Thomas Ohan Stephens was born in Urmia, Persia, on the 26th October 1894, the son of Ohan and Nubar Stephens (née Ordukan). He was the eldest of two known children and in August 1907; he and his father emigrated to the United States of America where they settled in Chicago, Illinois. It is likely that his father anglicised their names when they arrived in the United States of America.
His father found work as a labourer, while Thoma
resided at 713. North Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois. On the 6th June 1914, Thomas became a naturalized citizen of the United States of America.
With Thomas and his father becoming established in Chicago, they decided to have their mother join them, and it was decided that Thomas would return to Persia to accompany her to Chicago. He booked passage on the May sailing of the Lusitania as a third class passenger on the first leg of his journey to Russia. His stated destination was the Russian city of Petrograd, from where he intended to travel on to his homeland.
Consequently, he arrived at Pier 54 in New York harbour on Saturday, 1st May, in time to embark on the great liner. The scheduled sailing was delayed for a number of hours due to the task of transferring passengers, crew, and cargo from the liner Cameronia, which had been requisitioned for service by the British Admiralty, but the vessel finally departed just after midday to great celebration by well-wishers, newspaper reporters, and relatives of those on board.
Following an uneventful voyage across the great Atlantic Ocean, the south coast of Ireland came into view on the morning of Friday, 7th May. Shortly after 2 o’clock in the afternoon, the great liner was fatally struck by a torpedo fired from the German submarine, U-20, and sank within 20 minutes, barely 11 miles from the Old Head of Kinsale lighthouse.
Thomas Stephens was fortunate enough to survive the sinking, and having been rescued from the sea, was later landed at Queenstown with most of the other survivors.
It can be assumed that Thomas was given some assistance to continue on his journey by the Cunard Steam Ship Company, but what route he followed from Queenstown is not known.
It would appear that Thomas arrived in Urmia sometime in June, however; the political situation in the area was very unstable at that time, making it virtually impossible for him to leave immediately with his mother and therefore he had to remain in the country. In early 1919, he was part of the Christian exodus from Urmia and travelled with his mother to Tabriz in northern Persia, where on the 27th September 1919, he married Nanajan Oshana Bajal.
In February 1920, Thomas and his wife applied for emergency U.S. passports to allow them to travel to the United States of America, while his mother secured a Persian passport. Their route out of Persia is unknown, but by October 1920 they had reached Bordeaux, France, where they boarded the s.s. Caroline, bound for New York City.
Having safely arrived in New York City, the party travelled on to Chicago where they resided at 119. West Ontario Street.
Thomas and his wife had four children, and as the years went by, he became a successful building contractor, owning his own business. He resided with his family at 1602. South 50th Court, Cicero, a suburb of Chicago, until his tragic death on the 13th December 1946, aged 52 years.
On that evening, while driving his automobile, he collided with a truck that had run out of fuel at 22nd Street, North Riverside, west of Chicago, and was killed instantly. He was buried on the 16th December in Elmwood Cemetery, River Grove, Illinois.
Illinois U.S. Deaths and Stillbirths Index 1916 – 1947, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, 1930 U.S. Federal Census, 1940 U.S. Federal Census, U.S. Passport Applications 1795 – 1925, Massachusetts Passenger Lists 1820 – 1963, New York Passenger Lists 1820 –
1957, Cunard Records, U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards 1942, Chicago Tribune, PRO BT 100/345, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.