Woman's Mother Was A Survivor On The Titanic

Woman's Mother Thelma Thomas Was A Survivor On The Titanic

Victoriana Lady Lisa Lewis and Mae Thomas

 I had the unique privilege of meeting and interviewing a darling lady named Mae Thomas whose mother, Thelma, was on the Titanic. Thelma was with her brother Charles, and her 3 month old son Assad, when the ship went down.  Mae tells the story from her mother's experience as she remembers it, The family was traveling from Harden, Lebanon where Charles was to join the family business in America. Thelma & the baby were sent to accompany Charles back since the men in the states could not leave the business for such a length of time.

Thelma was on the Titanic with her brother Charles & son Assad.


The night of the sinking Charles, who heard the thud when they hit the iceberg, quickly went to Thelma's room and told her to get warm clothes on and to wrap the baby up warmly. "Something is wrong and we are needed on deck," he told her. When they got to the deck, people were everywhere and life boats were being filled. One of the men in charge tried to put Thelma on a life boat but she was hysterical and did not want to leave her brother. It was very confusing & frightening since she did not speak English. Charles translated that she must go without him. She still refused. In the chaos someone put her in the life boat and lowered it before she could get baby Assad from her brother! She was nearly out of her mind crying for him and her brother, what a terrifying ordeal it must have been for her.

Thelma was on the Titanic with her brother Charles & son Assad.


The night of the sinking Charles, who heard the thud when they hit the iceberg, quickly went to Thelma's room and told her to get warm clothes on and to wrap the baby up warmly. "Something is wrong and we are needed on deck," he told her. When they got to the deck, people were everywhere and life boats were being filled. One of the men in charge tried to put Thelma on a life boat but she was hysterical and did not want to leave her brother. It was very confusing & frightening since she did not speak English. Charles translated that she must go without him. She still refused. In the chaos someone put her in the life boat and lowered it before she could get baby Assad from her brother! She was nearly out of her mind crying for him and her brother, what a terrifying ordeal it must have been for her.

Thelma's brother Charles Thomas perished on the ill fated Titanic

There was a man in Thelma's life boat dressed as a woman. At first the women in the boat were appalled. They were all in a state of shock and could not row away from the sinking ship fast enough, however, the man rowed them to safety and saved them from being pulled under when the ship went completely under the water. After that they were thankful that he had been in their lifeboat. Thelma was in a state of severe shock and spent several weeks in the hospital in NY.

Once she was stable she was reunited with Assad, he was still wrapped in the same blanket from that fateful night. Thelma was also reunited with her husband Alexander, who had stayed behind to mind the business. They went on to have a total of 10 children, three are still alive today. Mae, one of the three, loves to talk about her mother's experience. She said her mother never went near another body of water in her life, not even a lake.

Victoriana Lady Lisa at the Titanic Exhibition, Times Square NYC in antique 1912 fashions.

 This and other fascinating stories will be told at upcoming Titanic events at the Stegmaier Mansion B&B.
The first three Titanic events are booked solid so more dates have been added by the Passion Projects-

Sunday June 19, 2011 from 2-4 pm The Last Luncheon On The Titanic will be held. Hosted by Victoriana Lady Lisa Lewis and featuring the exact menu from the ship, prepared on site by gold medal award winning chef Jody Klocko, formerly of Godiva Chocolates.

The Last Dinner On The Titanic last weekend was a sell out and a smashing success!! By popular demand we will be adding more dinner dates as well. Events are by reservation only and sell out fast.

Some of Victoriana Lady's artifacts include two books printed in 1912 with actual survivor's stories, plus-

Victoriana Lady Lisa- Bringing history to life since 2003

To book a program please contact me - Victorianaladylisa@gmail.com

 References available upon request.

In Honor Of The Royal Wedding: A Victorian Bridal Tea At Sweet Remembrances Tea Room

Victoriana Lady Lisa Lewis will take her antique traveling museum to the delightful Sweet Remembrances tea room for a Victorian Bridal program, in honor of Kate & William's Royal Wedding.

Sunday April 17th 2011 from 2-4pm is booked solid. Seats are still available for Monday evening from 6-8pm.
Contact Sweet Remembrances at 118 South Market Street Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6329
(717) 697-5785                http://www.sweetremembrancestearoom.com/index.html



Examples of Victoriana Lady's Antique Bridal Collection at previous engagements.

Circa 1900 silk bridal dress & veil.

Victoriana Lady's Grandparent's wedding photo.

1906 silk wedding dress Provenance Anne Ricke.

Victoriana Lady Lisa- Bringing history to life since 2003

To book a program please contact me - Victorianaladylisa@gmail.com

 References available upon request.

What Started My Collection?

                                              The first piece of Victoriana from my collection.

 I went to my first estate sale at age 15, bought a pair of crochet gloves and a beaded hand bag and I was hooked! I have never stopped collecting Victorian & Edwardian fashions and accessories.



Antique pictures of my ancestors were my inspiration for researching and later collecting 19th century history and clothing.

My Civil War grandfather Samuel J. Martin who is buried in Dayton National Cemetery in Ohio.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=954326

Samuel & Hannah's daughter young Ella Mae Martin, circa 1860. She was about 12 years old here.

Samuel & Hannah Martin's daughters Ella Mae & Lucy Martin (seated) circa 1890. Ella Mae had a child and named her Lucy, after her beloved sister, who died at age 24. Lucy's photo is below. 

The Granddaughter of Sameul J. Martin, daughter of Ella Mae Martin, Lucy Riley on her wedding day in 1917. She lived to the ripe old age of 92.

My Grandfather Anselm J. Riley, who married Lucy, pictured on his wedding day in 1917. He was a coal miner, as was his father. 

Anselm's sister Margaret Riley, age 16 years. I own her antique bedroom set from her marriage in 1913.
I used to sleep over when I was in grade school and play dress up with her things. I guess I never grew up!

Anselm & Lucy's only child Marguerite Riley on her first birthday, September 1, 1919. She is my mother's mother, she lived to be 90 years old. 

Victoriana Lady Lisa- Bringing history to life since 2003

To book a program please contact me - Victorianaladylisa@gmail.com

 References available upon request.

Things I Love...Collecting Old Medicines Bottles

It's a wonder anyone survived in the Victorian era when many of the medicines & elixirs of that era contained Turpentine, Arsenic, Lead and other hazardous and combustible chemicals! Just pass the Tums please!!

Victoriana Lady Lisa- Bringing history to life since 2003

To book a program please contact me - Victorianaladylisa@gmail.com

 References available upon request.

Citizen's Voice- High Tea Commemorates Titanic Anniversary

                                             High Tea Commemorates Titanic Anniversary

Victoriana Lady Lisa Griffiths Lewis will host an event on Saturday March 26, 2011from 6-8 pm that pays tribute to the elegance and tragic history of the Titanic.
The "Last Dinner on the Titanic" high tea seeks to recreate what it might have been like the night before the doomed ocean liner hit an iceberg. The icy ocean water claimed the ship and more than 1, 500 lives.
The magnitude of the tragedy shocked the world in the early 20th century and still intrigues people today, Lewis said. "It just holds our fascination, because it's so incredible, the story and the reality of it."

The tea will be held Saturday at the Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre. It is the first of several events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking on April 14, 1912.
A Titanic-themed high tea and low tea were planned for April, but sold out so quickly that the March date was added. While a high tea includes a full meal, a low tea is a typical afternoon tea, with scones, pastries and other treats to nibble on.
"We're definitely going to be repeating the Titanic-themed teas, because it's very popular," she said.
Lewis will tell the story of the Titanic while dressed in authentic Victorian fashion.

Guests will be treated to dishes straight from the Titanic's menu for first class passengers. Jody Klocko, executive chef at the Stegmaier Mansion, will prepare canape a la admiral - a shrimp salad canape on toasted Parisian bread - vegetable barley soup and chicken lyonnaise.
Klocko is the former head chef chocolatier for Godiva and a gold medal winner of the Coupe de Monde World Pastry Cup in Lyon, France.
"He's preparing everything as only he can do," Lewis said. "It will be suited to the modern taste."
Dessert includes homemade eclairs and peaches and chartreuse jelly - "and that I can't wait to see for myself," Lewis said.

She will also discuss the history of the ship. Her display includes an original newspaper documenting the sinking, along with several books written immediately after the sinking that document survivors' stories. Telling the tale amid the ambiance of the Stegmaier Mansion will truly give attendees the feel of that period in history. "It's really a time capsule," she said of the mansion.

Dinner dress should be worn. Patrons are welcome to wear Victorian or Edwardian attire, but it is not required.
"It's a very elegant affair," she said. "The mansion is the caliber of those who would have sailed on first class, so the folks attending this event will feel as if they are first class."

kgaydos@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2118


Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/arts-living/high-tea-commemorates-titanic-anniversary-1.1122204#ixzz1HXRygvog

Victoriana Lady Lisa- Bringing history to life since 2003

To book a program please contact me - Victorianaladylisa@gmail.com

 References available upon request.

Dvd Haven On The Hill To Be Re-Released

Dvd Haven On The Hill with Victoriana Lady Lisa Lewis portraying Nurse Esther Tinsley c. 1910

Great News! The sold out Dvd "The Haven On The Hill" is being re-released this year. The response for it has been tremendous. I portray Esther Tinsley, the first woman hospital administrator in the country in 1910, before women could vote. This remarkable woman was ahead of her time, starting the Pittston Hospital & School of Nursing. For more photos and story- http://www.victorianalady.com/esthertinsleyfilm.html

Part of the filming was done at the former Pittston Hospital and Steamtown National Historic Site & Train Museum in Scranton, PA. Victoriana Lady is wearing a c.1910 Edwardian traveling ensemble and carrying her great grandmother Lucy's suitcase from the early 1900's.

Esther Tinsley in a pensive moment as she is on her way to take her position at the Pittston Hospital.

Esther Tinsley was a devout Catholic and never missed Mass, especially important to her was midnight Mass on Christmas Eve at St. John's Church in Pittston. No matter what their religious beliefs were Esther insisted that all of her nursing students attend midnight Mass.

Miss Tinsley is credited with helping injured passengers at the Laurel Line streetcar accident. Here we recreate the scene at the Trolley Museum in Scranton, PA.

For a strange story about the Laurel Line- http://www.nepalostparks.com/parks/rockyglen_three.html

Victoriana Lady Lisa- Bringing history to life since 2003

To book a program please contact me - Victorianaladylisa@gmail.com

 References available upon request.

It's Time For Dessert!

The executive chef who prepares the food and pastries for the tea events I create is award winning chef Jody Klocko. He has held the position of chef chocolatier at Godiva, has been featured on The Food Network and is the only American chef to win the gold medal in the Coupe De Monde in France. Here is a small sample of his delicacies. Guests will be amazed at our upcoming Titanic teas where he re-creates the Last Dinner On The Titanic. 

His chocolate truffles are incredible, the flavors mingle and melt in your mouth.

The creme Brulee is to die for...mmm...it's all so mouth watering!

Chocolates can be purchased at the Stegmaier Mansion at each tea event.

The master himself, award winning chef Klocko

Jody also makes incredible cakes for any occasion. Call the Stegmaier Mansion for more details at

570-823-9372 to inquire.

Our next delicious event is Sunday June 19th 2011 from 2-4 pm. All gentlemen & their wives, in honor of Father's Day, are invited to attend the Last Luncheon On The Titanic. 

Victoriana Lady Lisa- Bringing history to life since 2003

To book a program please contact me - Victorianaladylisa@gmail.com

 References available upon request.