In a remarkable turn of events after over a century, belongings that once belonged to the late Albert Mullins were reunited with his family members, thanks to the investigative efforts of a Montreal historian. Caroline Mullins from Bournemouth, England, donned white cotton gloves as she examined a dollhouse furniture set, travel souvenirs, and perused through an album containing scraps of paper belonging to her great uncle, whose life had long been shrouded in mystery for her.
Caroline, visibly moved, expressed how personal the discovery felt, despite not having previous knowledge of his successful instrument business, overseas travels with his family, or his tragic demise aboard the Empress of Ireland in 1914. This emotional reunion was made possible through the connection established between Caroline and historian David Saint-Pierre, who had published an article in 2023 detailing the recovered items linked to Albert Mullins.
Tracing back these items to their rightful owners is an exceptionally rare occurrence, as pointed out by Saint-Pierre. The artifacts, found in 1986 by a diver, were meticulously preserved for decades before ultimately being identified as Mullins’s possessions and handed over to Quebec’s Société d’histoire du Bas-Canada for safekeeping. The items, including scraps of paper and other mementos, shed light on Mullins’s life and tragic end aboard the ill-fated ship.
The historian’s painstaking research and the subsequent identification of Mullins’s handwriting on the recovered papers brought a profound sense of closure and connection for Caroline and her family. Despite the tragedy that befell Albert Mullins and his young daughter, their legacy lives on through these cherished possessions, providing a tangible link to their past and ensuring that their memory endures.
Caroline’s journey to Quebec with her daughter was not just a pilgrimage to honor her ancestors but also a poignant reminder of a forgotten tragedy that continues to resonate through the generations. The significance of this reunion of artifacts with the Mullins family highlights the power of historical research in preserving personal narratives and connecting individuals to their past.