The Seymour Headstones…

For this Everton Cemetery grave story, about real Liverpool people, living real Liverpool lives… we once again, walk across the boundary wall, into Long Lane Jewish Cemetery. Just to the left, against the back wall of Section ‘A’ we find the double grave of Samuel & Elizabeth Steinberg. Sadly, Elizabeth’s headstone has been ‘dropped’ over the grave… presumably by the ground staff, because it was unstable.

    
Samuel & Elizabeth Steinberg

Samuel & Elizabeth, lived in one of the now classed, Grade 2 listed, Georgian houses on Seymour Terrace/Seymour Street, originally built in 1810, but members will recall them in such a derelict state in the 60’s and onward, that all bets would have been for the city corporation, to pull them down… but instead they were brought back to their former glory in the late 1990’s and can be found… at he back of Lime Street Station (see images). The Steinberg’s lived at number 43 Seymour Street, and Samuel, worked as a Bespoke Master Tailor, at his own shop, a short walk away at 44 Norton Street (where the now defunked National Express Coach Station used to be, as it was built over much of the left hand side of Norton Street) Other members of his family, also worked at the shop as seen in the 1911 Census. Samuel & Elizabeth (nee Neiman) married in Liverpool in 1882 and went on to have 11 children. During their marriage, they took in ‘boarders’ to supplement their income (a common practice of the day). Samuel died in 1922 at the age of 60, and Elizabeth followed her husband in 1949, at the age of 84.

Click to enlarge…

There are three more memorial inscriptions on Samuel’s headstone, to close members of the family… the first inscription under Samuel’s is for one of Samuel & Elizabeth’s sons… Abraham Adolphus Steinberg.

Abraham Steinberg

The SS Aracataca

Abraham was only 20 years of age, when he was lost at sea, after a collision with another vessel off ‘Beachy Head’. Abraham was serving in the Merchant Navy, as an Engineers Steward on board the SS Aracataca, which was en-route from Liverpool to Dunkirk/France, carrying a cargo of frozen meat for the British and Commonwealth troops serving in the First World War. As the ship rounded the Isle of White, for the final stretch along the South-East Coast (East Sussex), before making the Channel crossing… Abraham’s ship collided with the S.S. Moliere and sank. Abraham’s body was never recovered.

The next inscription under Abraham’s, is to another of Samuel’s & Elizabeth’s sons… Arthur Valentine Steinberg, one could say… an even more tragic death.

Arthur Steinberg

You can imagine Samuel & Elizabeth’s joy, and the feeling of pride to see their young 15 year old son, Arthur Valentine in his new uniform, and engaged at one of the City’s finest shipping lines… for Arthur, was to serve as a ‘stewards boy’ on the Cunard Company’s finest Trans-Atlantic passenger liner of the day (3 years after the sinking of the Titanic). Arthur was to be paid the sum of £2.10s each month, and was given a sailing date of 17th April 1915, the route… From Liverpool to New York and back, one of the most prestigious routes in the world… and a route of luxury.

So with all the excitement of a young 15 year old Liverpool lad, he boarded his very first ship, bound for New-York… the Liner Arthur was to serve on, was a ‘blue ribbon’ ship which meant it held a Trans-Atlantic speed record, and the passenger liner, at one time was the largest ship in the world. The outward journey to New-York was fine with nothing unusual to report, and everything went as expected… However, on the return voyage, the ship was to flounder… As Arthur’s, first employment was aboard the ill-fated liner… The Lusitania.

The Lusitania at Liverpool

Artist impression of the sinking of the Lusitania

Three weeks after leaving Liverpool, and 6 days after leaving New York, the Lusitania rounded the coast of Ireland. A German U-20 submarine operating in the Atlantic, struck a torpedo into the Lusitania’s flank. A second explosion on board saw the ship go down by the head in under 20 minutes killing 1193 passengers and crew. Arthur’s body was never recovered, we can only imagine Samuel & Elizabeth’s grief upon hearing this tragic news.

Historians, argue that the second explosion, reported on the Lusitania, may have been a war munitions explosion, in that, the ship may have been carrying war weaponry, made and shipped from America, headed for the WW1 ‘front’ in Europe, and as such the German Government of the day sited legitimacy for the sinking in conjunction to the Lusitania sailing in a pre-determined war zone. The backlash of the sinking, caused an acute diplomatic incident, as well as riots and attacks throughout the country, including Liverpool, targeted at shops and homes of people of German descent or with German sounding names.

The third and final inscription on Samuel’s headstone, it to Samuel’s brother-in-law, and Elizabeth’s brother… Elias Neiman…

Elias’s grave…

In the 1911 Census, it shows Elias, living at 6 Kingsley Road, Liverpool, with his wife Sarah Jane. They have no children, Elias is listed as ‘head’ of the house, but along with his wife, her sister is also living at the house, and they have a lodger, William Mattis (age 69). Elias was working as a Brewers Labourer. Elias, answered the call to war, and joined the British Rifle Corp, as a rifleman. On February 14th 1917, at the age of 42, Elias was killed. Elias’s body is buried at the Brandhoek Military Cemetery/Belgium…