Emily Borie Ryerson

Who was Miss Emily Borie Ryerson?

Miss Emily Borie Ryerson was a first-class passenger and survivor of the RMS Titanic disaster. Born on October 8, 1893, in Chicago, Illinois, she was 18 (eighteen) years old when she boarded the ill-fated ship. Emily’s life was marked by both tragedy and resilience, from her harrowing experience on the Titanic to her later years as a mother and widow.

Early Life and Family

Emily Borie Ryerson was born into a prominent American family. She was the second daughter and third child of Arthur Larned Ryerson (born 1851) and Emily Maria Borie (born 1863), who had married in Philadelphia on January 31, 1889. Emily grew up in a large family, with four siblings:

Susan Parker (born 1890)
Arthur Larned (born 1891)
Ellen Ashfordby (born 1895)
John Borie (born 1898)

The Ryerson family was well-established, and by 1910, they were residing in Cooperstown, Springfield, Ostego, New York, as evidenced by the census records of that year.

The Fateful Titanic Journey

What brought Emily Ryerson aboard the Titanic?

Emily’s journey on the Titanic began with a family tragedy. In April 1912, the Ryersons were vacationing in Europe when they received devastating news: Emily’s brother Arthur, a Yale undergraduate, had been killed in an automobile accident on April 8, 1912. This tragic event prompted the family to cut their holiday short and book passage on the first available ship back to America - which happened to be the RMS Titanic.

Titanic Voyage Details

Embarkation Point: Cherbourg
Ticket Number: 17608
Ticket Cost: £262, 7s, 6d
Cabin Numbers: B57, B63, and B66
Class: First Class

Emily boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg with her parents, sister Susan, brother John, and two servants, Grace Bowen and Victorine Chaudanson.

The Night of the Sinking

On the night of April 14-15, 1912, when the Titanic struck an iceberg and began to sink, Emily and her family faced a harrowing ordeal. They waited for some time before boarding Lifeboat 4. Emily was among the rescued, but tragically, her father, Arthur Larned Ryerson, was among those lost in the disaster.

Life After the Titanic

Marriage and Family

Emily’s life took a new turn when she married George Hyde Clarke on October 23, 1915, at Christ’s Church in Cooperstown. George Hyde Clarke, born on April 30, 1889, was a Harvard graduate and racquet sports enthusiast from Ostego. He was described as a tall man, standing at 6'3" with a long face, blonde hair, and grey eyes.

The couple settled in Cooperstown and had seven children:

Mary Hyde (1916-1981, later Mrs. Kenneth Paton)
Emily Ryerson (born 1917, later Mrs. Danilo Machado)
Susan Parker (1918-1944)
Jane (born 1919)
George Hyde Jr. (1921-1943)
Ann Hyde (born 1924, later Logan)
Arthur (born 1927)

Personal Characteristics

Emily’s 1923 passport provides a vivid description of her appearance:

Height: 5'8"
Hair color: Brown
Eye color: Brown
Face shape: Oval
Nose: Broad
Distinctive feature: A scar on her left wrist

Later Life and Tragedies

Emily’s life was marked by further tragedies and changes:

In 1932, Emily and George Hyde Clarke divorced. Clarke remarried in 1933 to Dorothy Benjamin, née Rennard.
Emily later married artist, actor, and writer Stephen Beach Cooke (born May 15, 1898).
In 1943, Emily lost her son George in an accident while he was training for combat duty with the US Air Force.
A year later, in 1944, her daughter Susan was killed while piloting a WASP plane on July 4.
On September 16, 1948, Emily became a widow when Stephen Beach Cooke, a veteran of both World Wars, died following a brief illness.

Emily’s Connection to Titanic Legacy

In the early 1950s, Emily and her brother Jack visited the set of Fox’s movie “Titanic” and were photographed with one of the stars, Audrey Dalton. This event showcases how the Titanic remained a significant part of Emily’s life decades after the disaster.

Emily Borie Ryerson spent her final years at Ringwood, Cooperstown. She passed away on June 25, 1960, at the age of 66 (sixty-six), following a stroke. She was laid to rest in Lakewood Cemetery, her life journey coming to an end nearly five decades after her fateful voyage on the Titanic.