Ella Holmes White

Ella B. Holmes White (December 18, 1856 – January 31, 1942) was an American woman who was a survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic.

Ella Bertha Holmes was born on December 18, 1856, in New York, the daughter of Edwin Holmes^[1] and Eliza Ann Richardson. She had two brothers and a sister.^[2] Holmes later moved to Briarcliff Manor, New York, staying at the Briarcliff Lodge (her apartment was The Oak Room),^[3][4] and when in New York City she would stay at the Waldorf-Astoria or the Plaza Hotel.^[5]

On December 12, 1894, she married John Stuart White.^[1] White died on May 19, 1897.^[6] Holmes never remarried. Until her death she lived and travelled with 20‑years younger Marie Grice Young, a piano teacher and fellow Titanic survivor whose pupils included the children of President Theodore Roosevelt.^[7][8]

Ella Holmes White died in New York City on January 31, 1942 while living at the Plaza Hotel (with Young).^[5] Her will left to Young, personal effects and life estate in a trust to yield US$250 ($4,811 in 2024 dollars) per month for life.^[9] Historian Jonathan Ned Katz has suggested that Holmes had an intimate relationship with Marie Grice Young, in a time when same-sex relationships were usually kept very quiet.^[10]

Ella Holmes White boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg with her maid Amelia Bissette and manservant Sante Ringhini. She travelled first class sharing a cabin with Marie Young. They also brought along some exotic French-bred chickens, intending to keep them at their New York country home.^[11] White and her maid were rescued in lifeboat 8. Her manservant Sante Ringhini died.^[12] She later testified before the American Inquiry that the Titanic had broken in two before sinking.^[5]