Ellen Priscilla (Watkins) Llewellyn (abt. 1860 - 1943)

Born about 17 Apr 1860 in Pennsylvania, United States [uncertain]

Wife of Leslie A. Cottle — married before 1878 in Pennsylvania, United States

Died 12 May 1943 at about age 83 in Lock Haven, Clinton, Pennsylvania, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Jim Moore [send private message]

Biography

Ellen Priscilla Watkins was probably born on 17 April 1860 to Samuel Morrison Watkins and his wife, Mary or possibly Nancy. ^{[1] [2]}

Sometime before the 1880 census, she married Leslie A. Cottle, and the couple lived with his parents, in Beech Creek, Clinton, PA, ^[3] as they did during the 1900 census. ^[1]

Leslie died sometime between 1901 and 1903. After this time, Ellen married Henry Llewellyn. ^[4]

Henry and Ellen removed to Lock Haven, Clinton, PA perhaps in 1928, where she died on 12 May 1943 due to heart disease and arteriosclerosis. She is buried in the Clark Cemetery in Beech Creek with her first husband, Leslie. ^[2]

Ellen and Leslie had 11 children, all but one surviving infancy.

Discussion of data

Name: The probate records of the will of her father-in-law, Albert Cottle, show her name as Ellen Watkins, but it's barely legible. The 1900 census calls her "Ellen V". The death certificate names her as "Ellen Priscilla".

Parents: The names of Ellen's parents are taken from the death certificates of her and her siblings. They differ on the first name of the mother, Mary or Nancy J. The indexing of the 1800 census record on FamilySearch would suggest that Ellen was the daughter of the Cottles, but examination of the document shows that she was a daughter-in-law.

Birth: Her death certificate gives a date of 17 April 1862, making her 16 or less at marriage. However, the 1880 census states that she is 20 years old. The 1900 census agrees with the year 1860, but gives a different month, August. I conclude that the reduction of two years was due to vanity but that the month and day of birth are correct as shown on the death certificate. The substitution of August for April on the census record could have been a simple entry error.

Marriage to Henry Llewellyn: The 1910 census states that they are married. The death certificate gives her name as Cottle and states that she is widowed from Leslie Cottle. Also, she is buried with the Cottles. So the connection with Llewellyn may have been simply an arrangement of trading housekeeping for sustenance. The need to provide care for sister-in-law Augusta may have made such an arrangement imperative. The dating of the probate papers suggest this may have commenced soon after Leslie's death.

In the will, the following are mentioned as living at the time. For the daughters, married names are shown in brackets [] as recorded in the probate:

• Eldest daughter: Elbina [Albina Masden]
• Daughter: Augusta Elizabeth
• Daughter: Elvira [Confer]
• Daughter: Livonia [Miller]
• Daughter: Emma Frances [Ober]
• Daughter: Elnora M [Nora Miles Dent]
• Son: Lesley (sometimes "Leslie") A Cottle (inherits the farm)
• Wife: Abagail

A nearly illegible section suggests that Leslie Cottle has 7 children and some are named Melville, Freeman, Eldridge -- all names are difficult to read.

A difficult to read section suggests that Ellen Watkins is the wife of Leslie Cottle.

My interpretation is this: Albert (Lesley's father) died in 1901, leaving the farm to Lesley who promptly died in 1903 with the terms of the will not completely fulfilled. One term was that Lesley's sister Augusta (who was apparently incompetent) was to receive her support from the farm. To that end, she had resided with Lesley and his wife, Ellen. In the probate record, one can infer that Ellen quickly remarried, this time to Henry Llewellyn and that Augusta lived with them. With no one to operate the farm, there was no longer any means of support for Abigail (Albert's wife) and Augusta. Upon Lesley's death, it appears that the estate (including the farm) was liquidated and the proceeds distributed. Augusta lived with the Llewellyns and Abigail lived with the Confers.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} 1900 U.S. census, Clinton County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Beech Creek Township, enumeration district (ED) SD 11, ED 8, penned Sheet 2, stamped Sheet 28A, line 46 and continuing on to next sheet, dwelling 32, family 32, Albert Cottle, image 3 of 22 (https: familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M39R-8D7); database index with images, Family Search (https://familysearch.org : accessed 12 May 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Clinton County, Pennsylvania, certificate of death no. File No 45784 (stamped), Registered No. 110 (13 May 1943), Ellen Priscilla Cottle; Bureau of Vital Statistics.
3. ↑ 1880 U. S. census, Clinton County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Beech Creek Township, enumeration district (ED) E. D. 243, p 3 (handwritten), p 509C (stamped), lines 34-40, dwelling 26, family 28, Albert Cottle family; database index with images, Family Search (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MWXJ-N2P : accessed 21 April 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1113; FHL microfilm 1,255,113.
4. ↑ Clinton, Pennsylvania, : 2271, filed 13 Nov 1901 Albert Cottle will and probate; Clinton County Recorder of Deeds, Lock Haven, Clinton, PA.

Acknowledgements

This profile was originally created as UNKNOWN-282533 by a GEDCOM import by Jim Moore on May 21, 2015. Since then, the maiden name was discovered and the profile rewritten.