The original letter was written by John Harper on Titanic notepaper whilst onboard the R.M.S. Titanic on the 11th April 1912.
John Harper, his six year old daughter Nan and her Aunt (pictured right), were all travelling on the R.M.S. Titanic on its fateful maiden voyage.
John was returning to Chicago to resume a mission, but tragically he perished when the Titanic struck disaster. However, his daughter Nan and her Aunt survived.
The letter, which was addressed to my Great Grandmother in Scotland, was posted from Queenstown in Ireland, the Titanic's last port of call.
John Harper was born in Houston, Renfrewshire Scotland in 1872. He married Annie who died during the birth of their only child daughter Nina (Nan) Harper.
John was a Pastor of a Baptist Church in Craighill Street Glasgow for a number of years.
It was there He met my Great Grandmother who was Church Warden. A friendship developed between them and it was during this period he bestowed the title Mother Superior as a term of endearment.
She was however no Mother Superior, as at the time she was married with 11 children, the youngest of whom was to be my Grandmother.
Reverend John Harper left Glasgow to preach at a church in London, where he still maintained contact with my Great Grandmother. He took a mission for three months in Chicago and was travelling back there with his daughter and her Aunt. Both were put into a life boat. Tragically, he was one of the many who perished.
My Great Grandmother kept this letter which had been posted from Queenstown, Ireland, the last port of call. Over the years, the letter appeared in a drawer at my Grandmothers home and from there my Mother kept it in a tin along with other letters. It remained there for many, many years until it was recently discovered again.
My Mother then passed it on to me and in March 1998, it appeared on the UK B.B.C. TVs Antiques Roadshow programme.
As for John Harper, his memory lives on today. The Church in Glasgow was renamed 'The Harper Memorial Baptist Church' and regular services are held there still. In Craigtown Cemetary Glasgow, there is a Memorial Headstone with the inscription;
"CALLED TO A HIGHER SERVICE FROM THE DECKS OF THE ILL FATED SS TITANIC".
