Miss Ewing attended the Price School which went to the fifth reader. My grandmother, Mary Alethea Price Comley, was a member of the family which founded the school and owned the land on which it was built. So all of my great aunts and uncles, my grandparents, my father, his brothers and cousins attended the Price School.
When my grandmother was a young girl she met Miss Ewing and later received a picture postcard from her with a note written on the back. My brother, Mark Comley, remembers our grandmother showing him the picture of Miss Ewing photographed with a midget, (who would have been Peter the Small), and a personal handwritten message. We don't know where this photograph is now, hopefully someone has it in safe keeping. But my grandmother had another photograph, not as well preserved and with no personal note from Ella, and this one she gave to me.
Something has sparked a renewed interest in Miss Ewing for me, which has led me to the reading of old newspaper articles, researching my own family tree, a trip to the Downing House Museum, and the reading of the two books which have been written about her – Ella K. Ewing, Missouri Giantess; 1872-1923 by Barbara Chasteen Campbell and Our Miss Ella by Bette Wiley.
What I found when reading these books, was the story of devoted parents who successfully raised a child to become a remarkable individual. After a visit to a doctor, and the realization that their daughter's excessive growth was "incurable" at that time, the Ewings had no choice but to live their lives from day to day. Residing in an isolated rural area, not knowing what quality or longevity of life their child would have, they turned to the Bible to guide them in their daily struggles of the unknown.
As a result, Ella Ewing was very aware of the separation of her physical self from her spiritual self. She grew to be a kind and caring individual, a devoted friend and daughter, and a generous and deeply loved member of her community. She also grew to recognize the importance of the lasting impression she made on the lives of the countless numbers of people who either met or saw her.
Miss Ewing died January 16, 1913 at the age of 40 from tuberculosis, pneumonia, and complications from an infected area of her foot. According to her obituary, her funeral was one of the largest ever held in the county. In spite of the snowy weather and difficult travel conditions, people from four counties of Northeast Missouri attended the service to honor the person they so affectionately referred to as "Our Miss Ella".
The
Price Family: My grandmother, Mary (Letha) and Mary
(Letha), as a young girl.
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