Key facts about Martha Stone
- Martha Stone was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on January 29, 1851.
- She was widowed twice and by 1912 was living at the Plaza Hotel in New York while travelling frequently in Europe and Egypt.
- Stone boarded Titanic at Southampton with her maid, Amélie Icard, and occupied cabin B28.
- Both women survived in Lifeboat 6.
- After the sinking, Stone publicly criticized the lack of warning and the handling of Titanic’s boats.
The name Martha M. Stone is better supported by the records
The survivor long known on many Titanic lists as Martha Evelyn Stone was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on January 29, 1851. Current specialist research notes that most records, including passport applications she completed herself, use Martha M. Stone. The name Martha Evelyn appears in some later records and compilations, so the older form remains helpful as a search name, but it should not be treated as certain.
Before her second marriage, Martha had worked as a store clerk and bookkeeper. She married Captain George Nelson Stone in 1888. He was a Civil War veteran and Cincinnati businessman with interests in telephone, street railway and other ventures. His death in 1901 left Martha a widow with strong family ties to his daughters and enough financial independence to travel often.
She was returning from a long period of travel abroad
By the years before Titanic, Stone used the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan as her home base and spent long periods overseas. She travelled in England, Switzerland and Egypt and visited her stepdaughters, whose lives had taken them abroad. In 1912 she was making another Atlantic crossing back to the United States.
She boarded Titanic at Southampton on April 10 with her French maid, Rose Amélie Icard. Stone travelled in first class, held ticket 113572 and occupied cabin B28. Their relationship matters to the story because the two women stayed together through the confusion after the collision and escaped in the same lifeboat.
Stone said the first warnings did not make the danger clear
Stone later said she was in bed when the collision occurred. She went into the corridor and asked about the noise and the stop, but was initially reassured that there was no danger. She returned to her cabin and did not receive a clear general alarm. The continuing noise and activity eventually convinced her to get up again, and she and Icard prepared to leave.
The women gathered warm clothing and made their way toward the Boat Deck. Stone’s later account is especially valuable because it records the uncertainty felt by passengers who were first told that the situation was under control and only gradually realized that the ship had to be abandoned.
Martha Stone and Amélie Icard escaped in Lifeboat 6
Stone and Icard entered Lifeboat 6 on the port side. The same boat carried Margaret Brown, lookout Frederick Fleet, quartermaster Robert Hichens and Major Arthur Peuchen, who descended by rope after the boat had begun lowering. United States Senate testimony places about two dozen people in the boat when Peuchen joined it.
Stone later remembered women taking oars and described a long, cold night with little equipment. Her account also criticized the decision not to return toward the cries after Titanic sank. Lifeboat 6 became one of the best-known boats partly because several occupants later gave detailed accounts that could be compared with one another.
Her criticism continued after Carpathia reached New York
After Carpathia landed the survivors in New York, Stone spoke openly about what she believed had gone wrong. She objected to the poor warning given to passengers, the uneven loading of boats and what she saw as weak preparation for a large-scale emergency. Her comments were not a detached judgment made decades later. They came within days and weeks of the disaster.
Stone continued crossing the Atlantic after 1912, so Titanic did not end her life as a traveller. She died in Manhattan on May 12, 1924, aged 73. Her estate included substantial bequests to family members, to Icard and to Cincinnati charities. That later record shows that the relationship between Stone and the maid who survived beside her remained important long after the night of April 14 and 15.
Sources used for this biography
The name correction, family history, voyage details and later life are checked against specialist biographical research. Lifeboat 6 details are also compared with contemporary United States Senate testimony.
- Encyclopedia Titanica: Martha M. Stone Detailed biographical research, name discussion, cabin, Lifeboat 6 account and later life.
- Titanic Inquiry Project: Arthur Peuchen testimony Contemporary Senate testimony describing the loading of Lifeboat 6 and the people aboard.
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Frequently asked questions
Was Martha Evelyn Stone her correct name?
Current specialist research says most contemporary records and her own passport applications use Martha M. Stone. Martha Evelyn appears in some later records and older Titanic lists.
How old was Martha Stone on Titanic?
She was 61 years old when Titanic sailed in April 1912.
Who travelled with Martha Stone?
She travelled with her maid, Rose Amélie Icard, who also survived.
Which lifeboat carried Martha Stone?
Martha Stone and Amélie Icard escaped in Lifeboat 6.
When did Martha Stone die?
She died in New York City on May 12, 1924, aged 73.