Violet Harrand (1895-1921)

HARRAND, PARR

Posted By: dennis and gail bell (email)
Date: 8/22/2006 at 05:12:18

HARRAND, MISS VIOLET (1895-1921)

THE MAXWELL TRIBUNE, Maxwell, Story County, Iowa, Thursday, September 29, 1921, page 1, column 4. “SUICIDE OF VIOLET HARRAND – Last Thursday evening, while the other members of the family were absent, Miss Violet Harrand committed suicide by drinking carbolic acid at her home, northwest of Collins. Her dead body was found lying on the bed in her room by her two sisters, twelve and sixteen years of age, upon their return from town late in the evening. A note was found lying near, written by the unfortunate woman, in which she stated that a young man, with whom she had been keeping company was the cause of her act. Miss Violet, aged twenty-nine years, was the daughter of the late Jas. Harrand, formerly residing on the Ray Bodger farm, east of Maxwell, moving with her two brothers and two sisters to the Wm. Young farm, north of town, thence to their present home. She is also a sister of J. E. Parr, living south of Maxwell. She was a highly respected young lady and the tragedy has caused widespread regret and sorrow in the neighborhood, and is an additional affliction for the family which has borne much in the recent death of the father and the ill health of the mother, who is in a hospital for the insane. Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon at the Collins Church of Christ, and interment was made in the Collins cemetery.”

THE MAXWELL TRIBUNE, Maxwell, Story County, Iowa, Thursday, October 6, 1921, page 8, column 1. “DEATH BY SUICIDE ROUTE (From COLLINS GAZETTE) – Thursday evening, September 22d, Miss Violet Harrand took her own life by taking carbolic acid. Disappointment in a love affair is the supposed cause of her rash deed. She had been keeping house for two years for her two brothers and a sister on a farm, a mile west of Collins. It is one of the saddest cases that has come to the writer’s notice for years and was a great shock to the community. The mother is in a sanitarium at Nevada and her father has been dead for three years. The young lady was twenty-six years of age and during the evening was in apparently good spirits. Before retiring to her room at about ten o’clock she played the organ and sang a number of songs. About eleven o’clock her sister, Rose, returned from a class party, which was held at the Oswait home. When the younger sister was out of an evening, upon her return Violet would always call, “Is that you Rose?” But on Thursday night she did not do this when Rose returned, so Rose called but received no answer, whereupon Rose called her two brothers who had gone to bed and they found Violet lying on the bed all cleaned up and dressed in her best clothes, and she was moaning but unable to talk. They called a doctor and everything possible was done for her but she died about midnight. She did not talk much during the evening but attended to her household duties and the last song she sang was “In the Upper Garden.” She had apparently planned everything before hand in anticipation of her ending. The family circle is broken and her brothers and sister are planning to give up the home later on.”

BURIAL: Iowa Historical Library, Des Moines, Iowa. STORY COUNTY, IOWA GRAVE MARKER INSCRIPTIONS Geneal. * F 627. S8 V. 1-6, pages 1-368, V. 7-11 pages 369-792, V. II pages 793-1128; Collins Township, Collins/Evergreen Cemetery, page 397. SEC. – 3, ROW – 12, LOT S 36-39. LOT 36- Sarah J. HARRAND, Aug 11 1867 – Aug 4 1922; LOT 37 – HARRAND; LOT 38 – James E. HARRAND Jan 29 1862 – Jan 17 1919; LOT 39 – Violet L. HARRAND Aug 18 1895 – Sept 23 1921.