Luella "Ella" Merzke

Luella “Ella” Merzke, the seventh child, was born at home at 26 Alphonse St. on November 23, 1897.   She was baptized December 19, 1897.  Her sponsors were Maria’s half-brother, Otto Smarcz, Augusta Regginor and Rose Merzke.  Ella married Norman W. Tallman in Concordia Lutheran on December 10, 1919.  Attending them were Louisa Guenther and Ella’s brother, Albert Merzke.  Ella worked for some time as a tailoress and later was as a worked in the Ruler Factory.  Norm was a World War One Army veteran and was working as a streetcar conductor when he met Ella.  After they married he worked as a fireman at a mill and later as a machinist in the Ruler Factory.

Ella and Norm’s home was at 20 Cummings Avenue in Silver Springs, Wyoming County, New York. Their home was warm and comfortable and everyone in the family loved to come and visit.  Ella’s youngest brother, Floyd often spent his summers there.  In the early years Merzke Family Reunions were held in Silver Springs and they were fun filled three-day affairs. 

The Cummings Avenue home was situated on a double lot.  The house  was on the corner lot and the adjoining lot was a grassy patch with featured a large rose garden.  Norm’s roses were famous attracting the attention of all the neighbors.  He had the only hybrid tea roses in the area.  At that time, hybrid tea roses were too tender to survive the cold winters of Silver Springs.  Norm overcame that problem by sheltering each plant during the winter by placing heavy mulch around them and covering each one with a garbage can held in place by heavy rocks.  This gave the added warmth needed for the bushes to survive.

Ella and Norm had two daughters. Areta Pearl Tallman and Evelyn Ada Tallman.

Norm Tallman died suddenly and peacefully on September 23, 1970 while sitting on the side porch having a bedtime snack of milk and cookies.  Following Norm’s death, Ella moved to Rochester to be near her daughters and grandchildren.  She died December 24, 1985.  Norm and Ella are buried in Maple Grove Cemetery, Wyoming County, New York.