I agree that Randy's presence on the board is sorely missed. His contributions were never less than insightful and informative and he furthered my knowledge of the lives of several passengers - Lucy Duff Gordon, Noelle Rothes, Dorothy Gibson and Helen Candee - immeasurably. I know that he was working on biographies of Rene Harris and Edith Russell but I'm not sure when or if these will ever be posted on Encyclopedia Titanica.
In the absence of a cache of family papers, which might include diaries, letters and other primary source material, it is often difficult to get a firm grip on an individual's personality - as opposed to their social activities and transatlantic movements which, in the case of a wealthy, well-connected 'Society' figure like Marian Thayer, would be well-documented and easy to trace. Instead, one falls back on inference and what one can read between the lines. That Emily Ryerson - who had remained in total seclusion throughout the voyage - consented to venture on deck with her friend on the afternoon of 14th April leads me to assume that her company was in some sense desirable - at any rate, that she provided a soothing and sympathetic ear for the grieving mother. According to the later testimony of Mrs Ryerson (which is very interesting in itself) the two women were button-holed during their stroll by Bruce Ismay...perhaps a telling encounter, since he evidently found himself attracted to Marian Thayer, despite his acquaintance with her (very soon to be deceased) husband.
However, it DOES appear that some letters both to and from Marian Thayer survive in the archives of the Independence Seaport Museum, which I guess is somewhere in the region of Philadelphia. It seems that Jack Thayer compiled a collection of 'Titanic' and other ocean liner related memorabilia which was eventually bequeathed under his name to this institution - a full list of the component parts can be found on-line. Scanning through it, a few intriguing articles spring out at me. One is a letter that Marian Thayer wrote to her sister from the 'Titanic' on sailing day - in this, I believe that she makes some mention of the incident at Southampton with the 'New York' but I'm unsure of the remainder of the contents. No matter what they might relate to, this letter (and any other extant correspondence) would really help to give Marian her voice back - which is your main aim, David. There are some other interesting pieces, too. One is a letter written by Captain Rostron from his latest command, the 'Mauretania', in 1924 - years after the 'Titanic', it seems that he and Mrs Thayer were still keeping in touch. Another is a letter written to Marian by one Evelyn Hamon-Graeme. Addressed from Lausanne and dated 30 April, 1912, this item really grabbed me. The redoubtable Lady Hamon-Graeme (nicknamed Lady Ham 'n' Eggs) was one of the doyennes of the London debutante scene in the inter-war years - thousands of well-bred girls quailed under her beady eye as they curtseyed to the cake at Queen Charlotte's Ball and she was very much seen as a pillar of Society (with a capital 'S'). If Mrs Thayer's correspondent is the same person - and Hamon-Graeme is hardly a common name - I'd be fascinated to know how they knew each other and what the contents of her letter are. Unfortunately, I don't have plans to be in the States anytime soon but, when or if I am, I will certainly try to gain access to the Thayer Collection to make some transcriptions.
Otherwise, I've delved quite deeply into the archives of the 'New York Times' and it appears that Marian was not as active a participant in the Newport social whirl as her friends, Mrs Widener and Mrs Carter, who regularly made the headlines. Perhaps this suggests that she was happier to 'stay home' with her family in Haverford. The Thayers lived next door to the Merion Cricket Club, where John had turned in some star performances in his youth. I've never seen a picture of the Thayer house but I believe it was called 'Redwood' (or something similar) and was in the Tudor style. One of Marian's grandchildren recalled that it was 'an eerie old house...always dark and gloomy'. I'd dearly love to see a snapshot, since I believe that nothing helps to 'place' a passenger better than seeing where they lived.
You'll have learned by now, David, that Marian (called Grannie Muz by her grandchildren) died on 14th April, 1944, the thirty-second anniversary of the 'Titanic' disaster. Her son Jack killed himself eighteen months later - and I'm almost certain that another Thayer child, a daughter, also committed suicide at some point. Full details of both these sad events can be found on the forum.
All the best
Martin
