A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY:
THE FREDERICKSBURG, VA
CONNECTION
El s i e Slyman Belman 1974 Washington D.C.
A
TITANIC
SURVIVOR’S
STORY
THE
FREDERICKSBURG
VIRGINIA
CONNECTION
ELSIE SLYMAN
BELMAN
ELDERBERRY PRESS, INC.
OAKLAND
Copyright © 2005 ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
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Publisher’s Catalog—in—Publication Data
A Titanic Survivor’s Story/Elsie Slyman Belman
ISBN
978-1-932762-46-4
1. Titanic.
2. Reincarnation.
3. Druze American.
4.
Lebanon.
5. History.
I. Title
This book was written, printed and bound in the United States of America.
PREFACE
Mike Nassef Balman
4-14-12
7-20-97
Today, July 20, 1997 my grandfather,
Mike Na s s e f Ba lman di ed and thi s i s my
pl edge to ke ep hi s s tor y a l i ve . How he
was the reincarnat ion of the 12 year old
boy who di ed on the Ti t ani c Apr i l 14,
1912. , the 12 year old boy who was bor n
ins t ant l y to the man who t r i ed so ha r d
to s a ve him. The man who t r i ed to s a ve
him was my gre a t grandfather, Na s s e f
Cassem.
And now a t this time in 2005 1 am
putting to words a strange and t rue incident
in the life of man.
Re inc a rna t ion i s a thing document e d
among my peopl e . My peopl e s goe s ba c k
to the wife of Moses and beyond. The
wife o f Mo s e s was not Jewish, Christ
i a n o r Mo s l em! We c l a im Ab r a h a m
with whom the covenant was made, Our
peopl e r e c e i ved the c i r cumc i s ion on the
night of the Pa s sove r. The proof i s i n
Exodus Chapt e r 4 ve r s e 25. our mode r n
name is druze .
Ou r v i l l a g e i n L e b a n o n i s c a l l e d
Chaney, my great grandfather boarded
the Ti t ani c a s a thi rd c l a s s pa s s enge r on
April 10, 1912, destination,
Fredericksburg Virginia, the name of
the 12 year old boy was Houssein Mohamed
Hassan Abilmona, who was coming
to Fredericksburg to his father, who
ope r a t ed a groc e r y s tor e . The boy wa s a
cousin of Nassef Cassem.
Th e f o l l owi n g i s a wo r d f o r wo r d
s tor y handed down by Na s s e f Ca s s em
Abilmona.
8
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
9
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
A Titanic SURVIVOR’S STORY
I have been asked so often to repeat
the s tor y of my r e s cue f rom the Ti t ani c
that I am at l a s t acceding to the demand
to write down my experience.
Pr ior to 1912 1 had been in the Uni ted
St a t e s for some t ime . I had a bus ine s s
whi ch wa s f a i r l y suc c e s s ful , and I f e l t
tha t I should t ake a l i t t l e v a c a t ion. I
10
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
de t e rmined to v i s i t my na t i ve count r y.
Lebanon, i n a sma l l mountain v i llage
c a l l ed Chana y, to s e e my pa r ent s whom
I had l e f t there long ago. I further reali
z ed tha t the ye a r s we re pa s s ing f a s t and
they were becoming aged and that seeing
them would not onl y be a pl e a sur e but
a definite duty a s we l l . Therefore I arranged
my a f f a i r s , l e f t others in charge
of my business and took ship to Lebanon.
My f a the r, my mothe r, my cous ins ,
my old t ime f r iends , al l were so happy t o
see me that my stay became one round
o f entertainments given i n my honor.
It wa s so l ike my ide a of he a ven tha t I
11
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
forgot all else for quite awhile.
But al l things mus t end, and one day I
re c a l l ed tha t I had othe r re spons ibi l i t i e s
and that I must return to my adopted
country and my business.
Upon telling my parents of my intent
ion to r e turn to Ame r i c a soon, the i r
happine s s wa s turned to sor row, i t wa s
a g a in a round o f g a the r ing s ; but thi s
time they were gatherings of sorrow, for
I wa s to l e a ve them soon and probabl y
ne v e r s e e t h em a g a in. My wi f e Sa l h a
wa s pr egnant and could not , nor woul d
12
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
not t r a ve l . She would r a the r r ema in i n
Chana y in he r bi g c omf o r t abl e hous e
with f i g t re e s , grapes and lush gardens.
I s a i l e d f r om Be i r u t t o Ma r s e l l i e s
in the ant i c ipa t ion of the g r e e t ing s I
would r e c e i ve in Ame r i c a . In Ma r s e l l i e s
I inq u i r e d a t the d i f f e r ent s t e amshi p
agenc i e s for the spe edi e s t ship to Ne w
York, s inc e I wa s a l r e ady on my wa y I
was anxious to arrive .
I l e a r n e d t h a t i n t h r e e d a y s t h e r e
would be a l ine r l e a v ing for New Yor k
whi ch wa s the l a rge s t and f a s t e s t shi p
13
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
afloat and that this would be her maiden
trip. Feeling that I could do no better,
I booked passage on this ship, the Ti ‑
tanic.
I l e f t Ma r s e i l l e s by t r a in tha t e vening
and s topped ove r for a da y in Pa r i s . I
s t a y ed one da y and l e f t the fol lowing
morning to await the Titanic.
It was about 9:30PM; when I , with
others boarded her.
S u r p r i s e o f s u r p r i s e s ! Wo n d e r o f
wonde r s’ We r e we in New York a l r e ady ?
14
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
The ship was more l i k e Broadway than
Br o a dwa y i t s e l f . I t wa s a l l d e c o r a t e d
wi t h c o l o r e d l i g h t s , mu s i c p l a y i n g ,
people dancing and singing, and what
s e emed l ike a wide s t r e e t running down
the whole length of the ship. It was t rul y
an inspiring sight.
But we did no t ha v e much t ime t o
admi r e the be aut y of the s c ene , for the
s h i p’s p o r t e r s c ame imme d i a t e l y a n d
carried our baggage and took each to
t h e s t a t e room assigned t o him a s per
the t i cke t . My s t a t e room wa s on the top
deck and going in I found an 18 year old
15
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
Mike Nassef with grand
daughters
Elsie and Libby
16
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
friend from my hometown of Chanay and
a boy of 12 who was going to meet his fathe
r in Fr ede r i cksburg, Vi rgini a . (whe n
in a f ew da y s he would be r e ‑ inc a rna t e d
into my son, Mike , who wa s born on
the da y of the s inking, when Mike wa s
young and s t a r t ed spe aking of anothe r
l i f e , naming name s and pl a c e s , my wi f e
took him to the forme r f ami l y whe r e he
recognized where the 12 year old had
kept hi s bicycle, where the r ice was kept ,
the l e n t i l s and their staples. He showed
his family where he put his hunting gun.
As he gr ew olde r we encour aged him t o
forge t hi s pa s t l i f e and conc ent r a t e on
17
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
thi s l i f e . As the mind grows , i t swa l lows
up the memory of the past life.
But now, ba ck to the Ti t ani c , on e a c h
of the ber ths was laid out a suit of cork‑to
be used in case of emergency or necessity.
(how f a r o f f that necessity seemed
just then you can well imagine.)
The ship wa s a l ive wi th happy peopl e ,
a l l intent on the pleasure s of the hour,
a l l enjoy ing the f a c t tha t the y we r e on
the gr e a t ship a f loa t , tha t i t wa s on i t s
ma iden t r ip, tha t on boa rd we re some of
the mos t i l lus t r ious peopl e in the wor ld.
18
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
Who would be jus t i f i ed in s e e ing doom
in a set t ing such as thi s . Who could? And
yet did we but real ize that those l i fe bel t s
on the be r ths we r e a wa rning‑ ‑ I do not
know, though, to thi s da y I doubt any
would have been deterred f rom making
tha t t r ip, e ven wi th the ful l knowl edge
of the impending tragedy.
We re t i red l a t e that night, sleeping
the sleep of the happy and just. We were
awakened the fol lowing morning by the
sound of the breakfast bell.
We a ros e happy and hungr y, ba thed,
19
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
dr e s s ed, and went to the dining s a lon,
and the re we re more surpr i s ed by s e e ing
the large number of people on board.
Af t e r br e akf a s t we went on de ck and
a l l tha t we could s e e in any di r e c t ion
wa s s e a and sky. We had t r a ve l ed so f a r
dur ing the night tha t the r e wa s no l and
in sight, and we might as well have been
a million miles from shore . The ship was
doing 22 knots, cutting through the water
so beaut i ful ly, leaving a wake of foam
behind her that was j u s t too glorious to
see. People were already dancing and enjoying
themselves even at thi s ear ly hour,
20
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
and we were carried away into imagining
tha t we we r e a t some s e a s ide r e sor t
rather than in the middle of the ocean.
The ne x t f ew da y s pa s s ed so happi l y
tha t we we r e on the ve rge of r egr e t t ing
the shortness of the trip.
On Sunday, t h e s t eward s and ships
people outdid themselves in their solicit
ious a t t i tude towa rds the pa s s eng e r s ,
gi v ing us f rui t s and dr inks throughout
the da y. Towa rd e vening of tha t Sunda y
anothe r ship pa s s ed us . It wa s a love l y
s ight to see‑ two ships in such an expans e
21
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
of water‑the signal f l a g s sliding up and
down the ma s t s ‑ the s a lut e s be twe en the
two. It s e emed a s though we we re on the
only living things in the world.
Word went around that an ex‑nave l
man, a pa s s enge r, had be en abl e to r e a d
the signals and the passing ship had informed
the Titanic, that there were icebe
rgs ahe ad, and wa rned he r to advanc e
wi th c aut ion. Tha t made us ant i c ipa t e
the beautiful sight of a flock of icebergs,
and we hoped that we might enjoy the
s ight of them. We had a l l s e en pi c tur e s
of i c ebe rgs and the r e a l i t y would ha ve
22
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
been marvelous to tell of later.
La t e r in the e vening, a f t e r the usua l
merrymaking we turned in and slept.
We had been asleep a few hours when—
CRASH—
WE WERE AWAKENED BY A
TERRIFIC JOLT.
It wa s 12:30am Apr i l 14, 1912. the
Ti t ani c had be en going a t a spe ed of 22
knot s and had col l ided ful l for c e wi t h
the iceberg. The force of the impact was
such tha t the ship s topped de ad whe r e
she wa s , hanging on the i c ebe rg whi c h
23
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
had stove in her side and was penetrating
her innards . And as the engines cont
i n u e d r u n n i n g , t h e v i b r a t i o n s h o o k
the ship loos e f rom the i c ebe rg and the
wa t e r s rushed into the gaping hol e and
poured into the hold of the Titanic.
The for c e of the impa c t wa s such tha t
i t no doubt awo k e e v e r yone who wa s
s l e eping, and the y c ame pour ing out of
the i r s t a t e ro oms on the de c k , y e l l ing
and shouting.
It was Ba b e l , more l a n g u a g e s we re
be ing spoken than I had e ve r known t o
24
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
e x i s t ; y e t , unl ike Babe l we s e emed t o
understand each other, f o r i t seemed
God had gi ven us a s i x th s ens e to make
us understand the unintelligible
At tha t moment we a l l thought tha t
another ship had collided with the Ti ‑
t ani c . We did no t r e a l i z e in the f i r s t
moments that it was an iceberg.
The s e a wa s sooth and pe a c e ful , the
s t a r s shining so be aut i ful l y tha t the r e
was not even the thought of danger.
We were told that the mechanics were
25
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
repai r ing the damage, and that we woul d
soon be unde rway aga in, r a c ing to make
the record crossing that the Captain had
hoped for.
A l l t h i s w h i l e w i t n e s s i n g a n o t h e r
beautiful sight. The ship’s men were f i r ‑
ing rockets into the air, shooting pistols,
l i ght ing s i gna l f l a r e s . I t l o o k ed mo r e
l i k e a fourth of July celebration or the
doings a t an It a l i an f e a s t da y, than l ike
a dreadful disaster.
Finally word went around that everyone
should put on their l i f e b e l t s , so as
26
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
to be pr epa r ed for any eme rgenc y tha t
ma y come . The me chani c s we r e unabl e
to repair the ship, and we might have to
take to the lifeboats.
It then began to dawn on us tha t our s
was indeed a t ragic s i tuat ion. It was then
that the f u l l force of the tragedy began
to make itself felt.
It was terrible....it was AWFUL.
Th e b a b e l b e c ame a c l amo r ; s ome
prayed, others cursed, some bid farewe l l
to their loved ones, others were hysteri
27
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
cally jubilant; ever y imaginable emotion
was por t rayed the re for thos e who might
ha ve the ha rdihood or the inc l ina t ion
to wi tne s s i t . Re a l l y, you did not s e e
the s e things ‑ you jus t imbibed them and
the y c ame ba ck to you a s r e col l e c t ions
later.
The Capt a in, re a l i z ing the inevi t abl e ,
sent men around the ship, into every
s t a t e room, to s e a r ch e ve r y be r th and t o
s e e tha t e ve r y l i v ing soul wa s on de ck,
dr e s s ed in l i f ebe l t and r e ady for wha t
was in store .
28
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
The s igna l l ight s , whi ch had s e eme d
so pr e t ty a moment be for e , took on ne w
s ignificance ; they had not brought help!
The r e we r e no ships c los e enough to s e e
them. The wire l e s s had brought no response
ye t .
The crush became great‑the moans,
t h e s h r i e k s , unbearable. My roomate,
the 18 ye a r old f r i end had dr i f t ed f rom
me with the crowd;
the 12 year old boy was still beside me;
I took him up on my shoulders and carr
i ed him so tha t I should not los e him,
29
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
determining that i f my l i fe was saved, hi s
should be saved too. As I raised him, he
a sked me ; “oh Unc l e , ha ve we a r r i ved i n
New York? Are my pa rent s the re wa i t ing
for me ? It wa s he a r tbr e aking ; I coul d
not answer.
The c rush was now t e r r i f i c ; eve r ybody
moved towa rds the boa t de ck; we pa s s e d
the f i r s t c l a s s c abins s e c t ion, the s e we r e
l i t up so i t looked l ike day. Approa ching
the l i f eboa t s we he a rd the c apt a in and
hi s of f i c e r s shout ing tha t onl y wome n
and children would be put into them.
The s a i lor s we re he lping the women and
30
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
children into the boats. As I got near a
s a i lor took the boy f rom my shoulde r s
be for e I could bid him goodbye and t o
r e a s sur e him. The s a i lor pa s s ed the boy
to another s a i l o r who passed him to anothe
r and he to anothe r unt i l the boy
wa s s e t t l ed in a boa t , c r y ing for me t o
come to him. The boats were lowered,
I remained on deck, walking here and
there, not knowing what to do.
It wa s now 3:00 a .m. the wa t e r ha d
been rising inside the ship and had f i ‑
nally reached the machinery and boilers.
The r e wa s a t e r r i f i c e xplos ion and a l l
31
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
the l ight s went out . It be c ame so da r k
tha t you could not s e e the pe r son ne x t
to you. Terrible is a mild word f o r i t .
The Ti t a n i c was s i n k i n g l owe r and
lowe r. The c apt a in went f rom one group
to another, trying to pacify them and allay
their fears, saying: “we have contact ‑
ed a ship by wi r e l e s s ; she i s qui t e c los e .
Ha ve no f e a r s , she wi l l a r r i ve in t ime t o
save you a l l . I am going to my duties. I
bid you goodbye , and pr a y God tha t he
be kind and merc i f u l to you a l l . I shall
r ema in wi th my ship. God bl e s s you a l l
and prot e c t you.” And wi th that he went
32
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
to the bridge and did not return.
The people then realized the f u l l ext
ent of the i r pr edi c ament . The y bega n
shout ing the i r pr a ye r s to the i r di f f e r ent
Gods, or to the one God in their different
ways . Some kne l t , some s tood, some
bowed, some swa yed, some s tood e r e c t ,
but a l l we r e pr a y ing a s the y had ne ve r
pr a yed be for e . Ea ch t r y ing to ha ve God
he a r hi s pa r t i cul a r pr aye r by shout ing i t
loude r than the one ne x t to him. I a l s o
prayed sincerely and loudly.
A man close to me got up on the r a i l
33
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
and jumped into the s e a . I s aw a woma n
holding thr e e chi ldr en in he r a rms , a l l
c r y ing . I s aw a r o p e . I t i e d the r o p e
a round he r and pushed he r ove r the r a i l
and l e t he r down into the wa t e r, I the n
s l id down the rope into the wa t e r, and
when I r e a ched i t I l e t go of the rope
and s t ruck out in any di r e c t ion, whe r e
did not ma t t e r. My l i f ebe l t buoyed me .
A l i f eboa t pa s s ed c los e to me , when I
p u t my hands on t h e b o a t , someone
be a t them awa y so I swam on. A s e cond
l i f eboa t pa s s ed c los e to me and pul l e d
me into i t . It wa s l i f eboa t numbe r 15.
It wa s ful l of women and chi ldr en and
34
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
thre e men. The men we re rowing, a s wa s
al so a woman, but she did not know how
to row, so I took the oa r f rom he r and
rowed in he r s t e ad. The r e we r e two me n
on e a ch s ide rowing, and we rowed wi t h
de spe r a t ion. We want ed to s e e i f the r e
we r e othe r s in the wa t e r who could be
s a ved, but i t wa s so da rk tha t we coul d
s e e nothing. We pulled and pulled a t
the oa r s , and a s God di r e c t ed, we we r e
pulling away f rom the ship, for we rea
l i z ed tha t the c r i e s of thos e on boa r d
were becoming more distant. The passengers
of our lifeboard were cr ying and
shouting.
35
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
Suddenly the sound of those on board
became ver y loud‑and then a large gurgling
sound, then silence.
The Titanic had gone down.
A moment l a t e r our boat f e l t a swe l l
and lur ched and then r ight ed i t s e l f . We
we r e so f r ight ened and cold tha t for a
long t ime we did not ut t e r a sound. God
was kind t o u s , the s e a was calm and
smooth, no wa ve s shook the boa t , e l s e
we would have capsized, for we were full
to ove r f lowing. Ye t we de spa i r ed of our
36
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
chances of l i f e , for the l e a s t action of
the water would upset us.
Shor t l y a f t e r we s aw the morning s t a r
shining so peacefully and hopefully over
us tha t we knew the da y wa s ne a r. The
women and children became hysterical
upon s e e ing the dawn and wha t wi t h
t h e i r moans and s h r i e k s and t h e f e a r
of c aps i z ing we we r e thankful God ha d
brought us out of the night.
Then in the f i r s t glow of dawn‑we saw
a ship in the distance, steaming towards
us , coming to our a id. Is i t a mi r age ?
37
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
Are our eye s playing tricks on us? Or i s
i t a re a l i t y ? Then we saw the other l i f e ‑
boa t s in the di s t anc e ‑ a l l had s e en the
ship and we r e wa v ing and shout ing and
endangering themselves by their actions.
Then we r e a l i z ed i t wa s not a mi r age .
Relief‑happiness‑joy.
The ship stopped. We saw the iceberg
in the di s t anc e ‑ the ship would come no
c los e r ‑ i t did not want to suf f e r the f a t e
of the Titanic.
The boats rowed towards the saviour,
w h i c h by now we c o u l d s e e w a s t h e
38
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
Ca rpa thi a . As we approa ched the y c a s t
anchor and l e t down the i r l adde r s and
helped us aboard.
We we r e a l l c los e r to de a th than l i f e .
They ga ve us hot wa t e r to dr ink to thaw
us out and wrapped warm woolen blank
e t s a r ound us t o b r ing b a c k a l i t t l e
warmth t o o u r b o d i e s , f o r a f t e r t h a t
night on the open seas wi th ver y l i t t le on
any of us we r e pr a c t i c a l l y f roz en. The y
tried to make us comfortable as possible
and to ke ep us f rom the na tur a l e f f e c t s
of our experience.
39
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
As s o on a s I thawed out a l i t t l e , I
walked around looking for the boy whom
I had t aken i t upon my s e l f to c a r e for.
1 could not f ind him. I looked aga in a t
ever y group of sur vivor s , but to no avai l .
Then I inqui r ed whe the r a l l the boa t s
had be en pi cked up for I f e l t a f e a r tha t
probabl y hi s boa t wa s ye t on the ope n
s e a . I was then informed that a s the Ti ‑
t ani c went down, two of the l i f eboa t s
we r e qui t e c los e to he r and we r e dr awn
into the whi r lpool she made , and tha t
both the l i f eboa t s and the i r oc cupant s ,
among them whom the boy was, were
los t . It s e ems i t wa s God’s wi l l tha t thi s
40
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
boy should not r e a ch hi s pa r ent s . Too,
I l e a rned tha t my othe r roomma t e , the
friend f rom my hometown had also peri
shed. It would be jus t a f ew ye a r s l a t e r
that I would learn that divine providence
had r e turned the boy’s soul to my son
Mike , who wa s born when the Ti t ani c
sank.
I thanked God for having di rect ed our
s t roke s awa y f rom the Ti t ani c when we
star ted rowing the lifeboat.
A f t e r t h e Carpathia had picked up
a l l tha t she could s e e on the wa t e r, we
41
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
42
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
headed for New York.
Upon our arrival there, we were greet ‑
ed by gr e a t numbe r s of peopl e and we r e
gi ven c lothe s and t aken to the hospi t a l
by automobi l e , whe r e the y c a r ed for us
for a week. I learned some 1,700 pass
enge r s had gone down wi th the Ti t ani c
and that only about 600 sur vived.
Af t e r l e a v i n g t h e h o s p i t a l we e a c h
went our wa y, I to my r e l a t i ve s in the
Belman family in Fredericksburg, Vi r ‑
gini a , whe r e I r ema ined for s i x months ,
unabl e , a s a r e sul t of the e xpe r i enc e , t o
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ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
even attend to my business.
I cabled my parents in Lebanon immediat
e ly upon my ar r ival , informing them
of my s a f e t y, and the y we r e e x t r eme l y
happy to hear it.
Thi s i s my e xpe r i enc e . I would not
want to eve r forget i t . Nor do I want to
eve r repeat it.
44
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
45
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
The family name of Abi El Mona literally
means “father of the wish”
The passenger survival list is a prime
example of how our family
name (Abi EL Mona) was lost in the
translation.
Many name s have sur f a c ed f rom the
or igina l name , the pa s s enge r s’ sur viva l
account ing l i s t s Nas sef Cas sem Belman
as Mr. Nassef Belmenly Cassem. Yet his
son born April 14, 1912 is named Mike
Nassef Balman.
Great grandfather Nassef says the Titanic
struck the iceberg on April 12th 12:30
AM and his son was born April 12th, yet
proof of my grandfathers’ bir thday is on
the immigration papers that was granted
to all the survivors immediately without
delay. Plus hi s tor y says i t happened on
April 14th.
In the old count r y bi r th c e r t i f i c a t e s
were almost unheard of at that time in
the mountains of Lebanon.
46
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
47
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
THE FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA
CONNECTION
MARY WASHINGTON, LIKE ELSIE, WAS
KNOWN AS BEING ABLE TO RIDE “THE
MOST SPIRITED COLT IN THE COUNTY OF
STAFFORD.”
OF MARY WASHINGTON, GEORGE
WASHINGTON SAID: “ALL THAT I AM, I
OWE TO MY MOTHER.”
48
A TITANIC SURVIVOR’S STORY
Na s s e f wa s coming to Fr ede r i cksbur g
to s t a y wi th my f a the r. The y we r e thi r d
cousins . You see Nassef was born in 1885
and my father was born 1889. my mother
1931 ! I wa s born on the thi rd f loor
of Mar y Washington hospital in 1953.
Fredericksburg was America’s most histor
i c c i t y and Ame r i c a’s ba t t l e f i e ld c i t y
even then.
Ju s t 50 m i l e s south o f Washington
D.C. the na t ion’s c api t a l and 50 mi l e s
north of Richmond, the former Confede
r a t e c a p i t a l l i e s Fredericksburg, Vi r ‑
49
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
gini a , named a f t e r Fr ede r i ck, pr inc e of
Wales, father of King George III.
Ge o r g e Wa s h i n g t o n’s h ome t own i s
r i ch in Ame r i c an hi s tor y l ike the t r e e
George Wa shington pl ant ed s t i l l l i ve s .
Its marked by the daughters of the Ameri
c an r e volut ion, Toc coa chapt e r, one of
the f i r s t drug s tor e s opened in Ame r i c a
i s s t i l l on display with i t s original art
i f a c t s ( s i l ve r pl a t ed pi l l s , gold l abe l e d
bot t l e s ) . The Ri s ing
Sun
Tavern owned by George Washington’s
brother, where we would plot the over
50
THE FREDERICKSBURG, VA CONNECTION
51
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
52
THE FREDERICKSBURG, VA CONNECTION
throw of the Br i t i sh! The home of the
mo the r o f Wa shing t on, Kenmo r e , the
h ome o f Be t t y Wa s h i n g t o n , Ge o r g e ’s
s i s t e r, and ye s the ghost of her husband
i s s t i l l the r e . A s e anc e wa s he ld and
the psychic said the s p i r i t “of a colonial
gentleman, t i red and wear y of l i f e ,
dwe l l s wi thin Kenmor e”
This stor y i s in the Ghosts Of Vi r ‑
gini a book, found in any l ibr a r y. My
favori te invol ves George Washington,
a t Chatham mansion, (where Robert E.
Lee dated his wife) during the revolution,
this young lady came to Fredericskburg
with her father, who intended
53
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
to ge t he r awa y f rom a be au he did not
l i k e . But the young man followed her
f rom England and was going to elope,
the boa t wa s moor ed on the r i ve r be low
a n d t h e l a d d e r wa s p l a c e d u n d e r t h e
window. But George Wa shington found
out about the e lopement pl an and on
the fateful night had the young man arr
e s t ed. Then George wa i t ed unde r the
window for the young woman to come
down i t s a y s in the ghos t s of Vi rgini a
book, “ but ins tead of cl imbing down
into the a rms of he r be loved, the young
woman found he r s e l f ENVELOPED BY
GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON.”
54
THE FREDERICKSBURG, VA CONNECTION
Enve loped means he he ld he r in hi s arms
and probably kissed her. She was taken
ba ck to Engl and to ma r r y somebody e l s e
but on he r deathbed she vowed to re tur n
to her favorite t r a i l on the anniversary
o f her death. She died June 21, 1790
and has been seen a t Chatham mansion
onc e e ve r y s e ven ye a r s s inc e he r de a th.
Re ad about i t in the ghos t s of Vi rgini a
book.
Freder icksburg has James Monroe’s
l aw of f i c e and the or i g ina l Loui s XVI
desk that the White House has copies of.
The f e r r y f a rm pl ant a t ion whe re George
Wa shing ton chopped down the che r r y
55
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
t r e e and the r i ve r be low whe r e he thr e w
the “s i l ve r dollar across” i t was not a
s i lve r dol l a r l ike the l egend impl i e s , but
a s i l v e r c o in and Ge o r g e Wa shing t o n
thr ew i t a c ros s on a da r e . Thi s author
knows exa c t ly wha t happened to George
Washington and the che r r y t re e inc ident
be c aus e the s ame inc ident happened t o
me. When he said to his mother “I cannot
tel l a l ie, I chopped down the cher r y
t re e . ” This i s what I think happened.”
My home i s about two mi l e s f rom the
f e r r y farm plantation and l i k e Washington.,
we had cherr y t rees also. I had
always wondered how George could chop
56
THE FREDERICKSBURG, VA CONNECTION
down a che r r y t r e e and then br ag about
i t ! One summe r, ( I wa s about 12 ye a r s
old) I had a favorite cherry tree that was
ful l of che r r i e s , we had a big wind s torm
the night be for e , I wa lked out the ne x t
morning and there was my best cherry
t ree snapped in hal f, I had no al ternat ive
but to find my father’s hatchet and chop
i t down. It was then I realized what had
happened to Geor g e Wa shing ton, so I
ran to get the hatchet and re-enacted the
chopping of the cherry tree. Afterwards
I dr agged the broken t r e e down the hi l l
to my mothe r and s a id “ I c annot t e l l I
l i e , I chopped down the che r r y t r e e”
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ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
jus t a s she s t a r t ed to cha s e me , I qui ckl y
explained why I had chopped i t down.
Somehow, I f e e l that Mar y Washington
did the same thing to George!
The only home in America that Commodor
e John Paul Jone s l i v ed, i s s t i l l
s t anding , a s we l l a s 350 bui lding s i n
downtown Fredericksburg built before
1870. One d i s t r i c t George Washington
would recognize today, a s i t was a renta
l di s t r i c t , Jame s Monroe had a hous e
the re ( s t i l l s tanding) that he brought hi s
bride and his two chi ldren were born, as
we l l a s the hous e of Ma t thew Font a ine
58
THE FREDERICKSBURG, VA CONNECTION
Murray ( f i r s t director of Nava l Observa
tor y ) a c ros s f rom Ma r y Wa shington’s
doc tor s hous e (Dr. Cha r l e s Mor t ime r ) ,
The Sent r y Box , anothe r hous e tha t wa s
owned by two revolutionary war genera
l s ( Gene r a l Hugh Me r c e r and Gene r a l
George Weedon) they mar r ied s i s ter s .
Fredericksburg contributed f i ve genera
l s to the Revolut ion: Gene r a l s We edon,
Posey, Mercer, Clark and Washington.
The grave of the mother of Washington,
i s a mini a tur e of the Wa shington
Monument in the Di s t r i c t of Columbi a .
In l i f e , Ma r y would come to medi t a t ion
59
ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
rock to pray during the dark days of the
revolution, i t was her wish to be buried
there and it was granted.
The s l a ve block and the holding pe n
where the slaves were kept are s t i l l standing,
the s l aught e r pen whe r e the Union
soldiers were kil led, Rober t E. Lee won
his most one sided victor y of the war in
Fredericksburg, the corner that s tonewal
l Jackson planned the bat t le of Fredericksburg
s t i l l i s marked by the United
Da u g h t e r s o f t h e Co n f e d e r a c y. , t h e
bi voua c of Le e and Ja ckson, whe r e the y
planned and executed the mos t “dar ingl y
conceived militar y maneuve r in the his
60
THE FREDERICKSBURG, VA CONNECTION
tor y of wa r f a r e” The y spl i t the i r a rmy
and Gene r a l Ja ckson ma r ched hi s t roops
in view of the Union army, but the fede
r a l s thought he wa s r e t r e a t ing be c aus e
the road l ed awa y f rom the i r pos i t ion,
but fur the r down the road i t cut ba c k
and around the Union army which made
i t the mos t spe c t a cul a r surpr i s e a t t a c k
not eve r to be repeated in any war then,
be fore or a f t e r ! ! Frede r i cksburg,Va . Ha s
hundr eds of mi l e s of ba t t l e f i e ld dr i ve s
and much more , to nume rous to l i s t l ike
the new Slavery Museum being built !
My g re a t - g r a n d f a t h e r’s w r i t t e n a c ‑
count of the Titanic disaster has Fred
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ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
ericksburg mentioned numerous times.
He was coming here to us, his relative s .
Le t the Ti tanic connection bring you
here for the history. Many of the places
I m e n t i o n e d a r e O P E N TO T H E
PUBLIC, SEE FOR YOURSELF WHY
WE ARE AMERICA’ S MOST HISTORIC
CITY AND AMERICA’S BATTLEFIELD
CITY.
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THE FREDERICKSBURG, VA CONNECTION
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ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
NASSEF’S VILLAGE OF CHANAY,
LEBANON
ELSIE’S HOME IN FREDERICKSBURG, VA.
MT. LEBANON BUILT 1941
NASSEF’S HOME IN CHANAY
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THE FREDERICKSBURG, VA CONNECTION
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ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN
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THE FREDERICKSBURG, VA CONNECTION
Credit:
The Free Lance Star Newspaper
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Permission given to print.
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