My second book about the RMS Titanic and her passengers and crew along with some movie talk. Same rules apply, no drama, trolls, and disrespecting the people on this ship
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June 16th, 1861 - June 29th, 1923
She is a Gemini.
Elizabeth Mary Edwards was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England to Edward Henry Edwards (1836 - 1893), newspaper reporter, and Martha Bird (1839 - 1914). Her father bailed from Cheshire and and her mother from Liverpool and they had married in 1857. Elizabeth had 9 known siblings: Henry Leaton (born 1858), Frank Romney (born 1859), Annie Makepeace (born 1867), Caroline (born 1869), Martha Jane (born 1872), Nellie Parker (born 1875), Margaret Loosely (born 1879), Mabel Romney (born 1880), and Elsie Leaton (born 1881). She first appears on the 1871 census whilst she and her family were living at Audrey Street, Everton, Liverpool. The 1881 census records the family living at Rufford Road, West Derby.
Only months after the 1881 census was taken Elizabeth was married to Isaiah Leather, better known as Arthur (born 1858 in Eccles, Lancashire), a veterinary surgeon and Freemason connected to both the Stanley and Royal Victoria Lodges. They settled at Great Mersey Street, Liverpool but had no surviving children. Elizabeth and Isaiah first appear on the 1891 census, by then residents of Great Mersey Street, and she was a visitor at an address in Garston, Lancashire on the 1901 census. By the time of the 1911 census Elizabeth was again visiting, this time at her mother's address, Tarler Road, Lower Bebington, Cheshire and she was by then described as a stewardess.
Exactly how long Elizabeth worked at sea for isn't certain; she first appears on shipping records in 1898 when she was a stewardess aboard the Cuban, giving her home address as Cambridge Road, Liscard. By October of 1904 she was a stewardess aboard the RMS Cedric and stated her home address as Park Road, Port Sunlight, Liverpool; also serving aboard that particular voyage were Mary Gregson and Sarah Stap.
Aboard Titanic/April 14th-15th, 1912: When she signed onto the RMS Titanic on April 6th, 1912 Elizabeth gave her address as Park Road, Port Sunlight, Liverpool. Her previous ship had been the RMS Olympic and as a stewardess, she received monthly wages of £3, 10s. On the day of the sailing, April 10th, 1912, Elizabeth recalled having a brief lifeboat muster with other stewardesses. At the time of the collision, Elizabeth was asleep in her berth and was awakened by the impact. Not sensing any urgency she lay in bed and eventually arose between 30 and 45 minutes after the impact. Preparing herself, Elizabeth went to check on her charges but found they had vacated their staterooms.
She then made her way up to B-deck and saw a number of other stewardesses gathered, all equipped with blankets to wrap around their passengers. Elizabeth returned to her cabin, for reasons she didn't explain, and then headed up top again, eventually making her way to A-deck (perhaps she meant the boat deck) where she boarded lifeboat 16. Before the boat was lowered Elizabeth recalled a call going out for many more women or children; one came forward and the lifeboat was lowered away.
After The Sinking/Later Life/Death: One of only 2 stewardesses called to testify at the Board of Trade inquiry into the sinking (the other being Annie Robinson), Elizabeth gave a brief testimony on May 20th, 1912 and received expanses £12, 15s for her detention. She returned to a life at sea. Widowed in 1914, Elizabeth continued to work and served with the merchant fleet during WWI and spent the early part of the 1920's working aboard the Olympic, the last known mention of her doing so being in September of 1923 when she was described as standing at 5'4 and weighing 125 lbs.
Elizabeth continued to live in Port Sunlight until the early 1920's when she moved to Birkenhead, living at different addresses including Laurel Road and Horatio Street, the latter being her last. She spent the last 12 months of her life in Manor Hill Nursing Home and died there on June 29th, 1937 at the age of 76. Elizabeth was buried in Bebington Cemetery, Wirral, Cheshire.
