| Mary Keser Saloon Passenger Lost |
|
 image: New York Times, Sunday, 16 May 1915. |
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| Born | Mary Bringhurst Floyd 25 January 1865 Wyncote, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Died | 7 May 1915 (age 50) At sea |
| Age on Lusitania | 50 |
| Ticket number | 14678 |
| Cabin number | B 11 |
| Traveling with | Harry J. Keser (husband) |
| Body number | 208 |
| Occupation | Former school principal |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Residence | Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Other name(s) | none |
| Spouse(s) | Harry J. Keser (1874 – 1915, their deaths) |
Mary Keser, 50, was wife of Harry Keser, the Vice President of the Philadelphia National Bank and was traveling aboard Lusitania on bank business. They were United States citizens from Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, not far from downtown Philadelphia. Both Mary and Harry were lost when the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk on 7 May 1915. They left behind a son, Floyd. Both Harry and Mary’s bodies were recovered.
Life
Mary Bringhurst Floyd was born 25 January 1865 in Wyncote, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania to David Floyd and Anna M. Bringhurst.
Mary worked as a school teacher and then principal of a public school until she married banker Harry J. Keser on 11 April 1894 in Philadelphia. Their son, Floyd, was born on 30 August 1897 in Wyncote. At the time of the Lusitania, Floyd was studying law at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Kesers were accustomed to traveling to Spain every year, although starting in 1913 they began traveling to Germany.
Lusitania
Aboard Lusitania, the Kesers were in cabin B-11 and traveled on ticket 14678. They befriended Blish and Maude Thompson. When the ship was torpedoed and sinking on 7 May 1915, the Thompsons saw them on deck with Charlotte Luck and her sons Elbridge and Kenneth.
Both Kesers were lost in the Lusitania sinking, leaving their son Floyd without a mother and father. Mary’s body was recovered first, #208. Harry’s body was recovered #255.
Floyd Keser brought his case to the Mixed Claims Commission, which awarded him $25,000 for the loss of his parents.
Related pages
Harry and Mary Keser at the Mixed Claims Commission
Contributors
Jim Kalafus, USA
Michael Poirier, USA
Horatio Connell Snyder, USA
Judith Tavares
References
Snyder, Horation Connell. “Rash’s Surname Index.” The Pennocks of Primitive Hall. Web. 20 July 2011. <http://www.pennock.ws/surnames/fam/fam45456.html>.
“Out of Town Passengers.” The New York Times. Saturday, 8 May 1915.
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