Johan Samuel Andersson

Mr Johan Samuel Andersson was born in Härja, Skaraborg (Västra Götaland), Sweden on 11 December 1885.

He was the son of Anders Gustaf Andersson (b. 1839) and Anna-Sofia Lindström (b. 1857) and was the brother of: Anna Katarina (b. 1887), Karl Valfrid (b. 1889), Ebba Louisa (b. 1892), David Paul (b. 1894) and Eda Maria (b. 1899).

Andersson, a carpenter, grew up in Stommen, Härja but had emigrated to the USA in 1907 and garnered US citizenship; he was shown on the 1910 US census living at 60 Ford Street in Hartford, Connecticut where he was described as an unmarried carpenter and lodger of fellow Swedes Simon and Selma Carlsson.

In late 1911 or early 1912 Johan returned to Sweden to visit his family and for his return to the USA he boarded the Titanic at Southampton as a third class passenger (ticket number 347075 which cost £7, 15s, 6d) and was travelling to 1415 Broad Street, Hartford, Connecticut. It had been his intention to chaperone his grandfather across the Atlantic with him but those plans changed when his father decided to build a new house and insisted that Johan's grandfather remain in Sweden.

Johan Andersson died in the sinking and his body, if recovered, was never identified.

The Mansion House Fund paid 874.08 Kr (£48) to his father on 23 January 1913. A further 1822 Kr (£100) in damage claims were paid to his parents on 9 June 1914.

His brother David emigrated later in 1912 and also made his home in Hartford where he married and raised a family. He died there on 25 February 1986.

Johan Samuel Andersson
Courtesy of Frida Andersson (left) and Karen Zefting Alcorn (right)