Martin Williams
Member
Thanks, Brian. It has been some months since I carried out my preliminary (and, in any case, not greatly in-depth) research on the Graham family and the details of where they were living, and when, have since become a little cloudy!
The Graham governess, Elizabeth Shutes, perhaps deserves an honorary mention on this thread too. I was quite surprised to learn that she and Margaret did not get on and that she left her post soon after her return to the States. The impression I have derived from her account of the sinking is of an intelligent and articulate woman of some sensitivity. Her passport photograph, dated (I think) 1919, can be found somewhere on-line. Again, I was taken aback to discover that, even in her mid-forties, she remained quite strikingly attractive. The status of the governess varied enormously from household to household. Undoubtedly, there were some who were treated with disdain by their employers but then there were many others who were viewed almost as members of the family. The other 'Titanic' governess, Grace Scott Bowen, is a case in point. Throughout her testimony, Emily Ryerson consistently refers to Miss Bowen as her 'friend' and one has the impression that she was more of a companion than a straight-forward governess.
The Graham governess, Elizabeth Shutes, perhaps deserves an honorary mention on this thread too. I was quite surprised to learn that she and Margaret did not get on and that she left her post soon after her return to the States. The impression I have derived from her account of the sinking is of an intelligent and articulate woman of some sensitivity. Her passport photograph, dated (I think) 1919, can be found somewhere on-line. Again, I was taken aback to discover that, even in her mid-forties, she remained quite strikingly attractive. The status of the governess varied enormously from household to household. Undoubtedly, there were some who were treated with disdain by their employers but then there were many others who were viewed almost as members of the family. The other 'Titanic' governess, Grace Scott Bowen, is a case in point. Throughout her testimony, Emily Ryerson consistently refers to Miss Bowen as her 'friend' and one has the impression that she was more of a companion than a straight-forward governess.
