Loved and lost
Kin rip sale of Titanic survivor's mementos
Family members and friends of the last American survivor of the Titanic sinking were outraged yesterday after the sale of her relics raised $235,000 at an auction house in England.
"I would characterize it as ugly," said Philip K. Maloof, the lawyer and friend of the late Lillian Gertrud Asplund of Shrewsbury. "Her response was always, 'Look at what I lost. How could I make that up with money?' "
Asplund's items, as well as other objects associated with the ship, were sold yesterday and included photographs, letters, her family's contract ticket, and her father's pocket watch, which reportedly stopped at 2:19, the minute the ship sank during its maiden voyage after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic April 15, 1912. More than 1,500 people died.
Family members and friends said the items were put up for auction by a relative who inherited Asplund's house and its contents. Auction officials would not identify the seller.
Relatives said they were angered when they first heard about the auction, which they believe disrespects Asplund's wish for privacy. They said they would rather have had the items donated to a museum or remain in the family.
"I'm sure if Lillian knew what was going on, she'd be very, very upset," said Alden Carlson, whose father, Carl Carlson, was Asplund's first cousin. "She lost a lot there and it was painful for her and her brother. They never got over it and they didn't want to talk about it. She wanted to keep quiet and she didn't want any publicity."
Asplund, who died at age 99 in 2006, was 5 years old when she traveled on the Titanic. She lost her father and three of her four brothers, including her twin, when the ship sank. Her mother and younger brother survived. The Asplund family boarded the ship in Southampton, England, as third-class passengers on their way back to Worcester. Her parents had originally immigrated to the United States before their children were born, but moved back to their home in Sweden, where they lived until deciding to return to Worcester in 1912.
Throughout her life, Asplund, who never married, shunned requests to talk about her story. She almost never granted interviews, but sometimes talked about the disaster in private, said relatives and friends.
However, the interest in her story continued yesterday at Henry Aldridge and Son, the auction house in Devizes, England, that hosted the sale. Fine arts and antiques surveyor Andrew Aldridge said the house received calls from interested bidders all over the world.
"It's absolutely jam-packed," said Aldridge when reached by telephone in England. "We've got a number of telephones booked from bidders in the US, from Europe, and from China."
At the end of the auction yesterday, the family's contract ticket for the trip had sold for $66,000. A picture of Asplund's parents went for $10,000. And Asplund's father's pocket watch garnered $62,000, according to Aldridge.
Maloof said that he had some of Asplund's items appraised soon after her death and that the watch was valued at $30 because there was no documentation as to its history. A statement on the auction house's website said the Asplund's property was "being sold by direct descent and has never been published or on public display in its entirety before. The artifacts were kept together in Miss Asplund's home and kept in a box where they remained until after her passing."
In an e-mail, Aldridge would say only that "a member of Miss Asplund's family was the consignor and she will receive the money."
Karen Kamuda, vice president of the Titanic Historical Society in Springfield, said she was disappointed that the items were sold.
"To more or less have her privacy go up on auction block, it's just such a shame," said Kamuda. "Ms. Asplund lived very close to us and we never had the pleasure of meeting her because she valued her privacy. It was just a very tragic event in her life, so we respected that. It's just really unfortunate . . . we're interested in preserving history and other people are interested in making money."
Asplund lived in Worcester before moving to Shrewsbury, to a house that she and her younger brother, Felix, bought for their mother, Selma, in 1951. She had worked as an insurance clerk.
The only living survivor of the sinking is Elizabeth Gladys "Millvina" Dean, of England, who was about 2 months old when she traveled on the ship.
Asplund's public profile may have peaked soon after her death. About 30 people attended her funeral, which was held in Worcester. Some were friends, neighbors, and former coworkers. Others told the Globe at the time that they did not know her, but wanted to honor and visit the grave site of the last US survivor of the Titanic. Some snapped pictures of themselves at the site, or photographed her coffin.
On Tuesday, The 
