Mrs Alexander Oskar Holverson (Mary Alice Towner) was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania on 21 September 1876.
She was the daughter of Harry Luther Towner (1850-1913), a physician, and Ellen 'Ella' Victoria Newell (1853-1882), both native Pennsylvanians who had married on 8 August 1872.
She had two siblings, her brother Dana W. (1874-1934) and younger sister Carolyn Belle (1882-1973, later Mrs Milton Guernsey Berry).
Mary appears on the 1880 census living at an unspecified address in Athens, Bradford, Pennsylvania. Her mother died in 1882, only months after the birth of her sister Carolyn, and was buried in Tioga Point Cemetery in Athens; her widowed father would remarry, this time to Harriett Kaefer (b. 1872) and they had a son, Clifford Anthony (b. 1891), and a daughter, Winifred (b. 1896), both born in New York. Her family remained living in Bradford, appearing there on the 1900 and 1910 censuses.
She was married in Manhattan on 5 May 1906 to Alexander Oskar Holverson (b. 1869), a salesman from Minnesota. The couple remained childless and appear on the 1910 census as residents of 568 West 149th Street, Manhattan.
The couple had been on vacation in South America since late 1911/early 1912, spending time in Buenos Aires, Argentina before departing for England where they arrived in Southampton on 6 April aboard the Aragon and stayed at the Piccadilly Hotel in London. For their return to the USA Mr and Mrs Halvorsen boarded the Titanic at Southampton as first class passengers (ticket number 113789 which cost £52) on 10 April 1912.
Mrs Halvorsen survived the sinking, but in which lifeboat remains unknown; her husband was among the lost. His body was later recovered and returned to New York for burial.
Mrs Halvorsen returned to New York and never remarried; she continued to lived in Manhattan, later at 509 West 122nd Street. The following year, on 15 October 1913, she lost her father. Reportedly a poorly lady most of her life, she died from kidney failure on 2 May 1918 aged 41 and was buried with her husband at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York.
Her last known surviving sibling Carolyn died in Washington, DC in October 1973.
Courtesy of Michael A. Findlay, USA
I seek information about First Class survivor Mrs. A. O. Holverson (born Mary Aline Towner of Bradford, Penn.) and her husband Alexander Oskar Holverson of Alexandria, Minnesota, who worked at Chett Peabody & Co., NYC. He perished, body #38. I am a relative just discovering old childhood stories to actually be true. Thanks so much. Thorvald J.H. Holverson
If I remember correctly, she filed a claim against WSL for lost property, something else may have been filed against WSL regading Mr. Holverson. Daniel.
Hi Thorvald. I have some information about the Halvorsen family, as my great-great grandmother was Oscars fathers sister! I have letters from Oscars brother Henry, whose first letter tells about the disaster. According to this letter, Oscar (the name Alexander used daily(?)) was the one that was writing to the family in Norway, and Henry took over after him, but many years later. The last one I have is from 1940 (in Norwegian, even if Henry was borne in US!) It has been extremely difficult to find all information, especially as the first name Alexander never was used in the letters-nor any...
The company that Alexander O. worked for is called Cluett Peabody & Co, and made shirts and collars. Material about them is found on the great pages of Rensselear County Historical Society,that covers many manufacturers and businesses in Rensselear and Troy. Their address is . There may have been other possible Cluett Peabody Companies at that time, but that is the only one I found on the web. Olaf.
Hello, in which cabin this found the couple of first class, Mr. and Mrs Holverson. Would have idea on the bridge, or the number of room of the couple? He with the bridge D was you? Excuse my English E. L Lefebvre
EG, Je croyais que tu allais m'envoyer tes questions par email, comme je te l'avais proposé... As-tu changé d'idée?
Avez vous reí§ue mon message ou je vous pose mes question ?
Avez vous reí§ue mon message ou je vous pose mes questions ?
Oui, je l'ai reí§u, et j'y ai répondu. Je m'étonne que vous ne l'ayez toujours pas....
M’avez vous récrit ? Je n’ait toujours pas reí§ue de réponses, peu t’íªtre esque tu n’envoye pas le massage a la bonne adresse.. PS : Au pire, envoye la réponse sur le forum.. Merci d’avance
I take French classes but I'm not that good.