Annie Jessie Harper

Friday, April 5th, 2013
By: Arianna Gomez

Miss Annie Jessie Harper, or Nina as her friends and family called her, was six years old when she went on the Titanic. She was born on Monday, January 1st, 1906. She was born in London, England. She was on the Titanic as a second class passenger. When the Titanic was sinking Annie's father woke her up, wrapped her in a blanket and carried her up to the A deck and some crew placed her on lifeboat 11 with her aunt Miss Leitch. Nina remembers hearing the screams of the other passengers drowning, and seeing the lights go out. When the young Nina and her aunt got to New York City, Nina couldn't figure out why her father John Harper baptism reverend did not come with her. Since Annie's mother died when Annie was a baby, she was now an orphan and Annie ended up living with her fathers brothers. Annie or Nina as some call her didn't speak of the Titanic disaster until she was much older. Apparently, Eva Hart remembers playing with Nina on several occasions with them only being a year apart they were able to relate. Nina however never remembered this. Later on Annie Jessie Harper became Annie Jessie Pont when she married Reverend Pont. When Nina was 72 years old she was asked if she would like it if they raised the Titanic and she replied: "I don't see much point in it after all this time." Nina Pont died in 1986, and her aunt Miss Jessie Leitch died in 1963.