Agnes Smith was born in Corrahill Cottage, in the Parish of Rerrick, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, on the
Annie Smith, who was a domestic servant, and aged 19 years at the time. She was brought up by her maternal grandparents, James and Agnes Smith (née Thompson) at Corrahill Cottage, Rerrick, Kirkcudbrightshire. Her grandfather was a ploughman, and later became an hotelier, managing the Dundrennan Arms Hotel in the nearby village of Dundrennan.
Agnes’ mother married a blacksmith named David Adams in Dundrennan in January 1893, but despite this, Agnes continued to reside with her grandparents and not with her mother and her subsequent family.
On the 13th November 1909, Agnes Smith boarded the Columbia at Glasgow and immigrated to the United States of America in search of work as a domestic servant. She was accompanied by her cousin, Miss Nicholas Boyle, who resided at Craigness Cottage, Kirkcudbright, Kirkcudbrightshire. The mothers of both young women were sisters. On arrival in New York City on the 21st November, they travelled by rail to the home of their aunt, a Mrs. Nicholas Jardine, at 5635. Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois.
Agnes Smith eventually found employment as a maid in the home of the Morgan family in Chicago, before moving on to the home of a Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Mayer of Glencoe, Illinois. Then, in the spring of 1915, she decided to return home - possible because of the war raging in Europe, and her cousin, Nicholas Boyle, decided to return with her.
As a result, both young women booked third class passage on the May sailing of the Lusitania from New York to Liverpool at Cunard’s office in Chicago, Illinois. They arrived at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 on the west side of New York, on the morning of 1st May 1915, in time for the liner’s scheduled 10 o’clock departure. Accompanying them were two other young women, Agnes Crosbie and Sarah McLennan, who were also originally from the Kirkcudbright area.
They had to wait until just before 12.30 p.m. before the liner actually sailed, because she had to embark transferred passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Lines vessel the S.S. Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for war service as a troop ship at the end of April.
Then, six days out of New York on the afternoon of 7th May, and within sight of the coast of southern Ireland, the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20. At that stage of her voyage, she was only about 250 miles away from the safety of her home port.
Both Agnes Smith and Nicholas Boyle lost their lives as a result of this action and never got to see their Scottish homes again. Neither of their bodies was never recovered from the sea and identified, and therefore neither has a known grave. Agnes Smith was aged 25 years, and Nicholas Boyle was aged 24 years at the time of their deaths.
Agnes Crosbie and Sarah McLennan were fortunate enough to survive and within a few days had returned to their homes in Kircudbrightshire, where they had the unenviable task of informing the families of Agnes Smith and Nicholas Boyle of their loss.
Both young women are remembered on the family grave of Agnes’ mother, Mrs. Annie Adams, in Twynholm Old Kirkyard, Twynholm, Kirkcudbrightshire.
Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1891 Census of Scotland, 1901 Census of Scotland, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser, New York Times, PRO BT 100/345, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Wesley Johnson, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.