The John William Gill Collection-Marriage Certificate Mr. John William Gill was born in 1888, the son of Richard Gill. John Gill lived at 3 Griffin Road, Clevedon, England. He was employed as the chauffeur for the Reverand C. R. Braithwaite, vicar of Hewish St. Ann, near the town of Puxton. John courted his sweetheart, Sarah Elizabeth Wilton Hodder, for approximately two years. During their courtship, John would write postcards with little love notes on a regular basis. They were married on Valentine's Day, 1912. On April 2, 1912, Mr. Gill purchased a second class ticket, No. 233866, for the Titanic at a cost of 13 pounds. His intention was to travel to America to set up a new home for his young bride and himself. Sarah Gill received a letter from the White Star Line on April 25, 1912 stating her husband's body was recovered from the wreck of the Titanic and it would be taken to America. A second letter stated that if she wished her husband's remains be returned to England she would have to pay 20 pounds for shipping. Additional letters told of the effects found on his body. Sara Gill was told that the cable ship, Mackay-Bennett, found her husband's body on April 23, 1912 and that he was buried at sea the following day. She received a hand-written letter giving the longitude and latitude of where Mr. Gill was buried at sea. As the bodies of Titanic's victims were discovered, they each were identified with a numbered tag, which probably would have been attached to their arm. Any personal belongings were held in a canvas bag with a number which corresponded to each soul. Mr. Gill was the 155th body to be recovered and his possessions were held in Bag No. 155. There are only two of these personal possession bags known to exist. This bag is available for viewing at the Audio Video Showroom in Santa Rosa, CA. The second, Bag No. 167, corresponding to postal clerk Oscar Woody, is at the Smithsonian Institute. Mr. Gills personal possessions recovered and placed in the bag were: Gold watch and chain Silver match box Gold ring with initials J.W.G. $43 in British notes 9 shillings in silver 7 pence in copper $4.60 in U.S. silver 65 cents in U.S. nickels Pocket knife Pocket comb in case Collar stud Bunch of keys Letter addressed to Mrs. J.W. Gill This brown paper wrapper is the only known envelope in existence used to send back the numbered canvas bags containing personal effects to a spouse. This reads: "This package contains effects found on the body of J.W. Gill who perished in the sinking of the S.S. Titanic valued at $150.00." Mrs. Gill received this package on February 26, 1912. On February 26, 1917, Mrs. Gill received a check for 4 pounds 7 shillings and 6 pence from the Titanic Relief Fund. This fund was started to assist survivors' spouses who were usually women who lost their source of income when their husbands perished. These items are available for viewing at Audio Video Showroom in Santa Rosa, California.