Titanic couples: John and Lizzie Chapman

Titanic couples: John and Lizzie Chapman by ric gustafson


John Chapman lived near Cornwall England. John's father was a tenant farmer with five children with John being the youngest. In the winter of 1911, he married Lizzie Lawry. She was twenty eight and he was thirty six. Their plan was to go to the United States and join Lizzie's brother William in Wisconsin. John booked a second class ticket on the Titanic for her maiden voyage. For their honeymoon, they would sail across to New York, catch a train to Chicago and there to Wisconsin.
Their second class room onboard was small with two berths, a couch and a mirrored washstand. The second class dining room was seventy feet long and stretched the full length of the ship. It was decorated in 17th century with carved oak panels and a raised platform for a piano.
After dinner on Sunday April 14, they joined the hymn sing. They were both in bed when they felt a jolt. John went out to the corridor and heard a steward instructing people to put on their life vests and to come up to the Boat Deck. Lizzie was helped into Lifeboat 4 and noticed that John was kept from getting in. She wanted to stay with John so she got back out. At 1:55 am, the ship was listing badly so they hung onto railings and walls. They could hear the band playing and water coming up the stairwell. Around 2:15, they held hands and then jumped. John Chapman's body was one of the first to be picked up by the Mackay-Bennett. He was still clutching Lizzie's purse and still had his watch on. Lizzie's body was never found.
Their marriage only lasted fifteen weeks.


research help: ' Titanic Love Stories' by Gill Paul


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric