Nelle Snyder

Nelle Stevenson was born to Thomas William Stevenson and Cora Vincent, on 15 January 1889 in St Croix Falls, Polk, Wisconsin. Her father was a merchant. Nelle had two older sisters and one older brother, William Claude. Younger siblings were Jessie, Raymond Vincent, Cora Louise, Florence Lucille and Robert Louis, born between 1890 and 1896.

The family lived in Wisconsin during her younger years. Around 1890 they moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Nelle Stevenson married John Pillsbury Snyder on 22 January 1912 and they set off on a European honeymoon. Not all went smooth during the voyage. The captain of the ship they sailed on gave the order 'full steam ahead' while it was still tied to the New York pier, which ripped a good part of the dock away. Then it ran aground on a sandbar near Gibraltar, preventing anyone from going ashore. Nevertheless, they had a good time. John had manage to arrange some deals for his car dealership, among which were some Fiat cars.

For their return voyage from London to New York, the ship they were booked on was cancelled due to the coal strike. But Nelle was thrilled to learn they were being re-booked on the brand new *Titanic*. That is, until she learned the name of *Titanic*‘s captain. The ship’s captain on their voyage out of New York was also named Smith. “I don’t think this man is careful enough,” she told her husband. But John insisted everything would be fine, the *Titanic* was unsinkable, and she need not worry.

John and Nelle made many friends during their passage they met other fine people from Minnesota: Mr. Donald Douglas and his wife Mahala, William Baird Silvey and his wife, and Miss Constance Willard. Then they got acquainted with the Bishops, the Astors and the Harders. The honeymoon couples talked of their extensive travels across Europe and their plans for when they returned to the United States. They played cards, read, wrote postcards in the First Class Lounge, or could be found strolling along the decks.

When *Titanic* hit the iceberg on the night of April 14, the Snyders were already in bed. A steward told John they should dress and come to the boat deck, where they waited with the Bishops until John Jacob Astor returned from meeting with Captain Smith. All passengers were to don their lifebelts and women and children would be loaded onto the lifeboats. Most passengers thought this was only a precautionary measure; it seemed safer to remain on the ship than get in a small boat dangling high over the dark ocean. At lifeboat 7, both Nelle and John were allowed to board. Unsure if the boat could take more weight and with no one else willing to board yet, crewmembers lowered it to the water. With a capacity of 65, lifeboat 7 held just 28 people, including two young crewmen who told the passengers they had never been in a lifeboat. It was lowered at 12:25 A.M.

After the *Titanic* sank, Helen Bishop comforted Nelle by telling her of the Cairo fortune teller’s prediction that Helen would survive a shipwreck. The Snyders managed to recover well from their ordeal and returned to Minneapolis, where they built a large lake home, John’s car dealership was successful, and they raised three children. Nelle gave birth to: John Pillsbury in 1913, Thomas in 1915 and Susan in 1918.

John later served in World War I, after which he picked up on his garage, other business and the politics. He and Nelle still enjoyed travelling a lot, and went to Europe again in 1938, but their trip was cut short by what was the beginning of World War II. Austria was occupied by Germany and their visit to Vienna had to be abandoned. They took the *Queen Mary* to New York in a hurry. They came home, avoiding the risk of being stranded amidst the chaos, and they were certainly right. They never left the USA again.

She was widowed in 22 July 1959 when John passed away after suffering a heart attack playing golf. In later years, she would do charity work and had an interest in philantropic organisations, which she reguarly contributed to, most notably for the Northwestern Hospital Board. She also gained membership for the Titanic Historical Society in the 70's and was present at least once on a convention.

Nelle Snyder became 94 years old. She died on December 9, 1983. At the time of her passing she lived in Wayzata, Minnesota. She was laid to rest in her husband's grave in the Lakewood Cemetery of Minneapolis.