Notes for Mary Ellen DRISCOLL

Notes for Mary Ellen DRISCOLL Doug & Nancy Russell's Homepage

Notes for Mary Ellen DRISCOLL

SS# 538-28-1286. Died 9-16-1995, Valley Care Center, Okanogan, WA, USA
MARRIED: 9-25-1919, ROSSLAND, B.C., CANADA
MEMBER OF OUR LADY OF THE VALLEY CATHOLIC CHURCH, OKANOGAN, WA, USA

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Montreal parish where Nell was born:

St. Michel de Perce est, Gaspe'

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FHC Imigration Flims

0205727 Driscoll
0205731 Ehlers

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Obituary
Omak Chronicle, Omak, WA, USA
Sept. 27, 1995

Mary E. 'Nell' Ehlers

Mary E. 'Nell' Ehlers,99, a pioneer resident of Okanogan, died Sept. 16, at Valley Care Center, Okanogan.

She was born August 29, 1896, in Montreal, Canada to Patrick and Katherine (Kelly) Driscoll. Her husband was Okanogan County Treasurer from 1943-1963.

She married William 'Bill' Ehlers Sept. 25, 1919. They moved to Okanogan in October 1922 and raised 3 children. Mrs. Ehlers was active in community affairs and a devout member of the Catholic Church. She was a member of Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church and the Altar Society.

Survivors include a daughter, Jeanette Cunz of Spokane; a son, Robert of Salt Lake City, Utah; two sisters, Kay Perdue of Ephrata and Lil McFarland of Tumwater; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Her husband died in 1975 and a son, William Gordon (Cotton) Ehlers died in Alaska during World War II.

Mass of the Christian Burial was Sept. 21 at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church with the Rev. Bob Turner presiding. Memorials are suggested to Valley Care Center.

Barnes, Elmway Chapel, Okanogan was in charge of arrangements.

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Notes on Family written by Mary Ellen 'Nell' Driscoll Ehlers, Dec. 14, 1976

Mary Ellen 'Nell' Driscoll, originally O'Driscoll. Nell's grandparents came from Ireland. Her grandmother, Bridget (Redmond) claimed she was the Bell of Cork (this doesn't really jive with the baptism records at PANL). Grandfather's name was Lawerence Driscoll. Grandmother's maiden name (on mothers side) was Sennet.

Nell's mothers name was Katherine Kelly. She married Patrick Driscoll in Newfoundland, Canada. They had 9 children:
1.) Lawrence Valentine, born Newfoundland, Feb. 14
2.) Johnny William, born Newfoundland, died @@ 18 months with Croup
3.) Patrick Michael Jr., born Newfoundland
4.) James Gerald , born Montreal
5.) William 'Bill', born Montreal-died in Montreal, age 4 of black diptheria. Nell remembers him sick and dying. The family was quarentined. The undertaker came with a white casket and the mother and grandmother who had taken care of the baby just handed him out of the door to the undertaker (the rest of the kids stayed with grandfather).
6.) Mary Ellen 'Nell', born Montreal
7.) Bridget 'Bride',born Montreal
8.) Kathleen Irene, born Montreal
9.) Lillian, born Rossland-Nell remembers going to church in Montreal, also her mother took them for street car rides to the boat locker. Also the first phonograph at a little store-they would stand outside and the man would play it for them.

At 8 years old (when Nell was 8), her mother took the kids and followed dad to Rossland, B.C., where her Dad worked in the mines. Lawrence went to B.C. before the family. He worked in a grocery store (Vancouver).

Nell thought the train ride was really great. They cooked the food on a stove in the back of the car. Lawrence had great big apples for them when they arrived (thought they were great!). Her mother thought she would pick gold up in the streets of Rossland. Cost of living was much higher than Montreal.

Nell's folks located close to the mines in a new community about 2miles out of Rossland. They had to walk to school-lots & lots of snow. Had over 100 steps to climb on way to school. (Rossland is built on a very steep mountain slope!).

Nell went there until 8th grade, then went to work in the telephone office. $30.00 per month. $15 went to folks for board & room.

Married Bill Ehlers Sept 25, 1919 in Rossland, then they went to live in Trail, B.C. Bill wored in Hunter Brothers Hardware. Stayed in Trail about 1 year then they moved to Vancouver, B.C. Stayed only a few months. Nell didn't like Vancouver, so moved back to Rossland where Gordon was born Sept 12, 1920. Lived in Rossland 2 years then moved to Spokane on Spring of 1922. Then moved to Okanogan Sept. 1922.

Going back when we first went to Rossland to live, my dear old mother never complained about the work. She miled four cows, made all our butter, baked all the bread, washed with a board and took care of our father's mother (Bridget Redmond Driscoll) for several years. Raised chickens and pigs, and a calf, and kept them in a covered shed-no refrigeration. My mother told the story of when she was a girl in Newfoundland, she had gone to work at St. Johns, Newfoundland and it was only about 30 miles from where her folks lived. While she was there, her mother died in childbirth, and before she could get transportation home, the mother and baby were buried. Some old lady told her if she would go to the grave yard at twelve at night and pray on her mother's grave, her mother would appear to her. She was very heart broken over her mother's death, so she went to the grave yard as frightened as she was, several nights, but her mother never appeared.

In Rossland, my dad worked six days a week from seven in the morning until five at night.

We came to Okanogan from Spokane, Bill worked for a hardware store in Spokane and through a Mr. Lush who worked for Blackwells (in Okanogan) at this time was going to Spokane to get his family and Mr. Blackwell told him to pick up a hardware man, and he got Bill to come to Okanogan. He worked for Blackwells for 13 years and then went to work in the Court House for Vince White, and then ran for Treasurer, a job he held until he retired at 70 years.

We both loved the Okanogan Valley and have many nice memories and feel we had a lot of good friends.

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