Miss Anna Sofia Sjöblom

Miss Anna Sofia Sjöblom, 18, was born on 14 April 1894. She lived in Munsala, near Nykarleby on the Finnish west coast.

She was travelling to her father, Gabriel Gustafson in Olympia Washington. He was employed by Simpson Timber Company, where also her uncle Daniel worked. She probably traveled the same way as Jakob Alfred Johanson and Jakob Alfred and Karl Johan Wiklund. Jacob Wiklund had gone the same class at school as Anna. They left Hangö on March 30, 1912 however none of them are on the passenger list for FÅA's Polaris which sailed from Hangö to Hull on April 3.

The group were originally booked on the Adriatic but were transferred when their sailing was cancelled due to the coal strike. Anna did not understand English, so Johanson who had spent long time in North America, helped for her and the Wiklund brothers during the trip.

Anna Sjoblom's boarding pass
Courtesy Phillip Gowan / Alan Gorsuch, USA

14 April 1912 was Anna'a 18th birthday and that night she lay fully clad on her bed when the collision occurred, but she did not care too much since she had been seasick during the whole trip. When she tried to reach boat deck together with an other Finnish girl, they got lost and reached 2nd class promenade on A deck and had to climb a crew ladder. That was near to the à la Carte restaurant and could see the laid tables through the windows. About 1.30 according to Anna she entered a lifeboat (16). All three of her companions died in the sinking.

After her arrival in New York she was taken to the Lutheran emigrant home and went a week later by train to Olympia. For part of the trip she travelled with Oscar Hedman, Berta Nilsson and Carl Olof Jansson from Sweden.

She later lived in Tacoma, Washington in the beginning with an uncle, Andrew Nelson, 1016 North Sheele St.

Anna later married Gordon Kinkaid and they had a daughter and a son. In 1956 she and her husband moved to 1220 South Jefferson St. Olympia.

Anna died on 3 November 1975.

Notes

Wetterholm (1996) gives the date of birth as 1892, Anna's gravestone gives the dates 1894-1975.

References and Sources

Tacoma News Tribune, 7 November 1975, Obituary
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services Certificate Of Death
Claes-Göran Wetterholm (1988, 1996) Titanic. Rabén, Stockholm

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