Sarah Ruddy Elliot
Obituary


Lewiston Morning Tribune
Thursday, April 11, 1946

Mrs. S. Elliot Taken By Death

Mrs. Sarah Ruddy Elliot, 84, a resident of the Lewiston area almost continuously since 1871, died at 11:40 yesterday morning at the home of her son and daughter-in-law, Dr. and Mrs. Tom Elliot, 319 Third avenue.

Prior to her marriage, she had been the first teacher in Whitman county, Wash., at the now abandoned town of Leachville, west of Colton.

Born Feb. 5, 1862 at Exeter, Canada, Mrs. Elliot had come west with her parents, the late Mr. and Mrs. Michael Ruddy, to San Francisco in 1869, on the second transcontinental train. With her mother, five sisters and a brother, she joined her father and another brother in Lewiston in 1871.

The family settled on a farm near the present highway junction at the top of the Lewiston hill, then known as the Ruddy stage station. At that time they were one of only three families living in what is now the Genesee-Uniontown-Colton district. The others were the Mike Leach and Mike Tierney families.

Married Ranch Operator

She married Dick Elliot, prominent early-day cattle and sheepman who operated ranches in Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana, in 1882. A few years later he sold his holding in the Lewiston area, including the Indian Cache ranch, and they moved to Tacoma here he was a director of the National Bank of Commerce in 1890. Mrs. Elliot returned to Lewiston soon after his death on Dec. 25, 1892. Since that time she made her home on the Elliot ranch on the Rimrock and in Lewiston. She was a communicant of the Episcopal church.

Mrs. Elliot was queen of the Genesee pioneer day celebration in June, 1938.

Numerous Survivors

Survivors are two sisters, Mrs. Margaret Vennigerholz, San Francisco, Mrs. Jennie Parker, Eugene, Ore., one son, Dr. Tom Elliot, eight nephews, William J. White, Sol Caldwell, both of Livingston; Fred Caldwell, Bert Vennigerholz, George Parker, all of San Francisco; William Caldwell, Canada; Mose Caldwell, Montana; Ed Vennigerholz, Moscow; a niece, Frances Parker, Eugene, and three grand nieces, Mrs. Sam Skillern, Mrs. E. V. Lorenz, both of Lewiston and Mrs. A. D. Eberhart, Wilmette, Ill.

Mrs. Elliot's sisters were the late Mrs. Marie Caldwell, Mrs. Katherine Worden, Mrs. Elizabeth White. The late Mrs. Mary Jane Kettenbach was her niece.

Funeral services will be held at 11 Saturday morning at the Vassar-Rawls chapel. The body will be taken to Spokane for cremation.


Contributed by Natalie Huntley


Return to Obituary Index

Return to the main Nez Perce Co., ID index page


Last updated Tuesday, 16-Aug-2016 10:52:05 MDT