Josephine Burnside, née Eaton, 49, was the daughter of the founder of Eaton’s Department Store. Josephine, her daughter Iris, and maid Martha Waites were traveling on the Lusitania in May of 1915 to visit relatives in Ireland. They were at lunch when the ship was torpedoed. Josephine survived the Lusitania sinking, Iris did not.
Josephine was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Eaton. Her father was the founder of Eaton’s Department Store. She was a cousin of David Barbour, a hardware merchant on Broughshane Street, Ballymena, Co. Antrim, Ireland.
Josephine married a Thomas Burnside of Toronto. Thomas had been an engineer at Ballyclare Paper Mills in Ireland before emigrating to Canada. He and Josephine had a daughter, Iris, around 1895. Josephine and Iris were traveling on the Lusitania in May of 1915 to visit relatives in Cullybackey, Ballymena.
Josephine Burnside was eating lunch with daughter Iris and friends Frederick McMurtry, George Powell and Walter McLean when the ship was struck. Her memory was blurry and she lost track of her daughter. She remembered trying to get into a lifeboat when the ship sank. Iris did not survive.
Eaton’s, by 1896 was already a fixture in Canadian society. Until 1950, Eaton’s billed itself as “the largest retail organization in the British Empire.” They also sponsored the Santa Claus parade in Toronto, the largest parade in North America. Eaton’s fell upon hard times in the 1970’s and did not recover. Due to financial difficulties, Eaton’s discontinued sponsorship of the Santa Claus parade in 1982 and filed for bankruptcy in 1997.
Sears Canada in bought out Eaton’s in 1999 and tried to redevelop Eaton’s (now eatons, with a lower-case “e”) as an upscale version of Sears Canada. The plan failed and eatons across Canada closed in 2002.
Contributors
Senan Molony, Ireland
Michael Poirier, USA
Hildo Thiel, The Netherlands
References
Irish Post and Weekly Telegraph. 15 May 1915, pg. 11.
Molony, Senan. Lusitania: An Irish Tragedy. Mercier Press, 2004.
Josephine Smyth Eaton Burnside was born on 4 December 1865 and married to Thomas David Meldrum Eaton. She was traveling with her 19-year-old daughter, Iris Margaret and maid Martha “Mattie” Pinda Waites, 36.
Hi
I am amazed to discover this. My father was Ralph Waites, son to Alfred Waites who was brother to Martha. Quite a sad story. Learning a lot tonight. Thanks so much
Marilou
Hi Marilou
Does a picture of Martha exist?
Hi
I wish. My dad never spoke much of his fathers family. We think my grandfather ( Matha’s brother) was disowned by family because he fell in love with my grandmother who was Catholic. From what I am learning there was a lot of tragedies in the Waites family. I never knew my dad had any relatives until the other night. Sadly he is no longer with us so we can’t talk. Lot’s of loss. I plan on going to the cemetery where Martha is memorialized(?) (a column) along with more of my dad’s family. I believe the Eaton family was good to them..guessing. They are buried close to the Eaton family. My Grandfather and a few of his sisters worked for the Eaton family also. It is such a small world because I came to find out that my mother’s cousin is best friend with George Eaton. I will send my mom’s cousin an email after I visit the cemetery.
Are you related to the Eaton family?
Take Care
Marilou
There is a memorial to Martha Waites in the Mount Pleasant Cemetary in Toronto
Thank you. I visit now and then. The Eaton’s provided a headstone for my great grandparents too, which included Martha’s name. I aausme that is the memorial because I cannot finds any other memorial. My g grandfather and a few more aunts all worked for the Eaton’s. Sad story.
Marilou – Martha was a Ladies Maid but such a role meant that she was very close to the Eatons and there was a lot of love often on both sides. There would have been no secrets between Mrs Burnside and Iris and Martha. In my own family George Slingsby, by giving his life belt to my cousin Anna, in effect offered her his own life – he could not swim and he had as a boy seen his brother drown. My aunt, Lady Allan, was taking her maid Emily to the UK so that she could get married and also took her sister in law’s maid Annie to do the same. Both side of the relationship would go a long way to help the other. “Mattie” as I think the Eatons/Burnsides called Martha, obviously loved her too which is why they memorialized her at Mount Pleasant. Of course there was the class barrier but that did not mean that they did not care very much about her.
Hi Marilou,
My great-grandfather is Walter McLean, listed above. I believe Martha and Mrs. Burnside were the last to see my great-grandfather before he died when the ship sank and I am trying to find more information on this. After the sinking of the ship, Mrs. Burnside was interviewed about the details of the sinking by an Eaton’s employee. I believe Martha “Mattie” Pinda Waites was with Mrs. Burnside when this interview took place in Belfast. Do you know if your family has any information or details on the events that occured on the day of the sinking and after? Dispositions, interviews, etc. Many thank for your help!
Christine
Mattie drowned and so could not have been with Mrs Burnside.
Rob
Rob – Yes, you are correct. I found this out soon after my post. Thank you for your response.
Thanks Rob. I wish I could find a picture. My mother’s cousin is good friends with the E
aton who heads the empire now, so I may write my second cousin to see if he can help me connect. I appreciate knowing she was loved.
The Eatons may have a picture – staff pictures were common then