My great-grandmother
Helen "Ellen" French
Helen Parker French was born in Riccarton, a suburb of Kilmarnock, in Ayrshire, Scotland, on October 5, 1861. She was the daughter of Adam French and Margaret Parker. Adam was born in Muirkirk, and earlier in his life was a coal miner, but worked for the railroad when it arose in mid-Ayrshire during the mid-century.
For more on Helen's birth family, go to this French Family.
Helen was known as "Ellen", at least in her adult life, and worked in the woollen industry when she came of working age. This was probably where she met Thomas, her husband-to-be, but I don't know for sure. She came from a large family; there were 8 children born to these parents, so she probably lived in crowded and poor conditions. Their housing in Riccarton was "railway" housing and that is also where she was married.
According to their marriage certificate, Helen French married Thomas Mitchell on June 4, 1886 at 2c Railway Buildings, Hurlford/Riccarton. This was the bride's home. Following their marriage they lived at 20 Henrietta Street in Galston.
On 26 September, 1886, their first son Robert was born, interestingly after their emigration they celebrated their anniversary in December, to cover the early arrival of Robert, but birth certificates tell the truth. Perhaps Robert himself never knew this! The next child, their first daughter, Margaret Parker was born on June 6, 1888. Five months later, Thomas was the first to emigrate, sailing from Port Glasgow on the ship Furnessia, and landing at the Port of New York on October 8, 1888.
Soon Thomas sent money for his family's fares and Helen and her 2 young children set sail aboard the Ship Devonia, landing in New York on March 26, 1989. Hopefully they had a warm welcome with Thomas waiting for them after they had cleared the immigration authorities- this was pre-Ellis island. Imagine the challenge of this young Scots mother, who'd probably never left her village before, to travel without her husband on a long voyage to a strange new country, never to see her beloved family again.
Once settled in their new home in Paterson, New Jersey, Helen and Thomas produced 3 more sons, and in the years following their move to Wilkes-Barre, she birthed 6 more children and one infant who was either stillborn or died soon after birth. Two of those 6 also died, one in infancy at less than a year old, and the other at age 4. With all the childhood diseases, growing up was perilous back then!
In her later years in Wilkes-Barre she became a nurse.
Ellen died on December 13, 1925; her obituary says she died of "complications", which I would interpret as some "female" problem. She was only 64. My second cousin, Thomas Mitchell knew her as a "shaver" and remembers her as being kind and warm. I'd love to have heard her Scot's accent!