Margaret Spiers Kelly was born in Gortanewry, Magherafelt, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on the 27th June 1881, the daughter of Thomas and Margaret Kelly (née Spiers). Her parents were farmers, and she was one of eleven children. In May 1889, her family immigrated to the United States of America, settling in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Her father found work with the Allegheny Foundry Company as a pattern maker, and became a naturalized citizen of the United States, securing citizenship for the entire family. In 1902, Margaret joined the Pittsburgh Lamp and Brass Company as a clerk and stenographer and by 1911, was earning a salary of $85.00 per month
Margaret was unmarried and in 1915, the family home was at 8, Maginn Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In the spring of 1915, she decided to travel to relatives in County Cork, Ireland, and consequently booked second cabin passage on the May sailing of the Lusitania to sail from New York to Liverpool. Leaving Pittsburgh at the end of April, she arrived in New York on the morning of 1st May 1915 in time to join the liner at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in the port, for her scheduled 10.00 a.m. departure. This was then delayed until the afternoon as she had to take on board passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty for service as a troop ship, at the end of April.
The Lusitania finally left New York just after mid-day and just six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May; she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, twelve miles off the coast of southern Ireland and only 250 miles from her home port.
Margaret Kelly was killed as a result of this action, but her body was later recovered from the sea and landed at Queenstown, where it was taken to one of the temporary mortuaries set up there, and given the reference number 125, until a positive identification had been made and was described as: -
Female, fair hair 5‘7“ slight build.
On 10th May 1915, it was buried in The Old Church Cemetery, two miles north of the town, in Mass Grave B, Second Row, Lower Tier, where she lies to this day. It was on this day that most of the victims of the sinking were buried after a long funeral procession which began outside the Cunard offices at Lynch’s Quay on the waterfront. Margaret Kelly was aged 33 years. Cunard records show that it was positively identified by a Mr. John Spiers, 3. Clarence Terrace, St. Lukes, Cork, her uncle, and probably one of the relatives she intended visiting.
As it was necessary to bury all the recovered bodies as soon as possible, because they could not be hygienically stored in the increasing heat of May, they were all photographed in the temporary mortuaries in Queenstown before being buried as soon as was practicable. Anxious friends and relatives of those missing were then invited to identify their loved ones through these photographs.
On 27th May 1915, the Cunard office at Queenstown received a cable from New York which stated: -
CABLE TWENTY SECOND SAYS MARGARET KEELEY IDENTIFIED. IS THIS KELLY.
The reply, which was sent on 29th May, stated: -
YOURS TWENTY SEVENTH MARGARET KEELEY IS MARGARET S. KELLY SECOND.
In point of fact, there was no Margaret Keeley on board the Lusitania, although there was another second cabin passenger called Annie Keeley, who also lost her life as a result of the sinking.
Property recovered from Margaret Kelly’s body, was put on board the liner Orduña on 8th July 1915, bound for New York, after which it was despatched to her father at the Maginn Street address in Pittsburgh. It consisted of a gold sovereign, a half dollar, a quarter dollar, and a five cent piece, all contained in a purse, a shoe fastener, a gold and platinum diamond bar with a safety pin, a plain gold bangle with a single diamond on it, with M.S. KELLY 1912, engraved inside it, a gold plated safety pin, a single stone chrysophose ring, a gold long link necklet, a pink cameo and caroque pearl gold pendant, a 10 carat gold safety pin, a pair of gold rimless eyeglasses with an ear chain in a case, made by N. Percy of Toronto, a silk scarf and some hair pins.
The Mixed Claims Commission later awarded her parents the sum of $3,500.00 in compensation for her death.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1900 U.S. Federal Census, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Cunard Records, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 2562, Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh Gazette Times, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/339, UniLiv PR13/6, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.