Adella Liebenow Wotherspoon (November 28, 1903 – January 26, 2004) was the youngest and last living survivor of the '' General Slocum'' ship disaster of June 15, 1904.

Birth and siblings

Born Adele Martha Liebenow in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, she was the daughter of Anna Liebenow (1872–1957) and Paul Liebenow (1871–1910). She was nicknamed Tiby Liebenow. Her siblings Anna C. Liebenow Jr. (1901–1904) and Helen Liebenow (1898–1904) died in the fire on the PS ''General Slocum''. Helen's body was never identified and is presumed buried in a mass grave. Two cousins and two aunts also perished in the fire. One of the relatives who died was Martha Liebenow (1875–1904) of 404 5th Street in Manhattan. Adella's family was listed as living at 133 East 125th Street in the official register of ''General Slocum'' deaths. Shortly after the sinking, her parents legally changed her first name to "Adella".

Fire aftermath

After the fire, Adella was treated at Lebanon Hospital. At the dedication ceremony, she pulled the rope to release the American flag and unveil the memorial to the fire victims. After her father's death in 1910, Anna moved the family to

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. Adella attended Plainfield High School, then studied education at Trenton Normal School, now known as

The College of New Jersey The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Established in 1855 as the New Jersey State Normal School, TCNJ was the first normal school, ...

. She taught for one year at Cleveland High School in

Cranford, New Jersey Cranford is a Township (New Jersey), township in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 23,847, an increas ...

then taught business administration at Plainfield High School from 1925 until 1961 when she retired. She married James Wotherspoon (1903–1982), but the couple had no children.

Commemoration

The young Wotherspoon played a highly visible role in unveiling a commemorative statue in the cemetery where more than sixty unidentified dead were buried on the first anniversary of the disaster. She returned annually for the memorial ceremonies.

Death and burial

Wotherspoon was a resident of a convalescent home in

Berkeley Heights, New Jersey Berkeley Heights is a Township (New Jersey), township in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located on a ridge in North Jersey, northern-central Jersey, central New Jersey, Berkeley Heights is a commuter to ...

for the last several years of her life. She died in 2004 at aged 100, and was cremated. Her ashes were buried alongside her husband's at the Wilson Memorial Union Church Cemetery in

References

External links