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| Margaret Brown "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" |
She grew up very poor but despite that, she vowed she would only marry for love.
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| Quote by Margaret Brown |
James Joseph Brown was an Irishman from New York who worked at Little Jonny Mine, one of the Colorado silver mines owned by the Ibex Mining Company. He made enough money to get by and lived in a small three room cabin in a part of town surrounded by other miner families, mostly of Irish immigrants.
Margaret Tobin, also Irish, lived in the same Colorado mining town, boarding with her sister and brother-in-law who worked with J.J. at the silver mine. They introduced the couple and on September 1, 1886, Margaret married James Joseph "J.J." Brown. Margaret was 19 and J.J. was 31. They had two children, a boy in 1887 and a girl in 1889.
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| JJ, Margaret, and their two children, 1891 |
Within five years, J.J. had moved up the ranks from silver miner to become superintendent of all the mines at the IBEX Mining Company. While the children were young, they lived in the cabin and after taking care of home, husband and children, Margaret involved herself in the early feminist movement. She helped to establish the Colorado Chapter of the National American Women's Suffrage Association.
In 1893, while the fallout from the Sherman Silver Act was devastating mining companies (explained in the picture below), Margaret was helping out in soup kitchens as people were doing whatever jobs they could get paid for to provide for their families.
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| A little history about 1893 Depression |
J.J. was a bit of an inventor and devised a way to stop the mine cave-ins using baled hay and timber. This made mines safer and literally eliminated shutdown time during cave-ins.
Huge quantities of high-grade copper and gold were found. The vein was so wide and the gold so pure that it was the world's richest gold strike. By October 1893, the little mine was shipping 135 tons of gold ore a day.
At the time, unemployment was at 90 percent and money was so devalued because metals were sold for cheap so people would buy, and they, in turn, sold for gold which was at higher prices than silver.
In gratitude, the company gave Superintendent J.J. Brown a gift of $1 million in dividends, 12,500 shares of Ibex Mining Company stock (which meant he had 12.5% ownership in the company), and a seat on their board of directors.
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| J J Brown |
This whole event changed finances for the mining company and also for the Browns. No longer living in the cabins, in 1894 the Brown's newly found wealth afforded them to buy a $30,000 Victorian mansion at 1340 Pennsylvania Street In Denver Colorado. The house, wealth and J.J.'s management position at the mining company catapulted the couple into Denver's high society. It gave Margaret the extra boost in status that she badly wanted so she could infiltrate the level of society that she had always envied.
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| The Brown's Victorian Mansion in Denver, Colorado |
One year later, the couple had a summer lodge home custom-built at Bear Creek just outside of Denver.
Margaret got a chance to travel, with and without her husband, and to dabble in philanthropy, donating time and money to local soup kitchens and to the continuing education of women. She herself studied hard to become very fluent in French, Italian, Russian and German.
Margaret asked both old and new friends to call her Maggie and hard as she tried, Maggie just never fit in with the wealthy Denver socialites. She gave lavish parties which were well attended by Denver's elite, but they talked about her behind her back.
The one group that she wanted to be accepted into turned their noses up at her. The group was called the Sacred 36 who attended all the parties given by the wealthiest socialite in Denver, Louise Sneed Hill. Due to being snubbed, Margaret Brown nicknamed Mrs. Hill "the snobbiest woman in Denver."
J.J. and Margaret enjoyed being members of the Denver Country Club, and they had their own box at the Broadway Theater to enjoy opera and stage productions. Margaret wasn't the only one spending money. J.J. was also philanthropic.
In December of each year, J.J. went to the St. Vincent’s Orphan Asylum with Christmas gifts. He felt bad that they lost their fathers in the mines. He gifted each boy with a suit coat, vest, trousers, undergarments, hat, and gloves , sometimes extras such as ice skates, sleds, or yo-yos.
J.J. traveled extensively – to New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona, California, and even Cuba and Mexico - to check up on his mining responsibilities.
He and Margaret went on a World Tour from 1902-1903 starting in Europe then to India and Japan. In 1899 J.J. consolidated all of his mining interests under the Jefferson Mining and Investment Company, with mines in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and real estate in Salt Lake City. He was worth a lot of money, both on and off paper.
During their marriage, the Browns often rented out their Victorian mansion when they were on vacation, and when home from their travels, they stayed at their lodge at Bear Creek. In 1902, the Colorado Governor's Mansion was being remodeled and Margaret offered their Victorian home to the Governor and family and was very proud to have it known as the interim Governor's Mansion.
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| Margaret Brown, 1895 |
After 23 years of marriage, the Browns legally separated in 1909.
Margaret was awarded the $30,000 Victorian mansion in Denver as well as the lodge house at Bear Creek. J.J. had previously set up a $100,000 trust fund that Margaret would get upon her retirement but due to the legal separation, she was permitted to collect $1,000 per year in annual interest ($30,000 per year in 2019). J.J. alsoo paid her $700 a month in allowance money ($20,000 in 2019 dollars) which she used to continue her travels and social work.
By late 1911 Margaret was enjoying being part of the elite that traveled with a group that included John Jacob Astor IV, son of the New York millionaire.
After returning from a trip to Egypt, Margaret stopped off to visited her daughter who was studying at the prestigious and very expensive Sorbonne in France. While there, Margaret received a call from her son in the United States to say that her grandson was gravely ill. Margaret sought out the fastest transportation available to return to the states. The RMS Titanic was leaving out of Cherbourg, France on April 10, 1912, and Margaret boarded as a first class passenger. Her daughter opted to not go with her and stayed at the Sorbonne.
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| John Jacob Astor IV, New York millionaire |
In April 1912, John Jacob Astor IV, his now pregnant wife, their servants and their entourage of friends were returning to the states on the RMS Titanic. Margaret met up with them and traveled with the group for the rest of the voyage.
Margaret always found herself straining to be accepted in upper-class social situations and she seemed to constantly be correcting new people in her company to get them to call her Maggie. Her loud personality and raunchy sense of humor went against the grain of some of the passengers traveling in first class. They treated her like she didn't have anything they wanted or needed. But they had something Margaret wanted very badly - to be socially acceptable.
That would all change during the early morning hours of April 15, 1912.
The Titanic struck an iceberg at around 11:40 p.m on April 14, 1912 and three hours later it sank at around 2:20 a.m. on April 15. Passenger class didn't matter, there was panic everywhere.
Male passengers and crew were urging women and children to get into the twenty lifeboats, each manned by a quartermaster crew member. Margaret saw a way to be helpful and joined the effort, searching out people from the cabins to bring them to the lifeboat stations. But she herself held out to the last minute to leave the ship.
She finally got in Lifeboat No. 6, but between people jumping in the water and the lifeboats departing the ship half full, Margaret got upset. She didn't like it one bit. She urged Robert Hichens, who was the quartermaster in charge of their lifeboat, to turn back to save more people, but he said no. She took one of the oars from him while she gave her argument, trying to change his mind.
Hichens said later that he was afraid if he turned back, that the lifeboat would be sink from overcrowding and he worried that the people who were in the water would jump on the lifeboat and possibly overturn it. Margaret finally threatened to throw him overboard if he didn't turn around.
Reports and historical accounts vary depending on who is doing the remembering. Little short stories and memories of long ago have been elaborated upon in the 100+ years since the disaster to become long sagas or big whopper lies, so it is not known whether the stories are true that the lifeboat went back to get more passengers.
Nevertheless, the media of those days took some poetic license when they said Margaret's actions earned her the nickname "unsinkable." Hollywood served to perpetuate the nickname in the re-telling of the story.
When they were rescued by the RMS Carpathia, Margaret wasn't done yet. She organized a survivor's committee with a few other first class passengers to provide the second and third class passengers with basic supplies like blankets and food, as well as emotional support and counseling.
After the disaster, Margaret Brown returned to Denver and dedicated her time and money to her philanthropy activities.
Two years later, in 1914, at the age of 47, Margaret decided she wanted to run for the United States Senate, capitalizing on her Titanic name recognition. However, seeing the devastation in France during World War II, she abruptly quit her campaign and decided to give her time, efforts and money to work with the American Committee for a Devastated France.
Margaret's husband J.J. Brown died on September 5, 1922, but if Margaret expected to become independently wealthy after his death, she was in for a shock.
He died intestate which meant he did not have a will. Why someone of his great wealth didn't have a will is remarkable.
Since he and Margaret had been legally separated but not divorced, and since there was no will, the estate was tied up for five years in the courts before it could be settled.
The estate was valued at $238,000 ($3.5M in 2019 dollars). After five years of haggling, the settlement agreement gave Margaret $20,000 cash and some stocks and bonds (valued at $300,000 in 2019 dollars) and she got her $100,000 trust fund ($1.5M in 2019 dollars).
Her two children were not so happy because they only received $59,000 each (about $900,000 today).
The children sued both the estate and their mother, which served to estrange the children from Margaret. The matter was settled for an undisclosed sum but the children cut off their relationship with their mother and didn't bother with her again until just before Margaret's death in 1932. Her son died in 1949 and her daughter in 1969.
Four years after J.J.'s death, in 1926, Margaret turned the Victorian mansion into a boarding house and hired her housekeeper to operate it full time while Margaret gave her time to traveling and other activities. The house became deteriorated and fell into disrepair.
For years, all Margaret talked about was that she wanted to be an actress in New York City. She finally accomplished that during the last years of her life, and she got her wish to live at the prestigious Barbizon Hotel.
She died October 26, 1932, slightly over ten years after J.J. Her autopsy showed she had a brain tumor which no one knew about. She was buried next to her husband at a cemetery in Westbury, New York. There was a small ceremony graveside, but no one offered a eulogy.
After Margaret died, the Victorian house was sold for $6,000. It became a rooming house for men at one time, and in the early 1960's, the house was converted to offer rooms and apartments for rent.
By 1970, it was scheduled for demolition because the house had fallen into such disrepair that it would cost more money than it was worth to bring it back to its former glory.
A local historical society in Denver decided to save it and they raised the funds to restore the house to a livable condition and offered public tours to make some money for upkeep.
In 1972, the local historical society could no longer keep up with the repairs and they petitioned to the United States National Register of Historical Sites to take over the management and repair of the house.
The upkeep of any historical home comes under their purview and is funded by money that is budgeted by Congress every year so the homes are preserved. The modest admission fee charged for public tours goes to the state of Colorado.
Margaret Brown’s remarkable story was made into a Broadway musical in 1964 starring Debbie Reynolds.
Sources:
Titanic Project
Encyclopedia Titanica
Biography.com
History.com
Cruise Line History
Molly Brown Museum
National Park Service
Please share our link with your Facebook friends so they can enjoy our websites too. Thanks!
https://thehistorybuff-titanic.blogspot.com/2019/01/famous-people-on-titanic-margaret-brown.html
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| Margaret Brown in the Titanic's Gym on an exercise bike |
Margaret always found herself straining to be accepted in upper-class social situations and she seemed to constantly be correcting new people in her company to get them to call her Maggie. Her loud personality and raunchy sense of humor went against the grain of some of the passengers traveling in first class. They treated her like she didn't have anything they wanted or needed. But they had something Margaret wanted very badly - to be socially acceptable.
That would all change during the early morning hours of April 15, 1912.
 |
| Newspaper headline about Titanic sinking |
The Titanic struck an iceberg at around 11:40 p.m on April 14, 1912 and three hours later it sank at around 2:20 a.m. on April 15. Passenger class didn't matter, there was panic everywhere.
Male passengers and crew were urging women and children to get into the twenty lifeboats, each manned by a quartermaster crew member. Margaret saw a way to be helpful and joined the effort, searching out people from the cabins to bring them to the lifeboat stations. But she herself held out to the last minute to leave the ship.
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| The numbers of each lifeboat are in red |
She finally got in Lifeboat No. 6, but between people jumping in the water and the lifeboats departing the ship half full, Margaret got upset. She didn't like it one bit. She urged Robert Hichens, who was the quartermaster in charge of their lifeboat, to turn back to save more people, but he said no. She took one of the oars from him while she gave her argument, trying to change his mind.
Hichens said later that he was afraid if he turned back, that the lifeboat would be sink from overcrowding and he worried that the people who were in the water would jump on the lifeboat and possibly overturn it. Margaret finally threatened to throw him overboard if he didn't turn around.
Reports and historical accounts vary depending on who is doing the remembering. Little short stories and memories of long ago have been elaborated upon in the 100+ years since the disaster to become long sagas or big whopper lies, so it is not known whether the stories are true that the lifeboat went back to get more passengers.
Nevertheless, the media of those days took some poetic license when they said Margaret's actions earned her the nickname "unsinkable." Hollywood served to perpetuate the nickname in the re-telling of the story.
When they were rescued by the RMS Carpathia, Margaret wasn't done yet. She organized a survivor's committee with a few other first class passengers to provide the second and third class passengers with basic supplies like blankets and food, as well as emotional support and counseling.
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| Pictures of Margaret Brown in various costumes |
After the disaster, Margaret Brown returned to Denver and dedicated her time and money to her philanthropy activities.
Two years later, in 1914, at the age of 47, Margaret decided she wanted to run for the United States Senate, capitalizing on her Titanic name recognition. However, seeing the devastation in France during World War II, she abruptly quit her campaign and decided to give her time, efforts and money to work with the American Committee for a Devastated France.
He died intestate which meant he did not have a will. Why someone of his great wealth didn't have a will is remarkable.
Since he and Margaret had been legally separated but not divorced, and since there was no will, the estate was tied up for five years in the courts before it could be settled.
The estate was valued at $238,000 ($3.5M in 2019 dollars). After five years of haggling, the settlement agreement gave Margaret $20,000 cash and some stocks and bonds (valued at $300,000 in 2019 dollars) and she got her $100,000 trust fund ($1.5M in 2019 dollars).
Her two children were not so happy because they only received $59,000 each (about $900,000 today).
The children sued both the estate and their mother, which served to estrange the children from Margaret. The matter was settled for an undisclosed sum but the children cut off their relationship with their mother and didn't bother with her again until just before Margaret's death in 1932. Her son died in 1949 and her daughter in 1969.
For years, all Margaret talked about was that she wanted to be an actress in New York City. She finally accomplished that during the last years of her life, and she got her wish to live at the prestigious Barbizon Hotel.
She died October 26, 1932, slightly over ten years after J.J. Her autopsy showed she had a brain tumor which no one knew about. She was buried next to her husband at a cemetery in Westbury, New York. There was a small ceremony graveside, but no one offered a eulogy.
After Margaret died, the Victorian house was sold for $6,000. It became a rooming house for men at one time, and in the early 1960's, the house was converted to offer rooms and apartments for rent.
By 1970, it was scheduled for demolition because the house had fallen into such disrepair that it would cost more money than it was worth to bring it back to its former glory.
A local historical society in Denver decided to save it and they raised the funds to restore the house to a livable condition and offered public tours to make some money for upkeep.
In 1972, the local historical society could no longer keep up with the repairs and they petitioned to the United States National Register of Historical Sites to take over the management and repair of the house.
 |
| Restored as a Museum |
The upkeep of any historical home comes under their purview and is funded by money that is budgeted by Congress every year so the homes are preserved. The modest admission fee charged for public tours goes to the state of Colorado.
Margaret Brown’s remarkable story was made into a Broadway musical in 1964 starring Debbie Reynolds.
 |
| Debbie Reynolds as Molly Brown |
Sources:
Titanic Project
Encyclopedia Titanica
Biography.com
History.com
Cruise Line History
Molly Brown Museum
National Park Service
Please share our link with your Facebook friends so they can enjoy our websites too. Thanks!
https://thehistorybuff-titanic.blogspot.com/2019/01/famous-people-on-titanic-margaret-brown.html
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