Abraham Hyman was born on the 15th February, sometime around 1881, Hyman originated from Russia. Abraham and his parents fled from the country after suffering from anti-sematic behaviour at the hands of the Russian state. The family immigrated to United Kingdom, although, the official year is not confirmed. The earliest date of Abraham’s residence in England is traced to 1902, as this was the year Abraham married his wife Esther Levy. The couple settled in Cheetham, Manchester. Their first address can be found as Number 45 Stocks Street, Cheetham, Manchester. By 1911, the Hyman couple had five children that all helped their father, Abraham, with the family store.
The Titanic Connection
On April 10th 1912, Abraham Hyman boarded Titanic at Southampton alongside 922 other passengers. Hyman travelled as a third-class passenger and paid a total of £7 for his ticket. His last address is listed as number 45 Stocks Street, Manchester and his profession appears as a storekeeper. Hyman’s aim was to travel to America to see his brother Harry. Harry lived in the State of Massachusetts with his wife.
April 15th 1912,
Abraham’s story is quite remarkable, as he was in a practically minute percentage of the third-class passengers to survive the sinking, let alone regarding that he was a male survivor too. Hyman described that he had escaped the Titanic without tremendous difficulty, in fact, the Manchester resident said he had just stepped off the sinking ship and onto the lifeboat as it was lowered past the promenade deck. He noted that he had just “Got alongside the boat.” the boat in which Abraham is referencing is collapsible C, this, slightly smaller, lifeboat left the vessel at 1:40 am. This was also the same boat that Managing Director of the White Star Line, Joseph Bruce Ismay left Titanic from too. Hyman commented “They could have taken fifteen more people in our boat.” However, it was too late as the collapsible had left the ship to join the other lifeboats that were floating nearby.
A question that is brought up time and time again is the question of the use of firearms on Titanic. Whilst multiple eyewitnesses and testimonies support that each officer had the access to a pistol, but nobody was shot on the ship. Abraham’s eye-witness report sheds some light on an interesting argument, he had thought that someone had been shot or certainly, he had heard a gun. As far as accounts and recollections go, there have not been next to no accusations of anyone in the third-class being shot. Shortly before Hyman left Titanic, fifth-officer Harold Lowe was forced to shoot his pistol three times in a bid to stop lifeboat 14 from being swamped, but the bullets never made any direct contact with anyone in Lowe’s area. So perhaps that was the sound Abraham had heard, not too long after Lowe’s actions, second-officer, Charles Lightoller forced two male passengers out of lifeboat 2 and held them at gunpoint. But, neither of them had been shot.
Collapsible C rowed about half-a mile away from the ship before stopping, Hyman recalls how “The lights went down, one after the other.” Later in life Abraham had great difficulty talking about the sinking and very rarely spoke of the silence that followed Titanic after she had foundered, this scene would be the cause of recurring nightmares for him for the rest of his life.
The Arrival in New York
Like the other 706 survivors, Abraham disembarked at New York on the Cunard liner, SS Carpathia. His brother Harry was there to meet him on arrival. Hyman had even given a few reporters an interview. It has not been confirmed when Abraham left America but it is not surprising to learn that Abraham was not keen on returning to Manchester on the Atlantic route, he had requested his wife to come and visit him. But after her husband’s ordeal, she refused to cross the Atlantic, or for that matter, any body of water.
Life after Titanic
Eventually, Abraham returned home, many people in the local community immediately identified him with the Titanic. He gained the nickname as the ‘Titanic Man.’ But Abraham scarcely mentioned the disaster, even with his family, he very rarely acknowledged the sinking. However, after spending some time in New York, he was keen on expanding on his shop, Hyman opened Titanic’s it was a Kosher deli, the shop could be found at number 123 Waterloo Road, Cheetham, Manchester. Later on the Hyman family welcomed two to new children and moved to number 230 Waterloo Road, Cheetham, Manchester.
Unfortunately, Abraham’s wife, Esther died shortly after, at the age of 46. Abraham re-married and moved just a few doors up to number 385 Waterloo Road. After a short spell of living in Southport, Abraham moved back to Manchester after his then wife, Ester, of the same name as his first wife, died. His last address is listed as 25 Crumpsall Lane, Manchester. He died in March 1956.
As for Titanic’s Kosher Deli, the shop remained in business, it was handed down to one of Abraham’s sons, the store gained the reputation as local spot of interest for the community. Unfortunately, the shop was closed in 2016 and has not re-opened since.
Abraham Hyman’s grave can be found in the North Manchester Blackley Jewish Cemetery, his head stone is found under plot 172 in section G. His headstone acknowledges his connections with Titanic.
As always, I’ll leave a few external links about the life of Abraham Hymon and his family business. Please feel free to ask any questions,
Millie.
Sources:
Encyclopaedia Titanica on the Life of Abraham Hyman: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/abraham-hyman.html
Deli Born Out of the Titanic Disaster: https://www.rferl.org/a/deli_born_out_of_titanic_disaster/24547017.html
Kosher Deli in England A Titanic Survivor’s Legacy: https://daytonjewishobserver.org/2012/03/kosher-deli-in-england-a-titanic-survivors-legacy/
Find A Grave, Abraham Joseph Hyman: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/170586800/joseph-abraham-hyman
Works Consulted:
The Story of the Wreck of the Titanic by Marshall Everett, pg 81-82
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