Edith Corse Evans: Titanic's Original Rose
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| Edith Corse Evans |
Our Connection to Edith Corse Evans
Our Evans clans come from a long line of what should be fairytales and legends, and maybe some of it has been romanticized over the years, but surprisingly most of it is factual and can be found documented in the archives of the Gwynedd Council in Wales. It extends back beyond the tales of two brothers who overthrew three rulers, their mother's brothers, to take over lands in the old country and comes down to us through Evan ap Robert, whose descendants would become the Welsh founding fathers who colonized Pennsylvania with William Penn. John Evans, the colonial governor of Pennsylvania, is my 7th Great-Grandfather, and Edith came from John Morris Evans, the Welsh preacher who had a way of making sermons that Quakers, Protestants, and Catholics alike loved listening to. Our ancestral grandfathers were kings in Wales for many years before coming to build a new country from scratch. My line would go on to always be common folk and Edith's line would go on to always do great and sacrificial things. It is no wonder she became known for the acts that have immortalized her.
Edith's Younger Years
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| Pastel painting of Edith Evans as a young teen |
Miss Edith Corse Evans was born on September 21, 1875 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Cadwalader Evans and Angeline Burr Corse. Edith's family was rather well off-Her father being an attorney and her mother, a Women's Rights activist. Edith was the second daughter born to the couple. Her older sister, Lena Cadwalader Evans, was a quite prestigious painter who would go on to have many commissions displayed in galleries. and donate works she owned by other artists as well as personal belongings of her family to museums for keeping.
A long-term resident of New York, Edith was unmarried and had incredible enthusiasm for genealogical research. She was a member of The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, a group exclusively for women "who are lineal bloodline descendants from an ancestor of worthy life who, residing in an American colony, rendered efficient service to our country during the Colonial period, either in the founding of a State or Commonwealth, or of an institution which has survived and developed into importance, or who shall have held an important position in a Colonial government, or who by distinguished services, shall have contributed to the founding of our nation".
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| Lena and Edith donated their grandfather's organ to Saint Ann's Church in 1887 |
First Class Friends & Family
Edith herself was a philanthropist and well known socialite. Coming from a rather affluent family, her social circle was something to be envied by the commoner. Edith and her family were friends of the Vanderbilts, among other well-known, wealthy families of America. She and her sister bequeathed wedding gifts to Consuelo Vanderbilt for her marriage to Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough on November 6th, 1895. |
| The Boston Globe, Thur. Nov 7, 1895 |
Aboard the Titanic
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| Titanic at Cobh Harbour, 1912 |
Edith had taken a trip through Europe and made a stop in Paris to spend some time with her cousins, Mercedes Catalina and Maria Lousia. Their mother, Marie Abigail Corse, was her mother's sister. She was the first wife of Pedro Ramon De Florez, a Spanish painter who was living in Paris at the time.
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| Edith Evans' Passport Application |
Edith boarded the Titanic in Cherbourg, France on Wednesday, April 10th, 1912, just four days before the impending doom. A 1st Class passenger, she was assigned ticket #17531, £31 13s 7d. She occupied room A-29 on the Promenade Deck. Her room was just up the right side of the Grand Staircase , to the left at the corner, and three doors down on the right.
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| The Grand Staircase was exclusively for 1st Class passengers. (top) Cabin A-29 was dressed as the room above. (bottom) |
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| Edith was assigned to First Class State Room A-29. |
Cabin A-29 was located just behind the 3rd funnel on the left side of the ship-right behind where the ship split in half.
Upon boarding the Titanic, Edith joined her aunt by marriage, Mrs. Malvina Cornell. Mrs. Cornell was travelling from London with her two of her sisters, Mrs. Caroline Brown and Mrs.Charlotte Appleton. The older ladies were returning to the United States from having attended the funeral of their 4th sister, Lady Victor Drummond. The women happened upon the husband of their long-time friend, Colonel Archibald Gracie. As the women were travelling alone without a male companion, Mr. Gracie took it upon himself to be their escort during the voyage. Col. Gracie went on to write novels about his time on the Titanic and what he had witnessed of Edith during the sinking.
The Iceberg Cometh
At 11:40pm on the night of April 14th, 1912, the "Unsinkable Ship" struck an iceberg, puncturing the hull of the ship, allowing water to start pouring in. As he wrote in his memoir about that night, titled The Truth About the Titanic, Colonel Archibald Gracie recalls meeting with the Edith and her older female companions out on the ports side of Deck A. The women had been frightened and he tried soothing them by telling them not to fret, that another ship would be along soon to get them to safety. When, however, they noticed the lights of the ship they had seen were not coming closer and was not coming to save them, Edith told him about the fortune teller years before in London who had warned her to be wary of water and now that at that moment, she was certain she was going to drown. He recalled her telling the story and coming to terms with death in an emotionless, calm manner and said that even an hour later, after the conditions on the ship had grown to be grave, she still showed no evident signs of fear whatsoever and was still placidly calm. (11, 15)
After some time, Archibald said that when he heard a crewmember say that all lifeboats had been loaded and there was room for more, he immediately grabbed Edith and Caroline Brown by the arms and rushed toward the boat, but the man stopped him, only allowing the women to pass. He watched as they went on and remembered watching Edith lead the way. He never saw her after she disappeared into the crowd. What happened when they got to the boat was only for Mrs. Caroline Brown to tell. (15)
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| The Boston Globe, Sun. April 21, 1912 |
Rumors of Her Survival
Caroline Brown never saw Edith Corse Evans again. For years it was a mystery what had become of Edith after she walked away from Collapsible Boat D. Many believe another boat never came for poor Edith but over the years several rumors started circulating around the theory Edith had survived the tragedy. The book What Really Sank the Titanic: New Forensic Discoveries written by Jennifer Hooper McCarty and Tim Foecke it is stated that despite another boat not coming for Edith, she survived. Similarly, Andrew Wilson wrote in his book Shadow of the Titanic that 1st Class passenger George Rheims related to fellow 1st Class passenger Edith Rosenbaum that Edith Evans did however survive the sinking and was aboard Collapsible Boat A with him for a short time.
"One of the passengers who did not have the strength to survive was Edith Evans, a thirty-six-year-old single woman who, just as the ship was sinking, had given up her place in one of the last lifeboats for the sake of a friend who had children. After the ship had gone down, Evans had made a desperate bid to swim toward collapsible A, eventually hauling herself out of the icy sea and into the boat. Rheims tried to help keep her spirits, but Edith was finding it increasingly difficult to remain standing. "He told her, 'We have to stand to balance the boat or we will drown.'" related Edith Rosenbaum, who heard the story directly from Rheims. "She stood a little longer. Her body bent closer and closer to the water until finally she was submerged. She lay dead at his feet for some time, then a wave carried her body out of the boat to the open sea. There was nothing they could do to recover her without upsetting the boat.'" (pg.55)
Memorial Service Held
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| 1910 Post Card of Grace Episcopal Church, where Edith's memorial service was held. Photo courtesy of http://www.nycago.org. |
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| The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sun, April 21, 1912 |
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| The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sun. April, 21, 1912 |
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| Plaque dedicated to Saint Ann's Church by Lena Evans |
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| Plaque dedicated Grace Episcopal Church by Lena Evans |
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| The New York Times, Tues. Dec 24, 1912 |
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| Brooklyn Times Union, Thur. Dec 26, 1912 |
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| The Brooklyn Citizen, Thur. Feb 20, 1913 |
Hollywood, Broadway, and the Titanic Museum
Hollywood
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| The character Rose in the 1997 hit movie Titanic was loosely based on the life and deeds of Edith Corse Evans |
Hollywood is no stranger to taking creative liberties when it comes to storytelling and creating a marketable masterpiece. While James Cameron used a lady by the name of Beatrice Wood as the model on which he built the character of Rose Dewitt Bukater Calvart in his 1997 film Titanic, the character more closely uses elements of the life and deeds of Edith Corse Evans.
While both Beatrice and Edith were artists from well-off families from New York City with ties to Paris, that seems to be the extent of their similarities and the similarity between Beatrice and the fictional character Rose. Beatrice studied art in Paris, but didn't like it and, after much bickering and going back and forth with her mother, ultimately gave up art to study Theatre and become a stage actress. Beatrice never sailed on the Titanic, had no connection to the Lamson sisters, and most certainly never selflessly sacrificed her life to frozen waters in order to save the life of a mother with children. Edith died at the age of 35 while Beatrice lived to a grand old age of 104.
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| Kathy Bates' character in Titanic combines elements of both Molly Brown (left) and Caroline Brown (right). |
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| The Boston Globe, Sun. April 21, 1912 |
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| Like Jack Dawson, Colonel Archibald Gracie took it upon himself to chaperone the unaccompanied women that night |
Broadway
Titanic made its way to the Broadway stage in 1997 as a musical production. Music and lyrics were written by Maury Yeston and the book was written by Peter Stone and has won five Tony Awards. Mindy Cooper portrayed Edith Corse Evans both on Broadway and at Avery Fisher Hall. Although the play is based on facts and real passengers aboard the RMS Titanic, it is a work of fiction. I was much surprised to learn that Edith's had been chosen as one of the passengers included in the list of characters and looked forward to seeing the show. I was saddened to learn that, much in the way she would sacrifice herself in life to let others shine, her character on stage was no different. The Broadway version of Edith has her walking alongside a male companion who is not Archibald Gracie, with the other characters referring to her as his mistress. Edith is seen no other time during the show except on one account when she utters her only line in the show, telling him a fortune teller told her to stay away from water. Had the word "fortune teller" not been said, I would have had no idea it was supposed to have been our Edith. The musical does not go on to show any mention of her giving up a boat to any other character on stage, and after that line (again, mirroring real life) she is never seen again. |
| Screenshot of Mindy Cooper's quick entrance as Edith on Broadway |
Museum
In 2007, the Titanic Museum attraction opened its doors in Branson, Missouri and another in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in 2010. The museums, made to look like a two-story version of the real Titanic hitting an iceberg, house many real artifacts recovered from the ship as well as replicas built directly from the blueprints of the actual ship.The museum hosts parties, gatherings, weddings and more and is open to schools for educational field trips as well. One thing the Titanic attraction does to help make the experience a more personal one for those who visit is their boarding passes. Each visitor is given a boarding pass with details of different people who were on the ship that fateful night. The visitor will following along the attraction putting together clues and learning facts, having no idea the fate of their character until the end of the tour.
Edith Corse Evans is one such passenger that people from all over have had the chance to explore. I have read many accounts of museum goers who have posted online reviews discussing their devastation of finding out Edith did not survive her voyage.
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| Boarding Pass given to visitors of the Titanic Exhibit |
Freaky Fact:
It was love of family history and honor for her ancestors that would guide and lead Edith through every aspect of her life, the blessings and the curses. It was my own that led me to her. I wholeheartedly understand her stoic stance on the ship and how she felt it was her duty to save others, not herself. It is my nature to do the same. What is the worse that could happen, death? It has to happen to someone, so what makes me so special that it shouldn't be me? It is my intention to educate our relatives about the beauty of the soul that was this woman. When you get a chance to read up on her yourself, please do. There is so much that I couldn't include here.Like what you read? Show your support!
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Gracie, Colonel Archibald. The Truth About the Titanic. Harpercollins Canada, 2012, Hoopladigital.com, https://www.hoopladigital.com/play/11934727.
Newsday. "Titanic victim from Long Island." YouTube, 18 Apr. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGKRd40QH5s
Caladan1616. "Titanic, The Musical." YouTube, 17 Nov. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryp32MFDzEs
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