Anna McGowan
| Anna McGowan | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Anna "Annie" McGowan July 5, 1897 Scranton, Pennsylvania |
| Died |
January 30, 1990 (aged 92) Chicago, Illinois |
Anna McGowan (July 5, 1897 - January 30, 1990) was one of the last living survivors of the sinking of RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912.
Early life
Anna "Annie" McGowan was born on July 5, 1897 at Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA. She is the daughter of John McGowan and Marie Heneghan.
Aboard RMS Titanic
Annie boarded RMS Titanic at Queenstown (now known as Cobh) as a third-class passenger together with her aunt Katherine McGowan. They didn't share the same ticket. Her aunt led a group of passengers included Anna Kelly, Bridget McDermott, John Bourke, Mary Bourke, Catherine Bourke, Patrick Canavan, Mary Canavan, James Flynn, Mary Mangan, Bridget Donohoe and Honora Fleming.
Annie remembered people saying that God or man could not sink the ship.
"I felt so sure of the safety, everybody did" Annie said. "Wealthy people had waited on lists to get on the ship."
She enjoyed luxuries on board. She also took part in the activities, including the adult dance on Sunday, April 14.
Annie was rescued on lifeboat 13.
"They just grabbed me the way I was, wearing just a dress and shoes. They would not even let me take my purse," Annie recalled. "I was just numb and it was so cold out on the ocean."
Annie and the other survivors heard the band playing "Nearer My God To Thee".
While on the lifeboat, she worried about her aunt Katherine. She said that the ship was "busted in half". They were rescued by RMS Carpathia.
Only Annie McGowan, Anna Kelly and Bridget McDermott survived. Her aunt and the others perished. Their bodies, if recovered, were never identified.
Later life
Annie traveled to Chicago with a fellow survivor, Anna Kelly. Later, she married a man named Straube.
Death
Annie Straube (née McGowan) died on January 30, 1990 in Chicago, Illinois at the age of 92. At the time of her death, she was the twentieth remaining survivor of the disaster.
References
http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-biography/anna-annie-mcgowan.html
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