Fine cotton lawn handkerchief with a pinked edge, rolled and hem stitched. Waved by Mrs Henry Cassebeer in Lifeboat 5 after the sinking of RMS 'Titanic'.

Eleanor Genevieve Cassebeer [née Fosdick] was born on 29 November 1875 in La Porte, Indiana. She married her second husband, Dr Henry Cassebeer in London in 1909, although by 1911 the couple were estranged and later divorced. Early in 1912, Eleanor travelled to Europe to visit Lewis Peek, her son by her first marriage. She decided to return to the United States, in part, upon receiving news that Dr Cassebeer was unwell. She boarded the ‘Titanic’ at Cherbourg on 10 April 1912, sailing first class. Her ticket, no. 17770, cost £27 14s 5d. Having been rescued from Lifeboat 5, Eleanor finally reached New York on board the ‘Carpathia’ on 18 April.

There are two letters from her to Walter Lord in the manuscript collection (LMQ).