Sarah Hodges, 36, was traveling on Lusitania with her husband, William Hodges, and their two children, William S. Hodges, Jr., and Dean Winston Hodges. They family was from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, but her husband William had business in Paris, France, to attend to for which they booked Lusitania. The entire family was lost when the ship was torpedoed and sunk on 7 May 1915.
Life
Sarah Hodges, born Sarah Grisemer, was the daughter of Levi B. Grisemer. He was 64 years of age at the time of Sarah’s death. Levi had been ill for more than a year and had been unable to work, and Sarah contributed to his support. After Sarah died, Levi’s health recovered enough for him to return to work.
William Sterling Hodges, on 30 April 1915, the day before sailing on the Lusitania, made a will naming Sarah sole legatee and executrix. He provided among other things that should his wife and two children “all die simultaneously or on or about the same time” then in such event his entire estate was to go to his mother.
Lusitania
Aboard Lusitania, the Hodges were on ticket 14677 and stayed in cabin A-16.
During the sinking, Blish and Maude Thompson encountered the Hodges family in the crowd climbing the stairs to the boat deck. As the ship was listing to starboard, the Hodges were having trouble, so the Thompsons assisted them up the staircase. Later on, Wallace Phillips saw Mr. Hodges exit his portside A Deck cabin with lifebelts in his arms. Phillips asked Hodges if his family was all together, to which Hodges answered yes, that they were all together.
The entire Hodges family was lost in the Lusitania sinking. Hoehling and Hoehling’s The Last Voyage of the Lusitania (1956) makes an error in stating that the children had been saved.
The Monday, 17 May issue of The New York Times, page 1, said that Dean’s body had been recovered and identified. Dean’s body was later returned to Philadelphia. Sarah’s body was #209, interred in Common Grave B in Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland.
Related pages
The Hodges at the Mixed Claims Commission
Contributors:
Jim Kalafus
Michael Poirier
Judith Tavares
References:
Hoehling, A. A. and Mary Hoehling. The Last Voyage of the Lusitania. Madison Books, 1956.
Mixed Claims Commission. Docket No. 274, page 398.
The New York Times. Sunday, May 8, 1915, page 3.
The New York Times. Monday, May 17, 1915, page 1.
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