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Smithsonian sunburst Smithsonian National Postal Museum
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  • Sea Post Clerk John Starr March's pocket watch
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Sea Post Clerk John Starr March's pocket watch

Object Details

Description
This pocket watch with an engraved gold-plated case was found on the body of John Starr March (1861-1912), an American sea post clerk assigned to the RMS Titanic. The watch’s hands point to 1:27, probably having stopped on the morning of April 15, 1912, as the ocean liner sank in the North Atlantic. Eyewitnesses stated that the postal clerks worked to rescue the mail as the ship was going down. None of the five postal clerks survived the disaster, including March and the two other American clerks, Oscar Scott Woody and William Logan Gwinn, and the British postal clerks James Bertram Williamson and John Richard Jago Smith. March’s body was recovered, and his effects, including this watch, were returned to his two daughters.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
1912
Object number
1998.2021.1.1
User
John Starr March, American, died 1912
Type
Employee Gear
Medium
metal; glass
Dimensions
Height x Width x Depth: 6 x 3 1/2 x 1 1/2 in. (15.24 x 8.89 x 3.81 cm)
Place
New Jersey
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
On View
Currently on exhibit at the National Postal Museum
Carrier
Steamship RMS Titanic, April 14-15, 1912
Topic
The Gilded Age (1877-1920)
Postal Employees
Record ID
npm_1998.2021.1.1
Usage
CC0
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm842e2e639-94d1-4200-9f4c-b5a0f5e83d8c

Related Object Groups

  • Open Access Highlights
  • The Titanic
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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HomeSmithsonian National Postal Museum

Visit »

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

street map of Postal museum

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