Charity Robins

Who was Mrs Charity Robins?

Mrs Charity Robins was a 48 (forty-eight) year-old English third-class passenger aboard the RMS Titanic who tragically perished in the ship’s sinking on April 15, 1912. Born Charity Lawry on January 9, 1864, in St Mewan, Cornwall, she was a wife, mother, and immigrant who had built a life in Yonkers, New York, before her fateful return journey on the Titanic.

Early Life and Family

Cornish Roots

Charity was born into a mining family in Cornwall, England. Her parents were:

Father: James Lawry (1825-1899), a miner from St Ewe, Cornwall
Mother: Susanna Nancarrow (1824-1891) from St Austell

Charity was one of nine children, growing up in a large family typical of the era. Her siblings included:

William (b. 1849)
Thomas (b. 1850)
Hannah (b. 1852)
James (b. 1854)
Jane (b. 1858)
John (b. 1859)
Walter (b. 1862)
Mary Ann (b. 1868)

The 1871 census places young Charity, then just 7 years old, living with her family on Union Road in St Austell, a town known for its china clay mining industry.

Marriage and Family Life

A Young Bride

At the tender age of 16, Charity married Alexander Robins, a stonemason from St Austell, in late 1880. This early marriage was not uncommon for the time, especially in working-class families. The couple’s first child, Alice Ann, was born shortly after, in early 1881.

Tragedy and Resilience

The Robins family faced significant hardship in their early years:

They had nine children in total
Only two children survived infancy
Their firstborn, Alice, died in 1883 at just two years old

The two surviving children were:

Beatrice Annie (b. 1886)
Alexander (b. 1890)

This high infant mortality rate was, sadly, not unusual for the late 19th century, but it undoubtedly took an emotional toll on Charity and Alexander.

Life in America

The Journey Across the Atlantic

Around 1886, Charity and Alexander made the bold decision to leave England for America, joining the wave of European immigration to the United States. They settled in Yonkers, New York, a growing industrial city just north of New York City.

Building a New Life

In Yonkers, the Robins family:

Appeared in census records from 1900 to 1910
Alexander continued his work as a stonemason
Made several trips back to England, maintaining ties with their homeland

This transatlantic lifestyle was common among immigrants of the time, as they balanced their new lives in America with connections to their roots.

The Fateful Titanic Journey

A Family Visit Turns Tragic

In early 1912, Charity and Alexander returned to Cornwall for a family visit. On their return journey to the USA, they booked passage on the RMS Titanic, traveling third-class. Key details of their voyage include:

Ticket number: 3337
Cost of ticket: £14, 10s (equivalent to about £1,700 or $2,100 in 2023)
Accompanied by: Charity’s nephew, William Henry Nancarrow

The Sinking and Recovery

Tragically, both Charity and Alexander perished when the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912. Their bodies were later recovered by the Mackay Bennett, the ship sent to retrieve victims from the disaster site.

What Were the Details of Charity’s Recovery?

Charity’s body was listed as No. 7 in the recovery records. The description provided a poignant glimpse into her final moments:

Estimated age: 60 (though she was actually 48)
Hair: Grey
Clothing: Blue waterproof, black skirt and undershirt, white undervest and chemise, black lawn shoes and black stockings
Notable: Set of false upper teeth

Personal Effects

The items found with Charity’s body paint a picture of a woman prepared for a new life in America:

Jewelry: 1 gold ring, 1 wedding ring, 1 diamond ring
Purse labeled “A. Robins”
2nd class ticket for the Olympic (Titanic’s sister ship)
Gold watch and chain
£60 in notes and coins (a substantial sum, equivalent to about £7,000 or $8,700 in 2023)
2 receipted accounts and excess luggage ticket from Plymouth, Great Western docks

These personal effects, especially the significant amount of money and the Olympic ticket, suggest that the Robins were frequent transatlantic travelers and were well-prepared for their return to America.

Legacy and Descendants

After the tragedy, Charity and Alexander’s remains were taken to their daughter in Yonkers and interred at Oakland Cemetery. Their children went on to lead full lives:

Daughter Beatrice (“Annie”): Married Patrick Curtin of Pennsylvania, raised a family in Yonkers, and passed away in 1965.
Son Alexander: Married Julia Lee on January 7, 1912, just months before his parents’ ill-fated journey. He worked as a steam fitter in Yonkers and died in 1966.

The story of Charity Robins is a poignant reminder of the human cost of the Titanic disaster. Her life, spanning from the mines of Cornwall to the promise of America, ended tragically on that cold April night in 1912. Yet, through her descendants, her legacy lives on, a testament to the resilience of immigrant families in the face of unimaginable loss.