James Vivian Drew - Titanic Second Class Passenger
Mr James Vivian Drew was a second class passenger travelling aboard RMS Titanic, returning home from Britain to America with his wife Maria Louisa Thorne Drew and his 8 year old nephew Marshall Brines Drew. They had had sailed to Britain during the latter part of 1911, where James Vivian Drew was from and had family in Cornwall. They had sailed to Britain abroad the RMS Olympic; they were sailing home aboard Olympic’s younger nearly identical sister ship, Titanic.
James Vivian Drew was born in Cornwall, United Kingdom on 4th May 1869.
Following on from his brother William John Drew (born in 1864), he moved to the United States in around 1890, where he settled in Greenport, Suffolk, New York, and operated a business with his brother William, supplying monuments.
He married Maria Louisa Thorne Christian (born in 1878). His brother William Drew had a son, Marshall Brines Drew, born on 30th March 1904; sadly Marshall’s mother died within a few weeks of his birth, and it appears that his uncle James Drew and his aunt Maria Drew largely took care of him.
They boarded Titanic at Southampton on 10th April 1912.
James Drew is said to have been amongst the second class passengers who were able to tour some of the first class accommodation prior to Titanic departing Southampton.
He did not survive the sinking. His body is not known to have been recovered.
Both his wife, Maria Louisa Thorne Drew, and his nephew Marshall Brines Drew were saved in Lifeboat 10; they last saw James Drew on the Boat Deck.
There is a memorial to him at Oak Grove Cemetery, Ashaway, Rhode Island, United States, saying: "In loving memory of James V. Drew May 4, 1869 – April 15, 1912 Lost on steamer Titanic in Lat. 41° 46' N. and Long. 50° 14' W.”
Related pages - Titanic's Second Class Passengers, All Titanic Pages