Mr John Linnane (1), 61, was born in Kildorrery, County Cork, Ireland in 1851. On 16 May 1876 he married Ellen Savage (born 1843) and together they had five sons: Jeremiah, Patrick, James, Vincent and William (1878-1900). Sometime towards the end of the 19th century Linnane emigrated to America where he bought some land to the northwest of Chelsea, MI by a dirt track. The track would later become Lingane Road (2), the house listed as 6690 Lingane Road. Here John and his family cleared a small homestead which they farmed.

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Few facts are known about their life in Chelsea but one elderly resident recalled (in 1985) them drivng to St. Mary's Church on Sundays in a 'Surrey' led by a black prancing horse. Another person recalled a close friendship between Lingane and his grandfather. John was a hard-working farmer and father and it was his ultimate aim to return to Ireland with his wife. Tragically Ellen died in March 1911 and the journey to Ireland that Autumn, to visit relatives and old friends, was taken alone and in mourning. For the return journey John had booked passage on the White Star Liner Celtic but was persuaded to await the arrival of the newer and more luxurious Titanic boarded at Queenstown as a second class passenger (ticket number 235509, £12, 7s).

Lingan died in the sinking but ten days later his ultimate fate was still unknown to the people of Chelsea:

CHELSEA, MICHIGAN, THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 1912 MAY HAVE BEEN ON BOARD TITANIC John Lingane, of Sylvan(3), Is Thought to Have Been Passenger    The friends of John Lingane are in grave doubts as to his whereabouts. According to letters he sent to two of his friends here he stated that he expected to leave on his return journey from Ireland about April 1st. It is possible that he may have sailed on the Titanic which sailed from Queenstown, one of the principal seaports of Ireland, on April 10. Mr Lingane was visiting at Kildorrery, County Cork. At Queenstown the passengers for Cork take a small boat, and as Mr Lingane was not far from the seaport, he could easily have taken passage on the ill-fated steamer.    Among the names of the second class passengers appears the name of John Legame, and his Chelsea friends fear that the name is spelled wrong. Last Saturday R.B.Waltrous telegraphed to the White Star Line office in New York making an inquiry in regard to Mr Lingane, but received a reply that there was no such name on the passenger list.    Mr Lingane has four sons living, one of them Patrick resides on the R.P.Chase farm in Sylvan.

Confirmation of his death wasn't received until May 23, 1912, when a letter which expressed regret and deepest sympathy that John Lingane [sic] was not on the survivor's list was received by the sons. The letter was on parchment and was written by the White Star Line.

John Lingan's body was never recovered, but he is remembered on the grave of his wife and one of his sons in Oak Grove Cemetery, in Chelsea.

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His son Patrick continued to farm the land in Chelsea before moving to Jackson.

Notes
<sup>1. Sometimes listed as "Lingane" or "Lingan".
2. A corruption of his name?
3.</sup> Sylvan Township is a rural district adjacent to the town of Chelsea. His residence would have been in Sylvan Township, but his mailing address would have been Chelsea.

Sources
The Chelsea Standard, Chelsea, Michigan, April 25, 1912; April 15, 1962; April 10, 1985
Contract Ticket List, White Star Line 1912 (National Archives, New York; NRAN-21-SDNYCIVCAS-55[279])
Noel Ray (1999) List of Passengers who Boarded RMS Titanic at Queenstown, April 11, 1912. The Irish Titanic Historical Society

Acknowledgements
Cameron Bell, Northern Ireland
Beth Easterwood
Noel Ray, Ireland

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