Read this fact today while doing some reading. Found it interesting as it relates to the movie. I thought I would share it with you all.

Days after when the Titanic sank, a body floating was picked up by the Mackay Bennett along the coast of Nova Scotia. The body was identified to be a "J. Dawson." Although not the exact Jack Dawson name as in the movie, Titanic director James Cameron was asked if he knew about this little known fact. Actually, he said he knew about it.
He has also been quoted as going to the gravesite of J. Dawson. Word has it they he already conceptualized the script even before he got hold of the news.

James Dawson is said to be a crewman, working as a trimmer in the coal bunkers and boiler rooms of the doomed ship. His job was to ferry coal from the bunkers to the boiler rooms, and to keep the coal in the bunkers level to maintain the ship's trim. For you landlubbers, "Trim" is a nautcial term that that is to keep the ship from developing a list from uneven loading of the port/starboard coal bunkers).

His body was identified and his family notified. The Dawson family reportedly did not have the funds to pay to have his body to be shipped to his home in England so he is buried in one of the cemetaries in Halifax.

J. Dawson was discovered to be Joseph Dawson and not Jack. However, there were some interesting similarities between this J. Dawson and the character "Jack". James Cameron insists that this was purely coincidental and that he wasn't even aware a J. Dawson had died on the Titanic....

Mr Joseph Dawson
He was born in September1888
When the Titanic sank Joseph Dawson was aged 23 years

He was single.

He lived in Southampton Hampshire England

Occupation: Trimmer

He signed-on to the Titanic Engine crew at Southampton

Dawson died in the sinking. His body was recovered by the Mackay-Bennett (No. 227) and was buried at Fairview Lawn Cemetery Halifax Nova Scotia Canada on Wednesday 8th May 1912.

I watched a show over the summer about this man. I don't have anything new to add about him, but the program said that after the movie came out, there was a large increase in the amount of people who visited his tombstone. The majority of these people were young teenager girls who left behind items like flowers and teddy bears to adorn the grave in honor of the J. Dawson from the movie.