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Edith Corse Evans - Titanic First Class Passenger

Edith Corse Evans was a 36 year old first class passenger returning home to New York aboard Titanic, after completing a trip to Europe. She boarded Titanic at Cherbourg, France on 10th April 1912, and occupied cabin A29. Aboard the ship she joined a group of three sisters traveling together, Charlotte Appleton, Caroline Brown and Malvina Cornell; Edith Evans uncle was the second husband of a sister of the three sisters traveling aboard the maiden voyage.

Edith Evans, the daughter of Cadwalader Evans (1847 - 1880) and Angeline Burr Corse Evans (1847 - 1909), was born in the United States on 21 September 1875. Edith Evans was unmarried.

With Titanic’s end fast approaching and with almost all of the lifeboats already gone from the ship, Edith Evans and Caroline Brown were both still aboard Titanic. When Colonel Archibald Gracie discovered that they were still aboard, he took them by their arms and escorted them as far as he could do so towards the port side Boat Deck’s Lifeboat D – the very last to be successfully lowered away from the sinking ship.

Separated from Colonel Archibald Gracie due to the men being kept back from the lifeboat, Edith Evans and Caroline Brown found themselves at Lifeboat D; exactly what happened next is a bit of a mystery, but for whatever reason Caroline Brown was safely placed into the lifeboat; Edith Evans was not. Before Caroline Brown had entered the lifeboat, Edith Evans had said to her that she should go first as she had children. It is perhaps possible that Edith Evans had difficulty in getting into the boat and in the chaos there was no one to help her in.

Edith Evans did not survive the sinking of Titanic. Her body is not known to have been recovered. She was one of 5 female first class passengers to have been lost during the sinking.

The three sisters she joined aboard Titanic survived the disaster.

A memorial service for Edith Evans was held at Grace Church, Manhattan, New York City on 22nd April 1912. There is a memorial to Edith Evans at the church saying: “In gratitude to God for the Memory of Edith Corse Evans who in the midst of life gave herself for others on the Titanic[,] XV April MCMXII[.]Trusting in him who hath made the death of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over[.]Love is strong as death”.

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