| Called Ella by her family, she was
described by her mother, Olive, as "a real Scotchman, red face & hair.
Folks say she is the image of one Donald McIntyre of White Oak". This
was written at Grass Lake in Aug of 1865 and was quoted by her
granddaughter, Jane Bollinger, in a newspaper article for the Fowlerville
News & Views, Monday Nov 18, 2002. The article goes on to say that
Jane only remembers a slender, strict old lady with gray hair up in a bun.
She would brush out the bun and put her hair in braids at night. She
spent the last years of her life living with her children, staying 3 months
with one and then moving on to the next. Her sole contribution to my
welfare, except for disapproval & unwanted criticism, was a pair of hand
knitted mittens every other Christmas. She so gifted half of her 19
grandchildren each year. I had no read knowledge of her life until I
began to read the letters her father sent home during his service in the
Civil War. Then I came to see another view of her life. Born in
1862, Mary Ella was just past 1yr of age when her father, Donald McIntyre,
went off to war. He left his wife, Olive, to run the farm in White Oak
and care for 3 children. Ella married but was left a widow at age 37
(1899) with 6 children to raise. Her life became one of hard work and
sacrifice. Her children were "put out to work" for their room & board
as soon as they were able to be of use; the younger ones kept at home and
left alone while she did day work at 50 cents a day. She did not
complain; "waste not, want not" and "use it up, wear it out, make it do or
do without" were her rules for living and she taught them to her children.
When she died in 1945 just two (Lura and Mina) of her children were still
living. The last line of her mother's message to her father was truly
prophetic. Mentioning that all the children had colds, except Ella,
she finished her report with: "what would kill the others would have no
effect on Ellie, she is as tough as a brick." - courtesy of Norann Lustfield |