Aurora Adelia Landergren

Who was Aurora Adelia Landergren?

Aurora Adelia Landergren was a Swedish Titanic survivor who emigrated to the United States in 1912. Born on June 19, 1889, in Näsgränden, Karlshamn, Blekinge, Sweden, she was 22 (twenty-two) years old when she boarded the ill-fated RMS Titanic. Her survival story is marked by an unexpected change of plans, a dramatic rescue, and a life rebuilt in America after the tragedy.

Early Life and Family

Aurora Adelia Landergren was born into a large Swedish family. Her parents were:

• Father: Axel Mattsson Landergren
• Mother: Fredrika Karolina Håkansson (born 1856)

Aurora was one of nine known siblings:

• Oskar Frederick Julius (born 1876)
• Twins Bertha and Britta (born 1878)
• Anny (born 1879)
• Anna Christina (born 1882)
• Ellen Mathilda (born 1884)
• Axelina Victoria (born 1885)
• Axel Lambert (born 1887)

Growing up in a sizeable family likely instilled in Aurora the resilience and adaptability that would serve her well during the Titanic disaster and her subsequent life in America.

The Journey to Titanic

A Fateful Change of Plans

By 1912, Aurora was still living with her family in Karlshamn but had decided to seek new opportunities in New York. Her original travel plans took an unexpected turn:

1. Initially booked passage on the Scandinavia-America Line’s Fredrik VIII
2. While en route to Denmark, met John Holm and Mauritz Ådahl
3. Persuaded by her new acquaintances to travel to England instead
4. Unaware they would be sailing on the Titanic

When the trio arrived in Southampton, they discovered they had been re-booked on the Titanic due to a coal strike affecting other ships.

Titanic Voyage Details

• Ticket Number: 7077
• Ticket Cost: £7, 5s
• Class: 3rd Class
• Point of Embarkation: Southampton
• Lifeboat: 13

The Night of the Sinking

Aurora’s experience on the night of April 14-15, 1912, was both harrowing and fortunate:

1. Assisted to the deck by Holm and Ådahl during evacuation
2. Returned to her cabin for her prayer book and personal items
3. Helped into Lifeboat 13 by her male companions
4. Holm and Ådahl perished in the sinking

Aurora’s decision to return for her prayer book highlights her deep religious convictions, a trait that likely provided solace during the traumatic events.

Life After the Titanic

Immediate Aftermath

• Received $75 from the Red Cross
• No additional damages were paid

Marriage and New Life in America

Aurora’s life took a new direction in the years following the Titanic disaster:

• Married Simon Frederick Johansson on June 26, 1922, in Manhattan
• Simon was a Swedish immigrant (born July 11, 1890) from Vena, Kalmar
• The couple anglicized their surname to Johnson
• Settled in the Bronx, New York
• Simon worked as a diamond driller and later as a handyman in their apartment complex
• The couple remained childless

Family Ties

Despite not having children of their own, Aurora and Simon maintained close family connections:

• Two nephews lived with them in later years:
  1. Axel Landergren (born 1906)
  2. Erland Andersson (born 1910)

Legacy and Final Years

Aurora Adelia Johnson (née Landergren) passed away on August 2, 1947, at the age of 58 (fifty-eight) in the Bronx, New York. Her final resting place carries a touching reminder of her Titanic connection:

• Buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York
• Section: Gibbon
• Grave: R-115
• Interred as Aurora Adele Johnson

Her husband, Simon Frederick Johnson, survived her by 15 years, passing away in 1962.

Aurora Adelia Landergren’s life story serves as a testament to the resilience of Titanic survivors. From a young Swedish woman seeking a new life in America to a Titanic survivor who rebuilt her life in New York, her journey embodies the immigrant experience of the early 20th century, forever touched by one of history’s most famous maritime disasters.