Encyclopedia Titanica

THE SMART HEIRS FOUND?

New York Times

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Children of Titanic Victim Believed to be in Belgian Convent
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BRUSSELS, Aug. 29---The long-sought son and daughter of the late Montgomery Smart of New York, a Titanic victim, are believed to be in a Belgian convent. Their names are George and Annie Smart.

The American Consul General here has been notified by the representative of the late Mr. Smart of the missing heirs' supposed presence in Belgium, and everything possible is being done to discover their whereabouts.
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A wide search for the missing children of J. Montgomery Smart began shortly after it was learned that he had gone down in the Titanic. There was considerable personal property to be looked after, and arrangements had to be made concerning Mr. Smart's business ventures. Nothing could be done with any completeness until the children were found. F. K. Seward of the law firm that looked after the interests of the American Cold Storage and Shipping Company, of which Mr. Smart was President, was also on the Titanic, but he was saved.

Mr. Seward knew nothing about the location of the two children. The boy is 20 years old and the girl is two years younger. Their mother died about ten years ago. Mr. Smart was anxious that they be educated abroad. His idea was to shift them from one country to another, so that they might learn the different languages. Sometimes he spoke of them and said they were under the care of some of his wife's relatives, but he never gave a hint as to their location.

Mr. Smart had intimate friends, but none of them ever knew anything definite about his family relations. They knew in a casual way that he had two children who were being educated, but nothing more. Whenever he traveled Mr. Smart carried all his private papers with him in a trunk marked "personal." This trunk went to the bottom of the sea with him.

Advertisements for the children were printed over half Europe. Consuls were asked to keep their eyes open, any many [sic] other measures were resorted to with no result. The fact that the children were probably in different educational establishments seemed to give a double promise of success. That they had maternal relatives abroad was also looked upon as a good sign. But no news came.

How large an estate Mr. Smart left is not known. It is probably less than $100,000.

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Mark Baber, USA

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Encyclopedia Titanica (2004) THE SMART HEIRS FOUND? (New York Times, Friday 30th August 1912, ref: #3613, published 30 August 2004, generated 1st July 2024 08:34:15 PM); URL : https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/the-smart-heirs-found.html