Rosina Philips Leverich was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States of America, on the 25th March 1887, the daughter of William Edward and Rosina Thomas Leverich (née Philips). She was the youngest of three children, having two older brothers – William Edward III, and Isaac Phillips. Her father was the secretary of the New Orleans City Railroad Company until his death on the 4th January 1891, aged 41 years, and the family resided at 199. 8th St., New Orleans.
Sometime after her father’s death, Rosina and her mother immigrated to England, where they established their home was at 3, Ellesmere Court, Weighton Road, Anerley, Surrey, England.
In September 1914, Rosina and her mother returned to the United States of America on the St. Paul to visit family friends, and when they decided to return to England, they booked as second cabin passengers on the May sailing of the Lusitania from New York to Liverpool. They arrived at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York, in time for the liner’s scheduled sailing which was due to commence at 10 o’clock on the morning of 1st May 1915.
Having joined the liner as second cabin passengers on that morning, the pair had to wait until the early afternoon before they got what for them, would be heir last sight of the city. The delay was caused because the liner had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from sister Anchor Liner Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for war service as a troop ship, at the end of April.
Then, six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, and within sight of the coast of southern Ireland, the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20. At that time, she was only about 250 miles away from her Liverpool destination. Rosina Philips Leverich was killed as a result of this action. She was aged 28 years.
Her mother was also killed, but although Mrs. Leverich’s body was subsequently recovered from the sea and buried, that of Miss Leverich never was. As a consequence,
she has no known grave.
New Orleans Louisiana Birth Records Index 1790 – 1915, 1911 Census of England & Wales, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Probate Records, PRO BT 100/345, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.