The Grave of the Davidsons, from the SS Atlantic

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This is the conclusion to a long standing mystery that has been slowly unraveling on my channel since, well, actually before I started this channel. I have covered the story of the wreck of the SS Atlantic in 1873 extensively. This is not a retelling of that. If you want that, check out my documentary from 2023 that tells the full story: • The Terrifying Wreck o...
Lauriston Davidson (Umphelby) and her daughter, Lillian, were lost in the sinking of the SS Atlantic in 1873. For the past 6 and a half years, I have been trying to track down the location of their grave, even having traveled across the continent to Telegraph City, California - their intended destination. We searched Lower Prospect, Camp Hill Cemetery in Halifax, and everywhere in between, following the story of the wreck and hunting down clues to see if we could find these lost graves.
Thank you to everyone involved in the search in the past few years and to everyone who has taken an interest in the story.
Watch my full documentary on Telegraph City Ghost Town here: • Telegraph City - A Gho...
Get Bob's book here: nimbus.ca/store/atlantics-las...

[@imnotbarry5628]

they weren't ready to be seen until their journey had been completed. You did that for them, so now you can say goodbye.

[@sarmaxsam]

Your comment brings a tear to my eyes. Well said

[@aidanacebo9529]

well said, funny how things tend to work out like that.

[@aidanacebo9529]

now that you mention it, in the Telegraph City visit episode, there's a woman in an old style dress seen walking between 2 trees away from the camera in the background at exactly 11:36 in the video. makes one wonder.

[@CalfoxThefoxOfficial]

i cant believe it was finally found

[@gregorykayne6054]

Great job, Tom!

[@nicktallfox5266]

So he really just hit us with the "It was revealed to me in a dream." huh? Beautiful work as always Tom. I'm sure that grave will recieve a lot of love from your viewers from now on. The story of the Davidsons now has the most wonderful bookend to it.

[@GrumpyMeow-Meow]

They’re talking to you Tom. What an honor to find these resting places. Well done.

[@guyk768]

Job well done on finally finding the grave of the Davidsons. Now this mystery of the SS Atlantic can finally have a conclusion.

[@Cannon530YTOO]

Indeed. It seems that this journey has been concluded with grace. Amen.

[@AlexLostInWonderland]

As an employee of a local historical center I am Very familiar with the frustration of a lost grave, you can get personally attached to people who died decades or even centuries before you were born. I’m glad that you found them and I hope that they’re resting peacefully.

[@ConWolfDoubleO7]

Same as an archaeologist. I'm still looking for a man's grave and have been for four years.

[@Brock_Landers]

I love old time stories of maritime history, but after all of the stories of disaster from the Atlantic, to the Republic, to the Empress of Ireland, to the Lusitania, to the Titanic, to the Britannic, to the Morro Castle, to the Andrea Doria, not many of us think about the individual innocent passengers and entire families who were lost in these wrecks. It never really hits home until you see the pictures of the 1,500 people who were assembled to represent the individual people who were lost when the Titanic sank. Tom focuses on those who were lost, and helps bring those stories to life so we can understand what it would've been like for those who were lost in all of these shipwrecks. It's not hard to forget that there were so many lost when we focus on the ships themselves, but it's not about the ships, it's about the lives that were extinguished during their loss. Tom helps bring a personal side to these tragedies and I have always had the utmost respect for him for this very reason. Thank you for keeping the Davidson's memory alive Tom!

[@anthonyflambard6472]

And of course, you should not forget the Gustloff and Goya disasters, which together resulted in some 15,000 deaths, many of them civilians.

[@Brock_Landers]

@@anthonyflambard6472 Absolutely sir, and I apologize for leaving those disasters out. I have ADHD and sometimes I tend to focus on certain parts of history and forget some of the worst disasters that have plagued mankind for decades and centuries. You are absolutely right.

[@CPorter]

Putting flowers on the cemetery of people that you never knew and were people from a historical event/of notoriety is something that I have never really thought of before. And it was quite moving to see that. But then sing how you made that symbolic gesture to live invaluable artifacts of the wreck at their grave nearly brought a tear to my eyes. I cannot think of a better tribute to the dead. Although I hope those are the facts remain undisturbed.

[@willmartin5183]

To have that premonition and the certainty you would find them that day... that was a gift from above.

[@kwd3109]

The room you broadcast in is absolutely stunning. An excellent environment to produce and research history from. First Class

[@dwaveryn]

Congratulations! I'm surprised the cemetery didn't have a record of the graves. I've just ordered Bob Chaulk's book and it'll be here Tuesday. Can't wait to dig into it.

[@DeadBaron]

Sadly it's not surprising at all. If you live anywhere near a rural area, there's a high chance you're walking over forgotten cemetaries. I've been deep in the woods in Maine and have found some, forgotten for 200 years, the headstones barely legible, assuming there's anything written. One town found a colonial era cemetary that used unmarked stones and they started digging it up before an amateur historian stopped them.

[@FastingStarChanelNo5]

One thing I've learned from this great video: Never travel on a ship owned by the White Star line, if it's eve in existence now. Glad the spirits helped you find these two lost souls. TYSM!

[@juliadagnall5816]

The White Star Line actually had a pretty good safety record overall. My vote for the scariest transatlantic line is the Collins line. The White Star Line had two mass casualty events 39 years apart, but the Collins Line lost two ships in two years, including one, the SS Pacific, which vanished without a trace (although she may have been sunk by icebergs).

[@FastingStarChanelNo5]

@@juliadagnall5816 Good to know. I'm pretty new to the channel, love it. I do know Collins is a Freemasonic name, odd. TYSM for the info & Happy Easter!!

[@FutureRailProductions]

Now we have to clean it up and make a new one based off the original. We can't let this story become lost again.

[@Daniel_Huffman]

It is also feasible for the gravestone to be restored rather than replaced, as there are methods to clean gravestones without damaging their structure, a process that has been successfully used on graves older than theirs.

[@Feline_Frenzy53]

I'm glad you finally found them, Tom. May they rest in peace.

[@dogblack64]

Fantastic work, and the last piece of the jigsaw of the unfortunate Davidsons. A brilliant video, but haunting. Thank you.

[@rachelm9990]

It's like when you are trying to find the pepper in the pantry and it's right in front of your nose but you don't see it 😂

[@natureman494]

I can't express the joy that I feel knowing that the grave has been found!

[@xra1750]

I remember subscribing to your channel a day after you uploaded the original Atlantic video. You’ve earned every subscriber and I hope you continue to make this awesome content!

[@rhoanjenson7475]

I guess the old saying "patience is a virtue" payed-off. I'm sure you are glad you can finally put this question to rest. Well done!!

[@travisoverly1432]

Still blows my mind that you were literally 5 minutes from me out by Oakdale the same day I was doing a satellite installation at the house by that bridge near the cemetery 😅 in the video where you visited that cemetery you can see me drive right behind you lol.

[@JamesDaffyBenderDonald]

Oh my gosh! You found it! It's like discovering the wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror.

[@Cashcrop54]

I am very glad that you finally completed your mission. Not just for you bur for the Davidsons. Though the grave has been right there all along you have rediscovered it for it was as good as missing. Thank you for your commitment to these great old stories. I really didn't think it was going to be found.

[@HorribleHarry]

Tom, you are a good man.

[@Biggsgaming]

The sequel I always wanted but never expected

[@honeyLXIX]

A humorous ending to bittersweet journey of fantastic storytelling about the SS Atlantic. Thank you for taking us along! 💐

[@ShaunUnderwoodx]

What a brilliant ending. Very respectful and dignified.. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. Persistence always pays off in the end 🫡

[@aceofhearts4048]

You, sir, are an incredible person, an amazing explorer. You finished what the Davidsons started, you completed their journey when they couldn’t. Deeply admirable. Thank you for the work that you do.

[@sydisokay]

I’m so glad you are able to find them and give their story a nice finish!

[@edwardaustin740]

Thomas, I've been a fan and subscriber for about 6 months now and I appreciate the channel. You have a knack for repeating history. Giving names and faces to those of a bygone era. Thank you for another great episode.

[@andrewgeg1]

This is an amazing story! Thank you to everyone for their hard work!

[@bees5461]

Very interesting. I have listened to your SS Atlantic documentary at least a couple of times, it's so interesting and very well told.

[@Brimstone667]

great story, glad you could bring their story to a close

[@jeffreyoldham55]

A wonderful conclusion to a remarkably tragic event. I have been following along with others since the beginning, and am glad that you found a resolution to your journey.

[@hannahp1108]

Congratulations on finding the grave! Sidenote: I know it was a different time, but it's really hard to imagine seeing a corpse (which we knew had been decomposing for a few days) and going, "Hey, she's hot. I should collect some of her hair." It's just...ew.

[@peytonplace3335]

Love your work! Great video, thank you!

[@patriciajones9711]

Great video as always. Thank you for sharing your hard work and dedication to history. I’m glad the grave site finally “came to view”. One wonders why so many people never saw it-what blinded everyone? Fascinating work!

[@emilyb5307]

Thank you for sticking to this! I have been recently archiving a few death records for a local church and most of them are relatively recent (as recent as 70s-2011) and I was astounded how few records can be found even today, when you'd *think* many would be kept. I had letters hinting at heavy involvement at certain jobs or communities, but no graves, memorials, obituaries, photos, memorial service bulletins...funeral record cards... It really put into perspective how important preserving these things are.

[@isaiaheberly5485]

Thanks man, you came in clutch. Something to watch while my girlfriend tries on swimsuits.

[@blackkimba2079]

Kudos to you my friend, I even did some searching myself for them, requesting people to search for the headstone in other near by cemetery's on other forums, reading everything I could find about them. I never came up with much but I am so glad you never gave up the search.

[@oriontaylor]

Extraordinarily moving to finally see a conclusion to this segment of the Atlantic story. Missing graves are always sad. One of these days, I hope to relocate my great-great-great grandparents in a now ghost town in Venango County, Penna., and dearly hope their markers were not lost.

[@ayjanu]

Congratulations on finally locating the Davidsons' grave, Tom. I remember the videos that you posted before, trying to bring some closure to the SS Atlantic, so, aside from the guiding dream, and what you shared with us, I can only imagine what you must have been feeling when the grave was found. Thank you for doing your part in helping to keep history alive, sir - the world needs more people like you, people with a burning desire to right the historical record, as accurately as possible.

[@jacobandmore3915]

Amazing job Thomas.

[@thirza9508]

What a beautiful way to honour these two women, thank you for your tireless effort.

[@ross4693]

You tell a story well, great video. I enjoy everything you do

[@jjcastaldo4125]

What a fantastic story, Tom, on so many planes. In addition to the extensive research, your writing and the way you tell the story is nothing short of awesome.

[@thisoldbelair]

This is amazing. Congrats on finding it, and thank you for documenting it for the world👍

[@Dakiraun]

That is amazing work - such an incredible effort you've gone to in order to put this mystery to rest.

[@ValosiTiamata]

For a grave to be in such a visible location, be caught on film, and yet nobody could find it while looking directly at it makes me wonder if this was a bit of the supernatural at work. Perhaps the two women, anguished by their early demise and the likely desecration of their bodies prior to burial chose to remain hidden until someone came along who truly cared about them. Thus, despite recording their grave all the way back at the beginning of this journey, it wasn't until you traced their steps and told the world about their story and what should have been that they finally chose to reveal themselves. Perhaps now, over a century later, they can finally rest in peace, knowing how many truly care about their story - and how, at least through this channel's visit to Telegraph City, the happy ending they intended when boarding the Atlantic has come true in the best way possible outside of physically moving their grave to the site of the ranch.

[@clubb4499]

great job as always

[@rustbeltrobclassic2512]

I love this channel.. the education and the tone of the poster's voice is like an educational asmr video.. so calming.. love this channel..

[@dukert27]

That is wonderful, congratulations Tom and thank you for all you do. I really enjoy your style of storytelling.

[@lisameadows9745]

This was so interesting and amazing. Thank you for your work.

[@kaylind5227]

You are an excellent storyteller. Thanks for your videos, they're always entertaining and informative.

[@timothyotoole8035]

Thank you for posting this. I really enjoy learning about forgotten history that was never taught in school. I appreciate that you took the time to investigate the story. I ran across your site by accident but I scribed.

[@stucook8622]

Thank you for another great video.

[@penelopejoann]

I learned about the SS Atlantic for the first time on your channel and this story captured my full attention. I have my one teen daughter and am a single mother, so this story too has stuck with me since your telling. 😊 This is one of those moments where everything comes together to create something magical when composing a historical narrative. It’s all about perseverance. You really are inspired and inspiring!

[@grayhatjen5924]

Oustanding work as always, OM.

[@lenbren6658]

This is all so very sad. Excellent research

[@ardiffley-zipkin9539]

Well done. Thank you for your fine research and great videos. Blessings.

[@rebinred495]

I love this community, great detective work Tom!

[@charlieross-BRM]

The respect you display for these people is what sets your stories apart. With no prompting I have found myself reflecting on random occasions as to your episode (a few years ago?) describing the night of the wreck and the young woman, (etcetera; no spoiler). Graveyards are fascinating archives. I lived near Sibbald Point, Ontario which is where humorist Stephen Leacock is buried so that's the grave I went to find. I got so engrossed in the other stones from the 19th century that I went home and a day later realized with a start that I forgot to find Leacock's stone LOL.

[@l.l.2463]

A fascinating story and well-told. As usual.

[@lilyvonshtuup]

I found this story so fascinating & like you and others in your audience, it was with me for some time afterwards. Fun fact, I was born in Islington’s neighbour borough Hackney. In Hackney, a stones throw away from Islington, is Lauriston Rd. It’s in E9. Hackney is very near the Docklands where as the name suggests, was a busy port of the East India dock, Tobacco dock and others.

[@marktaylor9975]

Very cool. There’s something to be said about someone who tells a story. And it’s another to take to the trail and actually follow the trail to the end.

[@mdatkinson92]

Amazing stuff. Well done. An important contribution to maritime history.

[@jimnewt]

The baffled shock in your lil phone video that you just immediately found it after all of that 😂 also the idea that a local family donated a spot in their plot... My heart.... Also Bob Chaulk's reaction at another new Atlantic thing, that must have felt great for you to present to him.

[@gg79139]

Love your stories and so appreciative of alll the research, time, filming and narration you create. This is what You Tibe should be used for. Enlightenment and entertainment all in one. Well done, sir.

[@mike.4277]

Awesome video 💯💯💯

[@jonathandowning914]

Excellent work. Thank you for everyone's efforts in covering this shipwreck.

[@TheCAFProduction]

Not gonna lie, I teared up a little around 16:06. Bravo Tom. 150 years later, they've finally been found. RIP Lauriston and Lilian Davidsons

[@alexw.7097]

Wow. I'm by no means a spiritual or religious man but.... This might be one of those stories that makes me wonder about the forces in the universe. Incredibly cool, very touching, and beautifully done video, Tom!

[@kiritsuguemiya1547]

You are an excellent narrator ❤🙏🏽

[@jakemj03]

Amazing find - I will go visit the site, I live in Halifax. I also sail to Chester from Halifax every year for race week, and pass by where the SS Atlantic met her doom. My crew and I will now be acknowledging her. When you are in Halifax next, you're welocme aboard for a sail.

[@elijahemmer9441]

You need to come to the Keweenaw my friend. Shipwrecks, ghost towns, abandoned mines, and so much history here.

[@_Maelgon_]

I want to make documentaries likes this for a living some day, like you do. Absolutely amazing job! None of your documentaries have disappointed me one bit.

[@markclifton14]

What a result, great to hear you found it. Did you have any luck with her brothers grave. 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@jessicawells3379]

Amazing story and what an adventure! They were speaking to you from the great beyond.

[@joshuabale4923]

Insane to see this mystery finally solved. Do you plan to cover the Sultana disaster by chance?

[@daleferrier3050]

A remarkable and beautiful conclusion to the Davidson mystery.

[@brucecunningham2944]

As often happens, you finally found them in the last place you looked. Another excellent video.

[@Dr.K.Wette_BE]

Amazing story !

[@michaelmason4206]

Outstanding!

[@Lanky41]

Guess I'll need to go to Camphill next time I'm In Halifax.

[@joaoalbertodosanjosgomes1536]

Amazing KZbin channel.

[@chriscavy]

This was really cool

[@TheNinjaInConverse]

So cool! Mysteries can be solved even now.

[@reallucasaura]

Dang, the mystery is solved, glad to see that.

[@rickyteets9524]

Amazing 😊

[@tahiranaveen]

Great work!! But I am so curious, how did everyone miss it?

[@RamSkirata]

wow. This is an intersting psychological study... Sometimes, we oversee what is right in front of us.

[@thruknobulaxii2020]

_”I've seen you handle a good many cases in my time, but I don't know that I ever knew a more workmanlike one than this.”_

[@travisrouse8459]

Thank you for doing what you do sir o7

[@frommyperch]

You open my imagination and restore my faith. Amazing grace. I once was lost but now am found." Thank-you for your remarkable work, fortitude and new-found love of a lone daisy.

[@SAOS451316]

That's what one would call ghosts, divine revelation, or magic. You did so much work for that family of strangers and earned a small miracle.

[@roselightinstorms727]

Congratulations Tom🎉

[@PetrSir]

Amazing job Tom, I was wondering where is that chimney from photo and there at the end of video is explanation. its not a chimney.. :) its a another gravestone's tip, and the tree behind Davidsons grave is also gone and fence too.

[@bo7341]

I've got to admit, "the headstone was in the original video" is not where I thought this mystery would end up.

[@faithcastillo9597]

I'll have to order this book for my husband and me. This very interesting stuff.

[@RedcoatsReturn]

An astounding story 😲 So very sad too😔….Well done…to find their graves….you were inspired…from heaven…to try once more….and you rewarded for perseverance as a good man as you are 😊👍👍

[@veselinnedkov643]

Well, that's a good conclusion of a story. Tell me again how dreams are meaningless. Well done, sir.