Although no record of her birth can be found, Mary Jane ‘Minnie’ Press is believed to have been born in Belfast, County Antrim, Ireland, in 1867, the daughter of John and Jane Press (née Wardlow). Her father was a joiner and the family home was at 47. Andrew Street, and later, 56, Upper Townsend Street, Belfast. Mary Jane was a dressmaker and was unmarried.
Around 1903, she had immigrated to New York City, in the United States of America, where her married brother, John Press, lived at 1256, Clay Avenue, Bronx, New York. She resided with his family, working as a dressmaker.
In the spring of 1915, however, she decided to return to Belfast and consequently booked a second cabin ticket on the May sailing of the Lusitania which was scheduled to leave New York at 10.00 a.m., on 1st May 1915.
Having boarded the vessel at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 on the west side of the city,
in good time for the steamer’s departure, she had to wait until the early afternoon before the liner was ready to leave, whilst she took on board passengers, cargo and some of the crew from Anchor Liner the S.S. Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned as a troop ship at the end of April.
The Lusitania finally set sail just after mid-day and just six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-20, twelve miles off The Old Head of Kinsale in southern Ireland and sank only eighteen minutes later. At that stage of her voyage, she was a mere twelve or fourteen hours away from the safety of her Liverpool destination.
Mary Press was killed as a result of this action but her body was later recovered from the sea, and landed at Queenstown. It was then taken to one of the temporary mortuaries set up there, given the reference number 116 and described as: -
Female 50 years, Mary J. Press S/C stout build, grey hair
Then, on 10th May, it was buried in The Old Church Cemetery, just north of the town in Mass Grave C, 3rd Row, Lower Tier, where it lies to this day. It was on this day that most of the victims of the sinking were laid to rest following a long funeral procession which began outside the Cunard office at Lynch’s Quay on the waterfront.
On 16th July 1915, property recovered from the body - which probably aided its identification - was put on board the White Star Liner Carpathia, bound for New York, and was later handed over to her brother at the Bronx address. It was the Carpathia which had been instrumental in saving many lives from the ill-fated liner Titanic which had sunk after hitting an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, on 15th April 1912.
The recovered property consisted of a cheque drawn on The American Express Company for £30-18s-5d., (£30.92p.), three $5 bills, one $2 bill, two $1 bill, some American coins, £5 in gold, £0-2s-0d., (£0.10p.) in silver coinage, a gold bracelet and a gold necklace.
Mary Press was aged 48 years at the time of her death.
On 29th June, 1915 a letter was received from a Mr. Press at the Belfast address by Cunard at Liverpool, seeking a death certificate for Mary Press for insurance purposes. This was probably her brother, Thomas.
1905 New York State Census, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Cunard Records, New York U.S. Wills and Probate Records 1659 – 1999, PRO BT 100/34, Uniliv.D92/1/5, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.