Mr William H. Harbeck was born in Toledo, Ohio in September 1866.1
He was the only known child of John S. Harbeck (1836-1921), a stave sealer, and Margaret Milligan (1841-1885). His father, a Civil War veteran, was born in New York whilst his mother was native to Ohio.
His mother died on 4 December 1885 and his father was remarried in 1893 to an Ohio woman named Ida Wagstaff (1859-1950) who was twenty years his junior and the new couple moved to Los Angeles. John died in 1921 and his widow in 1950.
William himself was married on 16 February 1886 to Catherine "Katie" Stetter (b. September 1863), a Toledo-native of German parentage. The couple had two sons: John Samuel (b. 27 April 1887) and Stanley (b. 23 February 1892).
He earned his reputation in 1906 filming the aftermath of the earthquake in San Francisco and, having worked for the Selig Polyscope Company, was hired by the Canadian Pacific Railway's Department of Colonisation "to put Western Canada on the motion picture screen in a scenic, industrial and comic form." Harbeck turned out thirteen single-reelers for the C.P.R., promotional shorts and travelogues that were designed to show Canada at its best and attract Europeans there. The films had been so successful that the C.P.R. had renewed his two year contract, and in the spring of 1912 had sent him to Paris to study with Leon Gaumont, the trailblazing French filmmaker who first mastered the outdoor location shoot.
His next project was to have been a film on the Yukon and Alaska. He left Seattle in January of 1912 and sailed for Europe on February 27, visiting London, Brussels, Paris and Berlin, disposing of the various films he had taken with him and taking other films while there for later presentation in the American theatres. Harbeck wrote a letter to his wife from Berlin on 1 April saying that he had completed his business and was returning by way of Amsterdam to London and would be sailing home on the Titanic on 10 April. He asked his wife to forward his mail to the Hotel Cadillac in New York.
Harbeck had possibly been engaged by the White Star Line to film the maiden voyage. He was supposed later to have been taken off the Titanic by a tug at Sandy Hook in order to film Titanic's arrival at the dock. He boarded the vessel at Southampton (ticket number 248746 which cost £13).
One of Harbeck's first feature films, The Ship's Husband, was a light comedy about a matrimonial mix-up on board a ferry that ran between Vancouver, Seattle and Victoria. Life may have imitated art on Titanic. Although Harbeck was married and had two sons, the woman travelling with him on Titanic was not his wife, Catherine, but Henriette Yvois, a 22-year old model Harbeck had met in Paris. During the trip, Lawrence Beesley tells us that Harbeck watched his "wife" Henriette play solitaire throughout most of the voyage.
Both Harbeck and Yrois died in the sinking. When Harbeck's body was recovered, (#35) it was found clutching a purse which was later identified as belonging to Yvois, and he was identified by his membership card in the Moving Picture and Projecting Machine Operators Union.
When Catherine Harbeck came from Toledo to claim the body in Halifax she was almost turned away as an imposter because authorities told her Mrs Harbeck had drowned with her husband. Mrs Harbeck took the body back to Toledo for burial in Toledo's Woodlawn Cemetery.
His business partner, Mrs Katherine George of Seattle, put in a claim for $41,000 for the films that were lost with Harbeck (including the Pendleton Roundup Pictures, which she valued at $25,000.) Two motion picture cameras ("Jury's Kine Popular") and equipment also figured in Mrs George's list at $11,000. Mrs Harbeck put in a claim for $50,000 apparently for 100,000 feet of lost motion picture films.
His widow never remarried and remained in Toledo for the rest of her life, living with her son Stanley who was unmarried. She died on 18 May 1940 and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery with her husband. Both her sons never married. John died on 21 May 1917 and Stanley on 21 July 1947.
Comment and discuss
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Looking for some info on Mr. Harbeck. Found a postcard sent from Toledo OH on May 1, 1912. Sender refers to her landlady as losing her son-in-law on the ship that went down and his body being returned to NY. Did some research and found that it referred to Mr. Harbeck. A very interesting gentleman. I am trying to clear up a few facts. Did Henriette Yvrois travel with Mr. Harbeck from Seattle or did she meet up with him in Europe? Is there a letter (copy) available detailing the $50,000 to be paid to him for filming the Titanic voyage? Who was this Brownie Harbeck from Seattle who contacted the department about Mr. Harbecks personal belongings? Why did she use his last name? Was she doing this to try and get his belongings? Was she a second wife? Was she in reality his business partner Katherine George?
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Looking for some info on Mr. William H. Harbeck. Found a postcard sent from Toledo OH on May 1, 1912. Sender refers to her landlady as losing her son-in-law on the ship that went down and his body being returned to NY. Did some research and found that it referred to Mr. Harbeck who lived on Michigan St just 2 blocks from the senders address. A very interesting gentleman. I am trying to clear up a few facts. Did Henriette Yvrois travel with Mr. Harbeck from Seattle or did she meet up with him in Europe. Since the mysterious Browne Harbeck was from Seattle (the filmmakers studio?) and knew about the purse found with the recovered body of Mr. Harbeck, Miss Yvrois could have been a model used by Mr. Harbeck at his studio or in some of his films. Is there a letter (copy) available detailing the $50,000 to be paid to him for filming the Titanic voyage? Who was this Brownie Harbeck from Seattle who contacted the department about Mr. Harbecks personal belongings? Why did she use his last...
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Hi, Tom! Look for a private e-mail. Roy
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I recall visiting Mr. Harbeck's gravesite in Toledo three years ago with Denise Hunyadi, John Hays and Rob Ottmers. It's located in the Woodlawn Cemetery - Section 39, Lot 114, Grave 2.
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...Along with his mother Margaret, wife Catherine, and their two sons, John and Stanley. Two space are unused. Will's dad is buried in Long Beach, CA, I believe. Roy
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I am in Vancouver, BC. I am working on a project with the Vancouver Historical Society. It is a volunteer project. What we are doing is taking a film of Vancouver made by William Harbeck. he made this film in 1907. We have taken that footage which is a camera on the front of a streetcar, recreated the route in 2007 and are adding an historical cultural component and producing this all on a DVD. This message is a request for any early information on Harbeck as a film maker. Our Harbeck biographer has hit the usual sources but would love anything else. Also, if any Harbeck buffs know of anything about Hale's Tourist Amusement Company based in Portland Oregon at this time. We feel that this was one of Harbeck's employers in teh early 1900's. I realize that these questions are all a bit off topic from teh Titanic but as I have been reading thru the messages, there seems to be some excitement in this group for William Harbeck. Thank you. Please feel free to forward via private...
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Hi, Mary-Lou! John has been acting as the go-between over the last few days and I'm sure the three of us will be in touch shortly. Roy
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I have read the book that was written by Lawrence Beesley. In this book he talks at the beginning about the New York incident where the New York mooring lines snapped and her stern swung towards the Titanic. He also stated that there was a passenger with his wife using a camera recording the events of the officer on the docking bridge using the telegraphs telephoning the bridge and raising white and red flags. He states that the young man was an american. He also states that the film nor him or his wife made it to the other side indicating New York. I am wondering if anyone knows the name of this passenger and his wife and if they really did died in the sinking or if they were like some of the few that got off before the New York run? I am also wondering if the two actually did survive the sinking or if they got off before the sinking at the destinations before New York if this film has ever surfaced.
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Matt, I believe that the man you refer to will be William Harbeck: The lady was not his wife, but one Henriette Yvois. They both died.
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Ah ok, I was just going by what Lawrence Beesley said in his book, he refered to the woman as his wife. Ill check that link out though. Shame that the footage didnt survive.
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Does anyone know what cabin Mr. Harbeck was in?
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Is there any truth in the rumour that White Star had hired Harbeck, a professional filmmaker, to make movies of the Titanic's maiden voyage? On several works including on his ET bio here, it says that Harbeck and his movie camera were supposed to be taken off the ship by a fast tugboat just as the Titanic approached New York so that he could be ready and waiting on land to film the ship's arrival into harbour. If that was true and White Star themselves had organized it, it would have made no sense for the Titanic to arrive in New York harbour on the night of Tuesday 16th April as has been conjectured by some sources.
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