Encyclopedia Titanica

Sigrid Lindström

Mrs Carl Johan Lindström (Sigrid Posse), 55, was born 18 December 1856 the daughter of Knut Lage Fredriksson (10 March 1821-24 October 1900) Posse, and Louisa (née Aminoff; 21 December 1829- 5 February 1890) Posse, who had married 12 May 1852 in Malmö, Malmöhus County, Sweden. 

She was christened 9 May 1856 at Garnison, Ängelholm, in the Church of Sweden.   Her father, Knut Posse, was a count and a Major General in the Swedish army.  Her uncle Arvid had served as Swedish Premier from 1880 to 1883.  Her brothers and sisters were Ebba, b. 4 September 1853, Arvid, b. 14 April 1855, and Christer, b. 5 December 1858 (he died 1886 in the Congo). 

She married Captain Carl Johan Lindström (b. 21 July 1849 at Växjö; his father was a country squire) on 24 July 1888 and they had at least three daughters; Ebba, b. 7 August 1892 in Linköping (d. 2 June 1893), Sigrid, b. 23 August 1889 in Linköping, and Mary, b. 25 October 1894 in Linköping. They had lived in Växjö from 1888, but had moved to Linköping later the same year and then moved to Stockholm 2 September 1910, living in Hedvig Eleonora parish.

In 1912, Sigrid Lindström lived at Östermalmsgatan 20, Stockholm and she was going to a Mrs. Norbert (possibly a sister?), 63 Riverside Drive, New York City having travelled via Paris and Cherbourg.

Lindström Apartment
The Stockholm apartment block where Mrs Lindström lived in 1912.
(Photo courtesy of Peter Engberg)

She stood 5'4'', had brown hair, grey eyes and a light complexion.

On the Titanic, which she boarded at Cherbourg as a first class passenger (ticket No.: 112377, £27 14s 5d), she got to know Mauritz Håkan Björnstrom-Steffanson, who escorted her to a lifeboat (possibly boat 6?). She later sued White Star for some 6000 francs of lost clothes. She was widowed 1917 and passed away 3 November 1946 in Lidingö (an island in the Stockholm archipelago), Sweden

Sigrid Lindstrom

Mrs. Sigrid Lindström, nee Posse, Stockholm, passed away this Sunday:

The deceased, who was nearly 90 years old, was born in Ängelholm, the daughter of Count Knut Lage Posse, Major, and his wife, nee Aminoff.

Since 1917, she was the widow of Carl Lindström, Captain of the First Grenadiers.

She leaves children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. - Svenska Dagbladet

Sigrid Lindstrom was buried on 11 November 1946 at Norra begravningsplatsen (Northern Cemetery), Stockholm. Her husband Carl Johan Lindström was buried in the same grave in 1917. The time of lease for the grave ended in 1969 and the grave no longer exists.

References and Sources

Claes-Göran Wetterholm (1988, 1996, 1999) Titanic. Prisma, Stockholm. ISBN 91 518 3644 0
Svenska Dagbladet (1946) Death Notice

Research Articles

Peter Engberg-Klarström Titanica! (2020) Titanic's Stockholm Connections
Search archive online

Comment and discuss

  1. Maritha Boström

    I find an astoundingly small amount of information regarding Sigrid Lindstrom, considering she was born as a countess in the Posse family. She is supposed to have had daughters in both England and in the US, but I fail to trace them down. And what happened to her after Titanic? She became a widow in 1917, but what else? Does anyone have a photo of her or some relative of hers? Obituaries? Anything to add to the picture of mrs Lindstrom would be deeply appreciated!
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  2. Martin Williams

    And it would be deeply appreciated by me too! I'd love to know more about this potentially fascinating woman. Brian Ahern may know a little and might care to make a contribution to get the ball rolling...
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  3. Brian Ahern

    My research has thus far proved less than fruitful. There is info online regarding her uncle, the one-time prime minister, but not a lot (that I've found) on the Posse family as a whole. I've done more research on the former Norwegian nobility than on Sweden's aristocracy. Once I really delved into it, there was a surprising amount of info (in English) out there. So I am sure the same will be true with Sweden's families, if I ever take the time. Maritha - judging from your name, I'm guessing you know a thing or two about Scandinavian society. Would the daughter of a count actually be a countess, or would she have the Swedish equivalent of "lady" or "honourable"? One interesting thing about Mrs. Lindstrom is that she journeyed to Cherbourg to board the Titanic when she could have caught a ship closer to home such as the Frederick VIII (Scandinavian American Line, I believe). Had she paid other calls in Europe? Had she gone shopping in Paris? Or did she just want to sail on a... Read full post
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  4. Brian Ahern

    I've just pasted in a whole bunch of links to info on the Posses, then hit the back arrow without thinking and lost it all. Shoot Here's a more extensive genealogy on the Posses: ... Read full post
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  5. Maritha Boström

    Brian, thanks for sharing what you know. Yes, in Sweden both the wife and the daughter(s) of a count actually get the title countess. (I'm Swedish but have been living in Finland for the past 4 years.) Ebba, Arvid and Christer were her siblings, yes. Ebba's husband's name I believe was Sigfrid Dreilich. Arvid is a rather blank sheet for me at this point, but Christer I know went to Africa in 1883 to join a Stanley expedition. During that adventure he died (1886) and was buried in Congo. I am not aware of the cause of death. He was unmarried. Sigrid, I found through Ellis Island, arrived in USA Oct 28, 1911, with S.S. Kaiserin Auguste Victoria. I think she boarded in Hamburg. According to that passenger list it was her first visit in the country and she was actually on her way to her daughter, a Mrs. Sitt...er. (I simply cannot figure out what the letters in between and last should be, I am not skilled enough in reading old writing yet). Destination address was Savoy Hotel in... Read full post
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  6. Martin Williams

    Hi Maritha, hi Brian Although I have no 'answers' to contribute to your consideration of Sigrid Lindstrom, I do have a few questions! It appears that she was an aristocrat by birth - but how prestigious WAS the Swedish aristocracy in 1912? Brian has suggested that Sweden was an acutely class-conscious society during this period. Would Mrs Lindstrom have enjoyed an equivalent status to, say, Noelle Rothes in Great Britain? Nowadays, we tend to assume that a title automatically confers prestige on the man or woman who holds it but it is worth remembering that, in near-by Russia, 'noble' status did not guarantee wealth, prosperity or access to the smartest social circles. I imagine Mrs Lindstrom had some sort of private income and would have been easily identified as 'a lady' by her fellow first-class passengers aboard the 'Titanic'? I'm a huge fan of Swedish architecture and design (particularly Swedish neoclassicism) and, in social and cultural terms at least, see Sweden as being... Read full post
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  7. Maritha Boström

    Actually, I don't really know just how prestigious the Swedish aristocracy was at that point. But Sweden was, and I'd say still is, although in a lesser degree, a class-conscious society. The witnesses at her baptism were all nobility and other high classed people (countesses, baronesses etc.) It does seems like she had some sort of income, since she appears to have been doing some travelling, in Europen countries, and at least once she went to USA (in 1911). It is likely she spoke at least some other language, yes. English, German and French are all believable possibilites. She did meet with Bjornstrom-Steffanson, and it was he who helped her into lifeboat 6. Since she was an acquaintance of Bjornstrom-Steffanson, and he was an acquaintance of Colonel Gracie, I think they most likely at some point were introduced. However, no deeper contact is bound to come out of an introduction, so it may be they never got to know each other.
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  8. Bob Godfrey

    Mrs Lindstrom made the acquaintance also of Erik Lindeberg-Lind, a very interesting character who was traveling under an assumed name. On the night of the sinking he and Bjornstrom-Steffansson jointly escorted her to boat 6. Mrs Lindstrom was married to an army captain and had bought one of the cheapest 1st Class tickets, so was probably not notably wealthy. Sweden itself was a relatively poor agrarian country, only beginning the process of industrialisation in which Western European nations were far advanced. Thus the appeal of emigration to North America and even to countries closer to hand, like Denmark and Germany. .
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  9. Martin Williams

    Thank you for your contributions, Maritha and Bob. Slowly, Mrs Lindstrom is coming into focus! Since she sailed first-class on prestigious ocean liners and stayed in a swanky hotel like the Savoy during her earlier visit to the States, I can't believe that she was THAT strapped for cash. Maybe not in the same league as Colonel Astor but by no means poor. I wonder where I might be able to find source material in English which might paint a picture of life for the Swedish aristocracy during the early twentieth century? I am acquainted with the biography of Karen Blixen, who was a member of the Danish aristocracy, and imagine there might be some parallels between her life and that of Mrs Lindstrom. It is interesting to note that, in 1912, the Crown Princess of Sweden was actually English - Princess Margaret of Connaught, the daughter of Queen Victoria's third (and favourite) son, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. She died tragically in 1920, when eight-months pregnant with her... Read full post
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  10. Martin Williams

    A little light Googling from me has turned up the following information...apologies if I'm merely going over the same ground as Brian and Maritha! The barony of Hebensund was created by Queen Christina in the seventeenth century and was ceded to Sigrid Lindstrom's ancestor, Knut Posse. Following the German model, every member of a Swedish aristocratic family was entitled to hold the title of either count (or countess) or baron (or baroness). In 1809 an 'Instrument of Government' reformed the hereditary system and, as in Great Britain, titles could only be held by the head of house. However, as this restriction applied only to those ennobled AFTER 1809, Sigrid Lindstrom could legitimately have styled herself as 'Countess' aboard the 'Titanic'. I confess myself a little confused on this point - Maritha and Brian, you seem to agree that Sigrid WAS a countess. But her family estate was created as a barony. Would that not in fact have meant that she was a baroness? Or did the family... Read full post
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  11. Maritha Boström

    Martin (and Bob, of course), Yes, she must have had some sort of income/fortune. Probably not even remotely close to Astor or similar, but a sum decent enough to make her able to travel around as much as she appears to have done. The Posse family can indeed seem to be a bit confusing. It was indeed - as you say, Martin - created as a barony in 1651 as Posse of Hedensund. However, that lineage became extinct 1689. In 1673 another branch of the family had also recieved a barony, which is still alive today as Posse of Säby. The branch that Sigrid descends from became a barony 1696 and was 'upgraded' in 1706 - so after that they were counts and countesses. I don't know much in detail about the reformation from 1809, but I'd say what you wrote is likely; that it applied only to those ennobled afterwards. But, if it really DID apply to all titles, then I must revise my notes about her. I'm in a lack of time right now, otherwise I'd dig deeper into this interesting subject... Read full post
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  12. Brian Ahern

    It's exciting to see details emerging about a long obscure passenger. My guess would be that her husband's position did shove her into court circles. My guess would be that etiquette dictated that she could call herself "Countess Sigrid Lindstroem" but not "Countess Lindstroem"; just as Lady Helen Taylor isn't "Lady Taylor". And perhaps, after her marriage, it wouldn't have been thought in good taste for her to be too tenacious about having her title recognized, except on formal occasions. I never assume that aristocrats are rich. So when there's evidence of money, I'm always curious as to where it comes from. The fact that her husband was an army captain with, I assume, a fairly modest income, might indicate that he had wealth from other sources. And I assume he was of gentle birth.
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  13. Martin Williams

    Hi Brian '...my guess would be that etiquette dictated that she could call herself "Countess Sigrid Lindstroem" but not "Countess Lindstroem", just as Lady Helen Taylor isn't "Lady Taylor"...' If there were parallels between the Swedish and English hereditary systems, then you are quite correct. Sigrid would have occupied the same position as the daughter of a marquess or an earl, holding a title by courtesy only. 'Countess Lindstroem' (rendered WITHOUT her Christian name) would have implied that she was married to the head of house. Nevertheless, I do find it difficult to believe that she would have dropped her title so casually on occasion. Perhaps the foreign style proved a little too much for the printer of the first-class passenger list? 'I never assume that aristocrats are rich' Too right - some were, and are, noticeably strapped for ready cash! I like your speculation about the finances of her late husband. If he were an army officer, even a senior ranking one,... Read full post
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  14. Mike Poirier

    I vaguely recall that Edith Russell said in one account that on the train to the Titanic she talked with some American and Swedish ladies. Perhaps, if she was correct in saying that, one of them was Mrs. Lindstroem.
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  15. Martin Williams

    Thank you. Was there any first-class passenger Edith Russell DIDN'T chat to at some stage during the voyage? She really seems to have got around! On another thread, Bob has contributed the fascinating information that Mexican Manuel Uruchurtu shared the same train compartment as Mrs Lindstroem on the journey to Cherbourg. Although not directly relating to Sigrid Lindstroem, I've been doing a little bit of background reading to help set her class and country in a historical context. Interestingly, Queen Alexandra travelled to Scandinavia in the spring of 1908, visiting relatives in Norway, Sweden and her native Denmark. On 26th April, the royal party arrived in Stockholm, where Alexandra was greeted by Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and his English wife, Crown Princess Margaret. The visitors were dazzled by the opulence and splendour of the royal palace, which was beautifully furnished with fine furniture and Sevres porcelain from the collection of Napoleon's controversial Marshal... Read full post
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Titanic Passenger Summary

Name: Mrs Sigrid Lindström (née Posse)
Age: 55 years 3 months and 28 days (Female)
Nationality: Swedish
Marital Status: Married to Carl Johan Lindström
Embarked: Cherbourg on Wednesday 10th April 1912
Ticket No. 112377, £27 14s 5d
Rescued  
Disembarked Carpathia: New York City on Thursday 18th April 1912
Buried: Norra begravningsplatsen, Stockholm, Uppland, Sweden on Monday 11th November 1946

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