Key facts about Martha Stephenson
- Martha Eustis Stephenson was born in Boston in 1860 and lived in Haverford, Pennsylvania, by 1912.
- She travelled with her sister Elizabeth Mussey Eustis after a tour of southern Europe.
- The sisters boarded at Cherbourg, shared cabin D20 and survived in Lifeboat 4.
- Contemporary reporting said Martha had also survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
- She later filed a claim for property lost on Titanic and lived until 1934.
Boston family background and life in Pennsylvania
Martha Eustis was born in Boston on March 15, 1860, one of the children of William Tracy Eustis and Martha Gilbert Dutton. She married Walter Bryant Stephenson in 1883. The couple raised three children and later lived in Pennsylvania.
By 1912 Martha was living in Haverford. She travelled frequently and had been touring southern Europe with her sister Elizabeth Mussey Eustis before the two women booked their return passage on Titanic.
Martha and Elizabeth boarded together at Cherbourg
The sisters joined Titanic at Cherbourg as first class passengers. Their joint ticket and cabin D20 placed them among a network of affluent American travellers returning from Europe. They reportedly spent time aboard with John B. Thayer and his family, who were Haverford neighbours.
Martha was 52 and Elizabeth 53. Their shared voyage is a good example of why paired biographies are helpful: the same cabin, class and evacuation can look different when the later testimony and family history of each person are read together.
The sisters escaped in Lifeboat 4
Martha and Elizabeth were awakened after the collision and eventually reached Lifeboat 4. The boat had an unusual evacuation history because it was lowered to A Deck before it could be loaded and sent away. Later, after Titanic sank, its occupants took several men from the water.
Martha’s survival therefore connects directly to one of the better documented individual boats on the site. Lifeboat 4 also carried other notable first class women and became part of the attempt to help people who had entered the freezing sea.
A survivor of two major disasters
A Philadelphia newspaper reported after Titanic that Martha had also been in San Francisco during the 1906 earthquake while staying at the St. Francis Hotel. The coincidence was striking enough to become part of the reporting about her return home.
That earlier experience did not make Titanic less traumatic. Contemporary accounts describe illness and exhaustion among survivors after Carpathia reached New York. Martha returned to Pennsylvania by train after being met by relatives.
Property claim and later life
Martha later filed a claim against the White Star Line for property lost in the sinking. The claim, recorded at $1,739.75 in specialist biographical research, is another reminder that survivors often came home with little more than what they had been wearing when they entered the boats.
She continued living in Haverford and remained active in her church. Martha died on December 24, 1934, while visiting her son in Marblehead, Massachusetts. She was cremated at Mount Auburn Crematory and buried with her husband in Newton Cemetery.
Sources used for this biography
Specialist research brings together census, family, newspaper and passenger records for Martha Stephenson. Lifeboat records are checked separately against the boat roster.
- Encyclopedia Titanica: Martha Stephenson Family history, Cherbourg boarding, cabin D20, Lifeboat 4, San Francisco earthquake report, property claim and later life.
- Encyclopedia Titanica: Titanic Lifeboat No. 4 Boat history and survivor roster.
Related pages to read next
Frequently asked questions
Who was Martha Stephenson on Titanic?
Martha Eustis Stephenson was a 52-year-old American first class passenger travelling with her sister Elizabeth Mussey Eustis.
Which cabin did Martha Stephenson occupy?
Martha and Elizabeth shared cabin D20.
Which lifeboat carried Martha Stephenson?
Martha survived in Lifeboat 4.
Did Martha Stephenson survive another major disaster?
Contemporary reporting said she had been at the St. Francis Hotel during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
When did Martha Stephenson die?
She died on December 24, 1934, aged 74.