Can You Help? Thomson Beattie, The Titanic Project and Collaborative Profile of the Week?

Question

The Titanic Project and the Collaborative Profile of the Week Present

Thomson Beattie (1875-1912)

Thomson Beattie was a Canadian and a victim of the Titanic Disaster.

1. What did he do with his life?
2. Why was he aboard the Titanic?
3. How did he die?
4. Can we connect him to the Global Tree?

Can you add to Thomson's profile. Post an answer and let us know what you'd like to work on/add. This prevents duplication of effort and it keeps the question on the front page of G2G.

The Titanic Project

In the early hours of the morning of April 15, 1912, the Titanic slipped beneath the waves during her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York. Of the 2,223 passengers and crew of the Titanic, only 706 survived the sinking. To many, these are mere numbers, but family historians understand that each had a name - a history that linked them to true humanity. These people were real. They lived, they breathed, and they lived (or died) through a great tragedy; a tragedy that Eva Hart,  who was seven years old when she boarded the ship, and who lost her father in the sinking, regarded as senseless because, with a little foresight, nobody should have died. Imagine how much larger the family tree would be if they all survived.

Regardless, the Titanic did sink, and from the tragedy, we were told stories of great self-sacrifice and heroism. The richest man aboard the ship, John Jacob Astor, helped his pregnant wife aboard a life-boat. When offered access to the same boat, he refused and instead offered his place to two third class children he saw nearby. Margaret "Molly" Brown encouraged the women in her lifeboat to row to keep warm. Ida Straus gave her maid her fur coat saying she wouldn't need it as she chose to stay on the ship with her husband, saying, "We have lived together for many years. Where you go, I go."

While these stories may be famous, when given the chance to look at the other 2,221 passengers on the ship, many other rich stories abound which are far less unknown... As in the case of William Edward Minahan  who left his own legacy in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. As a local newspaper wrote, "Those who knew him best are confident that even if Dr. Minahan had been given the opportunity to escape in the lifeboats from the Titanic he would have preferred to remain on the liner himself rather than take the place of some one else who might be saved. It is easy to picture him walking about among the frenzied people who were facing their doom as the giant liner sank lower and lower, striving to give the same aid and comfort that characterized his work here." What a legacy.

Several volunteers are currently in the process of indexing those associated with the Titanic, and we could use any willing volunteers. There are many tasks available - writing biographical sketches, connecting passengers to the main tree, tagging profiles already on Wikitree, etc. If you are interested in joining this project, please visit The Titanic Project.

Thank you

 

Answer 1

I found him in the 1881 Canadian Census with his parents and a ton of siblings. I'll add in his siblings now.

Comments

Thank you Elizabeth. Not having any Canadian relations, I didn't have the foggiest notion of where to look.

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No problem! I'm currently attempting to find him in 1891.

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I managed to connect him to the Global Tree! Through his maternal grandmother Margaret Stewart.

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Way to go Elizabeth. Nicely done. and you're like brand new here.

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Thomson Beattie was born 25 Nov. 1875 in Fergus, Ontario. He was the last of 11 children.  After his father died, Thomson and brother, Charles, took their share of the estate, and moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba. There Thomson went into partnership with Richard Waugh, together they open the Haslam Land Co. Within 5 years their enterprise was so successful Beattie was able to buy a substantial house he shared with a medical doctor in an upscale neighborhood. At 560 River Ave.  When Waugh was elected Mayor of Winnipeg in 1911 Beattie was left to run their company. His best friend and closest companion was Thomas McCaffry, the Superintendant of the Union Bank in Vancouver.  In Jan 1912, Beattie McCaffry and another friend, John Hugo Ross sailed from New York to Trieste on the Franconia for a winter vacation. By March, Ross had become ill and Beattie and Mccaffry were too exhausted from their travels. They decided to sail home on the Titanic. Beattie wrote to his mother 3 days before they sailed.  "We are changing ships and we are coming home in a new unsinkable boat."  Beattie, a Canadian Realtor, concluded his travels through Egypt, and orginally plan to sail home to Canada on the Mauretania. Beattie and his friends changed their plans and booked passages on the Titanic. Beattie made it aboard on to the next to the last available life raft, but died of exposure. When Harold Lowe emptied the boat, they were 3 bodies, including Beattie's left behind. The bodies were recovered after a full month after the disaster. There were 2 men and one wearing an evening dress in the life raft. They were ghastly to look at. Beattie is remembered on a stone in the family plot in Fergus, Ontario.

Available Documents: Cork Examiner 16 May 1912, Echo of Disaster, boat picked up bodies on boat.

This is what I found on genealogyintimemagazine.com- put in Thomson Beattie born 1875 Canada or put in Titanic 1912 in search engine.

Answer 2

I have added to Thomson Beattie's (Beattie-636) tree.

Beattie-871 = William Beattie - Brother

"Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FMJQ-HP9 : 10 April 2015), William Beattie and Janet Blyth, 14 Oct 1879; citing registration , Guelph, Wellington, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,869,506.

"Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JKCY-ZP1 : 11 December 2014), William Beattie, 12 Nov 1904; citing Fergus, Wellington, Ontario, Canada, p 65, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,854,287.

"Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVK9-PNK3 : 13 December 2015), William Beattie, 1904; Burial, Fergus, Wellington, Ontario, Canada, Belsyde Cemetery; citing record ID 37831437, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

Beattie-872 = Jeannie - Sister

"Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FMNY-KXL : 10 April 2015), William Murray and Jeannie Beattie, 05 Jan 1881; citing registration , Fergus, Wellington, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,869,512.

Beattie-874 = George - Brother

"Idaho Death Certificates, 1938-1961," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2M1-XD6J : 1 February 2016), George Beattie, 31 Jul 1949; citing Death, Boise, Ada, Idaho, United States, Department of Health and Welfare, Boise..

Beattie-875 = William - Paternal Grandfather

"Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYX6-Q5M : 2 January 2015), William Bettie, 04 Jan 1784; citing GLENBUCKET,ABERDEEN,SCOTLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 993,188.

McDonald-11420 = Elizabeth - Paternal Grandmother

Beattie-876 = William - Paternal Great Grandfather

Innes-1143 = Jean - Paternal Great Grandmother

"Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XB3J-8JY : 2 January 2015), Jean Innes, 10 Nov 1765; citing MORTLACH,BANFF,SCOTLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 990,989.

Innes-1144 = John - Paternal Great Great Grandfather

"Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTLM-D2B : 8 December 2014), John Innes and Jean Strath, 20 Sep 1764; citing Mortlach,Banff,Scotland, reference ; FHL microfilm 990,989.

Strath-11 = Jean - Paternal Great Great Grandmother

"Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTLM-D2B : 8 December 2014), John Innes and Jean Strath, 20 Sep 1764; citing Mortlach,Banff,Scotland, reference ; FHL microfilm 990,989.

Comments

You need sources.

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Thank you Loretta

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Good job !  Hugs.