Miss. Violette Stephens
Medical worker | Nurses-3617.8.1891
Biography
Born Miss. Violette Hanorah Geraldine Stephens to Church of England Rev. Laurence Stephens and his wife, Kathleen on the 17th of August, 1891 in Torquay, UK.
Violette was baby number 6 of 10 and would be baby number 4 of 7 to make it to 20.
Growing up, Violette had a close relationship with god, and the family were heavily involved with the patriarchs sermons and teachings.
It wasn't, however, until the turn of the century in 1902 when the Stephens family married off their third eldest, Joaquin Stephens, to the daughter of a local upholsterer with a hefty dowry. This dowry alone practically bumped the Stephens family up a social class overnight, allowing them to easily spend more; and most importantly, getting rid of the children. The children were enrolled and split up across the country, with Violette and her sister, Christina being sent to an all-girls boarding school in Folkestone.
Violette, over the years, began to slowly struggle with her faith. Not only facing the practical abandonment by her parents, but also her treatment in the school for being "simple". Violette wasn't the smartest in the room, and was known by many to be ditzy and airheaded.
Following her graduation at sixteen, she returned to live with her parents in Torquay where, in a matter of weeks, her father had her betrothed to a protestant ministers son in America. This act alone, caused Violette to go into a mild religious psychosis behind closed doors, desperate to be saved, but she very quickly accepted her fate to meet her future husband. Mr. Calvin Andrews. In 1907, accompanied by only her father, she travelled Second Cabin aboard the RMS Baltic to New York where the pair took an overnight sleeper to Toledo, Ohio to be married in a small private ceremony.
She was now Mrs. Violette Andrews.
Things weren't happy with the new couple. Violette tried her best, yet was constantly put down, and Mr. Andrews wasn't happy at all at his so called "Dumb bride". In 1909, things got physical.
In early 1910, a police report from the Toledo PD has Mrs. Andrews accompanied by her brother-in-law filing a report with substantial facial bruising. Mr. Andrews was held for questioning and by a small counselling case in her father-in-laws church, Fr. Andrews (Violettes father-in-law) came to the realisation that the marriage would not work out and he granted his son and daughter-in-law both a divorce, and an annulment of the marriage and the marriage was annulled in September of 1910. Violette reverted back to Violette Stephens
Shortly after, that October, Calvin moved West to Oregon and Violette stayed with her Ex-Brother-In-Law and his family. Though not a member of the family anymore, Violette was still treated as one of their own, having garnered immense support from her ex-husbands family. Violette helped out in her ex-father-in-laws church regularly and got a job as a Clerk in a bank in Toledo, doing part-time admin work in the offices in the local hospital.
In early 1911, Rev. Stephens was finally made aware that Violette and Calvin were no more and Violette was thriving and happy in Toledo and worst of all WORKING.
Furious. Rev. Stephens ordered her back at once, to which the girl placidly obeyed. Over the course of a week she quit her jobs and moved out of her former brother-in-laws home, getting the train from Toledo to New York where, to her surprise, her father was waiting at Penn Station to ensure her arrival. Being dragged back to England, abaord the RMS Lusitania in second Cabin.
After being brought home, Violette returned to her normal duties. Helping out in the church, and her father continued husband hunting for her and now the next daughter to be married off, Alice.
In 1913 Rev. Stephens passed away suddenly. At the funeral, Mrs. Stephens admitted that she had had enough and was done. With all the Stephens children now of a reasonable age, whether it be in boarding school or married or old enough to take care of themselves, she left the next day to live with a cousin in Colchester. Leaving the house to the eldest son, Matthew; where Violette and Alice were residing, and continued to do so.
In November of that year, Violette finally managed to come up with a CV to work in admin or a clerk post, as she did in America. Despite each establishment being impressed with the new American skills the young girl had, they wouldn't dare hire a woman. However, in the local hospital in Torquay, she received an offer as a swing-in night shift nurse, where she will be paid as if she were working full time.
Violette took the offer, and received full training that she would need to renew annually.
However...
She passed only a month after the War began, and very quickly she was put to the test. Her hospital signed her up on their behalf as a VAD and she was placed on HMT Olympic in the infirmary.
She was soon transferred to the HMHS Britannic on her second round trip.
Miss. Stephens still never did a day as a swing in night nurse. And the pay for this Voluntary Aid was null compared to what she would have been getting.
Violette was baby number 6 of 10 and would be baby number 4 of 7 to make it to 20.
Growing up, Violette had a close relationship with god, and the family were heavily involved with the patriarchs sermons and teachings.
It wasn't, however, until the turn of the century in 1902 when the Stephens family married off their third eldest, Joaquin Stephens, to the daughter of a local upholsterer with a hefty dowry. This dowry alone practically bumped the Stephens family up a social class overnight, allowing them to easily spend more; and most importantly, getting rid of the children. The children were enrolled and split up across the country, with Violette and her sister, Christina being sent to an all-girls boarding school in Folkestone.
Violette, over the years, began to slowly struggle with her faith. Not only facing the practical abandonment by her parents, but also her treatment in the school for being "simple". Violette wasn't the smartest in the room, and was known by many to be ditzy and airheaded.
Following her graduation at sixteen, she returned to live with her parents in Torquay where, in a matter of weeks, her father had her betrothed to a protestant ministers son in America. This act alone, caused Violette to go into a mild religious psychosis behind closed doors, desperate to be saved, but she very quickly accepted her fate to meet her future husband. Mr. Calvin Andrews. In 1907, accompanied by only her father, she travelled Second Cabin aboard the RMS Baltic to New York where the pair took an overnight sleeper to Toledo, Ohio to be married in a small private ceremony.
She was now Mrs. Violette Andrews.
Things weren't happy with the new couple. Violette tried her best, yet was constantly put down, and Mr. Andrews wasn't happy at all at his so called "Dumb bride". In 1909, things got physical.
In early 1910, a police report from the Toledo PD has Mrs. Andrews accompanied by her brother-in-law filing a report with substantial facial bruising. Mr. Andrews was held for questioning and by a small counselling case in her father-in-laws church, Fr. Andrews (Violettes father-in-law) came to the realisation that the marriage would not work out and he granted his son and daughter-in-law both a divorce, and an annulment of the marriage and the marriage was annulled in September of 1910. Violette reverted back to Violette Stephens
Shortly after, that October, Calvin moved West to Oregon and Violette stayed with her Ex-Brother-In-Law and his family. Though not a member of the family anymore, Violette was still treated as one of their own, having garnered immense support from her ex-husbands family. Violette helped out in her ex-father-in-laws church regularly and got a job as a Clerk in a bank in Toledo, doing part-time admin work in the offices in the local hospital.
In early 1911, Rev. Stephens was finally made aware that Violette and Calvin were no more and Violette was thriving and happy in Toledo and worst of all WORKING.
Furious. Rev. Stephens ordered her back at once, to which the girl placidly obeyed. Over the course of a week she quit her jobs and moved out of her former brother-in-laws home, getting the train from Toledo to New York where, to her surprise, her father was waiting at Penn Station to ensure her arrival. Being dragged back to England, abaord the RMS Lusitania in second Cabin.
After being brought home, Violette returned to her normal duties. Helping out in the church, and her father continued husband hunting for her and now the next daughter to be married off, Alice.
In 1913 Rev. Stephens passed away suddenly. At the funeral, Mrs. Stephens admitted that she had had enough and was done. With all the Stephens children now of a reasonable age, whether it be in boarding school or married or old enough to take care of themselves, she left the next day to live with a cousin in Colchester. Leaving the house to the eldest son, Matthew; where Violette and Alice were residing, and continued to do so.
In November of that year, Violette finally managed to come up with a CV to work in admin or a clerk post, as she did in America. Despite each establishment being impressed with the new American skills the young girl had, they wouldn't dare hire a woman. However, in the local hospital in Torquay, she received an offer as a swing-in night shift nurse, where she will be paid as if she were working full time.
Violette took the offer, and received full training that she would need to renew annually.
However...
She passed only a month after the War began, and very quickly she was put to the test. Her hospital signed her up on their behalf as a VAD and she was placed on HMT Olympic in the infirmary.
She was soon transferred to the HMHS Britannic on her second round trip.
Miss. Stephens still never did a day as a swing in night nurse. And the pay for this Voluntary Aid was null compared to what she would have been getting.