Local History : passenger profiles
Sallie Beckwith and Helen Newsom: A Mother’s Best Wishes
Like all mothers, Sarah “Sallie” Monypeny Beckwith, 46, wanted the best for her children. She was born Sarah “Sallie” Monypeny into one of the wealthiest Columbus families and was cousin to the 1912 governor of Ohio, Judson Harmon. Sallie married fellow Ohioan Logan Newsom from Gallipolis. The couple had two children in Columbus, William and Helen. Logan died young, leaving Sallie to care for the children by herself.
Sallie eventually remarried, to Richard Beckwith, a real estate broker from New York. Despite her love for her new husband, Sallie’s children still received her greatest attention. At the time of Titanic’s maiden voyage, she was particularly concerned about her 19-yearold daughter,
Helen Monypeny Newsom. Helen had attracted the attentions of Karl Behr, 26, a world-champion tennis player. Sallie Beckwith had plans for her daughter’s future, however, and a tennis player simply did not fit into that picture.
To distract Helen from Karl’s advances, Sallie swept her daughter away for a grand tour of Europe in early 1912. However, her plans failed; Karl traveled to Europe at the same time and kept in contact with Helen all the while. When Karl learned that Helen and her parents were returning to the United States as first-class passengers on Titanic, he quickly booked a ticket as well.
Following Titanic’s collision with the iceberg, Karl led
Helen and Sallie to the
Boat Deck. As Helen prepared to say her final goodbyes, White Star Line President Bruce Ismay urged Karl to enter Lifeboat 5 along with Sallie, her husband Richard, and Helen. Some newspapers later reported that Karl proposed to Helen during their long night in the darkness of the North Atlantic.
In March 1913, just short of a year after the disaster, Helen and Karl married in New York City—with Sallie’s blessing. Helen walked down the aisle with her stepfather at 3:00 p.m. on March 1, carrying a bouquet of lilies of the valley and white orchids. Karl and Helen were the first Titanic survivor couples to wed. The couple settled in New York and had three sons and a daughter.
Karl, who had a long career in banking, passed away in 1949. Sallie passed away in 1955. Helen later married Dean Mathey, one of Karl’s friends and tennis partners. Helen, who died in 1965, is buried in New Jersey.