Mary Elizabeth BAWDEN was born 31 Mar 1870 in Davenport, Scott, Iowa, the only dtr of Stephen Douglas and Mary Ella "Ella" WOODWARD BAWDEN. She attended Davenport school and trained in the Teachers Training School in Davenport, noted as one of the best, and started at old Number One Elementary School in Davenport [now at the corner of Locust and Eastern - Madison Elementary School, was located on Spring St. close to the Mississippi River. Original bell sits on property.]

She married Solomon [went by S.L., newspaper, census and cemetery marker] Leander ELY on 22 Mar 1900 in her family home on 1315 E. 11th St. - still stands.

Solomon (prov. Eleanor and Wylie RUMMEL Apr 2008) was born 2 Dec 1864 in Chambersburg, Franklin, Pennsylvania. In 1874, when he was 9 years old (what dates? attrib to author-compiler Alice Richardson Sloane, C.G.), his family moved to Mt. Carroll, Carroll, Illinois. Solomon was the son of Thomas Leander and Elizabeth B. WILAND ELY. He attended the Iowa State Normal School in Cedar Falls, Iowa (now University of Northern Iowa, a public university), and graduated form Davenport Business College. He worked as a bookkeeper in Davenport for the Iowa Soldier's Orphans' Home (now Annie Wittenmyer Complex - buildings owned by Family Services - a social service for profit entity, not orphan's home), and later for A. J. Smith and Son Furniture Store, and rose to Cashier at Union Savings Bank in Davenport.

Sam/Solomon suffered from tuberculosis and had spent several winter months in the South, where he contracted typhoid malaria. He died at age 39 on 6 Jun 1904, in the BAWDEN home on E. 11th, just 2 months after the death of their first son, Edward WEILAND/WILAND ELY. Following Sam's death, Mary Elizabeth gave birth to a second son, Stephen Lee/Lea ELY born 2 Jan 1905 in Davenport.

She did not remarry but devoted herself to care for Stephen, her mother, and teaching school. She died 15 August 1946 in her childhood home at 1315 E. 11th St. and is buried with her family in Davenport's Oakdale Cemetery. The ELYs were members of St. John's Methodist Church.

They had 2 children in Davenport:
1. Edward WEILAND / WILAND born 16 July 1903 and died 21 March 1904 of spinal meningitis. Weiland/Wiland was Samuel/Solomon's mother's maiden name.
2. Stephen Lea/Lee born 2 Jan 1905, died 7 May 1947 in Madison, Dane, Wisconsin of cancer. He was cremated and buried in Madison suburb Monona's Rose Lawn Memorial Cemetery. (seperate blog).