunt Maggie never had any children and Grandma's family are listed in the pages from her family Bible; The three out of seven survived (see above). COMMENT: The above was what first let me know who the sisters of Lydia Smith were. Before that, all that I knew was that Lydia was the "fifth daughter of John Smith." The total number of Smith children before this was unknown to me, then. Per our poor little Annie having that above total of *18* children -- that's a LOT of children for one woman to have, poor thing. Also, note that the name of the Children's Home is slightly in error. The proper name is "Barnardo (not "Bernardi") Children's Home". One in Hackensack, NJ was later renamed to the "Edna B. Conklin Child Welfare Home" [from a letter to Muriel from a Louise R. Brizzi, of the New Jersey Civil Service Association, Office of the President, dated December 5, 1974, where Ms. Brizzi also mentioned having worked with a `Bert Bratt']. - Article from unknown newspaper: AT SEA ---- Swept from the Campania in Mid-Ocean. ---- LINER IS HARD HIT ---- Scoops Up an Enor- mous Wave. ---- ONE DIES, MANY INJURED. ---- Steerage Passengers Knocked About Helplessly. ---- PANIC SPREADS TERROR ---- Believed for a Time Big Vessel Is Sinking. ---- On the big Cunarder Campania, in to-day from Liverpool and Queens- town, comes the story of a sea disaster almost unparalled in the annals of modern sea travel. Caught in a gale on Wednesday, Oct. 11, the big craft shipped a huge sea that swept the steerage deck on the port side from end to end, dashed the helpless passengers against the iron work, crippling and maiming dozens, and finally burst the great steel doors in the vessel's rail and swept five passengers overboard. The list of dead may grow when the steerage passengers are counted at Ellis Island. The dead are, John Graham, Mary Cosgrove, Annie Clary, un- known young woman, unknown man and Agnes Carleton, who died in the ship's hospital this morning after an operation. The injured in the hospital are: Mary Hooligan, 25 years old, right leg broken; Annie Firaly, 23, compound fracture of left leg; Kate McAuliffe, severe bruises and broken ribs; Lizzie Roman, right knee fractured; Annie Roach, contusions of body; James Kane, possible fracture of skull; William Green, right arm broken and contusions; James Graham, contusions; Thomas Maher, right arm broken and contusions, and James Cunningham, sprained ankles and severe bruises. Besides those seriously hurt dozens recieved injuries which were not of serious enough to confine them to the ship's hospital. The utmost secrecy was preserved amoung the company's officers as to the real seriousness of the losses. Two of them stood guard over the captain and refused to allow him to be questioned. The boast of Cunard company that it had never yet lost a passenger in an accident is a thing of the past. The disaster came very suddenly and unexpectedly on Wednesday afternoon. The ship had had a run of bad weather for several days, and the wind had veered around to a nasty gale that threw up a bad quartering sea. By noon a gale was whipping the sea, so that the great vessel heaved and rolled badly. Down on the steerage deck promenade, perhaps ten feet wide by a couple of hundred feet long, sixty or eighty of the passengers were sit- ting, lounging or walking up and down the stretch. The deck occupies the middle half of the ship. Its roof is the first class passengers' deck. Its rail is a cumbrous solid steel and oak bul- wark, nearly five feet high, with heavy metal doors put in at regular in- tervals. Some of these doors are grated to permit air to enter and water to run out. Others are solid and are opened only when the gangplanks are thrown out. It was just after the dinner hour and the steerage passengers had crept around to the lee side, out of the wind. A number of Swedes were singing up near the forward end and many of the women were sewing, knitting, or gossiping idly as they clustered along the rail, sitting on odd foreign trunks and hampers or bunched up on the deck. A ship's officer strolled up and down, and a woman sitting on an upturned fruit crate was crooning a baby. The big ship was pitching a good deal in the heavy rollers, but not enough to drive her passengers inside. From the top of the solid rail to the deck above was stretched a heavy woven net, to keep any foolish steer- age man, woman or child from falling or being washed overboard. The ship began to run into heavier seas after a little and the steerage moved restlessly. Many of the passengers went inside. Suddenly the great craft shook at the attack of two huge rollers, then as she... [...parts of article torn at the top, where it began again...] mill race that ground... [...last part of sentence was torn away...] ...bulwark, steam pumps, braces, cleats and deck irons. The great ship groaned and heeled until it seemed to the persons inside that she would never come back to her keel again. The water tore the pen net from its lashings as though it were a lady's veil. It smashed out the heavy steel gangway, drove in the rail like tinfoil, and then through the aperture spouted forth a stream of struggling emigrants. Three women and two men were caught like flies in the siphon jet and were shot through the hole into the boiling seas thirty feet below. They went down like plummets; not once were they seen to rise to the surface. Three men who were caught in the last of this outpouring torrent caught the edge of the gates as they were dashed by them and by main force clung on, as they swung over the maelstrom beneath, until they were dragged inboard by the rescuers. The water subsided sullenly, held in by the solid steel rail, while dozens of wounded, strangling beings fought desparately in a struggling mass to keep from drowning on the deck. Dozens of men were rushing out from the inside now and and hurling themselves into the ruck to save the helpless victimes. A baby floated by, and a sailer tossed it through the door to a woman. Two men were dragged from the flooded deck, having been knocked senseless and slowly drowning. Blind panic seized upon the steerage within; women shreiked and prayed alternately; men swore and fought to get out, crying that the ship was sinking. They jammed at the doors and the crew had to fight them back to get at the wounded. Sailors dived headlong at floating bodies. A man stood in the water waste deep and laughing in hideous fear. A woman, kneeling on the deck apparently, sobbed and fought like a maniac to keep her head just above the swirling water. A steward yelled to her to get her feet just as she sank beneath the surface. The steward leaped in and dragged her out unconscious. When they had carried her to the hospital they saw why she hadn't risen to her feet. Both her thighs were broken. Slowly the list of injured grew until the saloon was carpeted with them. Three physicians, Carl B. Davis, of Chicago, Bradley, of England, and Brady, of Rochester, volunteered thier services and performed heroic work assisting the regular ship's surgeon. Suddenly a pretty little woman, who had been dragged unconscious from the water and who had been revived, began to scream, "My husband, my husband!" Then they found out for the first time that some of the passengers had gone overboard. It had all happened in ten seconds; no one had time to do more than save himself if possible. Down in the big engine room the bells had already stopped the shafts, and the great craft lay rocking in the seas. Not a sugn of a human being could be seen on the tossing water behind. The pretty little woman was Mrs. John Gorham, of Milwaukee, Wis., and her husband had been swept away before her eyes. The pair had been on a visit to Ireland and was returning home. There are five little children out there, to whom she must break the news. The officers at once checked over the 600 steerage passengers. There were five missing. Ten times they checked the lists and each time the tally came to five. Up on the bridge Second Officer Peel was thrown headlong by the force of the wave. He caught instinctively at a rail as he was knocked senseless. They had to pry his fingers from the iron when they picked him up. One man, who had his arm broken, was found to have $20,000 in a money belt when they put him on the operating table. The surgeons had the ut- most difficulty in setting the delicate bone on the pitching ship. Every man was completely worn out when the injured had all been attended to, because they worked day and night until thier work was finished. The women amoung the saloon passengers turned to with a will and did everything in thier power to aid the sufferers. William Johnson, prom- inent in steamship circles, and Sir Charles Hudgens, started a subscrip- tion which netted $1,500. The bulk of it goes to Mrs. Graham; the rest is divided amoung the most injured. The aliens amoung the injured will be taken to the Long Island College Hospital. The steamship company will care for the citizens who were hurt. A testimonial was given to Capt. Warr, signed by many of the passengers, in which they praised his seamanship and deplored the unhappy tragedy. This was the Campania's last trip this season, as she is to be replaced by the Carmania during the winter months. The wave smashed several portholes and drenched a number of the first cabin passengers who were at dinner. MILWAUKEE, Wis., Oct. 14 -- John Graham, the Milwaukee man who lost his life on the steamship Campania, was a China importer and repairer. He left Milwaukee two months ago. He was 37 years old and leaves a family. Mr. Graham was famous throughout the country as one of the most expert repairers of broken china in the world, and fragments of choice ware have been sent him from New York and cities in Europe for repairing. ---------------------------- COMMENT: Note all those striking headlines before the actual article. Think they were looking for attention? Along the bottom of the article Muriel wrote "Grandma Lydia Tolmie took this ship on a trip back to England." Exact year of the paper is not definitely known, though I suspect it is 1905, since "Wednesday, Oct. 11," does occur in that year. o On the back of the clipping happened to be the following: MARINE NEWS ----- Arrived--New York, Oct. 14 Ss. Campania, from Liverpool. Left Quarantine at 7:40 A. M. [...] - A postcard found hanging on the wall in Grammy's (Muriel E. (Gregory) Sterner's) kitchen wall in her apartment in Silver Springs Shores. o Postcard front - (Picture of the "Bebington Church") o Postcard back - postmarked `ST. HELENS-3, 1:15pm, NO 5 13'; a red, one-penny stamp with bust of a male (probably King Henry VII). To: Mrs. R. Tolmie Writing: My dear Auntie, 72 Ogden Street Mama recieved Newark, NJ USA your very welcome letter + will write you as soon as she is a bit stronger. I think she has got over the worst part now, but she is terribly weak + shakey. Love From All to You all ---------------------- Dora COMMENT: The postmark `NO 5 13' would translate to "November 5, 1913." "Mrs. R. Tolmie" of "Newark, NJ" would be Lydia Smallwood (Smith) Tolmie, wife of Robert Tolmie, Jr. If Lydia is the "Auntie" then it is most likely that perhaps Dora would be the daughter of one of Lydia's sisters - one of the two sisters that we know exist [Lydia was "fifth dau. of John + Ann Smith" - from the Family Register] but for whom we have no names as yet. I say "perhaps" because though under normal con- ventional use an "Aunt" would fit the description of a daughter of one of Lydia's sisters, people still to this day have a tendency to extend its use to include even non-relatives. So, this is not a definite here. But to continue, we know that of the three known SMITH sisters, Lydia, Maggie, and Annie [Muriel's picture of the Smith sisters] - all were over in America at the time of writing of this postcard. Since it came from St. Helens, and has affixed to it an English stamp, this must then come from one of the two other nameless SMITH sisters still living in England. (We're assuming the St. Helens near Liverpool, where most of the family lived, though there are two other "St. Helens" about - one on the Isle of Man, the other in another part of the U.K.) ==================================================== Compiled by Todd L. Sherman/KB4MHH 01/25/1996