Frances Evelyn Duke was born in Withington Terrace, Moss Side, Manchester, Lancashire, England, in 1871, the daughter of John and Fanny Duke (née Wright). Her father was a clerk in a stockbroker’s office, and Frances was the second-youngest of six children.
Her father died in 1886 and her mother brought the family to Llandudno, Wales, where she operated a boarding house.
She married Henry Neilson, a barman, on the 4th November 1894 at St. Pauls Church, Princes Park, Liverpool, and in 1895, their son, Charles Henry, was born. Her husband had been born Henry Nelson, but at some point in his life, before he met Frances, he had changed his name to Neilson!
On the 25th August 1907, the Neilson family arrived in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on board the s.s. Lake Erie from Liverpool. Five days later, they crossed the border into the United States of America at Detroit, Michigan, and travelled on to Chicago, Illinois.
It is unknown for how long they stayed in Chicago, but at some point the family moved to Brooklyn, in New York City, where both her husband and son found work as clerks. Their home there was at 831, Nostrend Avenue.
The family returned to England in April 1913 for a three month holiday, and in the spring of 1915 they decided to return to England again. Consequently, they booked second cabin passage on the Lusitania, which left New York on the afternoon of 1st May 1915. It is likely that this was only for a holiday and not for a permanent return.
Exactly six days later, all three of them were dead - killed after the vessel was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20 off the coast of southern Ireland and only hours away from completing her voyage. None of their bodies was ever recovered from the sea and identified afterwards and as such, none has a known grave! Frances Neilson was aged 44 years, although on boarding, she gave her age as being 39 years!
Soon after news of the sinking reached Liverpool, its Lord Mayor set up The Lusitania Relief Fund which was administered by himself and a local committee of worthy people, to help survivors and relatives of victims of the sinking. One of the first to apply for financial help was a Mrs. Nelson of 2, Greig Street, Park Road, Liverpool, Lancashire. On 20th May, she was granted an immediate award of £2-0s-0d., followed by 5/- (25p.), per week for four weeks and then 3/6d, (17½p.), thereafter.
It would appear from this award that Mrs. Nelson was a dependent relative of those lost on the Lusitania and was probably the Ellen Nelson who was left her husband’s estate
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Liverpool England Church of England Marriages and Banns 1754 – 1935, 1871 Census of England & Wales, 1881 Census of England & Wales, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, U.S. Border Crossings from Canada to the U.S. 1895 – 1960, UK Incoming Passenger Lists 1878 – 1960, Massachusetts Passenger Lists 1820 – 1963, Cunard Records, Liverpool Record Office, Probate Records, PRO 22/71, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.