Fearless Females 2014: Photo: Great Aunt Ellen BALL

"Here is one I made earlier" (shows your age if you remember that phrase!).  It is a post I made in July 2010 about this wonderful lady.

Ellen Elliott BALL, 1848-1935

She looks quite fearsome in this 1929 photo, doesn't she?  You imagine her being incredibly strict, quoting from the Bible at every turn, and disapproving of all children at all times.

Yet apparently she was totally different.  She always had a soft spot for children, and was well-known in the family for giving out sweets (and extra cash to those who asked).  She was known as 'Great Aunt Ellen' (even if she wasn't your great aunt) and even today, 79 years after her death, everybody in the family, whether or not they actually know any other ancestors, everybody has heard of 'Great Aunt Ellen'.  My mother recalled their living arrangements when she was small.  Granddad, Grandma, and seven children all in one bedroom, and Great Aunt Ellen in the other (amazes you that they managed to have seven children...).  I have seen the house they lived in, and it is TINY.

Great Aunt Ellen never married, but was obviously beloved of all who knew her - and reverenced even by those who didn't.

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Once again, in honour of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.  I know this is really US-centric - but that's not going to stop me honouring my own Fearless Females...