Comments on: The Lockerbie Rail Disaster, 1883

By: charlene

charlene — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 23:12:05 +0000

What struck me about this story was the repeated comments about how dark it was. Just a few nights ago I was prompted to pray in gratitude for the creation of the moon “to rule the night.” In our modern, especially urban, settings we can’t imagine how difficult half of the hours are and have been for so many people.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:35:14 +0000

Joseph Soderborg uncovered a couple of Mormon-Titanic stories more than a year ago and offered to write them up as Keepa posts. I can’t really fault him for not having done that yet, given how many posts I’ve indicated were in the works that haven’t yet appeared! I’ll tell him, though, that there’s a special request and beg him to post.

Elder Cook scooped us all somewhat in the October 2011 conference when he told about Irene Corbett, a Titanic passenger. (And didn’t he also mention the missionary group led by Alma Sonne who changed their plans and did not board that ship? I think he did, but I can’t be sure without looking it up.)

Thanks for your comments, all. It’s fun to bring some local history to mind for those of you who do live close, and always rewarding to me to be able to bring a Latter-day Saint into focus.

By: Anne (UK)

Anne (UK) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:16:26 +0000

Thanks for this post- I too have been through Lockerbie (more times than I care to remember) and had no idea about this railway accident. I was helping a Canadian friend with some family history a couple of years back, and I came across a huge mining disaster near Motherwell (as mentioned above) that I knew nothing about either. It’s amazing the history that lies around us in such danger of being completely forgotten!

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:50:31 +0000

Oh, and by the way, great post, Ardis. I looked at the railway maps and discovered that I must have gone through Lockerbie in late June or early July 2009, but the train didn’t stop and we passed without notice.

And, we saw no sign of the tragic events of 1988, or of 103 years earlier–not too surprising, eh?

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:48:37 +0000

Wasn't there already a post about some Saints not on the Titanic?

By: Alison Spring

Alison Spring — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:45:39 +0000

That’s a thought, Ardis; any stories about Saints on the Titanic to post?

By: peter Fagg

peter Fagg — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:28:57 +0000

Thanks Ardis for another link. Quite fitting when we are in the midst of celebrating 100 years since the Titanic sunk.

By: Amy T

Amy T — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:03:24 +0000

What a story. It’s also a good primer about how to write family history!

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:20:56 +0000

Kinda cool, isn’t it, Alison? I found a brief squib in the Millennial Star mentioning the “providential escape” of the Dunlops. I doubted anything would turn up when I Googled “Lockerbie train collision 1883,” yet an amazing number of modern articles and 1883 newspaper articles popped up. It would make a better story if I knew what John might have done to help other passengers, or how close to the deadline they made it into Liverpool, but just knowing that we had a brother involved in such a thing both connects us to wider history and also illustrates the risks and sacrifices of the Saints who left home.

By: Alison Spring

Alison Spring — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:46:59 +0000

Absolutely fascinating, Ardis. I had never heard of this rail crash before, let alone the LDS connection. Thank you for posting this.