Lothrop Withington was born in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts, in the United States of America, on 31st January 1856, the son of Nathan Noyes and Elizabeth Withington (née Little). He was the second eldest of five children and his father was a farmer, and later the editor of the local newspaper, the Newburyport Herald.
He was educated at the Dummer Academy and Newburyport High School, before going to work in the printing office of the Newburyport Herald. He then went to study at the University of Paris, in France, and also studied in London.
He became involved in researching and publishing works on the American Revolutionary War, but became better known for his work in the field of genealogy, first of all publishing immigrant lists, but later researching English records on behalf of wealthy Americans endeavouring to trace their lineage.
On the 14th October 1892, he married Caroline Augusta Lloyd, the daughter of a well-known author, in the Registry Office on the Strand in London, they had no children. His wife was also a journalist, and was from New Jersey in the United States of America.
For several years, he moved between England and Massachusetts, maintaining a home in Middlesex, England, and staying with relatives when in Massachusetts, especially the Boston area. While conducting genealogy research in the Probate Registry, Canterbury, Kent, England, he discovered evidence of wills dating back to 1640. Only he, and the officials at the Registry knew of their existence, and Lothrop began compiling a list of them, hoping to benefit financially from the publication of the list. Before he was half-way through his research, he had to return to the United States.
In the spring of 1915, ready to return to England, he booked a saloon ticket - number 1290 - on the May sailing of the Lusitania and leaving Massachusetts at the end of April, he joined the liner at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York port, on the morning of 1st May 1915. Once on board, he was escorted to room A29, which was the personal responsibility of First Class Bedroom Steward Charles Randall, who came from Gateacre, a suburb of Liverpool. Lothrop Withington’s last glimpse of his native land would have been just after mid-day, after the ship finally left the harbour and slipped into the North River and on into the Atlantic Ocean. Her scheduled 10.00 a.m. sailing was delayed until 12.27 p.m., as she had to embark some of the crew and the cargo and passengers from the Anchor Lines ship the S.S. Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty as a troop ship at the end of April.
For most of the voyage, t
fellow saloon passenger Charles Lauriat, who came from Boston, Massachusetts. Each evening, in the first class smoke room, the pair would bet on the speed and number of miles that the Lusitania would achieve on the following day - a great sport amongst the saloon passengers.
When the great liner was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20 on the afternoon of 7th May, six days out of New York and only hours away from her Liverpool destination, Lothrop Withington was killed. As his body was never recovered and identified afterwards, he has no known grave. He was aged 59 years.
His wagering companion Charles Lauriat survived the sinking, however, as did Bedroom Steward Randall who had looked after Lothrop Withington in room A29.
On 3rd August 1915, administration of his English estate was granted at London to Thomas Ernest Baker, who was a solicitor and attorney to Arthur Withington. His effects amounted to £1,027-17s-7d., (£1,027. 88p.). Arthur Withington being Lothrop’s brother.
Following the conclusion of the war in Europe, Arthur Withington, Anne Withington, and David Little Withington, siblings of Lothrop, filed a claim for compensation for the loss of his life and personal belongings in the sinking. By the time the Mixed Claims Commission decided on the claim, David Withington had died. The Commission decided that as none of the claimants were dependant on their brother, no award was necessary. The Commission did, however, make an award of $1,500.00 to Arthur Withington, administrator of Lothrop’s estate, in compensation for the loss of the personal belongings.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Massachusetts U.S. Town and Vital Records 1620 – 1988, 1860 U.S. Federal Census, 1865 Massachusetts State Census, 1870 U.S. Federal Census, 1880 U.S. Federal Census, 1901 Census of England & Wales, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, UK Incoming Passenger Lists 1878 – 1960, Cunard Records, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 2218, New York Times, Last Voyage of the Lusitania, Seven Days to Disaster, Probate Records, PRO 22/71, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/269, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.