Ann Bradford Stokes (1830–1903) was an American

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

. A former slave, Stokes eventually volunteered in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

as a nurse on the in 1863. She is the first American woman to receive a military

pension A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...

for her own services and was one of the first African American women to serve as a nurse in the Navy.

Biography

Stokes was born in 1830 into

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

as Ann Bradford in

Rutherford County, Tennessee Rutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in Middle Tennessee. As of the 2021 census, the population was 352,182, making it the fifth-most populous county in Tennessee. A study conducted by the Univers ...

. In January 1863, she had escaped slavery and was taken aboard a ship. That same month, she volunteered to work as a

on the

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. ...

USS ''Red Rover'' where she assisted

Sisters of the Holy Cross The Sisters of the Holy Cross (CSC) are one of three Catholic congregations of religious sisters which trace their origins to the foundation of the Congregation of Holy Cross by the Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau, CSC, at Le Mans, France in 1837. ...

. Stokes was assigned the rank of "first class boy" and was paid for her work. Stokes worked until October 1864 when she resigned due to exhaustion. She married Gilbert Stokes, who had also worked on the ''Red Rover'' and they moved to

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. After Gilbert died in 1866, Stokes remarried in 1867 to George Bowman. She applied for a military

first based her marriages in the 1880s, but was turned down. Later, after learning to read and write, she applied again for a pension based on her own

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...

and she was granted a pension of $12 a month in 1890. Not only was Stokes one of the first African American women to serve as a nurse in the US. Navy, but she was also the first American woman to receive a pension for her own service in the military. Stokes lived in

Belknap, Illinois Belknap is a village in Johnson County, Illinois, Johnson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 104 at the 2010 census. History File:Belknap-post-office-il.jpg, Belknap Post Office, September 2017 File:Belknap-Community-Church-il.j ...

until she died in 1903.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stokes, Ann Bradford 1830 births 1903 deaths African-American nurses American women nurses Female United States Navy personnel People from Johnson County, Illinois People from Rutherford County, Tennessee People of Tennessee in the American Civil War 19th-century American slaves United States Navy sailors 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 19th-century African-American women African-American United States Navy personnel