Ellen "Nellie" Hocking was in love. That's why she decided to leave her home in Penzance, Cornwall in England during the spring of 1912.

Two great adventures were in her future. The first was a trip on the gigantic luxury ship "Titanic;" the second was a move to Schenectady and marriage to fiance Charles Hambly.

People know how Nellie's first adventure turned out. The invincible "Titanic" struck an iceberg in the Northern Atlantic on Sunday, April 14, and disappeared into the cold ocean waters. More than 1,500 people lost their lives in the disaster.

Nellie Hocking arrived in Schenectady 96 years ago today, with a story to tell. She would retell the tale for the rest of her life.

Nellie, 20, was traveling with family. Her mother, Eliza Hocking, sister Emily Richards, Emily's sons George and William Richards, and brother George were among the party. So were two of George's friends, George Cotterill and Percy Bailey.

The Hockings and friends all were asleep in berths when the ship struck the iceberg at about 11:40 p.m.. Mother Hocking rose immediately; she put on some clothing and walked to the deck. A steward told her everything was all right, and told her to return to her quarters. She did.

Nellie was a bit more curious. She felt something was wrong, and made members of her party dress and prepare for a visit topside.

Once on deck, they found other people had entertained the same idea. People were curious, and asking questions. By this time, the crew had begun to prepare lifeboats. Women and children were being evacuated.

Some women were unsure about this part of the trip. Nellie said Captain Edward Smith was on the scene, trying to convince people the situation was serious enough to warrant evacuation. The captain forced Nellie into one of the boats.

Her relatives had other ideas.

Mother Hocking and other members of the Hocking party returned to their rooms, believing the ship's chief claim to fame: it was unsinkable.

That's when brother George Hocking began his finest hour. He told the women they had to return to the deck, and get away from the ship. The lifeboats were filling up by this time, but George managed to get his mother, sister and the children seats. They were separated, but they would be safe. He kissed them all good-bye, and took a ship lifebelt.

"While the last of this party was being lowered from the decks of the Titanic in the lifeboats, some of the men in the second class cabin, realizing that the taking off of the women and children really meant that the boat was doomed, tried to jump into the boats," the Schenectady Gazette reported.

Some of the men fell into the water; others were held back by men who helped women into the boats.

Nellie's "Lifeboat 4" was one of the last to launch, at 12:55 a.m. The boat was one of the closest to the ship when the big liner vanished beneath the waves, and there was concern the whirlpool-like suction caused the Titanic's drop would also pull down the lifeboat. It didn't.

People in the boat heard people struggling in the icy-cold ocean. They heard the band play "Nearer, My God, to Thee."

"They rescued seven of the Titanic's crew who were swimming, some with pieces of wreckage and others with nothing but their own skill to help them," the Gazette reported. "Two of these died from the exposure."

Nellie's lifeboat was rescued by the Carpathia, which had answered Titanic's distress call, at 10 a.m.
The family was reunited on the ship. But they had reason for tears: George Hocking had been lost to the Atlantic.

Emily Richard's husband and Charles Hambly gratefully met their loved ones in New York City.

Mr. Richards was especially eager to see his family. "When Mrs. Richards, who was the first of this party to land, showed herself coming down the gangplank carrying her two babies, the police lines were as paper to the husband, who brushed the officers aside," the Gazette reported. "Before they could stop him, he had his family in his arms."

The Hockings and friends stayed in a New York City hotel for a time, and mourned their son and brother. Eliza Hocking had brought many household goods with her from England, intending them for her new home in Akron, Ohio. They also went down with the Titanic; so did all the family's money.

Some odd stories popped up over the years. According to the Internet's "Encyclopedia Titanica," Nellie remarked to a fellow shipmate that she had heard a cock crowing - a sure sign of impending disaster according to Cornish folklore. Some told Nellie she must have imagined the sound; she was adamant she had heard the cry.

And on April 15, 1914, the two-year anniversary of the ship's sinking, Eliza Hocking died in a trolley car accident in Akron.

In May 1953, 61-year-old Nellie was a longtime Schenectady resident and guest of Proctor's Theatre for the big-screen movie "Titanic" with Clifton Webb, Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Wagner (view a photo of Nellie from this event by clicking HERE). She remembered her words to a steward 41 years before: "We're sinking!"

"No mum, everything's going to be all right," the man replied.

In Schenectady, Nellie and Charles had two sons, William and Robert. She worked at the General Electric Co. and also worked at Ellis Hospital. At one time, she lived at 2105 Dean St. She also resided at 1475 Kingston Ave.

Ellen "Nellie" Hocking Hambly died Oct. 14, 1963, at age 72. In her obituary, she was survived by sister Emily - who had returned to Penzance.