William Harvey was born in Rasharkin, County Antrim, Ireland, on the 2nd January 1861, the son of William and Sally Harvey (née McBride). Nothing is known of his family or childhood, except he had brothers named Irwin and James, and his family were involved in farming.
It is believed he emigrated to the United States of America in 1881, and settled in New York City. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen on the 13th October 1892, and he was described as being a box maker.
He is known to have travelled back to his ancestral home in 1911, and decided to return again in 1915 for an extended summer holiday, which he intended to spend with his brother, Irwin. At this stage of his life, he was a manager or foreman at Messrs. Patterson & Co. Ltd., box manufacturers of New York.
In the spring of 1915, he booked his third class passage on the May sailing of the
Lusitania to cross the Atlantic to England, on the first leg of his journey home. As well as going on an extended holiday, it also appears that he had business settling an estate.
On 1st May 1915, he joined the liner at the Cunard berth at Pier 54, and with ticket number 1692, he boarded her in time for her 10.00 departure. In company with all the other passengers and crew, however, he then had to wait until 12.27 p.m. before the liner actually slipped her moorings and slid into the North River for the final time. This was because she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner Cameronia, which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for use as a troop ship at the end of the previous month.
Six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, William Harvey was dead, killed after the steamer was torpedoed and sunk within sight of The Old Head of Kinsale in southern Ireland, by the German submarine
U-20. At that stage of her voyage, she was only about fourteen hours sailing time away from her Liverpool destination. He was aged 54 years.
At first nothing was seen of him, alive or dead, but then, seven weeks later, a body was washed up at Murrough, Fanore More, County Clare, the seventh body from the sinking to be recovered in that area. It was too badly decomposed after such a long immersion in the sea to be recognisable, but a paper found on it was a ticket check marked
Lusitania and numbered 562, with the name M.W. Harvey on it signed by a Mr. M.J. Gillio, who was an agent.
Also discovered on the body was a leather pocket book a postal order for £1-9s-6d., (£1.47½p), a bunch of keys, and two baggage checks.
Once it had been identified, it was buried in Gleninagh Cemetery, near Ballyvaughan, County Clare, where it lies today.
1901 Census of Ireland, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, 1911 Census of Ireland, New York State and Federal Naturalization Records 1794 – 1943, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Ballymena Weekly Telegraph, 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.