| Mary Ryerson Saloon Passenger Lost |
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 image credit: Phyllis Ryerse. Click for full photo. |
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| Born | Mary Amelia Crowther c. 1859 |
| Died | 7 May 1915 (age 56) At sea |
| Age on Lusitania | 56 |
| Ticket number | 46106 |
| Cabin number | D 55 |
| Traveling with | Laura Ryerson (daughter) |
| Lifeboat | 14 |
| Body number | Not recovered |
| Citizenship | British (Canadian) |
| Residence | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Other name(s) | none |
| Spouse(s) | George Sterling Ansel Ryerson (1882 – 1915, her death) |
Mary Amelia Ryerson, 56, and her daughter Laura, 23, were wealthy Canadians from Toronto, Ontario. Mary’s husband George was founder of the Canadian Red Cross and cousin of Arthur L. Ryerson of Haverford, PA, who died on the Titanic. As with Arthur Ryerson’s family, Mary was on the Lusitania to attend to the death of a son. This son was killed in battle and mother and daughter were also going to help the other son recover from being shelled.
Mary was the daughter of barrister James Crowther. She had a sister, Sarah Ellen Crowther, who married Hon. Sir William Mulock, MP, afterwards Post-Master-General and Chief Justice of Ontario.
On 14 November 1882 she married George Sterling Ryerson. Ryerson was an Ontario physician, businessman and political figure who represented Toronto in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1893 to 1898. He was a Conservative and then Conservative-Protestant Protective Association member. Mary and George had five children: George Crowther (born 1883), Yoris Sterling (born 1886), Eric Egerton (born 1888), Arthur Connaught (born 1890), and Laura Mary (born 1893).
In 1915, World War I was raging in Europe, and two of Mary and George’s sons were fighting for Britain. One son was killed and another was shelled but survived and was in convalescence. George went to see his sons and crossed to England aboard Lusitania in April of that year. Mary and their daughter Laura were to follow in May.
Aboard Lusitania, Mary and Laura were booked into cabin D-55, paid $310 on 27 April for ticket number 46106.
Mary and Laura were in the lounge taking coffee with Reginald Lockhart and Leonard McMurray when the ship was struck. The men then escorted the ladies to the port side to wait for the boats. They were in lifeboat 14 that capsized as it tried to pull away from the ship. Mary Amelia was lost. Laura was rescued.
Memorial plaque at St. James Cathedral (Anglican) on King Street in Toronto, Canada. Image courtesy Marika Pirie. Click image for full plaque.
Contributors:
Paul Latimer
Marika Pirie
Michael Poirier
Phyllis Ryerse
References:
“George Sterling Ansel Ryerson.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 22 July 2004. Web. 21 June 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Sterling_Ansel_Ryerson>
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