Captain Edward Gifford Crosby

 

Captain Edward Gifford Crosby was born on 26 October 1847.

Crosby married Catherine Elizabeth Halstead and they lived in Muskegon, Michigan before moving to Milwaukee in 1897. In 1903 Crosby founded the Crosby
Transportation Company which by 1910 was operating four steamers out of Milwaukee: Nyack, E. G. Crosby, Conestoga and May Graham.

The Crosbys lived at 474 Marshall Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and they had two children, Fred [1] (who did not travel on the Titanic) and Harriette. They boarded the Titanic at Southampton as first class passengers (ticket number WE/P 5735, £71). Captain and Mrs Crosby occupied cabin B-22, Harriette was in B-26.

On Sunday 14 April, Edward had retired about 9 p.m. and Catherine about 10:30 p.m. She was awakened by a sort of 'thump' some time after that Edward dressed and went out to find out what was happening. He came back, a few minutes later, and stated, rather bluntly to his wife, "You will lie there and drown!" He then went to his daughter's cabin and told her the ship had been rather badly damaged. It appears that Crosby then went off again and was not with his wife and daughter when they boarded a port side lifeboat.

Crosby lost his life in the sinking, his body was later recovered by the MacKay Bennett (#269).

NO. 269. - MALE. - ESTIMATED AGE, 65. - HAIR,GREY. CLOTHING - Green tweed suit and overcoat. EFFECTS - $500; £80 in notes; £6 in gold in purse; 8s. 6d. in silver; pipe; memo book. NAME - E. G. CROSBY, Milwaukee, Wis.

The body was delivered to Howard G. Kelley of the V.P., G.T. Railway for transportation back to Milwaukee on 3 May 1912. On 7 May 1912 his funeral was held on one of his two Lake Michigan Steamers and afterwards his body was cremated at Forest Home Cemetery. His cremains were placed in Fairview Mausoleum, later his wife's casket was placed inside the same crypt with his ashes. Their daughter Harriette's remains were later entombed in the same mausoleum, but in another crypt [2].

Notes
1. Fred G. Crosby died in Rhode Island in March of 1966 at the age of 84. His son, Ned, died in 1979 at the age of 68.
2. In 1995 all the dead from Fairview Mausoleum were disinterred because the building was abandoned and collapsing. Nearly 1000 human remains were removed. The disinterred remains from Fairview Mausoleum were re-interred in the ground at Graceland Cemetery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1997. At Graceland Cemetery casketed remains of Catherine Crosby and cremated remains of Captain Edward Crosby Harriette (Daughter) were reinterred. Catherine's was a cloth covered metal casket, his was a square-shaped brass coloured urn. The daughters was a metal urn. The grave marker lists all three Crosby's with the statement, "Passengers on the Titanic". In addition there is an engraved ship representing the Titanic and a Titanic Historical Society Emblem. The reinterrment and memorial were made possible by the Titanic Historical Society, Mark Rick, John Pludeman and Wally Miller (Miller Monument). Pictures of the Mausoleum and it's Demolition.

References and Sources

Contract Ticket List, White Star Line 1912 (National Archives, New York; NRAN-21-SDNYCIVCAS-55[279])
Names and Descriptions of British Passengers Embarked at the Port of Southampton, 10 April 1912 (PRO London, BT 27/780B)
Record of Bodies and Effects: Passengers and Crew, S.S. Titanic (Public Archives of Nova Scotia)
Mark R. Rick (1999) Titanic Commutator. Vol. 22, No. 2, 3. (Titanic Historical Society)
United States Senate (62nd Congress), Subcommittee Hearings of the Committee on Commerce, Titanic Disaster, Washington 1912

Credits
Phillip Gowan, USA
John B. Pludeman, USA
Mark R. Rick, USA
Hermann Söldner, Germany
Craig Stringer, UK
Peter Wenzel
Geoff Whitfield, UK

     

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Summary
Born: Friday 18th February 1842 in Rochester New York United States
Age: 70 years 1 months and 28 days.
Last Residence: at 474 Marshall Street Milwaukee Wisconsin United States
1st Class passenger
First Embarked: Southampton on Wednesday 10th April 1912
Ticket No. 5735 , £71
Cabin No. B22
Died in the sinking.
Body recovered by: Mackay-Bennett (No. 269)
Buried: Graceland Cemetery Milwaukee Wisconsin United States

Travelling Companions (on same ticket)
Mrs Catherine Elizabeth Crosby

Travelling Companions
.htmlMiss Harriette Rebecca Crosby Daughter

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