Ellan Smith

Ellan Smith, daughter of William Smith and Unknown, was born on 17 Feb 1873 in Scotland, died on 5 Dec 1929 in Topeka, Shawnee, Kansas at age 56, and was buried on 9 Dec 1929 in Topeka, Shawnee, KS. Ancestral File Number: 3KB0-R8.

General Notes: Ellan Smith: I obtained her maiden name from her daughter’s death certificate. Absence of her mother’s name and maiden name from her own death certificate means that her husband did not know this information. (George knew her father’s name.)

Ellen S. Monroe: So on the 1915 Kansas state census. Is the S. for Smith?

Ellan: So the 1920 federal census.

Her birth: Her death certificate gives her birthplace as Basely (for Basley?) Scotland. I am unable to find this on any Scottish website, nor in the Mormom catalogues. Charlotte Quinlan’s cousin Colette reports that "Anna’s mom (we don’t know her name) grew up in a Catholic orphanage in Scotland and married George Monroe."

Searching for Ellen/Ellan Monroe/Munroe turns up (only) an "Ellen Monroe" under ancestry.com’s New York passenger lists, 1851-1891, which it says comes from the index to National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm, M237, rolls 95-580. This entry may include nativity information.

1889? 1899?: Her death certificate indicates 30 years of residence in Topeka, which means she arrived in 1899. Her informant on this certificate was her own husband. Yet, how can this be correct if she was having children (Anna) there before that? Is the entry simply an error for 40 years? This would match with the arrival information on his death certificate. Her 1920 federal census entry states arrival to the U.S. in 1895 and naturalization in 1900.

1915: Appears with George, Francis and her grandson George Quinlan in the Kansas state census.

Her death: Her residence at death was 412 Monroe Street, her cause of death chronic myocarditis.

Ellan married George N. S. Monroe.