James Matthew Mccrie - Titanic Universe

Who was James Matthew McCrie?

James Matthew McCrie was a 32-year-old Canadian oil worker who tragically lost his life in the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912. Born in Ontario to Scottish and English-Swiss parents, McCrie had been working on an oil rig in the Middle East for two years before boarding the ill-fated ship to return home to his family in Sarnia, Ontario.

Early Life and Family

James Matthew McCrie was born on July 4, 1879, in Enniskillen Township, Lambton, Ontario. He came from a Presbyterian family and was one of eight children born to Matthew McCrie, a farmer from Ayr, Scotland, and Roxanna Harrington, who was of English and Swiss descent.

McCrie’s siblings included:

Margaret (b. 1875)
William (b. 1877)
Edith Agnes (b. 1881)
Robert David (b. 1884)
John Cleveland (b. 1886)
Amos Wilberforce (b. October 19, 1888)
Hugh Roy (b. September 4, 1891)

Marriage and Children

On June 6, 1900, at the age of 20 (twenty), James McCrie married Maud Mary Brown in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan. Maud was born on November 6, 1882, in Troy, Ontario, to parents of Scottish ancestry. The couple had four daughters:

Margaret Irene (b. June 24, 1900)
Eveline Pearl (b. June 24, 1901 - d. May 9, 1905)
Frances May (b. April 14, 1902)
Elsie Maude (b. December 4, 1906)

Tragically, their daughter Eveline passed away in Sarnia, Ontario, at the young age of 3 (three).

Career and Life Abroad

By 1901, James McCrie was working as a machinist in Algoma, Ontario. However, his career path would soon take him far from home. In 1910, McCrie began working on an oil rig in the Middle East, likely attracted by higher wages. He spent two years abroad, separated from his family during this time.

The Fateful Journey Home

Why was McCrie returning to Canada?

In 1912, James McCrie received distressing news from home. One of his three surviving daughters was severely ill with tuberculosis. Concerned for his family and wanting to comfort his distraught wife, McCrie decided to return to Canada.

Boarding the Titanic

McCrie boarded the RMS Titanic at Southampton as a second-class passenger. His ticket, number 233478, cost £13. Before embarking on his journey, McCrie had been staying at the Strand Palace Hotel in London.

The Tragic News

As news of the Titanic’s sinking reached Canada, local newspapers reported on McCrie’s fate:

“SARNIA MAN ABOARD. It is thought here that Mr. James McCrie, of this place, was one of the passengers, on the Titanic. Mr. McCrie, who is an oil-driller, has been In Egypt for the past couple of years and was on his way home.” — The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec), April 17, 1912

A heartbreaking account was published the following day:

“AWAY 18 MONTHS, WIFE MAY NOT SEE HIM AGAIN. Mrs Jas. McCrie, whose husband is among the list of the missing on Titanic, today received a letter which he had mailed just a couple of days before he sailed, saying that he was coming home on the big new liner on her maiden trip, and was looking forward with unbounded joy both to the trip and the homecoming to his wife and three little ones, whom he had not seen since he left for Egypt 18 months ago to work in the oil fields for an English syndicate.” — The Leader-Post (Regina, Saskatchewan), April 18, 1912

The Aftermath and Family’s Struggle

James McCrie did not survive the sinking of the Titanic. His body, if recovered, was never identified. The tragedy left his family in dire straits, as revealed by the Red Cross Record:

“A young husband, returning from an absence of two years to his family in Canada, was drowned. He had been employed by an English company as an oil well operator and, attracted by the higher wages, had taken work abroad. His family were eagerly awaiting his arrival and he had written to them that he would remain at home, permanently. He is survived by his wife, 29 years of age and three daughters, aged 12, 10 and 6 years….The eldest is a cripple from hip disease. The second is in frail health, threatened with throat tuberculosis, and unless she has the best of care and nourishing food she cannot escape this disease. After her father’s departure for England, the youngest daughter suffered an attack of infantile paralysis, which has left one ankle useless for life…”

How did the family cope after the tragedy?

To support the McCrie family, the following measures were taken:

Maud McCrie trained to become a practical nurse.
James McCrie’s life insurance of $1,300 was placed in the bank.
The Red Cross Committee established a trust fund of $5,000, providing a quarterly pension of $125 or more to the family.

The Family’s Later Years

Maud McCrie, now a widow, worked as a nurse and relocated with her children to Michigan. In 1916, she remarried to George Kienle, an automobile plant clerk, in Detroit. Maud lived in Michigan until her death in January 1965, survived by her husband George, who passed away in 1970.

The fates of James and Maud’s daughters varied:

Margaret Irene: By 1930, she was working as a hotel telephone operator. Her later life remains uncertain.
Frances: Married twice, first to Joseph J. Wheeler in 1920, with whom she had a daughter, Catherine Elaine. After divorcing Wheeler, she married Gerald Morand and had two sons, James and Jerry. Frances passed away in Oakland, Michigan, on January 26, 1979.
Elsie: Married Frank Arthur Rooney in Detroit in 1925, but they were divorced by 1930