Hedwig Margaritha Frölicher

Miss Hedwig Margaritha Frölicher (nicknamed "Mädi"), 22, was born in Zürich, Switzerland on 13 August, 1889, the daughter of Maximilian Josef Frölicher-Stehli and Margaretha Emerentia Frölicher-Stehli. They lived at "Villa Riesmatt" 6 Mittelstrasse, Riesbach, Zürich.

She graduated in early 1912 and was to meet he future husband Robert Schwarzenbach of New York. He also was from Switzerland and managing director of the silkweaving factory of Schwarzenbach & Huber in New York.

Miss Frölicher boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg together with her parents. She had her own ticket; No. 13568, £49 10 s (sFr 1310.00). She occupied cabin B-39.

During the night from 11th to 12th April Margaritha was seasick. This lasted till the sunday night. She was woken by the collision. Together with her parents she dressed and went to Deck A to investigate what happened. They then went back to bed. After a while they were told to put on their life-preservers. Margaritha and her parents left the Titanic in lifeboat 5. After about three and a half hours at sea they were rescued by the Carpathia.

Her parents returned to Switzerland. But Margaritha remained in New York where she married Robert J. F. Schwarzenbach, 36, on 4 January 1913. The couple lived in Jericho, New York and had three children (one daughter, b. 1913 and two sons, b. 1917 and 1918) (1).

Her husband died suddenly on 3 August 1929 in Hicksville, Long Island. In 1931 Margaritha Schwarzenbach moved together with her children to South Norwalk, Connecticut. Margaritha Schwarzenbach, known to her American family as Margit, went back to Zürich to die near her daughter, her death occurring on 16 July 1972. She was buried at Sihlfeld Cemetery, Zürich her family-grave.