Encyclopedia Titanica

Hugh Roscoe Rood

Hugh Roscoe Rood
Hugh Roscoe Rood

Hugh Roscoe Rood, 39, was born in Iowa on 23 March 1873.

He was the son of Vernon Dudley Rood (1842-1906), a doctor who also saw military service, and Sarah Catherine Voorhees (b. 1841). His father was originally from Vermont whilst his mother hailed from New Jersey and he had three known siblings: Grace (1875-1964, later Mrs Yophrazan Jacques), Edson (1877-1915) and Vernon Voorhees (1879-1939).

He appears on the 1880 census living in Anita, Cass, Iowa but the family later moved to San Diego, California and he was still living with his parents in that city at the time of the 1900 census and he had went into the brokerage business. He later settled in Seattle, Washington and joined the Rainier Club, a private elite society, and worked as vice president and general manager of the Perfection Pile Preserving Company.

He was married on 16 January 1909 to Lena Stoiber, née Allen (b. 2 April 1862), a wealthy mining magnate who had previously been married to Edward Stoiber (1856-1906) who owned the Silver Lake gold mine in Silverton, Colorado and who lived in an opulent mansion named Waldheim, also in Silverton. Lena had sold the mine in 1908 to the Guggenheims but Hugh and his wife continued to spend time living between Colorado and Washington.

The couple had been spending time in Europe since late 1911 and by April 1912 were staying in Paris when Hugh was summoned back to Seattle.

Rood booked a single passage on the Titanic and boarded the Titanic at Southampton as a first class passenger (ticket number 113767, £50), he occupied cabin A-32.

His wife arrived back in New York on 26 April 1912 aboard Kaiserin Auguste Victoria and stayed in the Plaza Hotel. Apparently in disbelief that her husband had died, she placed following advertisement in the New York Herald:

INFORMATION WANTED concerning HUGH R. ROOD of Seatte, Wash. passenger on Titanic, occupying cabin 32. Deck A. Grateful for any news of his survival or death, by telegraph at my expense. Mrs. HUGH ROOD, Hotel Plaza, New York City.

Lena, reportedly a very eccentric lady, is believed to have settled in Italy having survived four marriages. She is believed to have died in 1935.

Newspaper Articles

Denver Times (15 April 1912) Denver Men And Women Among Titanic Passengers
The San Francisco Call (16 April 1912) Seattle Man On Liner
The Weekly Republican (18 April 1912) Hugh R. Rood

Documents and Certificates

(1912) Contract Ticket List, White Star Line (Southampton, Queenstown), National Archives, London; BT27/776,780
(1912) Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths of Passengers and Seamen at Sea, National Archives, London; BT334/52 & 334/53
Hermann Söldner (2000) RMS Titanic: Passenger and Crew List 10 April 1912-15 April 1912, ä wie Ärger Verlag, Rüti, 2000

Miscellaneous

1900 US Federal Census
Search archive online

Comment and discuss

  1. Marie Voorhees Avelsgaard

    Marie Voorhees Avelsgaard

    I am doing research on my lst cousin, twice removed, HUGH ROSCOE ROOD, who died on the Titanic. He was born 23 apr 1873 to Vernon Dudley Rood and Sarah Catharine Voorhees who were both bornand raised in New Jersey. Sarah Catharine Voorhees was a sister to my grgr grandfather, Henry Rockefeller Voorhees. I know Hugh was married to Lena Allen Stoiber (widow) on 16 jan 1909 in Vancouver, Clark Co., WA. I have a picture of his mother & father. If anyone out there knows more personal info about him, i.e. what he did for a living, why he was aboard the Titanic, etc. , please email me. Thank you. Marie Voorhees Avelsgaard Minnesota
    : Reply
  2. William Armour Murdoch

    William Armour Murdoch

    This month of May 2000, I am in personal contact with the family of Hugh R. Rood. We are researching together his sailing on the Titanic. Please confirm: Did he sail from Southhampton? Lester Mitcham;Randy Bingham;Ben Holmes state alternat (non-boarding) possibility, pro and con. George Behe calls him incorrectly, "Hugo," R. Rood saying boarded at Southampton, First Class Cabin A-32. Does any other information now exist confirming that he did or did not sail on the Titanic? Armour May 11, 2000.
    : Reply

  3. Tracy Smith

    Funny you should ask. I'm presently reading Kristen Iversen's bio of Molly Brown and Rood is mentioned in this book. Rood and Molly Brown were the only Denverites booked on the Titanic. Kristen Iversen speculated that Rood may not have been on Titanic at all, because Molly knew Rood personally and did not see him at all during the voyage.
    : Reply

  4. Lester Mitcham

    Armour, Thanks to Ben's post I now accept that Rood was onboard. Lester
    : Reply
  5. William Armour Murdoch

    William Armour Murdoch

    Tracy Smith and Lester Micham: Thanks for your message. I will purchase the book re "Molly," Brown. Actual name Margaret but Molly was used in the "Unsinkable MB." Still need to know name of city from which he boarded. Need to know confirmation as to whether he stayed at the Ritz in Paris or London. His wife Lena Rood had a home in Paris although George Behe says they stayed at the Ritz in Paris - conflict? Lena was the very wealthy one and without a wife on board, he may have stayed Socially and otherwise low key. As Lena was a very wealthy Denver socialite, she would have positively known of Margaret Brown - both were in the gold mining business, Lena having inherited from former husband. Hugh, personally much lower in the financial scale may have felt out of water in that mileau, or might not have been accepted socially into the world of the very wealthy. Lady Duff Gordon, a survivor was his neighbor, on A Deck. I would be pleased to query the Duff Gordon family... Read full post
    : Reply

  6. Lester Mitcham

    Hi Armour, According to both MT 9/920/201 and BT 100/260 Rood's Last Place of Abode was the: Ritz Hotel, London. He boarded Titanic at Southampton. Hope this helps, Lester
    : Reply

  7. Daniel Klistorner

    Rood would have had closer neighbors than the Duff Gordons. Also his price of ticket was rather high and he obtained a restaurant rebate, therefore he had to pay for every one of his meals. He obviously crossed with plenty of money. If he and Molly never met, it could be because they ate in separate places and their accommodation wasn't close to each other for them to bump into each other. Regards, Daniel.
    : Reply

  8. Daniel Klistorner

    Hi, As most of you would know, George Behe no longer posts on this board. Interested by all the acknowledgement given to him regarding information on Mr. Rood, I forwarded him a message by Armour from this board. He replied and requested that I post his reply on this board from him, so here it is. ----------------------------------------------------- Hi, Daniel! Thanks very much for forwarding Mr. Armour's comments on the ET board about Hugh Rood's ET biography. I think Mr. Armour probably looked at the bottom of the Rood biography, saw my name listed in the acknowledgements and mistakenly assumed that I was responsible for *all* of the information that appears there. Mr. Armour wrote: >Pleased to note the knowledge on this page about various cabins (paint fumes >- a surprise) and names of occupants and where boarded. Behe names Rood as >"Hugo Roscoe Rood," when his first name is "Hugh." "Hugo" must be a misprint in the ET biography; I have never told... Read full post
    : Reply
  9. Rachel Fellman

    Rachel Fellman

    "Nothing is known of either John Bertram Crafton or Hugh Rood, however, besides their prescence on the ship and their deaths in the disaster; they could just as likely have been clerics as crooks, saints as sinners, and were chosen from the anonymous deceased because of the melodramatic felicity of their names. I would say that I intend no offense to their memories, but unfortunately no memories of them appear to endure." That was Max Allen Collins, author of "The Titanic Murders", on why he chose Mr. Rood to be one of the villains of his work. Ever since I read that paragraph (and the book), I've wanted for someone to prove him wrong and tell us something about one of these two men- just to show that one should never take this kind of liberty with real lives, no matter how well-intentioned they are. Gosh, that was some of the most pompous language I've used in a long, long while. But you get the point. Thank you for improving my life today... -Rachel Tell me again why I read... Read full post
    : Reply

  10. Ben Holme

    Interesting discussion. Excuse my extreme lateness to it. Many thanks to George Behe for helping us out, and thanks to Daniel for posting the message. Perhaps Mr. Behe could corroborate the story about Miss Margaret Hays having last seen Hugh Rood standing next to boat #7 and helpeing to load it with women? I'm afraid I can't remember where I read this. Thanks and regards, Ben
    : Reply

  12. Pat Cook

    Okay, what is a typh? Curious, Cook
    : Reply

  13. Pat Cook

    OOoooh! I get it! This is some of that English humor, right?
    : Reply

  14. Geoff Whitfield

    I think it's a male nymph!
    : Reply

  15. Pat Cook

    Ah HA! Thanks for clearing that one up, o' grandson o'mine. I thought it was the British version of a domestic quarrel. As in "My wife and I got into a typh!" I can see clearly now, Cook
    : Reply

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Titanic Passenger Summary

Name: Mr Hugh Roscoe Rood
Age: 39 years and 23 days (Male)
Nationality: American
Marital Status: Married to Lena Stoiber, née Allen
Occupation: Businessman
Embarked: Southampton on Wednesday 10th April 1912
Ticket No. 113767, £50
Cabin No. A32
Died in the Titanic disaster (15th April 1912)
Body Not Identified

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