encyclopedia titanica

Mr William James Elsbury : 3rd Class Passengers

Summary
Born: 1865
Age: 47 years
Last Residence: in Taunton Somerset England
Occupation: Farmer
3rd Class passenger
First Embarked: Southampton on Wednesday 10th April 1912
Ticket No. 3902 , £7 5s
Destination: Gurnee Illinois United States
Died in the sinking.
Body Not Recovered

Mr William James Elsbury

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(Courtesy of Geoff Whitfield,UK)

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Mr William James Elsbury, 47, was born in 1865 in Stanmoor, near Burrow Bridge, Somerset. He was the son of James Elsbury (agricultural labourer) and Mary Ann Elsbury. He was the brother of Sarah, Mary Jane and John.

He emigrated to Gurnee, Lake County, Illinois in 1884 where he subsequently acquired a 105 acre farm. He married an American woman called Eliza and had a family of 4 children, 3 boys (one of which was Lloyd) and a girl, Bernice. The 2 eldest boys worked with him on the farm.

On 20 November 1911 he returned to Somerset on his own, to assist his younger brother, John in the winding up of his recently deceased father's financial affairs. He was due to return to Gurnee in the March of 1912, but on hearing of the maiden voyage of Titanic he decided on the new ship as his means of returning to America.

He boarded the Titanic at Southampton, travelling 3rd class under ticket number 3902 costing £7 5s. He was lost in the sinking. His body, if recovered, was never identified.

There is a memorial to James on a gravestone in the Taunton area.

Articles
Antioch News, 2 May 1912, Death of Elsbury Positive
Antioch News, 1 January, 1913, Wife Can't Collect Damages

Sources
Contract Ticket List, White Star Line 1912 (National Archives, New York; NRAN-21-SDNYCIVCAS-55[279])

Contributors
Steve Coombes, UK