Harry Jacob Keser was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America, on the 30th May 1873, the son of Carl William and Johanna Katherine Keser (née Ruckert). His parents had emigrated from Germany, and his father worked as a bar tender.
On completion of his education, Harry became a bank clerk with the Philadelphia National Bank, and on the 11th April 1894, he married Mary Bringhurst Floyd in Philadelphia. They had a son appropriately named Floyd Bringhurst, who was born in 1897. In 1915, their home was at Jenkintown, Philadelphia.
He rose to be a vice president of The Philadelphia National Bank, and in the spring of 1915, he had to go to Europe in the course of this business. His intention was to conduct business on behalf of his bank in England, and then, possibly continue on to
Russia. Consequently, he booked saloon passage for himself and his wife on the May sailing of the Lusitania and leaving Philadelphia at the end of April, they joined the liner (with ticket number 14678) at her berth at Pier 54 in the port of New York on the morning of 1st May. Once on board, they were escorted to their accommodation in room B11, which was the personal responsibility of First Class Bedroom Steward Robert Morse, who came from Birkenhead, Cheshire, on the opposite side of the River Mersey from Liverpool.
The liner’s sailing was delayed until the afternoon of that day, as she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner Cameronia, which had unexpectedly been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for war work. She finally left the port just after mid-day and just six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May; she was torpedoed and sunk twelve miles off the coast of southern Ireland and only hours away from her Liverpool home port.
Neither Harry Keser nor his wife survived the sinking and it was not until mid-July 1915 that his body was recovered from the sea and landed at Queenstown. There, it was given reference number 255, in the temporary resting place to which it had been taken. He was aged 41 years.
Having been identified, on 31st July 1915, it was put on board the S.S. St. Paul bound for New York. Once it arrived there, it was dispatched to Messrs. Kirk & Nice, Undertakers, of Germantown, Philadelphia. On the 11th August 1915, his remains were interred in St. Thomas Episcopal Church Cemetery, Whitemarsh, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, beside those of his wife, who remains had been recovered before his, and had been buried in the cemetery two months previously. Property recovered from Harry Keser’s remains, which probably aided its identification after over two month’s immersion in the sea, was handed over to the American Consul, Mr. Wesley Frost, at Queenstown on 22nd July 1915. The arrangements for these actions were handled by Ernest Lloyd of 26 Victoria Street, Westminster, London, who was probably a lawyer.
Bedroom Steward Morse, who had looked after the Keser’s in room B11, did survive the sinking, however and eventually made it back to his Birkenhead home.
Charles Hunsicker was appointed executor of the estates of both Harry and Mary Keser, and with Floyd Bringhurst Keser, filed a claim for compensation for their deaths and loss of their personal belongings, which was decided by the Mixed Claims commission. The Commission awarded Floyd Keser the sum of $25,000.00 for the loss of his parents, and Charles Hunsicker the sum of $2,710.11 in compensation for the loss of their personal property, and the expenses incurred in transporting their remains from Ireland to the United States, and burial expenses. In addition, the Commission awarded the sum of $1,000.00 to the Insurance Company of North America.
Pennsylvania and New Jersey Church and Town Records 1669 – 2013, 1880 U.S. Federal Census, 1900 U.S. Federal Census, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, Cunard Records, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 1336 & 1337, New York Times, Tragedy of the Lusitania, PRO BT 22/71, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv.D92/1/6, UniLiv D92/2/310, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.