Paula Jennings was born Paula Collins, a distant relative of the prestigious Collins family of Collinsport, Maine. Growing up in the early 20th century, Paula spent a great deal of time at Collinwood visiting her uncle Michael and aunt Sally. In the autumn of 1909, Paula met a young man named Christopher Jennings. Jennings nursed an irrational hatred of the Collins family, but despite all of that, the two fell in love and were married in March of 1910. The strength of their marriage quickly eroded however, soon after moving into the lavish, beachfront Cranshaw House.