David Samoilescu was born as David Samoilovici in Panciu, Rumania, on the 7th November 1878, the son of Berla and Anna Samoilovici. Nothing is known of his family or early life, except he was the third of five known children.
He immigrated to the United States of America sometime between 1895 and 1899, settling in New York City.
In March 1902, he married Elizabeth Finkelstein, known as ’Lizzie’, who had also been born in Rumania, and they had four children – Yetta, Freda, Jerome, and Hannah. On 22nd November 1905, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States, and in 1915, the family home was at 430. East 149th Street, New York, N.Y., U.S.A.
On their arrival in the United States, David and Lizzie performed “turns” in music halls. David adopted the stage name of “David Samuels” and enjoyed considerable success as a song and dance artist, and a Hebrew impersonator and monologist.
In November 1914, he had travelled to Europe, probably in the course of his work, and returned to his wife and children in April 1915. His stay in New York City was a short one, as he decided to return to Europe almost immediately, and as a consequence, booked second cabin passage on the Lusitania, under his actual name, and joined the ship in time for her sailing just after mid-day on 1st May 1915.
Six days later, with the vessel only hours away from her Liverpool destination, David Samoilescu was killed after she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-20, whilst steaming past The Old Head of Kinsale in southern Ireland. He was aged 36 years.
His body was recovered from the sea, however, and taken to one of the temporary mortuaries set up in Queenstown, where it was given the reference number 99. Once a positive identification had been made of it, however, it was put in the charge of The Cork Jewish Burial Society, for a ritual Jewish burial.
This was carried out on 13th May 1915 in the Mount Desert Jewish Cemetery in Cork City, where it still lies today. Although the graveyard is overgrown and underused, today, David Samuels' headstone still commands a prominent position in the bottom corner of the cemetery and his inscription is still readable. It states: -
In Loving Memory of
MY DEAR HUSBAND, OUR FATHER
DAVID SAMUELS
WHO WAS A VICTIM OF THE
LUSITANIA DISASTER
MAY 7TH 1915
AT THE AGE OF 36 YEARS
MAY HIS DEAR SOUL REST IN PEACE.
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.
This is then followed by a further inscription in Hebrew.
Local newspaper The Cork Examiner reported on 14th May: -
Last evening, the funeral of two took place in Cork. The remains were conveyed by road to Queenstown and were met at the Tivoli station by the Jewish community in Cork, who followed the remains to their last resting place at Mount Desert. The cortege was of imposing dimensions and reflected the deep sympathy felt for the victims in Cork.
On 14th May 1915 a cable arrived from New York in the Cunard offices at Queenstown, which simply stated: -
CABLE WHEN REMAINS RECOVERED SHIPPED
which assumes that either his widow did not know that her husband’s body had already been found, or did not know that The Cork Jewish Burial Society had taken care of the burial. Under Jewish sacred law, a dead body has to be buried as soon after death as is humanly practicable!
When the body was discovered, there was a considerable amount of wealth with it. This included $3,500 in notes, a single diamond tie pin, another in the shape of a lyre, a large diamond ring, a heavy gold ring bearing the initials D.S., a gold watch and chain, a watch fob with a £2-0s-0d. piece attached to it, a gold match box, a gold cigarette holder and case, a gold and amber cigarette holder without a case, a silver edged pocket book an ivory stud, and a passport.
On 8th July 1915, these were put on board the SS Orduña, to be forwarded to Cunard's New York office, from where they were sent to Mrs. Samoilescu at the 149th Street address. It was first reported that she had intended to travel to Cork after his death was confirmed, but perhaps once his burial had taken place, she decided against it. Apparently, David Samoilescu also had a brother who at that time was living in Glasgow, Scotland.
Fellow second cabin passenger victim William Robert Busvine is also buried in Mount Desert Jewish Cemetery.
David’s widow and children filed a claim with the U.S. State Department for David’s death and the loss of his personal belongings. These claims took up to ten years to decide, and by the time the claim relating to David Samoilescu was dealt with, his eldest daughter, Yetta, had married a Mr. Ellisberg on 8th January 1925, and another daughter, Freda, had died on 29th January 1925.
On 30th October 1925, the Mixed Claims Commission awarded Lizzie Samoilescu the
sum of $25,000.00, his married daughter, Yetta, the sum of $7,000.00, and his two other children, Jerome and Hannah, $8,000.00 and $10,000.00 respectively. Lizzie Samoilescu, as Administratrix of her late husband’s estate was awarded a further $2,000.00 in compensation for the loss of David’s personal property.
New York U.S. State and Federal Naturalization Records 1794 – 1943, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 2563, New York U.S. Wills and Probate Records 1659 – 1999, Cork Examiner, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv.D92/1/8-10, UniLiv D/92/2/349, UniLiv. PR13/6, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Paddy O'Sullivan, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.