John Morgan jr Davies

Master John Morgan Davies was born in St Ives, Cornwall, England ¹ on 31 July 1903.

He was the son of Robert Davies ² (b. 1843 in St Ives, Cornwall), an insurance agent and Agnes Nicholls, née Friggens (b. 1861 in Ludgvan, Cornwall) who had married in 1903. His mother had had a previous marriage in 1886 to Richard Henry Nicholls (b. 1867 in Cornwall), a mason, and had three children: Mary Ethel (b. 1886), Richard Henry (b. 1890) and Joseph Charles (b. 1892) before she was widowed sometime before 1901.

John Davies first appears on the 1911 census living at the Stennack in St Ives. His mother was by now a widower, his father having passed away in 1910.

Not long afterward his stepbrother, Richard Nicholls and his wife, emigrated to Kearsarge near New Allouez, Houghton, Michigan. A short while his mother Agnes decided to take her family to join them in America. To raise the necessary funds the family sold all their belongings in St Ives. With this done their ticket (number 33112  which cost £36, 15s) was purchased from William Cogar who was the White Star agent in St Ives. The family left St Ives by train and travelled with a family friend, Maud Sincock of Halsetown. He and his mother occupied a cabin with Maude Sincock and also Alice Phillips of Ilfracombe, Devon whilst his stepbrother Joseph had separate accommodation.

His mother later recalled the events of the night of the sinking:

John and his mother both survived the sinking, possibly in lifeboat 14. His stepbrother Joseph was lost.

Upon arrival in New York in addition to overnight accommodation John and his mother were given a train ticket, $5 in cash and a lunch box by the White Star Line. They left New York by train heading for Mohawk, Michigan. Once in Michigan passengers on the train between Negaunee and Calumet recognising their need, raised some monies for them. A subscription list was also started for their benefit in Calumet. The following appeared in the St Ives Times in early May 1912.

John and his mother settled in Hancock, Michigan. His mother was remarried in 1921 to an English-born fire-fighter named Richard Edwards. She died in 1933.

He was later married to Leona Uren (b. 1911 in Iron Mountain, Michigan, daughter of Francis and Louise Uren) and the couple had one son Francis and a daughter, Beverly³. The family appeared on the 1940 census living at Osceala, Houghton, Michigan. They later moved to Detroit and John worked in a drug store. He and his wife were divorced in November 1951. Likely as a result of his divorce John took his own life (barbiturate poisoning)  on 16 December 1951 aged 48. He was buried four days later in Lakeview Cemetery, Calumet, Houghton, Michigan where his mother was buried.

His widow is believed to have died in 2007.