A TITANIC SURVIVORS STORY: THE FREDERICKSBURG, VA CONNECTION

El s i e Sl y m a n B e l m a n 1 9 7 4 Wa s h i n g t o n D . C .

SURVIVORS STORY
THE FREDERICKSBURG VIRGINIA CONNECTION

TITANIC

ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN

ELDERBERRY PRESS, INC. OAKLAND

Copyright 2005 ELSIE SLYMAN BELMAN All rights reserved. No part of this publication, except for brief excerpts for pur pose of review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ELDERBERRY PRESS, INC.

1393 Old Homestead Drive, Second floor Oakland, Oregon 974629506. E MAIL: editor@elderberrypress. com TEL/FAX: 541. 459. 6043 www. elderberrypress. com Elderberry Press books are available from your favorite bookstore, amazon. com, or from our 24 hour order line: 1. 800. 431. 1579 Library of Congress Control Number: 2005930936 Publishers CataloginPublication Data A Titanic Survivors 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

To d a y, Ju l y 2 0 , 1 9 9 7 m y g r a n d f a t h e r, Mi k e Na s s e f Ba l m a n d i e d a n d t h i s i s m y p l e d g e t o k e e p h i s s t o r y a l i v e . How h e w a s t h e re i n c a r n a t i o n o f t h e 1 2 y e a r o l d b oy w h o d i e d o n t h e Ti t a n i c Ap r i l 1 4 , 1912., the 12 year old boy w h o w a s b o r n i n s t a n t l y t o t h e m a n w h o t r i e d s o h a rd to save him. The man who tried to save h i m w a s m y g r e a t g r a n d f a t h e r, Na s s e f Cassem.

A n d n ow a t t h i s t i m e i n 2 0 0 5 1 a m p u t t i n g t o w o rd s a s t r a n g e a n d t r u e i n cident in the life of man.

Re i n c a r n a t i o n i s a t h i n g d o c u m e n t e d a m o n g m y p e o p l e . My p e o p l e s g o e s b a c k t o t h e w i f e o f Mo s e s a n d b e y o n d . T h e w i f e o f Mo s e s w a s n o t Je w i s h , C h r i s t i a n o r M o s l e m ! We c l a i m A b r a h a m w i t h w h o m t h e c ov e n a n t w a s m a d e , O u r p e o p l e re c e i v e d t h e c i r c u m c i s i o n o n t h e n i g h t o f t h e Pa s s ov e r. T h e p r o o f i s i n Exodus Chapter 4 verse 25. our modern name is druze.

Our village in Lebanon is called C h a n e y, m y g re a t g r a n d f a t h e r b o a rd e d t h e Ti t a n i c a s a t h i rd c l a s s p a s s e n g e r o n Ap r i l 1 0 , 1 9 1 2 , d e s t i n a t i o n ,

Fr e d e r i c k s b u r g Vi r g i n i a , t h e n a m e o f t h e 1 2 y e a r o l d b oy w a s Ho u s s e i n Mo ha m e d H a s s a n Ab i l m o n a , w h o w a s c o m i n g t o Fre d e r i c k s b u r g t o h i s f a t h e r, w h o o p e r a t e d a g r o c e r y s t o re . T h e b oy w a s a c o u s i n o f Na s s e f C a s s e m . The following is a word for word s t o r y h a n d e d d ow n Ab i l m o n a . b y Na s s e f C a s s e m

A T I TA N I C S U RV I VO R S S TO RY

E L S I E S LY M A N B E L M A N
A Titanic SURVIVORS STORY

I h a v e b e e n a s k e d s o o f t e n t o re p e a t t h e s t o r y o f m y re s c u e f r o m t h e Ti t a n i c that I am at last acceding to the demand t o w r i t e d ow n m y e x p e r i e n c e .

Prior to 1912 1 had been in the United St a t e s f o r s o m e t i m e . I h a d a b u s i n e s s which was fairly successful, and I felt that I should take a little vacation. I
9

A T I TA N I C S U RV I VO R S S TO RY d e t e r m i n e d t o v i s i t m y n a t i v e c o u n t r y. Lebanon, in a small mountain village c a l l e d C h a n a y, t o s e e m y p a r e n t s w h o m I h a d l e f t t h e re l o n g a g o. I f u r t h e r re a l i z e d t h a t t h e y e a r s w e re p a s s i n g f a s t a n d they were becoming aged and that seeing them would not only be a pleasure but a d e f i n i t e d u t y a s w e l l . T h e re f o re I a r ranged my affairs, left others in charge of my business and took ship to Leba n o n . My f a t h e r, m y m o t h e r, m y c o u s i n s , my old time friends, all were so happy to see me that my stay became one round o f e n t e r t a i n m e n t s g i v e n i n m y h o n o r. It w a s s o l i k e m y i d e a o f h e a v e n t h a t I
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