Titanic couples: John Jacob and Madeleine Astor

Titanic couples: John Jacob and Madeleine Astor by ric gustafson


There was a couple who married on September 9 1911 and boarded the Titanic in Cherbourg. Their ticket number was 17757 and their suite number was C62/4.
John Jacob Astor divorced his wife Ava in 1909 and caused a scandal when he remarried two years later. His divorce was hostile and Ava walked away with a settlement that was less than she wanted. John got custody of their son Vincent and Ava got custody of their daughter Ava.
John Jacob was introduced to Madeleine Talmage Force in August of 1910. He was handsome, considerate and charming and she thought that he was the nicest man she had ever met. They were engaged in August of 1911 when he was forty seven and she was just eighteen. They were married on September 9 1911 at their home in Rhode Island.
They sailed to Europe in January of 1912 on Olympic which was Titanic's sister ship. When they traveled to Egypt, a friend Maggie Brown joined them. They decided to return to the States on the Titanic when Madeleine got word that her grandson was ill. On board the mighty ship, other passengers refused to eat with the Astors except their friend Maggie Brown.
On the night of the 14th, they were eating dinner with their friend Maggie Brown. At 11:40 pm, John Jacob felt something and then went up to the deck to investigate. He came back and told Madeleine that everything  was alright. Shortly after midnight, there was a knock on the door by a steward who told them to put on their lifebelts and come up to the deck. John took Madeleine to the gym and explained to her that she had to get into a lifeboat.
At 1:40 am, Lifeboat 4 with Madeleine aboard was lowered into the frigid water. Their boat picked up eight survivors but two died. The next morning at 6:00 am, they boarded the ship Carpathia and she asked where her husband was.
In New York, John's son Vincent learned that his new stepmother was saved. In August of 1912, she gave birth to a son that she named John Jacob after his father. June of 1916, she married William Dick who was able to take care of her.


research help: ' Titanic Love Stories' by Gill Paul


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric