Elizabeth Dowdell

Who was Miss Elizabeth Dowdell?

Miss Elizabeth Dowdell was a 31-year-old (thirty-one) American woman who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912. She was employed as a housekeeper and nursemaid, traveling in third class aboard the ill-fated ship while chaperoning 6-year-old Virginia Emanuel back to New York.

Early Life and Family

Elizabeth Dowdell was born on September 6, 1880, in West Hoboken, New Jersey. Her parents were Matthew Dowdell, a quarryman, and Alice Carey, both Irish immigrants. Elizabeth came from a large family, with at least nine siblings, though many died in infancy. Tragically, her mother passed away in 1889, followed by her father in 1891, leaving Elizabeth orphaned at a young age.

Employment and Titanic Journey

By 1912, Elizabeth was working as a nursemaid for opera singer Estelle Emanuel. She was tasked with escorting Estelle’s young daughter Virginia back to New York while Estelle remained in London for a six-month contract.

Elizabeth and Virginia boarded the Titanic at Southampton on April 10, 1912. They traveled in third class, sharing a cabin with English passenger Amy Stanley. Their ticket number was 364516 and cost £12 9s 6d.

The Fateful Night

On the night of April 14, Elizabeth recounted her harrowing experience:

“I had put Ethel to bed, and was preparing to retire myself when the crash came. I went into the passageway and asked a steward what was wrong. He assured me that everything was all right.”

As the situation worsened, Elizabeth and Virginia faced difficulty reaching the lifeboats due to crowded stairways. An unidentified Englishman heroically assisted them:

“An Englishman stepped to my side and picked up my charge. He held her up as high as possible, but she was too small to grasp the hands overhead. Finally he stood alongside one of the poles and lifted her to his shoulders. Still she could not get up. ‘Step on my face, kiddie,’ he said.”

Rescue and Survival

Elizabeth and Virginia were eventually placed in Lifeboat 13. Elizabeth vividly described the Titanic’s final moments:

“No sooner were we off that [sic] the Titanic began to go down rapidly. The bow disappeared first. There was no playing by the bands, and only the cries and sobs of those aboard and in the boats was to be heard above the wash of the sea.”

They were later rescued by the RMS Carpathia, though Elizabeth complained about the treatment of third-class survivors aboard the rescue ship.

Life After the Titanic

Following the disaster, Elizabeth returned to working as a domestic maid in Manhattan. On June 11, 1933, at the age of 52, she married Harry Fierer, a Russian-born millinery salesman. Interestingly, she claimed to be only 35 at the time of her marriage.

In the 1950s, Elizabeth attended a screening of “A Night to Remember” as a special guest, where she was photographed with other Titanic survivors. She claimed to still be in touch with Virginia Emanuel, though this has not been verified.

Elizabeth Dowdell passed away on November 16, 1962, in the Bronx at the age of 82 (eighty-two). She was laid to rest in Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City, New Jersey, leaving behind a remarkable tale of survival and resilience from one of history’s most infamous maritime disasters.