Encyclopedia Titanica

Mariayam Nakid

The first Titanic survivor to die

Mariayam Nakid
Mariayam Nakid

Miss Mariayam Nakid was born in Ihdin, Zaghartā, Lebanon around March 1911.1

She was the first born child of Sa'īd Antūn Nakid (b. 1891) and Wadi'ah Muawwad (b. 1892).

Her paternal grandmother Cattur Habīb Nakid lived in Waterbury, Connecticut and it was decided that she and her family would also settle there. To reach their destination they boarded Titanic at Cherbourg as third class passengers (ticket number 2653 which had cost £15, 14s, 10d).

The family were rescued.

Upon arrival in New York Mariayam and her parents were taken care of in St Vincent's Hospital and was also given clothing and money ($62.30). Her grandmother, who had been unaware that her son and his family were travelling aboard Titanic, hastened to New York to meet them.

Mariayam and her family settled in Waterbury, Connecticut, Anglicising their surname to "Nackid" and she becoming known as Maria.

Maria Nackid soon fell ill and died on 30 July 1912 as a result of meningitis. She was the first person among the 712 Titanic survivors to die and was buried in an unmarked grave in Calvary Cemetery, Waterbury.

Her parents continued to live out the rest of their lives in Waterbury and had five more children: Thomas (1913-1962), John A. (1917-1966), Catherine (1921-1954), Anthony Thomas (1923-2001) and Frederick R. (1926-1988). Her father died in 1926 and her mother in 1963. Her last surviving sibling, Anthony, died in 2001. She still has a large number of family members living in the Waterbury area.

Notes

  1. Birth date disputed. Often stated that she was 18 months old in April 1912, placing her time of birth as in the latter months of 1910; her obituary states that she was, at the time of her death, 16-months old, placing her time of birth as February or March 1911 and The Waterbury Republican describes her as 13 months old in April 1912. Her death certificate states that she was born in 1910.

References and Sources

Waterbury Republican 31 July 1912, p.2
Waterbury Republican, 25 April 1912: Tells How He Saved His Life
State of Connecticut Medical Certificate of Death
Elias, Leila Saloum (2011) The Dream and Then the Nightmare: The Syrians who Boarded the Titanic, the Story of the Arabic-speaking Passengers. Atlas, 2011. ISBN 978-9933-9086-1-4

Research Articles

The tragic stories of Titanic survivors who died prematurely...

Newspaper Articles

Waterbury Republican (25 April 1912) Mr Nakid's Account
Waterbury Republican (25 April 1912) Photograph Of The Nakid Family
Hufvudstadsbladet (6 May 1912) Mrs. Wadia Nakid's Account
Waterbury Republican (31 July 1912) Mary Nakid

Documents and Certificates

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Comment and discuss

  1. Shelley Dziedzic

    Yesterday, after the TIS convention in Mystic/ Groton, Connecticut ended, some of us went on to a very special service in Waterbury, CT. to unveil a memorial marker to the first passenger survivor to die, little Mary Nackid. Born in 1910, she and her parents, Said and Mary (Mowad) boarded 3rd class at Cherbourg. All were saved in collapsible C, but little Mary died of meningitis on July 30, 1912, making her the first survivor to die.Mrs. Nackid was so devastated she could not bring herself to visit the little girl's unmarked grave. The family continued to live in Waterbury, managing a grocery store. Five more children were born to the couple, but sadly Said died at age 36,in 1926,- Mrs. Nackid survived until 1962, rarely speaking of Titanic -but viewing A Night to Remember with her family when it was released. The family is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Waterbury, not far from the grave of the infant Mary. TIS member Bruce Tompkins, along with the society, and remaining members of... Read full post
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  2. Shelley Dziedzic

    Left to right, Anthony Nackid, Jr., Catherine Nackid (widow of John Nackid) and Amy Nackid, who following the ceremony said, "I hope my mother-in-law will be pleased with me for what I did." Amy is the widow of Anthony Nackid.
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  3. Shelley Dziedzic

    Mrs. Anthony (Amy) Nackid
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  4. Amanda Ratliff

    That is so sweet. It warms me to see relatives who remember their ancestors so many years later! My grandmother's grandmother had no stone and she always said that she wished she could get her one. Even as a child, I promised her that someday I would make sure it had a marker. I still plan to do just that! Thanks for sharing! It's so horrible to survive Titanic and die 2 months later
  5. Iain Stuart Yardley

    Couldn't copy and paste the link to the news story so here it is: FAMILY GIVES PROPER BURIAL TO 1-YEAR OLD TITANIC SURVIVOR By Eugene Driscoll The News-Times May 13, 2004 10:47 AM EDT BROOKFIELD, Conn. -- Bruce Tompkins calls it his "Titanic room." It holds miniature models of the legendary ship, a pile of Titanic puzzles stacked 3 feet high, "Titanic" movie memorabilia and more posters and paintings than will fit on his wall. But Tompkins, of Brookfield, is not just a man with an unusual hobby. For him, "Titanic" means more than a Leonardo DiCaprio melodrama backed by a syrupy Celine Dion song. The story of the massive ocean liner that sank April 15, 1912, after hitting an iceberg has captivated him since he was a child. The same can be said for Amy Nackid. For the Bethel woman, the Titanic is family history. She was married to the late Anthony Nackid. His parents Said and Mary came to America from Lebanon on the Titanic with their only child, named Mary. ... Read full post
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Titanic Passenger Summary

Name: Miss Mariayam Nakid (Maria)
Nationality: Syrian Lebanese
Last Residence: in Zaghartā, Zaghartā, Syria
Embarked: Cherbourg on Wednesday 10th April 1912
Ticket No. 2653, £15 14s 10d
Rescued  
Disembarked Carpathia: New York City on Thursday 18th April 1912
Cause of Death:
Buried: Calvary Cemetery, Waterbury, Connecticut, United States on Wednesday 31st July 1912

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