Nellie Becker - Titanic Second Class Passenger
Mrs Nellie Becker was a second class passenger traveling aboard Titanic to the United States with her children, Ruth (age 12), Marion (age 4) and Richard (age 1). She was traveling to the United States from India, where her husband worked as a missionary. She was travelling to America due to, it is said, her son Richard being ill and needing to be treated. Though as she remained in the United States after the disaster and perhaps judging by some of the items that sailed aboard Titanic with her, it is possible that she was never intending to return to live in India (or perhaps the sinking changed things). She boarded Titanic with her children at Southampton on 10th April 1912.
With the name Nellie Baumgardner, she was born in Ohio, United States on 19th June 1876. She married Allen Oliver Becker. Prior to boarding Titanic they appear to have been living in India for a considerable amount of time.
As Titanic was sinking her two youngest children were put into Lifeboat 11 – but before she was able to join them the lifeboat was about to leave, so she shouted out “Please let me in this boat! Those are my children!", and was able to join her children – but then realised her other daughter, Ruth Becker, was still standing on the deck. She called out to Ruth to get into another Lifeboat, which she did, Lifeboat 13. Nellie Becker’s lifeboat, Lifeboat 11 was lowered away from Titanic at around 1.35am.
Nellie Becker and her children were rescued by Carpathia. After the disaster, they remained in America, with her husband also eventually returning there to live with them.
After the sinking she made a claim against the White Star Line for the loss of her possessions that were lost when Titanic sank: they included a number of rugs, paintings, furniture and books.
Nellie Becker died on 15th February 1961 in Benton Harbor, Michigan. She was buried at Oakland Cemetery, Princeton, Illinois. Her husband had died in 1956.
Related pages - Titanic's Second Class Passengers, All Titanic Pages