Mr Niqūlā Khalīl Naṣr Allāh 1 was born around 1883 2 in Zahlah 3, Beqaa, Lebanon, a city 55 km east of Beirut.
He was the son of Khalīl Ilyās Naṣr Allāh and Wardah Shehadi and he had several siblings.
Niqūlā, like several of his brothers and sisters, had emigrated to the USA, he arriving sometime around 1908. His uncles Albert and Abraham had emigrated in 1894 and settled in San Francisco where they married and raised families and whose children would later become involved in the movie business, owning nickelodeons before becoming involved in the establishment of several theatres, one of which, the Castro Theatre, was opened in 1910 on 479 Castro Street. The theatre, though now in a different location, is still in the hands of the Naṣr Allāh (Nasser) family. Albert Naṣr Allāh also established a confectionary business in San Francisco and Niqula followed suit with his own store on 286 Sanchez Street.4
Niqūlā had returned to Lebanon to find a bride and his new wife was Adāl Hakīm (b. 1895). After their marriage they appear to have spent time in Paris before travelling to Cherbourg to join Titanic as second class passengers (ticket number 237736 which cost £30, 1s, 5d); they were the only two passengers of Lebanese background travelling in second class.
On the night of the sinking Mr Naṣr Allāh escorted his young wife to a lifeboat but was not permitted to follow her so they bid farewell.
Mr Nasser died in the sinking and his body was later recovered by the Mackay-Bennett:
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NO. 43. - MALE. - ESTIMATED AGE, 32. - HAIR, BLACK; ITALIAN TYPE. CLOTHING - Blue serge suit; white shirt with black spots; brown boots. EFFECTS - Watch and chain; purse with £7; belt round waist with £160 in gold. TATOO - On right forearm, lion with sword SECOND CLASS NICHOLAS NASSER |
The body was forwarded on 3 May 1912 to J. J. Cronin, undertaker in New York and was buried in Mt Olivet Cemetery; his widow received back his personal effects found on his body.
Adāl had been pregnant at the time of the disaster and gave birth to a son on 9 December 1912 but the child lived only a few hours. She later remarried and raised a family before her death in 1970.
