Elizabeth weed shutes biography of william

Who was Elizabeth Weed Shutes?

Elizabeth Weed Shutes was an American governess and Titanic survivor who gained recognition for her vivid eyewitness account of the ship’s sinking. Born on April 30, , in Newburgh, New York, she was 40 (forty) years old when she boarded the ill-fated RMS Titanic as a first-class passenger, accompanying her employers, the Graham family.

Early Life and Family

Elizabeth was the youngest daughter of Samuel E.

Shutes, a commercial traveler of French ancestry, and Sarah B. Berrian. She grew up in a large family with six siblings:

• Carrie L. ()
• Sarah (b.

  6 Real Stories of the Titanic Tragedy As Told by Its …

  )

• Frank A. (b. )
• Charles Berrian (b. )
• Marianna (b. )
• Edwin ()

The family lived in Manhattan, and by , Elizabeth had established herself as a teacher.

Career as a Governess

By , Miss Shutes had secured a position as a governess for the wealthy Graham family.

She was employed by William Thompson Graham, president of the American Can Co., to care for his teenage daughte