RMS Titanic Book 2

Mary Kelly

No Picture Available

March 9th, 1890 - December 27th, 1950

She is a Pisces.

Mary Kelly was born in Dernagaragh, Castlepollard, Co Westmeath, Ireland to a Roman Catholic family as the eldest daughter of Lawrence Kelly (born 1855), a farmer, and his wife Mary McKeon (born 1862). They had married in October 21st, 1886 and had a total of 8 children. Mary's siblings were: James (April 28th, 1888), Kate (March 16th, 1892), Anne (January 14th, 1894), James "John" (March 18th, 1895), Edward (April 6th, 1897), Bridget (October 15th, 1899), and Margaret (April 20th, 1902). She appears on the 1901 census with her family living in Collinstown in Westmeath. Her father died from tuberculosis on November 16th, 1901 at the age of 46; her mother was carrying her youngest child Margaret at the time who was born 6 months later and who apparently died shortly after.

Mary would be absent by the time of the 1911 census where they were living on Pakenhamhall Street, Kinturk, Castlepollard. Mary worked as a domestic in Castlepollard and hoped to find employment working for wealthy families in New York. She was also engaged to be married to a Castlepollard man by the name of John Heslin (March 22nd, 1893) who had crossed the Atlantic a year in advance of her own journey, he arriving in March 26th, 1911. He was the son of carpenter Patrick Heslin and the former Mary Anna Mantell.

Aboard Titanic/April 14th-15th, 1912:
Mary boarded the RMS Titanic in Queenstown, Co Cork on April 11th, 1912 as a 3rd class passenger. Her destination was West 15th Street, Manhattan. Aboard Titanic she shared a cabin with 2 Cork girls, Anna Jeremyn and Bridget Driscoll. On the night of the disaster, Mary and her cabin mates made their way to the upper decks and eventually to the forward boat deck where they were able to enter a lifeboat (which one is uncertain).

Whilst afloat Mary helped look after the 2 mystery French boys, Michel and Edmund Navatril, whose father had placed them in the same lifeboat before stepping back and sinking with the ship. 

After The Sinking/Later Life/Death:
Mary eventually reached New York and was reunited with her fiancé. The couple were wed around 1913 and settled in Brooklyn where they had 6 children: Howard Vincent (December 18th, 1914), Maureen (March 7th, 1921), Margaret (May 7th, 1922), Jacqueline Elizabeth (September 29th, 1923), John Lawrence (June 25th, 1927), and James William (April 28th, 1930). By 1920 their address was McLain Street in Bedford, Westchester, New York where her husband worked as a farm labourer. They moved to Brooklyn and by 1930 their address was on Ralph Avenue, Brooklyn and her husband worked as an inspector on the railways.

At the time of Heslin's 1942 WWI draft their address was Coney Island Avenue, where they were also listed on the 1940 census and where Mary would live for the remainder of her life. Although Heslin later became a naturalized US citizen it would appear Mary didn't follow suit. Mary remained in Brooklyn for the rest of her life but did traverse the Atlantic again as early as 1919 when she and her son paid a visit to Anne in London. She may have also visited Ireland in later years. Mary died at her home in Brooklyn on December 27th, 1950 and was buried in Holy across Cemetery. Heslin would later die less than a year later on July 1st, 1951.

Sources:
www.encyclopedia-titanica.org

Rest In Peace Mary Kelly.