Mauritz Ådahl

Biography
Mr. Mauritz Ådahl was born on Wednesday, June 15th, 1881 in the small village of Asarum, Blekinge, Sweden. He was the son of carpenter Ola Månsson Ådahl (May 26th, 1840 - May 25th, 1911) and Elna Persdotter (June 8th, 1840 - January 4th, 1930). The couple had gotten married on April 3rd, 1878 in the small village of Baldringe, Malmöhus, Sweden. He had an older sister, Ellen (February 28th, 1879 - ?).

Mauritz worked as a carpenter and emigrated in Manhattan, New York, United States in 1903. Four years later, on October 6th, 1907, he got married to Emelie Josefina Kristina Grönlund (February 2nd, 1881 - 1947), a Swedish emigrant from Umeå, Västerbotten, Sweden. The couple moved to Broolyn, New York, United States and together, they had two daughters; Vera Margareta (October 13th, 1908 - ?) and Georgia Emelia Maria (February 22nd, 1910 - ?). The family were Lutherans. Mauritz' wife wife Emelie never felt comfortable living in the United States so, in early 1911, she returned to Sweden with the couple's daughters. Mauritz continued to live in Brooklyn, making money as a carpenter but joined his family back in Sweden on time for Christmas. His father had passed away back on May 25th, 1911 and Mauritz had to help his widowed mother by going back to live in Asarum. There, the family was meant to build a house for themselves. Mauritz first worked in Sweden to help his mother before wanting to go back to Brooklyn to make more money to build his family home.

For his return to the United States, he planned to travel with John Fredrik Alexander Holm and, on their way to Denmark, they met Aurora Adelia Langergen, who they encouraged to travel with them. The trio had never planned on traveling aboard the Titanic but due to the coal strike, they were transfered. Mauritz bought ticket C7076 which cost him £7, 5s. On April 10th, 1912, they boarded the Titanic in Southampton as third class passengers.

On the night of the sinking, Mauritz and John were awakened by a steward. They were told to put on a life jacket and get up on deck. They obeyed and went to Adelia's cabin. She dressed up and the trio went up on deck. There, the men managed to find her a place on a lifeboat. She boarded it but quickly got out because she had forgotten her bible in her cabin and, being a deeply religious woman, she wanted to get it back. The trio headed back in the halls of the ship as Adelia grabbed her bible and a few other personal items. When got back up on deck, things had changed and the urge to get to a lifeboat in time was present. Mauritz and John quickly brought Adelia to lifeboat 13 and helped her in before getting back in the crowd. It was the last time Adelia would see them alive. Mauritz perished in the sinking. His body was the 72th one recovered by the C.S. Mackay-Bennett. He was buried at sea on Wednesday, April 24th, 1912.

The Mansion House Fund paid £98 to his wife and children on January 23rd, 1913 and £28 to his mother on the same day. Further damages of £325 were paid to the wife, children and mother on October 10th, 1914. Emelie probably knew that Mauritz had been buried at sea but never told the children. So, when Mauritz's grandchildren went to visit his grave in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, they were shocked to discover what had really happened to him. During an expedition on the vessel S.S. Nadir, a wreath-laying ceremony was held in his memory.