95 years ago today...

[Heidi]

The Titanic sank.

My grandfather (age5), his younger sister(2-3?) and their parents (my great-grandparents) were late for their ship when they were coming to America. The ship they were late for was the Titanic. They would have traveled third class and most likely would have perished had they made it to the dock before the ship sailed.
Family story has it that they were plagued with troubles that kept holding them up from making it to the boarding on time. The logistics of getting luggage and two small children from wherever they were staying to the docks, I do not think they could afford a carriage and were trying to get there on foot, carrying their luggage and trying to contain the two little ones, appeared to be too monumental of a task and they missed the sailing.
When grandma (married to grandfather mentioned above) passed away, mother and her brothers went through the house and found the unused Titanic boarding passes in the attic among some boxes my grandfather had. They are with the Smithsonian Institute, now. They also found much more information about his family history. He never spoke of it with his children, or grandma, it seems.

Watching the movie Titanic was a very emotional experience for me. Seeing the Titanic exhibit in Chicago was even more so, because of the artifacts they had available and the realistic display.

Just thought I'd share a bit of my family history on this memorial day,
Heidi

[Brigitte]

Wow...that just shows that things happen when they are meant to happen...and don't happen when they aren't meant to happen.

[CarolU]

I kind of agree with 'fate' too. Sometimes I think things happen because it was meant to be.

I worked for a wonderful nurse many years ago, my favorite mentor, tell me once (when I was complaining loudly!! LOL), "Did you ever stop to to think that God planted you right here where you were meant to grow?"

You may not change the world, you may only change a little piece of it, but that may very well be the little piece that changes the world.

[Laura S]

That is really cool Heidi. So when and how did they make it to America?

[Privatetreaty]

Very interesting Heidi. Wow, talk about fate.

Great question Laura.


.

[Heidi]

They took the next ship belonging to the White Star line but I don't remember the name of it. It pales in comparison to the Titanic's story. They arrived in America that year, 1912, just later than they had planned. Just last year, Mom and I went to Ellis Island and printed up copies of paperwork and ship's logs and even a photo of the ship. Mom has all of that as she is the genealogist of the family.

They came from Hungary, but when WWII came, Grandfather (I guess) decided to sweep his heritage under the carpet and would not speak of his origins. He met grandmother during WWII when they were both in the Navy. I believe they married in 1944 and had my mother in 1948. Mother tells me that grandmother's mother (McKenna from Ireland) was very big into social standing and family names and she thinks that is why grandfather quelled his heritage, to appease Mother McKenna.

Several years ago, mother found a relative who knew stories of our family. In Hungary, my great, great grandfather (my grandfather's grandfather) was the man known around the Hungarian area they lived in as the one to bring your animals to for training or healing. Mom always wondered where I'd got my close bond with horses/animals from...now she knows I came by it honestly!

[appyday]

Wow what a story..thank god they never made it..thanks for sharing.

[Pinto Paso]

I love family history - great story

[LynnG]

and there is a saying .....

People make their own luck. (good or bad)

With that thinking, it can be just a matter of consequences and choices people make over time .... that "cause and effect" for the future.

Glad your Grandfather missed THAT boat!

[Heidi]

Spoke with Mom tonight and she told me they came over on the Vatterland or Vaterland. It was owned by the same company that owned/operated the Lusitania.

Mom's excuse whenever she is late is to bring up the Titanic and say maybe she was supposed to be late, and by being so has avoided something tragic. I can't argue!

[reuben T]

Yep, I've heard about way too many "accedental" misses, that saved lives. Obviously something, or somebody, else at work.
Years ago a neighbor of ours was driving in the city, (Chattanoga) got into an unavaidable accedent situation, but suddenly the steering wheel was yanked out of his hands and manuvered just perfect to avoid the accedent.
Someone's in charge, and accedent's only happen when they're allowed to. And people are preserved when it isn't their time to go. I heard about 1 man who was near center of the Hiroshima blast in WWII who walked out totally unhurt, and told what he saw as he walked out, a story with reliable source, not just some rumor.
Anyway, I know just a little about my ancestors. On my mothers side. One side came from a brother of the Grimm brothers who wrote the famous fairy tales. The other side from the Karr's, who were inventors and farmers, and back to Rev Tomas Moore from england. My grandma told us her ancestry went back to a young orphan boy who came over on the mayflower with another family. My dad's grandfather 12 generations back came over from Holland in the 1600's, about 40-50 years after the pilgrims. his name was Titus DeVries, but his son James used his father's first name for his own last one, so began the Titus line. Wish I knew more about them, but guess it's not important.

[Jasfino]

Years ago a neighbor of ours was driving in the city, (Chattanoga) got into an unavaidable accedent situation, but suddenly the steering wheel was yanked out of his hands and manuvered just perfect to avoid the accedent.


Reuben... I had the very same experience happen to me ... :shock:
I was driving down the road yrs ago, messing with my radio, when I looked back up to the road... I was over in the other lane with a another car coming over the hill heading right at me. All at once, it was if a hand from nowhere... steered the car right back over in the other lane. Immediately, I thought of my grandpa for some reason. He had died yrs before. I dont know why in the world I would have thought of him at a time like that but for some strange reason I did. I hadnt been thinking of him at all that day before that near accident. I know someone intervened that day. My heart was racing, my brain was frozen, and out of nowhere, someone came to my aid.