William John Bond

Mr William John Bondwas born in Henbury, Bristol, Gloucestershire, England around in early 1867¹ and was baptised on 31 March 1867.

He was the only surviving child of John Bond (b. circa 1844) and Jemima Annie White (b. 1843), both natives of Bristol who had married in 1864. Two elder siblings both died in early childhood: a sister, Ada Annie Elizabeth was born towards the opening of 1865 but died a few months later whilst an unnamed brother arrived towards the end of the same year but was stillborn.

William's father died before the young boy reached his first year and his mother was remarried in 1870 to George Pople (b. 1850), a gardener and later a licensed victualler, affording William several half-siblings.

He appears on the 1871 census living with his mother, stepfather and half-brother George Francis (b. 1870) at an address in Clifton. When the 1881 census was conducted the family were listed as living at The Royal Shade public house on Waterloo Place, Clifton, of which George Pople was the proprietor, but William is not present; he was instead listed as a domestic page for a wealthy merchant, Thomas Miller and his family, on Mitcheldean Road, Longhope, Gloucestershire.

Bond's movements over the next years are unknown; he was married around 1897 to Eliza Anne Carter (b. 1874), a native of Hawkesbury, Gloucestershire, the daughter of mason Henry James Carter and Mary Thompson. 

The couple went on to have five children: William Eugene (b. 25 May 1899), Henry John Leonard (b. 21 October 1900), Gladys Annie Mabel (b. 17 July 1903), Florence Ella Beatrice (b. 8 February 1905) and Lilian Grace Marie (b. 6 August 1910) and William was described as a steward on his children's baptismal records. Their eldest son William apparently died sometime prior to 1911 but his final whereabouts remain uncertain. 

William is not present at the time of the 1901 census when his wife and first two children were recorded as living at 36 Spofforth (?) Road, West Derby. When William does appear, on the 1911 census, he and his family are living at 18 Herondale Road, Mossley Hill, Liverpool and he was described as a ship's steward.

He was shown as a member of crew aboard numerous voyages aboard the Cedric in 1904, his address at the time being 111 Kenmore Road, Liverpool. One voyage, in May 1904, states that his ship previous to that had been Republic.

Bond was on board the Titanic for her delivery trip from Belfast to Southampton. When he signed-on again in Southampton on 4 April 1912 for the maiden voyage, he gave his local address as 20 Hanley Road, Southampton. His previous ship had been the Olympic and as a bedroom steward he received monthly wages of £3, 15s.

William Bond died in the sinking and his body, if recovered, was never identified.

His estate, worth £185, was administered to his widow Eliza on 30 May 1912.

His widow and children also benefitted from the Titanic Relief Fund and as further compensation for the loss of their breadwinner, the family gained free passage across the Atlantic. They left British shores on 3 August 1912, travelling aboard Laurentic bound for Montréal, settling in Ontario.

Eliza Bond was soon to remarry in her new home; in Toronto, on 29 September 1914 she became Mrs William McDonald. Her new husband William (b. 1889) was a salesman originally from Glasgow and it is understood that Eliza and her new husband went on to start their own family in Toronto but what became of them is not currently certain.

Bond's two elder daughters died within a few years of reaching their new home, both developing endocarditis: Florence died after several months' illness aged 8 on 9 January 1914 whilst Gladys died only a few years later 13 May 1917 aged just shy of her 14th birthday. 

His son Henry later worked as a clerk and was married in 1925 to telephone operator Florrie Hartley (b. 1902), another English migrant. What became of them is unknown.

His only surviving daughter Lilian was married to Walker Grace Pickering (1906-1979); she died in Toronto on 10 November 1996.