Mauritz Ådahl

## Biography

Mr. Mauritz Ådahl was born on Wednesday, June 15th, 1881 in the small village of Asarum, Blekinge, Sweden. He was the son of carpenter Ola Månsson Ådahl (May 26th, 1840 - May 25th, 1911) and Elna Persdotter (June 8th, 1840 - January 4th, 1930). The couple had gotten married on April 3rd, 1878 in the small village of Baldringe, Malmöhus, Sweden. He had an older sister, Ellen (February 28th, 1879 - ?).

Mauritz worked as a carpenter like his father. In 1901 he met a girl named Emelie Josefina Kristina Grönlund. It was during a carpentry job in Västerbotten and they fell in love. They intended to emigrate together, but when Emelie's family opposed it, he returned in 1903 to Asarum and the same year he emigrated to Brooklyn, USA. Emelie worked in the meantime at the Umeå hospital.

In 1906, Emelie also went over and married Mauritz On 6 October 1907. The couple moved to Broolyn, New York, United States and together, they had two daughters; Vera Margareta (October 13th, 1908 - ?) and Georgia Emelia Maria (February 22nd, 1910 - ?). The family were Lutherans. Mauritz' wife Emelie never felt comfortable living in the United States so, in early 1911, she returned to Sweden with the couple's daughters.

In 1910 Emelie traveled back to Mauritz's childhood home in Asarum and the following year Mauritz came too. His father Ola had then passed away and his mother was having a hard time coping. Emelie had also been disliked in the United States.

Mauritz continued to live in Brooklyn, making money as a carpenter but joined his family back in Sweden on time for Christmas. His father had passed away back on May 25th, 1911 and Mauritz had to help his widowed mother by going back to live in Asarum. There, the family was meant to build a house for themselves. Mauritz first worked in Sweden to help his mother before wanting to go back to Brooklyn to make more money to build his family home.

For his return to the United States, he planned to travel with John Fredrik Alexander Holm and, on their way to Denmark, they met Aurora Adelia Langergen, who they encouraged to travel with them. The trio had never planned on traveling aboard the *Titanic* but due to the coal strike, they were transfered. Mauritz bought ticket C7076 which cost him £7, 5s. On April 10th, 1912, they boarded the *Titanic* in Southampton as Third Class passengers.

## Disaster

On the night of 14 April, the ship had struck an iceberg. Mauritz and John were awakened by a steward. They were told to put on a lifejacket and get up on deck. They obeyed but first went to Adelia's cabin. She dressed up and the trio went up on deck. There, the men managed to find her a place on a lifeboat. She boarded it but quickly got out because she had forgotten her bible in her cabin and, being a deeply religious woman, she wanted to get it back. The trio headed back in the halls of the ship as Adelia grabbed her bible and a few other personal items.

When they got back to the Boat Deck, things had changed and there was a definite urge to get to a lifeboat in time. Mauritz and John quickly brought Adelia to lifeboat 13 and helped her in before retreating back in the crowd. It was the last time Adelia would see her friends alive. Mauritz and John perished in the sinking.

## After his death

Ådahl's body was found by the MacKay-Bennett, the 72th body that was recovered. He was buried at sea on Wednesday, April 24th, 1912. He had valuables on them, most notably his pocket watch, which stopped working at 2:34 A.M. Other items included the watch chain with a horseshoe and a bone horsehead, a gold ring, 2 cufflinks, a leather strap with buckle and clip, a penknife and a notebook.

They were sent home to his wife Emelie, who put them together in a box with the letters from Southampton. She kept it for a while and let her children have a look at it later.

The Mansion House Fund paid £98 to his wife and children on January 23rd, 1913 and £28 to his mother on the same day. Further damages of £325 were paid to the wife, children and mother on October 10th, 1914. Emelie probably knew that Mauritz had been buried at sea but never told the children. So, when Mauritz's grandchildren went to visit his grave in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, they were shocked to discover what had really happened to him. During an expedition on the vessel S.S. Nadir, a wreath-laying ceremony was held in his memory.

## Documents

Mauritz's body examination, page one.Mauritz's body examination, page two.