Harriet (Hannah) E WILLIAMS

  General Notes:

After Noyes died, his wife and kids left for IL but while on the steamer Empire, 5 Ladd kids drowned. Cyrus Ladd, Curtis Ladd, Darius Ladd, Nathan Ladd, Elias Ladd.
They were buried in Mystic Bridge CT. Harriet, her remaining children, Noyes Jr and his wife and kids left again for IL in 1849. They came to Christian Co IL.

Maritime Newspaper Articles - 1840. Generously contributed by Barbara Andresen :
Newburgh, May 21. Latest from the Empire. --The two bodies found this morning are doubtless emigrants. The man's name is A. Springer. He had a passage ticket to Syracuse. The woman's name is not known. A paper directed to John McGraw, Johnson place, Liverpool, was found upon her. The inquest is still progressing. New facts appear about the collision. The Empire remains in the same position as before. J. and T. McCullough are among the drowned. A dispatch just received states that five more bodies have been found.

From ROMAN CITIZEN (New York) 30 May 1849
Newburgh, May 28. The Empire has swung around, and now heads up the river. No more bodies found. The Ladd Family have received $1,000 and all their property from the company. It is said that a Catholic Bishop is among the lost.

From ROMAN CITIZEN (New York) 30 May 1849.
Newburgh, Sunday, May 20--11P.M. At 10 o'clock on Saturday night, Stephen Parmenter, Esq., gave his charge to the jury, when they retired, and at fifteen minutes before 12 returned the following verdict:
That Eliza Noble, Isabella Carson and Genete L. Buckland came to their death by drowning on the wreck of the steamboat Empire, opposite the village of Newburgh, in said county, on the evening of May 17, 1849:
That the steamboat Empire was wrecked and sunk by coming in contact with the schooner Noah Brown, when said schooner was under way, beating to the south, on her westward tack, near the westward shore, with the wind blowing from the southwest:

That the night was not so dark as to render sculling or running of boats difficult; and that the Pilot and others on board the steamboat Empire discovered the schooner and saw her course when she was from 50 to 100 rods distance from the steamboat:

That the schooner pursued the ordinary course of vessels under like circumstances and is not chargeable with negligence or improper conduct.
And we are of the opinion that it was the duty of the pilot of the steamboat aforesaid, under the circumstances, to have run the steamboat astern of the schooner, and that he might have done so had he attempted it in proper season, after he discovered the schooner.

Another Body Found. Newburgh, June 2d. The body of Delia Avery was recovered from the Ladies Saloon of the Empire, this afternoon. She was from Preston, Conn., and in company with the Ladd family, of Stonington, Connecticut. Her age was 33. Upon her person was found $118.48, chiefly in gold. Her brother, Oliver P. Avery, is here, and will take the remains of his sister to Preston for interment.
In the Ladies' Saloon, from which Miss Avery was taken, there are yet several feet of water. The after lower cabin has not been reached. When the boat will be raised so as to float, it is impossible to tell. The work has been slow. The whole number of bodies found is twenty-three.

Harriet married Noyes LADD, I, son of Darius LADD and Mary (Polly) FRINK, on 14 May 1821. (Noyes LADD, I was born on 17 Apr 1798 in Franklin, New London Co, CT and died on 5 Dec 1839 in CT.)