Jakob Alfred Wiklund was a passenger on Titanic.
Background[]
Jakob Alfred Wiklund was born on September 15, 1890 in Munsala, Finland. He worked with his parents on the family farm. He was the son of a farmer, Jakob Mattsson Hvit, who later changed his last name to Wiklund. His mother was Maria Sofia Nilsdotter. Jakob had 10 siblings.
Jakob Wiklund and his brother Karl Johan Wiklund were traveling to America with ex-fellow student Anna Sofia Sjöblom and Jakob Alfred Johansson. They boarded SS Urania in Hankö on March 30, 1912. The Finnish Steamship Company’s passenger manifest shows that they had made reservations to board the Philadelphia on April 6, 1912, but due to the coal strike they were redirected to the Titanic.
Titanic[]
He was in Southampton on April 10 when Titanic left for her Maiden Voyage. Along with other unmarried men on board, the brothers were accommodated in a Third Class cabin in the front section of the ship.
The ship hit an iceberg on the night of April 14. On April 15, it was clear to the captain that Titanic would founder. Shortly after midnight, he gathered the crew to start evacuating the passengers. The ship sank at 2:20 A.M. Jakob and his brother perished in the disaster, along with Jakob Johansson. Anna Sjöblom managed to escape in a lifeboat.
The cable ship Minia laterfound his body. It was the 314th body that was recovered. It was brought to Halifax to be buried at Fairview Cemetery in and his belongings were sent to his parents. They were paid £50 in compensation.