Edith Graham

Edith Graham was born as Edith Ware Junkins on 6 December 1853 in Bridgeport, Belmont County, Ohio. She was the daughter of Samuel Adam Junkins (1818 - 1909) and Alice Ann Townsend (1830 - 1897) who were Wed around 1850 and went on to have five known children, Ella (b. 1852), Edith, Charles (b. 1855), Minnie (b. 1861), and Kate (b. 1868).

Edith spent her childhood in Bridgeport, Ohio were she met her future husband William Thompson Graham (1851 - 1932), the son of John Branch Graham and his wife Margaret. William Graham and Edith Junkins Wed on 6 November 1875 in Belmont County, Ohio. The couple went on to have several known children, William Townsend (b. 1876), Mary (b. 1879), Nellie Alice (b. 1881), John Joseph (b. 1882), Alice (b. 1884), Samuel Junkins (b. 1886), and Margaret Edith (b. 1893). The Graham's moved to Greenwich, Fairfield, Connecticut before the turn of the century. Edith's husband, William Thompson Graham, was a wealthy businessman, the President of the American Can Company, who had been one of the original backers of the 'Dixie Cup'. This simple invention boosted the Graham finances still further and, by the beginning of the twentieth century, they were comfortably established in Greenwich, Connecticut.

In 1912 Edith was accompanied by her daughter Margaret and Margaret's governess Elizabeth Shutes to Europe and they were returning to the United States on the Titanic. They boarded the Titanic at Southampton and Edith occupied cabin C-91 (ticket number17582, £153 9s 3d). According to a newspaper interview the two ladies were helped to the lifeboats by Washington Roebling and Howard B. Case.

They shouted goodbye to us, and then what do you think Mr Case did then? He just calmly lighted a cigarette and waved us goodbye with his hand. Mr Roebling stood there too - I can see him now. I am sure he knew that the ship would go to the bottom. But both just stood there.

Edith, Margaret and Elizabeth were rescued in lifeboat 3.

Edith continued to live in her Greenwich estate until she died on 29 December 1924. She was buried at Putnam Cemetery, Greenwich, Connecticut. Her widower William Thompson Graham outlived her by eight years and died in 1932.

Courtesy of Michael A. Findlay, USA