John Henry Chapman
John Henry Chapman was born in Cornwall, England in late 1875. He was one of 6 children, having one brother and 4 sisters, and grew up working alongside his father James Chapman, a farmer. His mother was Isabella Wilton, who married James in 1868. Both were Cornwall natives. John was baptised on January 1st, 1876. Besides helping his father, he went to school at least at the age of 13 in 1891.
In 1906 at the age of 29, Chapman sailed west with a friend named Norman , and initially settled in Alberta, Canada.
A few years later, in 1910, he moved with said friend to the south. His new home town would be Spokane, Washington State in the USA. He and Norman worked as a cemetery labourer. Cemetary in Washington
He had fallen in love with a Cornwall girl before leaving the country. She was Sarah Elizabeth Lawry. She was born in 1882 as the daughter of a farmer. They corresponded when John Henry was migrated, and she still lived in Cornwall in November 1911, when they were engaged, and marriage would follow on Boxing Day, the 26th of December, in Liskeard, Cornwall after John had travelled back to England.
Titanic[]
In April 1912, they decided it would be best to return to the United States to begin their life together. They booked passage for Titanic in Second Class. They boarded her on April 10 in Southampton.
Chapman and his were likely headed for Fitzburn, Dane, Wisconsin to live near the house of Sarah's brother's William.
During his voayge, John made acquiantance with other people from Cornwall, like Emily Richards. Since she survived the sinking later, she was a great source as she knew most of the couple, being around them most of all people.
On the 14th of April, at night, Titanic had collided with an iceberg, and a group was formed between Second Class passengers from Cornwall, including John and Sarah, and made their way to their aft, Second Class part of the Boat Deck. Having no success in taking a seat, they moved forward.
This golden watch was probably John Henry Chapman's most interesting posession when he and his wife died in the sinking. Many other watches of other victims where stopped close to Titanic's time of death, but this one was frozen long before that.
It was around 1:45 A.M. when they found themselves at lifeboat 4, which was hanging around the A-Deck for a large part of the night. Emily Richards stepped aboard, and then it was Sarah’s turn, but while she was taking a step, the thought of having to leave John behind occured to her, as the rules on port side were that the women and children were only allowed into the boats. Sarah said her goodbyes to Emily, and openly stated her wish to stay with her husband. This meant they died together.
His wife’s body was never found, but John Chapman was recovered by the CS MacKay-Bennett, as number #17. He was recognized by a handkerchief with his initials on it. He was taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia where he was laid to rest at the Fairview Lawn Cemetery, the place where many other Titanic victims had a grave.
One of his many items he carried, was a golden watch. It was first displayed in 2009 in his town of birth, at the National Maritime Museum of Falmouth. The interesting thing is, the hands stopped at 1:45 A.M., which was still more than half an hour before Titanic would finally founder. So one is left wondering what must have happened to them when they didn't take a place in one of the last lifeboats.
His parents inherited his estate on August 15, 1912. They lived until the 1920s.
Sources[]
- Profiles from the Titanic #15 - John and Elizabeth Chapman --- made by Horizon's Edge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWD47oTbCIU&t=42s
- Encyclopedia Titanica - John Henry Chapman : Titanic Victim --- https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/john-henry-chapman.html
- John Henry Chapman (abt.1875-1912) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Chapman-16624
- https://www.geni.com/people/John-Henry-Chapman/6000000016029971854
- https://nl.findagrave.com/memorial/8858433/john-henry-chapman