Eleanor Blanche (Elkins) Rice (1861 - 1937)

Born 21 Sep 1861 in Philadelphia, Somerset, Pennsylvania, USA

Ancestors

Wife of Alexander Hamilton Rice — married about 6 Oct 1915 (to 13 Jul 1937) in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States

Descendants

Died 13 Jul 1937 at age 75 in Paris, Seine, France

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Eleanor (Elkins) Rice was a passenger on the RMS Titanic. Join: Titanic Project Discuss: titanic

Biography

Birth: 21 Sep 1891 Death: 13 Jul 1937

Socialite. Titanic Passenger and Survivor. She was the daughter of William Lukens Elkins, a wealthy businessman, and she married George Dunton Widener. P.A.B. Widener, her father-in-law, was her father's business partner.

Eleanor and William had a son, Harry Elkins Widener. The three Wideners were on the Titanic on April 15, 1912, along with a valet and a lady's maid. George and Harry drowned, along with George's valet, Edwin Herbert Keeping; Eleanor was aboard Lifeboat 4 with other women from the First Class and was rescued by the Carpathia, along with her maid, Amalie Henriette "Emily" Gieger.

After the Titanic disaster, Eleanor presented to Harvard University the $2,000,000 Widener Memorial Library in memory of her son. She was also the donor of the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Science building at the Hill School, Pottstown, in 1931. Her son was a student at both institutions. She rebuilt St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Elkins Park, in memory of her husband. At Harvard she met surgeon and Amazon explorer Dr. Alexander Hamilton Rice, whom she married in 1915. She died at the age of 77 in a Paris department store. Her lady's maid, Emily, who survived the Titanic disaster with her, remained in her employ until at least 1923, and possibly even until Emily's death. (bio by: rjschatz)

From Special Cable to THE NEW YORK TIMES from Paris, 13 Jul 1937:

"A member of one of Philadelphia's wealthiest families, she was the former Miss Eleanor Elkins, daughter of the late William L. Elkins, who amassed a fortune in traction lines here. Her marriage to Mr. Widener, son of Peter A. B. Widener, united two of the largest fortunes in the city. She was known as one of the city's most beautiful women."

"Before the Titanic went down, the Wideners had begun plans for a now and spacious villa, Miramar,^[1] in Newport. Mr. Widener's widow eventually went ahead with the construction work and the completed mansion, was opened in 1915 with a ball attended by 500 members of society, including representatives of the diplomatic corps. Mr. and Mrs. Widener had designed the place and had purchased together from old French houses the contents of same of the rooms."

Family links: Parents: William Lukens Elkins (1832 - 1903)

Spouses: Alexander Hamilton Rice (1875 - 1956) George Dunton Widener (1861 - 1912)*

Children: George Dunton Widener (1889 - 1971)*

Sibling: Eleanor Elkins Rice (1862 - 1937) William Lukens Elkins (1863 - 1902)*

• Calculated relationship

Burial: Laurel Hill Cemetery Philadelphia Philadelphia County Pennsylvania, USA

Census

"United States Census, 1900,"^[2]

P A B Wiedner Head Male 58 Pennsylvania

George D Wiedner Son Male 38 Pennsylvania

Eleanor E Wiedner Wife Female 36 Pennsylvania

Harriet E Wiedner Daughter Female 16 Pennsylvania

George E Wiedner Son Male 11 Pennsylvania

Eleanor E Wiedner Jr. Daughter Female 9 Pennsylvania

Joseph E Wiedner Brother Male 28 Pennsylvania

Ella P Wiedner Sister-in-law Female 25 Pennsylvania

Peter A B Wiedner Jr. Grandson Male 4 Pennsylvania

May Brady Boarder Female 40 India

William Hamilton Boarder Male 31 England

Fredrick Hamilton Boarder Male 23 England

Charles Lee Boarder Male 52 England

Alfred Brandt Boarder Male 25 Sweden

Lewis Kreber Boarder Male 30 Sweden

Charlotte Nielson Boarder Female 21 Sweden

Sarah Booth Boarder Female 38 Ireland

Emily Thudice Boarder Female 24 Sweden

Lydia Hinon Boarder Female 25 Finland

Anna Kishner Boarder Female 21 Germany

Fred Bauer Boarder Male 8 Germany

Louis Tissener Boarder Male 34 France

Elizabeth Montgomery Boarder Female 20 Ireland

Laura Bartsen Boarder Female 42 Canada Eng

Augusta Rahlwes Boarder Female 37 Germany

"United States Census, 1910,"^[3]

Peter A B Widener Head Male 75 Pennsylvania

George D Widener Son Male 48 Pennsylvania

Eleann E Widener Daughter-in-law Female 47 Pennsylvania

Harry E Widener Grandson Male 25 Pennsylvania

George B Widener Jr. Grandson Male 21 Pennsylvania

Eleanor E Widener Granddaughter Female 19 Pennsylvania

Joseph E Widener Son Male 37 Pennsylvania

Ella P Widener Daughter-in-law Female 35 Pennsylvania

Peter A B Widener 2nd Grandson Male 16 Pennsylvania

Josephine P Widener Granddaughter Female 8 Pennsylvania

Amelia Griger Maid Female 38 Germany

Maud Clayton Maid Female 28 United States

Celina Biard Maid Female 35 France

Robert Stanterb Footman Male 19 England

Henry Holland Footman Male 26 England

Frederick Locke Footman Male 22 England

Edwin Man Footman Male 25 England

Jamie Wheeland Maid Female 31 France

Charles F Mazdon Butler Male 40 England

Margaret O Hallman Maid Female 32 Ireland

Mary Sullivan Maid Female 30 Ireland

Gustave Dietrich Chef Male 40 France

Delia Mcentee Maid Female 26 Ireland

Jennie Matthews Maid Female 22 Ireland

Emil Martin 2nd Chef Male 25 France

Fannie Pole Housekeeper Female 43 Virginia

French Ganey Kitchen man Male 21 France

Lizzie Long Maid Female 31 Ireland

Hilma Terist Maid Female 30 Norway

Odine Terist Maid Female 30 Norway

Agnes Erickson Maid Female 27 Norway

Eva Dietrich Maid Female 45 England

Mary Comdon Maid Female 23 Ireland

Sources

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miramar_(mansion)
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3QV-1ZB : accessed 6 November 2019), George D Wiedner in household of P A B Wiedner, Cheltenham Township (southeast part), Montgomery, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 199, sheet 12A, family 162, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,442.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MG73-MGP : accessed 6 November 2019), George D Widener in household of Peter A B Widener, Cheltenham, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 69, sheet 18A, family 307, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1377; FHL microfilm 1,375,390.

• (2019) Eleanor Widener Encyclopedia Titanic (ref: #316, updated 6th November 2019 01:51:59 AM) URL : https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/eleanor-widener.html

• Wikipedia contributors, "Eleanor Elkins Widener," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eleanor_Elkins_Widener&oldid=1046073473 (accessed November 4, 2021). CBE/CSE style

• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MWV9-KY8 : 20 February 2021), E A Elkins in household of Wm L Elkins, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district ED 611, sheet 19C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,255,188.

• "Pennsylvania Marriages, 1709-1940", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2WN-J1T6 : 6 February 2020), Eleanore Blanche Elkins in entry for George Dunton Widener, 1883.

• "Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N4F1-2J3 : 9 March 2021), Alexander H Rice and Eleanor Elkins Widener, 6 Oct; citing Massachusetts, United States, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,411,237.

• Find a Grave, memorial page for Eleanor Elkins Rice (21 Sep 1861–13 Jul 1937), Find A Grave: Memorial #11847693, citing Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA.

• https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/emily-gieger.html

• https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1915/11/07/101570713.html?pageNumber=5