Albert Jackson Byington was born Elmira, Chemung County, New York, in the United States of America on 22nd January 1875, the son of Albert Jackson and Elizabeth Byington (née Tyler). He had an older sister named Hettie. His father was a travelling salesman, and while he was a child, his family relocated to Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas, and it was here that he spent much of his childhood.
He became an electrical and mechanical engineer, immigrating to Brazil in 1895. He had an office in São Paulo, but had extensive business interests throughout Brazil, including construction, industrial, and fruit-growing concerns. On 4th July 1904, he married Pearl Ellis McIntyre, who was born on 3rd December 1879, in Santa Barbara d’Oeste, São Paulo.
The couple had two children, both born in São Paulo – Albert Jackson Jnr., born in 1902, and Elizabeth Ellis, born in 1904. In 1909, the family returned to the United States of America and settled in Cedercroft Road, Baltimore, Maryland, primarily so that the children could be educated in the United States of America, although Albert returned to Brazil for lengthy periods to look after his various business interests, and he also travelled frequently to Europe.
In March 1915, he was working in England when he decided to return to England to see his family and conduct some business. He booked return saloon passage on the
Lusitania, and arrived in New York on the 26th March.
Six weeks later, he boarded the liner on the morning of 1st May in time for her scheduled 10.00 a.m. sailing and then had to wait until just after noon before the liner actually left New York. This was because she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner Cameronia which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for use as a troop ship at the end of April. Before she sailed from New York on 1st May 1915, Albert Byington was allocated room B26, which was under the personal supervision of First Class Bedroom Steward James Grant, who came from West Derby, a suburb of Liverpool.
Albert Byington survived the sinking six days later and told of his experiences of being in a lifeboat after the liner had gone down and the pathetic story of a lone rescued child. To a reporter of
The Daily Mirror, he said: -
Little unknown - his name has not yet been discovered - was snatched into one of the boats just before the Lusitania sank. He was quite well and unhurt, but he had lost his mother, and he was sobbing bitterly.
In all that crowded boatload of frightened, half drowned people, Little Unknown was the only person who gave vent to his feelings. He pressed his chubby fists into his eyes and sobbed, "Mummie, Mummie!" His mother, it is feared, went down with the Lusitania.
One elderly woman, despite her own distress, did all she could to comfort the little boy. But he wouldn't be comforted by her - he still cried on.
Then, an burly stoker who, with coal dust grimed on his face and hands looked like a nigger from central Africa, took a hand with Little Unknown. "Don't cry, sonny," he said, "We shall soon be all right."
Baby opened his tear-stained eyes and looked at the man. He stopped crying, smiled a little. Then he came over to him, nestled down and went to sleep. The stoker went on pulling his oar with a will.
It is believed Albert Byington had first got into lifeboat No. 17 which spilled it’s cargo of passengers into the sea from a height of sixty feet, from which he suffered bruising and a spinal injury. Having survived the fall, he was picked up by the occupants of another lifeboat.
Eventually, the occupants of the lifeboat were rescued from the sea and Mr. Byington was landed at Queenstown, from where he eventually got to England. He stayed in London for nineteen days, before returning to São Paulo. He was aged 40 years at the time of his experiences.
Bedroom Steward Grant who looked after Albert Byington in room also survived the sinking and eventually returned safely to Liverpool.
Albert Byington filed a claim with the U.S. State Department, which was passed on to the Mixed Claims Commission after the conclusion of the war, for consideration. The Commission awarded him the sum of $10,000.00 in compensation for his injuries, and a further $3,398.00 for the loss of his personal belongings, which included a valuable set of pearl studs.
The Byington family returned permanently to São Paulo in 1919, and sometime after this, Albert began using the Spanish variation of his name – Alberto! He made frequent business trips by liner to New York, where he retained offices, and also Europe, Africa and throughout South America in the following years, until the rise in commercial air travel meant that he could fly to and from the various destinations he had to visit.
Albert Jackson Byington died in São Paulo, Brazil, on the 17th September 1952, aged 77 years. At the time of his death, he left an estate in England valued at £2,225-10s.-0d (£2,225.50p).
His wife, Pearl, died in New York on 6th November 1963.
1880 U.S. Federal Census, 1885 Kansas State Census, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, Daily Mirror, Cunard Records, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 25, PRO BT 100/345, Probate Records, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.