Encyclopedia Titanica

Helen Melville Smith

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The daughter of master mariner Edward John Smith and Sarah Eleanor Pennington, was born on Saturday 2nd April 1898 at 20 Alexandra Road, Waterloo, Litherland, near Liverpool. The birth was registered by Edward John Smith on 3rd May 1898. Helen Melville had just passed her fourteenth birthday when the Titanic set sail.

Helen Melville Smith later married stockbroker Mr. Russell-Cooke. They had twin sons, one of whom died of polio and the other was killed in the war. Mr. Russell-Cooke shot himself in the 1950s.

There is a good family article in the THS Commutator, Volume 17 number 2 1993 entitled 'The Captain's Daughter Helen Melville Russell-Cooke ''Mel'' 1898-1973. By John Pladdys.

Related Biographies

Edward John Smith

Contributors

Brian J. Ticehurst, UK

Comment and discuss

  1. Jamiylamcneal Jamiylamcneal
    i did not knw that capt.smith had a family a wife and a daughter name helen and she died on 1973
  2. conor (2002) conor (2002)
    this is really good info i dident knew she was married and had to sons i thort she was single and it was a little harsh her sons dieing then the father shooting him self
  3. Alva Alva
    So there is no relatives alive from the Smith family??
  4. diane (2747) diane (2747)
    Poor dear she experienced so much tragedy and heartache in her life. Rev. 21:3, 4
  5. Titanic (3812) Titanic (3812)
    According to your contributors, you only have 1. Biography.com says otherwise about the birth date. According to the website Helen was born in 1902. So therefore she was 9 or 10 when her dad (Cpt. Edward J. Smith) died. That means she could not, of course be celebrating her 14th brithday. Please do check more sites for info who ever wrote this. FYI there was no citing so I believe this to be a piece of plagiarism (So cite it, if You have a cite such as a book by him please update this.)
  6. Mark Taliana Mark Taliana
    They were twins but a boy and a girl
  7. Teresa (4808) Teresa (4808)
    Everything that I have researched on Helen Melville Smith points to her birth date being April 2, 1898, including Wikipedia and Find A Grave. It appears this report is accurate and she had just turned age 14 at the time of her fathers death. Helen Melville “Mel” Smith Russell-Cooke...
  8. RayneStormRN RayneStormRN
    Does anyone know where the Melville in Helen Melville Smiths name comes from? Is it a family name (I.e. had some ancestors from the Melville family?), or just a name that was perhaps popular back then? I know it's a long shot that anybody knows why she got the middle name. I'm curious because Melvilles ( the surname changed slightly over the years, among different branches, as surnames are apt to do) are in my family tree (with closest being my grandfather, on the Melvin branch of the Melvilles.) So the name caught my eye, but never thought to ask until now.
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Encyclopedia Titanica (2003) Helen Melville Smith ( ref: #2066, published 15 December 2003, generated 5th December 2024 08:43:37 PM); URL : https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/helen-melville-smith.html