Amalie Marie Franelich Ellis
Amalie
Franelich was born October 6,1900, and died December 27,1994. She is the
little girl standing
on the balcony of Papa Nick's store. Amalie Ellis was my grandmother
(Mamaw),
the daughter of
Nicolas Franelich (Papa Nick) and
Laura Franelich (Mama Laura). She married
Clovis
Rufus Ellis (Pop) July 27, 1920. They had
four
children:
Blanche Cecelia Ellis (born July 4,1921, Died June 28,2006)
Beatrice Ellis
(born April 20,1924, Died September 2, 2020)
Agnes Ellis (born May 3,1925, Died March 10, 2018)
Clovis Gregory Rufus, (born September 28,1927, died on his 8th birthday,
September 28,1935).
Here are several pictures of my grandmother:
12
years old
at high school graduation (1916)
with
her
friend Elizabeth (left), they were the only two in their graduating class of St.
Patrick's High School. St. Patrick's was on Broad Street in the Grove.
At St. Patrick's, the nuns offered a high school curriculum for the
girls until 1928 and then Bishop Toolen High School was built as the
Catholic girls' high school. St. Patrick's also had an
elementary school for boys and girls.
1918 with Anita Primo
with
Clovis and Venice Aubey
1918 in front of the GM&O railroad terminal
Amalie's life long friend Venice
Aubey.
Amalie and Venice in later life.
I took this
picture in my parents' back yard in Birmingham around 1970.
My grandmother wrote to me regularly when I was in Viet Nam. In her letters, I noticed her spelling was perfect; I guess I noticed because mine was far from it. When I got back and talked to her, I mentioned it. She said when she was in school they would have a spelling test each day, and if you didn't do well you would have to sit in the corner. Then she emphatically said, "There was no way I was going to sit in that corner."
When my grandmother moved to 851 Springhill Ave., she installed a fence to create a 400 sq. ft. chicken yard with an enclosed seven feet high gabled roof chicken shed in the backyard. She raise chickens for the eggs and meat until the city passed a law, probably around 1955, prohibiting livestock within the city limits. Afterward she had a garden in the same area. I can remember her discussing with my mother how many chickens were needed for supper when all my aunts, uncles, and cousins would come over. Then she would go out to the pen and dispatch with precision the chickens and proceed with cleaning and plucking. My mother would pluck and cook but nothing else.
I remember my grandmother's lifestyle and think it was very hard.
After all, she raised chickens, had a garden, cooked over a wood-burning
stove, a washing machine with a wringer operated by a hand crank, and
hung clothes outside to dry. She would have thought it middle class: she
had indoor plumbing with a bathroom, running water, electricity, a
non-party line telephone, and a large enough house to comfortably host
many people. She did leave the coal burning fireplace idle, in my
lifetime, by switching to natural gas for heat. The summer heat was
tolerated at night with a window fan.
Amalie and Clovis lived at 400 Bloodgood Street when my mother (Blanche) was born. Later they rented the house at 209 Beauregard Street, which was next door to Aunt Lucy at 211 Beauregard St. My grandmother and her family were living at 209 Beauregard St. during the 1930 Census. Later they move in with Aunt Lucy and uncle Beaurie. They were living with Aunt Lucy and Uncle Beaurie when Uncle Beaurie died on August 20,1935; when their son Clovis Gregory died a year later, September 28,1935; and when Aunt Lucy died, May 29,1937.
Their next move was to 851 Springhill Avenue. My grandmother told me, in 1937 they paid $2,700.00 cash (inherited from aunt Lucy) for the house. My grandmother lived most of her life at 851 Springhill Ave. It was conveniently located directly across from St. Joseph Catholic church, which she was deeply affiliated with. She enjoyed living there long after it was practical. Then one day she agreed to her family's previous suggestion: to move into Crichton Towers apartment building at 758 St. Michael St. It too was next to and overlooking St. Joseph church. This was her last move. The church honored her lifelong service to the church with an impressive assembly at St. Joseph's church for her funeral mass—it was said by the Bishop with 5 priest attending.
I
don't remember how my grandmother met her future husband, but according to the 1920
census, his younger brother,
William Harold Ellis (22 years old [1898–1966]), lived basically next door in the 400
block of St. Joseph Street with his wife Beulah (18 years old) and their first
child William H. Jr. (11 months old). Clovis lived at 454 N. Joachim St. with
his father and probably his mother in 1912 & 1913. His father, Rufus Claiborne Ellis,
(Papa Claib) was a flagman and brakeman with the M&O RR until his death,
(April
16,1874–April 1,1939). Pop's mother was Louie Beatrice Ellis (Mama Louie)
(May 27, 1866–December 25, 1942). In 1915 my grandfather lived at 264 Beauregard St. and was a fireman with the
M&O RR.
Clovis Rufus (foots) Ellis was born in Egypt Mississippi, and later, a resident of Mobile for 70 years. He was born September 7,1894, and died September 22,1970, at the age of 76. Pop went to work for the Mobile & Ohio (M&O) Railroad in 1913. He told me he got a job the first day he "hired himself out." There is a 1912 city directory reporting him as a clerk at 454 N. Joachim St., the same place his father is reported to live.
In 1913, at 19 years old, the Mobile and Ohio Railroad hired him as a fireman. They told him to come to work the next morning—and bring a shovel. He borrowed some money for a shovel and reported to work to shovel coal into a steam engine's fire box. All firemen had to provide their own shovel. My grandfather took his shovel to work everyday and came home with it every day. He took pride in that shovel. My grandmother said the first thing he would do when he got home was clean his shovel. [Passes (1) (2)]
My grandfather worked until six months before his death; that totals to 56 years of employment with the railroad.
Fireman was the position required before advancing to engineer. When my grandfather became an engineer, the railroad was still using steam engines. Later, with much regret from my grandfather, the diesel replaced all steam engines. One time, my grandmother showed me his steam engine manuals he had to study to become an engineer—I was impressed with the technicality of the steam engine. I regret not asking for them.
He would alternately take my brother and me in his locomotive (Pop in the window, Greg and I are at the far right) during work, switching railroad freight cars between Mobile and Prichard. As a kid, I was impressed riding in that giant locomotive. My grandmother would pick us up at a predetermined place along the route around lunch time. I don't think you could do that today! The M&O merged to become Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad and after working around 57 years, he retired.
Their 50th Anniversary on July 27th 1970, he died soon afterwards, with my parents, Sam and Blanche Shelby.