Prominent South Jersey Man, (Wildwood) Died Aboard The Titanic

The tragedy of The Titan submersible finding its final resting place just 1600 feet from the bow of Titanic got me to thinking about what happened on April 15, 1912.

I have been a Titanic buff for more than 30 years. I have always been fascinated by the entire story.

In my personal collection is an actual piece of Titanic coal, recovered from the ship in its final resting place, 3 miles deep on the ocean floor.

The Titanic was from the famed White Star Line. It was traveling from Southampton, England for New York City on April 10, 1912 with 2,435 passengers on board.

By April 12, 1912, only 705 passengers would survive, when The Titanic sank at At 2:20 a.m. into the North Atlantic Ocean, about 400 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada.

Did you ever wonder if anyone from New Jersey was on The Titanic during its fateful voyage more than 111 years ago.

The New Jersey connection that caught my eye is a man named Frederick Sutton.

Sutton had amazing ties to Southern New Jersey, specifically in Wildwood, New Jersey.

When Sutton perished aboard The Titanic his North Wildwood home became The Dr. Margaret Mace Hospital (see below).

Frederick Sutton was born in England and relocated to the United States in the late 1800’s.

Encyclopedia Titanica reports that Sutton was successful in business, where he made a lot of money and held leadership positions in multiple banks.

Ultimately, real estate became Sutton’s passion and brought him to Wildwood, New Jersey.

Sutton was very committed to developing Wildwood, New Jersey and building-up its overall amenities. Before his death, he accomplished a lot in Wildwood.

Sutton suffered from major health issues, which was the reason (due to a Doctor’s recommendation) it placed him aboard The Titanic.

Sutton was on his way back to New Jersey. Unlike many who were never recovered … Sutton was found and he is buried at Haddonfield Baptist Cemetery in Haddonfield, New Jersey.

There are other Titanic victims with New Jersey roots. We’ll share more about them in a future article.

Source: Encyclopedia-Titanica.org