Mr John Starr March
Mr John Starr March, 48, was born in Middleton, New York. Before entering the merchant marine March had worked as a postal clerk on the railways. He lived in Port Jervis, New York before moving to Newark, New Jersey in 1904 He was married to Elizabeth and they had two daughters. March's wife had died during during surgery in June 1911, John continued to live with his younger daughter, Nettie, at 57 Emmet Street in Newark, New Jersey Contemporary reports recalled that in his eight-year marine career, the ships March worked on had been involved in eight separate emergencies. Among the vessels on which he served were the Olympic and the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse. His two adult daughters constantly pleaded with him to seek safer work elsewhere within the postal system, especially after Mrs. March died in June, 1911 while John was away at sea. But by 1912, March had grown accustomed to the sea and was unwilling to give up his grand voyages for a less-glamorous postal position. He even assured his daughters that he would never drown at sea. March was the eldest of the three American postal clerks the Titanic. During the sinking, the five clerks, helped by steward Albert Theissinger and several other crewmen, struggled to bring some 200 sacks of mail up to a higher deck. His address in Southampton was given as 13 West Park Terrace. March died in the sinking, his body was later recovered by the MacKay-Bennett (#225).
The body was forwarded to Newark, New Jersey on 3 May 1912 under the care of the undertaking firm Smith & Smith. March was buried at Evergreen Cemetery, Hillside, New Jersey. Mr March's descendants still own several of the effects that were recovered from his body, in particular, the gold ring with the letter "M." which assisted in his identification. Notes References and Sources Credits
Philip Hind (Editor)
Chris Dohany, USA
Michael A. Findlay, USA Hermann Söldner, Germany Related Articles and Documents |
Titanic Passenger and Crew Summary Name: Mr John Starr March
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