Anna Lydia Amanda Hämäläinen was a Finnish Second Class passenger on the Titanic. She survived the sinking.
Background[]
Anna Lydia Amanda Vartianen was born on April 20, 1888 in Kiihtelysvaara, near Joensuu in eastern Finland. She was conceived by Juho Antinpoika Vartiainen and Maja Stina Matintytär Hartikainen. In 1882, they had their first child, a daughter named Hilja Maria. A boy followed in 1885: Antti. Anna had another elder sister born just a year before herself: Alma Elin. A younger brother came many years after Anna: Juho, in 1896.
Anna was a married woman later in 1910. William Hämäläinen was her husband. He migrated to the United States in 1910 as well as she had and worked there as a laborer in the iron industry in Detroit. His name became John Hamlin. They where Lutherans and their son Wiljo was born on February 4, 1911.
In 1912, she was going from her native village Kiihtelysvaara in Finland, to her husband, still resident at 389 Clay Avenue in Detroit. On April 3, she and her infant son traveled with Marta Hiltunen from Panko on the ship Polaris to make the crossing to England.
On March 6, 1912, Anna received her passport (no. 51) from Kuopio's county board. On April 3, 1912, Anna with Wiljo left Hankö on the Polaris, which went for Hull in England. The trip cost 239 Finnish marks.
Titanic[]
Anna Hamalainen was 21 years old when she and Wiljo boarded the Titanic at Southampton as Second Class passengers on the 10th of April.
On the late night of April 14, a collision occured as Titanic couldn't avoid swiping an iceberg on the last moment. The graze was over a good length and it allowed seawater into the hull. On April 15, the captain realised the ship was going to founder and started an evacuation. At the late hour before 1:30-2:00 A.M. Anna, Marta and Wiljo had arrived on either the A-Deck or Boat Deck where they got into a lifeboat and were rescued. She lost sight of Marta did not join them while carrying Anna's suitcase. Presumably Anna and the infant were in lifeboat 10, 4 or Collapsible D. She described being picked from the crowd and shoved into a boat by an officer. She also recollected that there were pistol shots during that time.
Titanic foundered at 2:20 A.M. The ship claimed many victims and Marta was among the deceased. For Titanic's survivors, help was underway. A ship had promised to help her and can steaming in Titanic's direction. She could not get there sooner than 4:00 A.M. She was the Carpathia and her crew made sure everyone was on board before they could bring them all to their original destination. After they arrived in New York on April 18th, Anna and her infant stayed for one night. On April 19, they moved on to Detroit.
Later life[]
Anna Lydia Amanda Hämäläinen and her son Wiljo Hämäläinen, several years after the disaster
Anna and John had been married less than a year when they had their address in Detroit. Her husband was noted as a copper worker at an automobile factory. With great grief, Anna had to lose her child of just two years. His heart valves had been contaminated by a bacterian, which resulted in Wiljo's death on March 18, 1913.
The relationship between Anna and John was broken. They divorced within a few years after the Titanic disaster after which Mr. Hämäläinen remarried to Jennie White in 1917.
Anna married another laborer from the car industry, named Frank Arvid Sarlin, on the 22nd of Septermber, 1917 in Detroit. He was two years her senior, having been born in 1888 in Tammerfors, Finland. Anna's mother was now living in America as well and noted as Amanda in the marriage certificate. Mr. Sarlin had a son from a previous marriage, Frank, born around 1912. The Sarlins were residences of Elkhart, Indiana in 1930. In 1940, they lived in Baltimore, Maryland.
Anna Sarlin was 55 years old when she died on December 28, 1945 in Baltimore, aged 55. She was buried at Loudon Park Cemetery. Her widower, Frank Sarlin remarried to Anna Wallen in Detroit 2 years later and he lived till 1968.