None of us
know what we would or wouldn’t do in a disaster until it’s upon us. We would
probably like to think we would act calmly and preform with courage and valor.
Maybe we even hope we will lead others to safety or protect them in horrific
circumstances. Perhaps these hopes, fears, and wishes make us think about the disastrous sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912 at 2:20 AM.
One person
that comes to mind when I think about the sinking of the Titanic is the unlikely
heroine, a wild western woman, Margaret Brown. She did what we all hope we
would do in the face of a horrific disaster. After her heroic efforts, she
later became known as the “Unsinkable Molly Brown”. But the Titanic is not the
only time Margaret rose to the occasion as a humanitarian and a leader. Settle
back in your desk chair or recliner while I tell the tale of the remarkable
Margaret Brown.
She was born
Margaret Tobin in 1867 in Hannibal, Missouri, the daughter of an impoverished
ditch-digger. When she was 18, she travel to Leadville, Colorado to join her
brother, Daniel, who worked in the booming silver mining town of Leadville,
Colorado. It was there she caught the eye of James Joseph Brown, nicknamed
“J.J.”, the manager of a local silver mine. J.J. was an enterprising,
self-educated man whose parents, like Molly’s, had emigrated from Ireland. The
couple married in 1886. Although Molly had always planned to marry a rich man,
she said, “I wanted a rich man, but I loved Jim Brown. I thought about how I
wanted comfort for my father and how I had determined to stay single until a
man presented himself who could give to the tired old man the things I longed
for him. Jim was as poor as we were, and had no better chance in life. I
struggled hard with myself in those days. I loved Jim, but he was poor.
Finally, I decided that I'd be better off with a poor man whom I loved than
with a wealthy one whose money had attracted me. So I married Jim Brown.”
But things
were about to change, The Brown family acquired great wealth when in 1893
J.J.'s mining engineering efforts proved instrumental in the production of a
substantial ore seam at the Little Jonny Mine of his employers, Ibex Mining
Company, and he was awarded 12,500 shares of stock and a seat on the board. In
Leadville, Molly helped by working in soup kitchens to assist miners' families.
In 1894, the
Browns moved to Denver, Colorado, which gave the family more social
opportunities. Molly became a charter member of the Denver Woman's Club, whose
mission was the improvement of women's lives by continuing education and
philanthropy. Adjusting to the trappings of a society lady, Molly became immersed
in the arts and became fluent in French, German, and Italian. Molly co-founded
a branch in Denver of the Alliance Française to promote her love of French
culture. I had a hard time learning French in high school. I certainly can’t
imagine learning two other languages fluently as well, so I think these
accomplishments show how smart and determined Molly Brown was.
Unfortunately,
the blue bloods of Denver found Molly to flamboyant and forceful for their
taste and she was never accepted into their society. Sadly, after 23 years of
marriage, J.J. and Molly privately separated in 1909. The agreement gave
Margaret a cash settlement and she maintained possession of the house on
Pennsylvania Street in Denver. She also received a $700 monthly allowance
(equivalent to $18,374 today) to continue her travels and social work. They
continued to stay in touch and cared for one another through the rest of their
lives. They had 2 children, Larry and Helen.
Molly Brown
continued her social work by assisting in the fund-raising for Denver's
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception which was completed in 1911. She worked
with Judge Lindsey to help destitute children and establish the United States'
first juvenile court which helped form the basis of the modern U.S. juvenile
courts system.
And then she
boarded the Titanic.
When the
ship began to sink into the icy Atlantic on April 15, 1912 at 2:20 AM, Molly
helped passengers board the life boats until, she was finally convinced to take
a seat in Life Boat #6 to preserve her own life. Because she was instrumental
in saving the lives of other passengers, convincing them to row back and save
other survivors. Her urgings were met with opposition from Quartermaster Robert
Hichens, the crewman in charge of Lifeboat 6. Hichens was fearful that if they
did go back, the lifeboat would either be pulled down due to suction or the
people in the water would swamp the boat in an effort to get inside. Sources
vary as to whether the boat did go back and if they found anyone alive when
they did. Molly even took an oar herself
to row them to safety on the Carpathian, Margaret Brown became known as “the
unsinkable Molly Brown.”
Molly Brown giving Captain Arthur Henry
Rostron an award for his service in the rescue of Titanic's surviving
passengers
But Molly
wasn’t finished. She ran for Senate in 1914 but ended her campaign to return to
France to work with the American Committee for Devastated France during WWI.
Later, when
J.J. Brown died on September 5, 1922, Margaret told newspapers, "I've
never met a finer, bigger, more worthwhile man than J.J. Brown." J.J. died
without a will and it caused five years of dispute between Margaret and her two
children before they finally settled the estate. Due to their lavish spending
J.J. left an estate valued at only $238,000, equal to $3,353,292 today. Molly
was to receive $20,000 in cash and securities (equal to $281,789 today), and
the interest on a $100,000 trust fund (equal to $1,408,946 today) in her name.
Her children, Lawrence and Helen, received the rest. A court case against Helen
and Lawrence was settled privately, and Margaret and her children were
reconciled at the time of her death in 1932.
Her fame as
a well-known Titanic survivor helped her promote the issues she felt strongly
about—the rights of workers and women, education and literacy for children,
historic preservation, and commemoration of the bravery and chivalry displayed
by the men aboard the Titanic. During World War I in France, she worked with
the American Committee for Devastated France to rebuild areas behind the front
line and helped wounded French and American soldiers. She was awarded the
French Légion d'Honneur for her good citizenship including her activism and
philanthropy in America. During the last years of her life, she was an actress.
After she
died in 1932 (during the Great Depression), her two children sold her estate
for $6,000, equal to $109,311 today. She is buried in the Cemetery of the Holy
Rood in Westbury, New York.
Margaret
Brown, the unsinkable Molly Brown, will live in our memories forever. Though
wealth may have given her the opportunity to be in first class on the HMS
Titanic, it was her willingness to act with valor and courage when it was
greatly needed, that made her famous and for which we will always honor her in
our hearts.
(All photos open domain from Wikipedia)
Sarah J. McNeal
Sarah
McNeal
is a multi-published author of several genres including time travel,
paranormal, western and historical fiction. She is a retired ER nurse who lives
in North Carolina with her four-legged children, Lily, the Golden Retriever and
Liberty, the cat. Besides her devotion to writing, she also has a great love of
music and plays several instruments including violin, bagpipes, guitar and
harmonica. Her books and short stories may be found at Publishing by Rebecca
Vickery, Victory Tales Press, Prairie Rose Publications and Painted Pony Books,
and Fire Star Press, imprints of Prairie Rose Publications. She welcomes you to
her website and social media:
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