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Victorine Perkins

Victorine Chaudanson, the Ryerson's French maid.

Victorine Chaudanson was a passenger on the RMS Titanic.

Early life[]

Miss Victorine Chaudanson was born at Conges in the small village of Mayres, Ardèche in France on September 28, 1875. She was the youngest child of André Chaudanson and Rose Cellier. She had no less than 11 elder siblings. Most of her youth she had been living in Paris with a sister for education, before she immigrated to the US in 1908.

There, Miss Chaudanson worked as maid for Mrs. Emily Maria Ryerson. She had been a live-in servant for at least at a couple years. In 1910, she was working as a servant at the home of Arthur Ryerson in Cooperstown, Springfield, Otsego, New York.

In the early part of 1912 she was with the Ryerson couple in Europe, when the news hit them that their son had died. Upon that, they hasted to get back the United States.

Titanic[]

On April 10, 1912, Victorine boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg as she went along with her employer, Emily Ryerson who traveled in First Class with her husband, a son and a daughter. Chaudanson was 36 years of age at the time. Cabin B-61 was available for her.

On April 14, Titanic met her unfortunate fate when she found an iceberg on her path, and couldn’t avoid it in time. After the collision, Victorine went back to the Ryersons’ cabin to retrieve valuable items. As she was starting her search she was horrified to hear the door lock turning shut. A steward was securing the rooms. She screamed to alert him and luckily he let her out. Later, Mr. Ryerson gave his lifebelt to Victorine when he saw she had none. She was rescued in lifeboat 4 along with Emily and her children.

Later life[]

On June the 13th, 1912, Victorine married Henry Perkins, a Rolls-Royce mechanic who was also the Ryersons' chauffeur. They lived in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania. They had one son, George Henry Perkins, who was born in March 1913.

In 1920, the family had moved to Manhattan where they lived for at least 20 years. Her husband died in 1948. She would never visit France again, as the traumas of Titanic had put her off taking a sea voyage ever again.

Victorine Perkins passed away on Monday, the 13th of August 1962 at the age of 86. She was buried at Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery, Springfield, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA.

Sources[]

https://www.ledauphine.com/ardeche/2012/04/13/victorine-l-ardechoise-du-titanic

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