James William Kieran was the Chief Third Class Steward of the Titanic. He died in the sinking. His First Class colleague was Andrew Latimer. His Second Class colleague was John Hardy.
He was the son of Michael George Kieran (1842 - ?) and Matilda Greig Reid Sim (1840 - 1909).
His father was from Wellinghall, Staffordshire and his mother from Glasgow, Scotland and they had married in Liverpool in early 1871, going on to have at least seven children: Matilda Winifred (b. 1871), George (b. 1873), William Francis (b. 1875), Agnes Maud (b. 1879), Elizabeth Gertrude (b. 1883), Edward Michael (b. 1887) and James.
James first appears on the 1881 census when he and his family are living at 148 Olivia Street, Bootle; his father--a ship's steward--is absent, perhaps at sea. On the 1891 census a 14 year-old James has already left school and is working as a shop boy and living with his family at 21 Dorset (?) Street, West Derby. James is still at home by the time of the 1901 census, now residing at 107 Adelaide Road, West Derby and described as a ship's steward.
James was married in Southampton in late-1908 to Amelia Pownall, née Gittins (b. 1880 in Manchester). Amelia had previously been married, in 1899, to Thomas Birch Pownall and had at least one child--a daughter (b. October 17, 1904) named Florence Anni--from that marriage. What became of Thomas Pownall isn't certain. Following James Kieran's and Amelia's marriage they had one daughter, Millicent Reid born July 14, 1909.
On the 1911 census James, his wife, daughter, step-daughter and brother-in-law Arthur Gittins are listed as living at Inglewood, Bellemoor Road, Shirley, Southampton.
When he signed-on to the Titanic, on 4 April 1912, he gave his address as Inglewood, Bellemoor Rd, (Southampton). He was transferred from the Olympic. As Chief Steward he received monthly wages of £8.
When Titanic hit an iceberg, Kieran ordered Steward Hart to get lifebelts to the passengers in sections K & M. Kieran did the same in sections Q, R & S. He also ordered pantryman Pearcey to "Assist all passengers on to boat deck."
Kieran died in the sinking. His body, if recovered, was never identified.
Stewards
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- Albert Edward Akerman
- Henry Wellesley Ashe
- Sidney John Barton
- Harry Ross Baxter
- Robert Charles Bristow
- John Cress Brookman
- William Denton Cox
- Sidney Edward Daniels
- Francis Samuel Jacob Edbrooke
- George Bulkeley Ede
- William Henry Egg
- Henry Herman Finch
- Wilfred Cyril Foley
- Ernest Ford
- Walter Stamford Halford
- John Edward Hart
- Henry Parkinson Hill
- James Leo Hyland
- Archibald George Chitty
- Leonard George Knight
- Matthew Leonard
- John Charles Mabey
- Roland Frederick Mantle
- Thomas Mullin
- Albert Victor Pearcey
- John Arthur Prideaux
- Harold John Arnold Prior
- Alfred Pugh
- Percy Rice
- Samuel Francis Sedunary
- William Sivier
- Harry John Slight
- Bernard Cuthbert Taylor
- Montague Donald Thaler
- Edward Joseph White
- William Willis
- Rowland Winser
