Addie Wells

January 17th, 1883 - May 28th, 1954

She is a Capricorn.

Addie Dart Trevaskis was born in Newlyn, Cornwall, England. She was baptized on March 20th, 1883 in Peter's Church, Newlyn. She was born to William John Trevaskis (1849 - 1935), a blacksmith, and Ann Barnes Laity, née Kneebone (1845 - 1916), a milliner and dressmaker. Both of Addie's parents were natives of Paul, Newlyn. Ann had been married in 1865 to Henry Laity, of whom nothing is known, but was a widow was 1871 and back living with her parents. She and William had married on January 2nd, 1872 in St. Peter's, Newlyn and Addie was one of their 6 children. Addie's siblings were: William John (born 1872), George Marrack (1873 - 1874), George Marrack (1875 - 1892), Abednego Harvey (1877 - 1934), and Henry Kneebone (1879 - 1945). 

Addie first appeared on the 1891 census living with her family in Street-an-Nowan (The New Street), Newlyn and on the 1901 census at Star Inn Court, Newlyn, by which time Addie was described as a dress maker and her father as a fish packer. She was married in the summer of 1907 to Arthur Henry Wells (born October 17th, 1883), an railway conductor originally from London. They had 2 children: Joan (born 1908) and Ralph Lester (born 1909). Arthur emigrated to Akron, Ohio in 1910, his address being Arch Street. Addie's brother, Abednego, had accompanied him. Addie would be living with her parents by the time of the 1911 census at Alma Place, Heamoor, Penzance and by 1912 is believed to have been living at Nevada Place, Heamoor.

Onboard Titanic/April 14th-15th, 1912:
Addie was to join Arthur and Abednego in Akron and sold her household furnishings before leaving, retaining only family linen among the few other personal possessions. The linen included pieces inherited from her mother and grandmother. She boarded RMS Titanic at Southampton on April 10th, 1912 as a second class passenger with Joan and Ralph and had been accompanied to the dock by her brother-in-law William Wells (born 1890) who would later be joining the family in Akron. The family had originally been booked to travel on the RMS Oceanic but were transferred due to the coal strikes. Whilst aboard Addie made the acquaintance of several other Cornish passengers, most notably Anges Davies, Emily Richards, and their families. Addie and Emily strolled the deck of the Titanic the night of the 14th, noticing how cold it was. Addie, Joan, and Ralph were asleep when the ship struck the iceberg and she awoke to a tremendous jolt. She heard a commotion and a friend yell, "Dress quickly: there's some trouble I believe but I don't know what it is."

She dressed herself and her children but found attempts to make it to the upper decks difficult as several as several familiar passages were now locked. Addie would later admit that she didn't realize the seriousness of the situation and thought it was some sort of drill. "An officer was shouting "Come on here, lively now, this way, women and children." She was grabbed by someone who told her, "This way", and she and her kids were put in lifeboat 14. As the boat pulled away, she saw third class men rushing up on deck, other men standing back and watching them soberly, and a officer with a revolver in his hand. She had been told to lie down in the bottom of the lifeboat and not make any disturbance as there was enough trouble.

She could hear faint cries from the Titanic and several shots and claimed that the officer shouted to third class men crowding toward the boat, "Stand back there now, the first word out of you and I'll...." (She missed the rest). There was so many people in her lifeboat that she couldn't sit down and instead held her children in her skirts to keep them dry. Also in lifeboat 14 was Agnes Davies and her son John Morgan Davies. Agnes was as confused as Addie and asked her "what it was all about." When the ship went down, people could still be heard screaming as they had been locked in their rooms, a memory that would cause Addie to have nightmares for years. The Wells spent the night in the lifeboat and were picked up at daybreak. On the Carpathia, she refused to sleep below and supposedly they slept on deck.

After The Sinking/Later Life/Death:
Upon arriving in New York City, the Wells were met by Arthur and Abednego who had traveled from Akron. The spent the night of the 19th at the Star Hotel, 57 Clarkson Street. While there, Addie spoke to newspaper reporters and told of her experience. The family then continued on to Akron where they lived at Euclid Avenue and they were joined by William soon after. She and her family lived in Akron for the rest of their lives and Arthur worked as a machinist in a laundry shop.

Whilst in America, Addie and Arthur had 2 more children: Arthur Lovesy (1918 - 2008) and Charles Owen (1921 - 2002). Living for many years at Patterson Avenue in Akron, she was active in Arthur's in her local community and a member of several organizations, including: Irelawnee Chapter, Daughters of the British Empire, and also a member of the Canadian Legion Auxiliary. She spent her final days living at Frederick Boulevard, Akron and she became a widow in 1953 and later battled cancer of the liver. She died on May 28th, 1954 and was buried in Mt. Peace Cemetery in Akron.

Sources:
www.encyclopedia-titanica.org

Rest In Peace Addie Dart Wells.

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