Eleanor Ileen Johnson
Encyclopedia
Eleanor Ileen Johnson Shuman (August 23, 1910 - March 10, 1998) was one of the last remaining survivors of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912.
to newspaper editor Oskar Walter Johnson and his wife, Alice Wilhelmina Backberg. She had an older brother, Harold Theodore, who was born in 1908.
In early 1912, Alice and her two children had been in Finland
visiting Alice's dying father. When the three arrived back in England
, they were informed that due to a coal strike, the ship they were supposed to sail on had cancelled its trip. It was only at the last minute that they were informed that the Titanic had space available.
Shortly after the Titanic struck the iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, Alice and a cabin mate went out on deck and kicked around pieces of ice that had fallen off the iceberg until an officer told them to get back in their cabins as the ship would be on its way soon. Not long after, a steward who had waited on the Johnson family in the dining room and took a liking to them, knocked on their door and, with a group of fellow Swedes, escorted them to the boat deck and to Lifeboat No. 15. Alice was helped into the boat with Eleanor in her arms and called up to Braf to get into the boat with Harold. Braf remained frozen on deck, so a crewman took Harold from her arms and tossed him into the boat, leaving Braf behind, despite Mrs. Johnson's calls to her. Braf would perish in the sinking, although Helmina Nilsson did escape the ship, possibly in lifeboat 13.
Alice and her children were picked up by the rescue ship RMS Carpathia
and arrived in New York City, New York on April 18.
Although Eleanor admitted that she remembered very little about the night the Titanic sank, but she insisted that she recalled the screams of passengers and the sight of hands reaching up to her from a lifeboat below.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E05EFDF1030F932A25750C0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1
In 1958, Eleanor and her brother, Harold, attended the New York City
premiere of A Night to Remember.
engineer, and had a son, Earl. The couple moved to Elgin, Illinois
and were married for forty-seven years before he died in 1981.
Eleanor worked for the Elgin Watch Company and later as a telephone operator until her retirement in 1962.
, and it was the first time she saw the Atlantic Ocean
since 1912.
Into her 80s, Eleanor remained active in Titanic-related activities. In August 1996, Eleanor joined fellow Titanic survivors Michel Navratil
and Edith Brown
on an expedition cruise to the site of Titanic's wreck. Eleanor was the only survivor that director James Cameron
met while filming Titanic
, and as such, received royal treatment. She saw the movie three times including at a special screening with movie critics Gene Siskel
and Roger Ebert
. Eleanor became an instant celebrity after the movie's release and she had to change her telephone number to an unlisted one after receiving several phone calls every day from people hoping to speak with her. She died in Elgin at the age of 87. Her death left five remaining Titanic survivors.
Early life
Eleanor Ileen Johnson was born in St. Charles, IllinoisSt. Charles, Illinois
St. Charles is a Chicago suburb in Kane and DuPage counties of Illinois, United States, and is roughly west of Chicago on Illinois Route 64. According to a 2004 census estimate, the city has a total population of 32,134. The official city slogan is Pride of the Fox, after the Fox River that runs...
to newspaper editor Oskar Walter Johnson and his wife, Alice Wilhelmina Backberg. She had an older brother, Harold Theodore, who was born in 1908.
In early 1912, Alice and her two children had been in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
visiting Alice's dying father. When the three arrived back in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, they were informed that due to a coal strike, the ship they were supposed to sail on had cancelled its trip. It was only at the last minute that they were informed that the Titanic had space available.
Aboard the Titanic
Eighteen month old Eleanor boarded the Titanic along with her mother and brother as third class passengers on April 10, 1912 at Southampton, England. The Johnsons shared a cabin with Elin Braf and Helmina Nilsson.Shortly after the Titanic struck the iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, Alice and a cabin mate went out on deck and kicked around pieces of ice that had fallen off the iceberg until an officer told them to get back in their cabins as the ship would be on its way soon. Not long after, a steward who had waited on the Johnson family in the dining room and took a liking to them, knocked on their door and, with a group of fellow Swedes, escorted them to the boat deck and to Lifeboat No. 15. Alice was helped into the boat with Eleanor in her arms and called up to Braf to get into the boat with Harold. Braf remained frozen on deck, so a crewman took Harold from her arms and tossed him into the boat, leaving Braf behind, despite Mrs. Johnson's calls to her. Braf would perish in the sinking, although Helmina Nilsson did escape the ship, possibly in lifeboat 13.
Alice and her children were picked up by the rescue ship RMS Carpathia
RMS Carpathia
RMS Carpathia was a Cunard Line transatlantic passenger steamship built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson. Carpathia made her maiden voyage in 1903 and became famous for rescuing the survivors of after the latter ship hit an iceberg and sank on 15 April 1912...
and arrived in New York City, New York on April 18.
Although Eleanor admitted that she remembered very little about the night the Titanic sank, but she insisted that she recalled the screams of passengers and the sight of hands reaching up to her from a lifeboat below.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E05EFDF1030F932A25750C0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1
In 1958, Eleanor and her brother, Harold, attended the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
premiere of A Night to Remember.
Marriage and career
In 1934, Eleanor married Delbert Shuman, an International HarvesterInternational Harvester
International Harvester Company was a United States agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P...
engineer, and had a son, Earl. The couple moved to Elgin, Illinois
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...
and were married for forty-seven years before he died in 1981.
Eleanor worked for the Elgin Watch Company and later as a telephone operator until her retirement in 1962.
Later life and death
In 1994, Eleanor visited her son in FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and it was the first time she saw the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
since 1912.
Into her 80s, Eleanor remained active in Titanic-related activities. In August 1996, Eleanor joined fellow Titanic survivors Michel Navratil
Michel Marcel Navratil
Michel Marcel Navratil, Jr. , was one of the last survivors of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912. Michel, along with his brother, Edmond Navratil , were known as the Titanic Orphans, having been the only children rescued without a parent or guardian...
and Edith Brown
Edith Brown
Edith Eileen Haisman was one of the last remaining and oldest survivors of the sinking of the RMS Titanic in April 1912...
on an expedition cruise to the site of Titanic's wreck. Eleanor was the only survivor that director James Cameron
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
met while filming Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
, and as such, received royal treatment. She saw the movie three times including at a special screening with movie critics Gene Siskel
Gene Siskel
Eugene Kal "Gene" Siskel was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted the popular review show Siskel & Ebert At the Movies from 1975 until his death....
and Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
. Eleanor became an instant celebrity after the movie's release and she had to change her telephone number to an unlisted one after receiving several phone calls every day from people hoping to speak with her. She died in Elgin at the age of 87. Her death left five remaining Titanic survivors.