Ellen McCree Pallister was the fourth child of John McCree Pallister & Barbara Hall born Jan-March 1881 at Ryhope.
In 1881 Ellen (Helen in census), aged 5 months, was living with her parents & 3 brothers at 14 Gibson Terrace, Ryhope
The family were still living at 14 Gibson Terr, Ryhope in 1891 where her father John worked at the colliery as an engineman. Ellen’s 3 older brothers were still at home & there were new additions to the family – Margaret (7), who was noted as blind on the census, Robert S (5) & Dorothy (11 months).
Ellen was still at home at Gibson Terr at the time of the 1901 census.
Ellen lost her mother in 1901 & her father in 1902 which may have been a stimulus for her leaving the country. Aged 21 she left Liverpool on the S.S. Oceanic on November 5th, 1902 sailing to New York. She travelled with her aunt Sarah McCree Pallister who was at that time married to Thomas Simpson. Their final destination was given as Wellsforce, Jackson County, Ohio. Ellen’s uncle Ralph Pallister had emigrated to Ohio in 1881 & her cousin John McCree Pallister (Sarah’s son) had joined his uncle in 1892 in Jackson County.
In the 1910 census of Coal, Jackson, Ohio, Ellen is listed as Ellen Gilliland, but her husband was not listed with her. She was a housekeeper for the Williams family & she had a 2 year old daughter Barbara. Her aunt Sarah McCree Simpson was listed next to Ellen in the census.
Ellen was still living Ohio in 1920, now at Jefferson Township, Montgomery
County. She was living at the Central Branch of National Home for Disabled
Volunteer Soldiers & was described as a waiter. Ellen was still listed
as married, although no husband was with her.