December 18th, 1856 - January 31st, 1942

She is a Sagittarius.

Ella Bertha Holmes was born at Myrtle Street in Boston, Massachusetts to Edwin Holmes (April 25th, 1820), a telegraphist and inventor, and Eliza Ann Richardson (born 1822), natives of Massachusetts and Vermont, respectively and who had married in Fitchburg, Worcester, Massachusetts on May 4th, 1844. She had two elder brothers, Edwin Thomas (October 27th, 1849 - 1920) and Frank (March 1st, 1853 - 1870) and a younger sister, Belle (December 3rd, 1861 - 1945), later Mrs. Andrew Summer March Jr. Frank died on August 26th, 1870 at the age of 17 when he fell from the high rafters of a barn in Holden, Massachusetts where he has been visiting friends.

Her father was involved with early electronics and telephony and later purchased the patent of the electromagnetic burglar alarm, first setting up his home burglar alarm business in Boston in 1849, the Holmes Electric Protective Company. His business wasn't performing well in that city so he moved to Brooklyn, New York in 1859 where his enterprise had more success. By 1880 Holmes Electric Protective Company won a contract to lay line plant for burglar alarm services in Philadelphia and Boston and the business flourished further as it later emerged that existing telephone lines could be utilized for their burglar alarms in lieu of single-purpose cables. In 1878 he became president of the newly established Bell Telephone Company and also has numerous interests in various electrical companies. By the time of his death he had established a fortune. 

Having moved to Brooklyn in 1859, Ella and her family appear on the 1870 census at an unspecified address. By the time of the 1880 census they were living at Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn. After 23 years in Brooklyn the family moved to Manhattan. Ella was just days shy of her 38th birthday when she was married in Manhattan on December 12th, 1894 to John Stuart White (August 29th, 1844 in New York), son of William White and Margaret McCartney, a match that contemporary media labeled as "surprising". They made their home in Manhattan but the marriage, apparently a happy match, was childless and short-lived, with John dying at the age of 52 less then 3 years later on May 19th, 1897. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn.  

Ella never remarried and returned to live with her parents; her father died at their home in Manhattan on January 17th, 1901 and Edwin-previously secretary and treasurer of Holmes Electric Protective Company, also a close friend of Alexander Graham Bell-took over the presidency. Her mother later died at the home of Belle March in Orange, New Jersey on December 11th, 1904. A wealthy and a slightly eccentric widow without ties, Ella maintained a luxurious summer apartment at Briarcliff Manor in Westchester, New York as well as living out of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, the latter of which she became a permanent resident in 1914. She also took to globetrotting and travelling the length and breadth of the USA.

While vacationing in Atlantic City, New Jersey in early 1910 she crossed paths with Marie Grice Young. Marie, a resident of Washington DC, was a well-connected music teacher and was in Atlantic City recuperating from the recent loss of her mother. They must have had an instant connection and soon Ella was inviting Marie to her frequent parties at Briarcliff Manor. Soon they were living together as well as becoming frequent travel partners. They became devoted to each other and they were rarely mentioned as being apart from each other in the contemporary media.

Aboard Titanic/April 14th-15th, 1912:
Following an extended winter vacation in Rome, Ella and Marie decided to travel back to New York in April of 1912. Ella and Marie boarded the RMS Titanic at Cherbourg as 1st class passengers on April 10th, 1912, joined by Ella's maid Nellie Bessette and manservant Sante Righini. Whilst in Europe the pair had purchased some expensive live poultry and brought the chickens aboard the ship which were showed away in the cargo. Marie would make daily checks on the livestock during the voyage.

Whilst aboard Titanic Ella was nursing an injured foot-apparently sun stained during a mishap upon boarding the ship, as stated in her testimony. Apparently never leaving her cabin, Ella relied on a seemingly nondescript cane for her motility. On the morning of April 14th, 1912 Ella had stated to Marie that she was sure that icebergs must be nearby as it was so cold. That night she was sitting on her bed and just ready to retire when she felt a slight jar and a motion as if "we had went over about a thousand marbles. There was nothing terrifying about it at all." Ella along with Marie, Nellie, and Sante, immediately left their cabins and headed up to A-deck where they stood around, waiting any information of orders forthcoming.

Captain Smith came sweeping down the staircase, ordering the passengers gathered to fetch their lifebelts, which they did, before waiting around about another 20 minutes at A-deck before descending to the boat deck. Ella recalled that she entered lifeboat 8, being greatly handled into the boat on account of her injured foot, noting how her lifeboat was the second one lowered (on the port side) and containing 22 women and 4 men from the crew. She remained standing all night in the bottom of the boat as she found the seats too high to reach. She recalled an officer (whom she couldn't identify) ordering the boat's crew to head for the light of the ship in the distance, which she said was distinctly visible, and land the passengers there and to return as soon as possible. She also noted some of the men jesting that: "when you come back you will need a pass", or "You cannot get on to narrow without a pass".

Ella left with Marie and Nellie but Righini was lost in the sinking. Before lifeboat 8 cast-off she noted how 2 of the crewman (who she believed to be saloon stewards) lit cigarettes; appalled at that, she felt that their actions. were inappropriate at such a time. She also found the professional conduct of these 2 stewards to be wanting, later testifying:

"....All of those men escaped under the pretence of being oarsmen. The man who rowed me took his oar and rowed all over the boat, in every direction. I said to him, "Why don't you put the oar in the oarlock?" He said, "Do you put it in that hole?" I said "Certainly." He said, "I never had an oar in my hand before." I spoke to the other man and he said; "I have never had an oar in my hand before, but I think I can row." Those were the men that we were put to sea with at night— with all those magnificent fellows left on board, who would have been such a protection to us. Those were the kind of men with whom we were put out to sea that night."

Having to settle several squabbles between the crewmen, Ella said that the only crewman who seemed to have any idea of conducting affairs was a crewman (Thomas Jones) stood at the tiller, whilst Marie Margaret Swift rowed all night, alongside the Countess of Rothes who was at the tiller. Sat nearby her were Dr. Alice Leader and Marion Kenyon. Ella stated that her lifeboat did as instructed and spent close to 45 minutes rowing towards the light, which she said was undoubtably a boat of some sorts, but their efforts they couldn't make headway and decided it was impossible to reach. After that her lifeboat began to row back before lingering and attempting to locate other lifeboats, an attempt that was fruitless despite their ability to hear them all in different directions in the distance. Noting how the equipment in the lifeboat was absent or lacking, Ella put her electric walking cane to good use, as she later said:

"The lamp on the boat was absolutely worth nothing. They tinkered with it all along, but they could not get it in shape. I had an electric cane - a cane with an electric light in it - and that was the only light we had. We sat there for a long time, and we saw the ship go down, distinctly."

Ella stated that as the ship sank she heard 4 explosions and noted that the ship broke in 2 in her final throes. Reacting the RMS Carpathia  later that morning Ella said she was astounded to see over a dozen icebergs and miles floating ice from her vintage point.

After The Sinking/Later Life/Death:
Arriving in New York aboard the Carpathia, Ella and her companions lingered in New York for a while, she later providing evidence to the American Inquiry into the sinking on May 2nd, 1912. After that she returned to Briarcliff Manor for recuperation. Ella and Marie remained extremely close, living together for many years at their sumptuous apartment at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel until 1929 when the building was raised to make way for the Empire State Building. Ella and Marie then moved into an equally luxurious apartment of the Plaza Hotel and where they appeared on the 1940 census. They continued to entertain guests and travel together, both in the USA and further afield, their international and destinations including Switzerland, Netherlands, Britain, Italy, and France and Ella's 1922 passports describes as standing at 5'6 and she had brown hair, grey eyes, a round face and high forehead with a small mouth, round chin and a straight nose.

Ella died at her apartment in the Plaza Hotel on January 31st, 1942 at the age of 85 and was cremated 2 days later at Fermcliff Crematorium. Her personal items were willed to Marie who also received a monthly payment at $250 for life. Ella's electric cane that had accompanied her on the Titanic was passed down through the family. In 2019 it appeared for auction and was valued at over $100,000.

Portrayals:
Andrea Troubridge (A Night To Remember; 1958; possibly)

Sources:
www.encyclopedia-titanica.org

Rest In Peace Ella White.