Rhoda 'Rosa' Mary Abbott

By: Anna Thomsen

Rhoda Mary Abbott was born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England on January 14, 1873, the daughter of Joseph Hunt and his wife, Sarah Green Hunt. She was medium height, had a dark complexion, and long, dark hair. Her childhood was spent in Aylesbury and in later years in St. Albans, Hertfordshire where the family moved when Rhoda was a young woman. It was from St. Albans that she immigrated to the United States in 1894. She arrived in Providence, Rhode Island. There she met Stanton Abbott; a professional boxer who was born in London and immigrated to the United States in 1893. The marriage took place in early 1895. Two sons were born into the family- Rossmore Edward on February 21, 1896 and Eugene Joseph on March 31, 1899. She loved her two sons dearly. Stanton’s career took off as he became the middleweight boxing champion of the United States, but the couple got divorced in 1911.

Rhoda decided to return to England with her sons and live with her widowed mother in St. Albans, her father having died there in 1898. Rhoda supported herself and her boys sewing. She was also a soldier in the Salvation Army. The boys longed for their home, the United States, so they decided to go back home. She was elated when her travel accommodations were changed, due to the national coal strike in England.  She changed from and older and smaller liner to the famous, magnificent, unsinkable, Titanic.

They boarded the gigantic ship in Southampton, although they were third class, they were excited to be going home. Aboard the Titanic, Rhoda easily made friends with Amy Stanley, Emily Goldsmith, and May Howard who all had cabins nearby. Everything was going well with the boys out exploring the ship, and her talking happily with her friends until Sunday, April 14^th. They were awakened by a sudden jolt. They got up, slightly frightened, but were told that everything was fine. Before they knew it Rhoda and the boys were aroused by a frantic steward opening the door and shouting, “all passengers on deck with life jackets!” Only women and children were allowed beyond the gate standing before the group. Determined, Rhoda managed to get her and her sons past the gate, overseen by several crewmen. She was faced with yet another obstacle. ‘No men allowed’ was the rule, and she realized that her boys would be left behind. Her maternal instinct took over and when it was her time to get into the lifeboat, she pulled her sons near her and stepped into the background. She was going to perish into the deep Atlantic Ocean, but she was going to do it with her boys. Rhoda and her sons were swept from the deck as the Titanic went under. She managed to grab both her sons’ hands, but they were soon lost in the debris of the ship. She searched frantically for them, but no luck. Her sons were forever lost in the great ocean.

She was about to give up, when a strong hand reached out and grabbed her. She was pulled onto collapsible A, which was nearly swamped; they had to stand in knee- deep water with 20 people either on the lifeboat, or hanging on. Then, Hypothermia took its toll; the dead were slowly lowered over the side of the boat. Finally, Officer Lowe came to their much needed rescue, arriving in lifeboat 14. Only 13 had survived the night’s ordeal- Rhoda being one of them. Rhoda was nearly unconscious during the transfer back to the Carpathia, but Lead Fireman Thomas Threlfall cared for her until she was lifted onto the rescue ship. Upon arrival in New York, Rhoda was transported to St. Vincent’s Hospital where she spent two more weeks hospitalized. She became one of the last survivors to be discharged, for her recovery was very slow. She lived with respiratory problems and severe bouts with asthma for the rest of her life as a result of her experience on the Titanic.

She spent many months grieving for her lost sons. She married a longtime friend, George Charles Williams, on December 16, 1912. He was originally from London and was born on November 20, 1875. He immigrated to the United States in 1906 and lived in Jacksonville, Florida most of that time. They lived in Florida for a little bit, but then moved to London.  Shortly after their arrival in London, in September of 1928, George suffered a debilitating stroke which totally incapacitated him and left him an invalid to be cared for the remainder of his life. Rhoda cared for him until he died on June 5^th 1938. She was sorry that he died, but it left her free to return to the United States, which had been her plan all along. In August of 1938, she was granted a passport back to the United States and stated she would be leaving England within six months after the sale of her late husband’s property at 47 Cleveland Road, Barnes, Surrey, London. Unfortunately, World War II broke out in Europe at this time, and the British Financial Restriction Act made it impossible to remove her assets out of England. She continued to live in London until her death due to heart failure as a result of hypertension on February 18, 1946. Rhoda died a lonely woman, in a place far from the one she wanted to spend her last years in.

Rhoda’s time on the Titanic was mystery for a very long time. This is because the Titanic had her under the name Rosa instead of Rhoda. Of all the third class people who died on the Titanic, Rhoda was one of the few who lived. She was considered to be one of the lucky ones.

Citations

"Mrs Rhoda Mary 'Rosa' Abbott." Encyclopedia Titanica. 2007. 2 Apr. 2008 <http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography/611/>.

Bracken, Robert. "The Mystery of Rhoda Abbott Revealed." Encyclopedia Titanica. 7 June 2004. 2 Apr. 2008 <http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/item/3016/>.

Gowan, Phillip, Brian Meister, and Ben Holme. "Titanic Articles: the Titanic Women of Sorrows." Titanic News Stories. 2008. 2 Apr. 2008 <http://www.titanic-titanic.com/article_phil_gowan_bio_rhoda_abbott.shtml>.