Elizabeth May Bell

Elizabeth May Bell was called "Auntie" by Martha Josselyn and her children. She was also called "Lizzie."^1,2,3 She was born on 29 January 1874. She was the daughter of James Henry Bell and Mary E. Mayer.

Elizabeth May Bell appeared on the census of 8 June 1880 at College Street, Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana, in the household of her father, where her name was recorded as Lizzie.¹ Elizabeth May Bell and her parents James and Mary appeared in two photographs taken by a Terre Haute photographer.

Elizabeth Bell became an orphan when her mother died on 29 May 1900. Her aunt, Mary (Mayer) Hannah, felt she owed Elizabeth Bell's parents a debt for taking her in as a girl, and had Elizabeth come to live with the Hannahs in Haverstraw.⁴

Elizabeth May Bell appeared on the census of 15 April 1910 at Hudson Avenue, Haverstraw Village, Haverstraw Township, Rockland County, New York, in the household of Samuel J. Hannah.⁵ She was a stenographer for a charitable institution according to the April 1910 census; she was recorded as having been out of work for 10 weeks during 1909.⁵

Elizabeth May Bell appeared on the census of 21 January 1920 at 12 First Street, Weehawken, Hudson County, New Jersey, in the household of Samuel J. Hannah; her name was recorded as Lizzie M. Bell and she was shown as a boarder.^2,6,7 First Street in Weehawken was renamed Cooper Place about 1940.⁷ Elizabeth Bell was a secretary for a minister according to the January 1920 census.

Elizabeth May Bell was very talented in sewing. She made beautiful little clothes for Martha Josselyn's dolls. She also knitted, made hooked rugs, and did tatting.⁸ Martha's mother was quite jealous of Elizabeth Bell, because Martha could warm up to Elizabeth more than to her mother.⁸

Elizabeth May Bell appeared on the census of 5 April 1930 at 12 First Street, Weehawken, Hudson County, New Jersey, in the household of Samuel Hannah, where her name was recorded as Lizzie Bell.³ She was a secretary in an office according to the April 1930 census.³

When living with Mary (Mayer) Hannah in Weehawken, she worked for many years on 23rd Street in Manhattan as secretary to Dr. Goodall or Goodell (spelling?) at the Federal Council of Churches. When he retired, she lost her job and retired without a pension. After six months, Social Security started and she got a monthly check even though she hadn't been contributing. She then folded and sewed labels at home for extra income.^9,10

After Mary (Mayer) Hannah died in 1940, Elizabeth Bell lived with her first cousin, Ella (Hannah) Josselyn, and Edgar Josselyn in Pleasantville, New York; a bedroom wing was added to the house with the proceeds from the sale of the Weehawken house.⁴ When Edgar Josselyn died in April 1943, Ella (Hannah) Josselyn sold the Pleasantville house and moved with Priscilla Josselyn to an apartment in White Plains, New York. Elizabeth Bell went back to Terre Haute, Indiana, to stay with a friend of hers.⁴ Her address during this period may have been 804 South 8th St, Terre Haute, Indiana.¹¹ For two or three summers during the time she was in Indiana, she was invited by Kenneth and Martha DeVoe to stay at their house in Pleasantville.⁴ Howard DeVoe remembers receiving a humorous telephoned Western Union telegram from her when she returned to Indiana one year, worded somewhat as follows: "Arrived safely, no brass band."¹² Elizabeth Bell wasn't happy living in Terre Haute, and after about two years she moved back east.⁴ Before 1 October 1947 she rented a room in a house at 85 Waller Avenue, White Plains, New York, and secured a job in the sewing room of the White Plains Hospital.¹³

Beginning in 1959 she lived in Room 312, John E. Andrus Memorial Home, 185 Old Broadway, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.^4,14

Elizabeth May Bell died in her sleep about 11.30 am on 19 June 1967 at the John E. Andrus Memorial Home, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, at age 93.¹⁵ The funeral was on 21 June 1967 at 2 p.m.¹⁵ She was buried in Lot 252, Section 3, Highland Lawn Cemetery, Terre Haute, Indiana.^16,17,18