Back to Titanic: Making Waves: History with Kelly: Mrs. James (Helene) Baxter

Today in Titanic History - with Searching

Today in
Titanic History
Thursday, January 30, 2025

1854 - 1st class passenger Mr Arthur Webster Newell was born to Benjamin Newell and Susan Bennett Newell in Chelsea, Massachusetts, USA.

1867 - 1st class survivor Mr Walter James Hawksford was born.

1894 - 1st class survivor Mrs Mary Graham Carmichael Marvin was born to Frank Farquharsen and his wife.

1920 - 1st class survivor Mrs Mary Wick died at the age of 53.

2001 - 2nd class survivor Master Michel Marcel Navratil died in Montpellier, France at the age of 92.

1990 - 3rd class survivor Miss Anna "Annie" Mcgowan died in Chicago, Illinois, USA at the age of 95.

1958 - 3rd class survivor Mrs Beila Moor died at the age of 75.

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History with Kelly: Mrs. James (Helene) Baxter

Born: 1862
Place: Joliette, Quebec, Canada

Helene Baxter was born in 1862 in Joliette, Quebec, Canada. When she was born her name was Helene Chaput de Laudeniere. She claimed that the fabled French Canadian, Madeline de Vercheres as an ancestor. By the time she was born, her family had a very good social standing, but no money. August, 1882, brought the marriage of her and James "Diamond Jim" Baxter. He was a diamond broker and a banker. Together they had 3 children, 1883- Anthony William, April 4, 1885- Mary Zette Helene, and July 13, 1887- Quigg Edmond. The children were raised billingual; French was spoken to her, English to her husband. They resided at 1201 Sherbrooke St. W., later to be the head office of The Corby Distilling Company.

1892 brought what might have been Canada's first shopping mall, built by her husband. It housed 28 stores under one roof and was located on the Baxter Block on St. Lawerence Blvd. He also opened his own Ville Marie Bank. By 1898, Men in Canada described him as the countries largest country banker.

1900 brought the falling of the family's reputation because her husband was arrested, charged, and convicted of embezzling. The amount was a fortune at the time, $40, 000. This was taken from his own bank. The sentence was five years in jail, in 1905 he passed away, just before his 66th birthday. Helene was well provided because of investments in France, Switzerland, and Belguim. She then sold the mansion and bought a comfortable brownhouse at 33 St. Famille St., near the McGill University Campus.

1911 brought the selling of the Baxter Blvd, with which she took frequent trips to Europe, often accompanied by her and son and married daughter, Zette Douglas. One of this trips brought them aboard the Titanic in one of the more expensive suites, B 58 - 60. Before boarding they stayed at the Elysee Palace Hotel in Paris. They then boarded the Titanic in Cherbourg, with ticket # PC 17558.

During the whole voyage, she was ill with nausea and found the throb of the engines very relaxing. The sudden stop of the ship in the middle of the ocean gave her an anxiety attack. Her son, Quigg, had to carry her up the Grand Staircase and place her and his sister in life boat 6. While kissing them good-bye, he gave his mother a sterling silver brandy flask to keep her warm on the open ocean. She berated him for his drinking.

After the disaster she retired back to Montreal, where she never fully recovered the incident. On June 19, 1923 she died in her apartment. She is now buried in the Baxter family plot in Notre Dame de Neiges cemetery.

Directly from an article on Mrs. Baxter:

"According to the story taught in school, in 1692 Madeline tricked a raiding party of Iroquois Indians into believing an unarmed stockade was heavily guarded. The Indians fled, an massacre was avoided and her family were given title to an entire county north east of Montreal that still bears the name Lanaudiere."

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