Albert Kaurin Andersen

Mr Albert Kaurin Andersen was born in Alvøen, Laksevåg, Søndre Bergenhus, Norway on 25 April 1878, to Anders Andersen, a fisherman b. 4 June 1840 at Askøy, Hordaland, and Larsine Berntine (nee Paulsdatter; she had been born 3 February 1843 at Askøy) Sörhavn, who seem to have married 10 April 1864 at Asköy, Hordaland County, Norway. He was christened on 17 May the same year in Askoy in Hordaland.

He had nine siblings: Andreas Berentin (b. 1864), Anne Cecilia (b. 1866), Peder Severin (b. 1868), Larsine Iverine (b. 4 May 1870), Larsine Iverine (b. 1872), Anton Martinus (b. 5 November 1875), Bernt Andreas (b. 20 January 1881), Peter Andreas Berntin (b. 12 November 1883) and Berntin (b. 1886).

He was married to Theodora Catharina Olsen (b. 14 September 1878 at Bergen) on 23 March, 1905, and the couple had two sons; Teodor Andreas, b. 15 January 1906, and Leif, b. 25 March 1908.

In 1910 the family lived at Toldodalmenningen 3 in Bergen. Mr. Andersen was noted as a ''D/S maskinist,'' which means steamship engineer. Also present in the household at the time were Anna Olsen, b. 1843, Mrs. Andersen's mother, Jens Bernhard, b. 1879, a steward, Mrs. Andersen's brother, and Sigurd Arnold Olsen, b. 1891, a ship's fireman, who also may have been Mrs. Andersen's brother.

Albert Andersen had worked on ships as a trimmer, fireman and donkeyman.   He had later studied to become a ship's engineer and was going to New York to work on the s. s. Edda as the second engineer (master captain Meidell).

He boarded the Titanic at Southampton with Johan Holten and Henry Olsen who were also planning to join the Edda and journeying on the same ticket (ticket number 4001 which cost £22, 10s, 6d).

Andersen died in the sinking and his body was found by the MacKay Bennett (#260):

Andersen's body was buried at Fairview Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia on 10 May 1912 and his effects were returned to his widow. His death hit the family hard as they were totally dependent upon him. Theodora, who was pregnant at the time of the sinking, gave birth to a daughter in December 1912 named Albertha Theodora.

© Bob Knuckle, Canada

The Daily Telegraph's Titanic Relief fund paid £20 to the family. On 19 April 1913 the Mansion House Fund paid 2160 NKr (£120). 2446 NKr ($787.50) damage claims were paid to the widow and 729 NKr ($202.50) was paid to the children's guardian in May 1916 after their mother had died.

Theodora had a breakdown following the loss of her husband and her mother in quick succession, leading to drunkenness and the eventual neglect of her children. Her children were taken into care before Theodora's death on 23 April 1915, after which they were sent to live in their father's childhood home in Alvøen.

The eldest of the three children, Theodor, died in 1922 aged 16 as a result of meningitis. Leif was later married and raised three children before his death in 1971 in Bergen. Albertha (later Mrs Oscar Rafsol) raised a family of four children with her husband; she died in Bergen in 1988.