My newest creation...
How I love doing these! They're so much fun! This one was inspired by my great grandmother, Elva Matilda (Littlefield) (Hoyt) Elliott. She had her own tailoring shop in downtown Norwood called Elliott Cleaners. Isn't that fabulous?! She was an entrepreneur way ahead of her time! She always dressed so fancy. She was a petite woman who always wore dresses, heels, hats, lots of jewelry, fur coats, stoles and always had the prettiest purses. I'm guessing the photo below was taken at her shop. This looks to be a birthday party for her granddaughters "the twins" Barbra and Beverly Hoyt. Whenever my Mom and I looked at old pictures and she didn't know who it was in the photo she would always say it was Nana Elliott or the twins. That always made us laugh so hard! Here we have both! Haha!! She'd get a kick out of that!
Below left to right: Nana (my mother's mama), her mother Elva and Elva's boyfriend Walter (he came after three husbands!)...
That's how they dressed all the time! Very fancy! She was a lady through and through. I'll tell you a little more about her at the end. But first look at what I made in honor of her. I think it's kind of ironic that the shop is called "Elsa's Tailoring" and her name was Elva.
She was born in Dextor, Maine on June 10, 1887. She passed when I was in the 6th grade. I remember it well. I was away at a week long nature camp school trip. So that was 1976. Her father was Samuel Littlefield (1862-1897) and her mother was Frances "Fannie" McKenney (1871-1959). As I mentioned, she was married three times! That's crazy for back then. I researched on Ancestry. Her first husband was Clarence Eugene Hoyt. They had four children together. Guy, Madeline (Cassie), our Nana Evelyn and Kenneth. Then she married Edward White. I don't know what happened to him. Then she married her third husband, John Elliott. I think they had a daughter named Marion. I have quite a few memories of Nana Elliott. I remember she invited our family over for lunch at her house and she was so excited to have company! I was quite young. She made us hotdogs wrapped in bread because she didn’t have rolls. I proceeded to throw up either on the way home or when we got home. Ha ha ha! But I clearly remember how happy she was that day. I wish I got to know her better. Sad how that happens. Just too many years between us. I still visit her grave. I was always the one to go with my Mom to plant flowers on Memorial Day so I know where everyone is buried. Maybe I'll bring this little shop when I go next time and show it to her : ) Oh she'll be smiling down from heaven!!
