Emily Louise Stackhouse: Influential Mother

1855-1922

Emily Stackhouse Carroll; Carroll Family Album, page 40, in possession of Dorothy Crooks.
Photographer was L. O. Cantin, 175 McGill Street, Montreal. 

      Emily Louise Stackhouse was born November 24, 1855, in Sainte-Justine-de-Newton or Peveril, Quebec Province, Canada, the daughter of Charles Gilbert Stackhouse and Samantha Munson. (Canada did not become a country until 1867.) She was the youngest of six children, her siblings being: Charles Franklin (1842), George Henry (1845), Elizabeth (1848), Mary J. E. (1849) and Emily Ann (1851). In addition, her mother had 3 children with Eden Johnson, who died about 1839, in his early 20's. Those children were Emily Munson (1835), William E. (1836) and Louisa S. (1838). By the time Emily was born, 5 of her 8 siblings were deceased! Only William E. Johnson, Charles Stackhouse and Mary Stackhouse were still living.

      Emily grew up in Newton/Peveril, in Quebec Province, but within a few miles of the English-speaking Ontario Province.  On July 6, 1876, she married George Eden Carroll, in Peveril. The connection between the 2 families is interesting! Emily's mother, Samantha Munson, was married to Eden Johnson, George's uncle, before she married Charles Stackhouse! So Emily's mother Samantha and George's mother Susan were sisters-in-law. (Still, there was no biological relationship between George and Emily!)

       After her marriage, Emily lived in Waitsfield VT, Danbury IA, Sioux City IA and Chicago IL. Her first child was born in Waitsfield. In the late 1870's, the family moved to the village of Danbury, where George kept store. In about 1892, they moved to Sioux City, where George worked as a traveling salesman.  In about 1908, George and Emily moved to Chicago. 

      Even though censuses just list her as a housewife, I am certain that she was instrumental in the education of her 3 children. Both photos that I have of her show a reflective intelligent woman! Her children were Charles Eden (1877), Maude Emily (1881), Effie G. (1882, died young) and Ira Munson (1890).  Her daughter Maude never married, but worked as a stenographer for law firms and for Standard Oil. (Mom remembers Maude eating an apple in the midst of an opera, saying that "these people will never see me again.") Charles Eden was a Methodist minister with pastorates in Lincoln NE, Denver CO, Boston MA, Wilkes-Barre PA, Hastings FL, Miami FL and St. Petersburg FL. In addition, he was a professor of social sciences on the faculty of Boston University for almost 10 years and a professor of sociology at Stetson University. (Mom remembers checking the book 'Who's Who' in America whenever she wanted to find out what Uncle Charlie was up to!) Ira Munson, my grandfather, was a passionate man, who held a variety of jobs, including machinist, farmer, fireman, policeman, truck driver and business manager. (See blogpost,  006: Ira Munson Carroll: Passionate Rolling Stone.)

      There must have been some conflict between Ira and Charlie because the 2 families did not stay in touch. Although, I do have a silver cup given to me at birth by Charlie's son Donald! (They thought I had been named after Donald's sister Dorothy Carroll, and perhaps, in part, I was. Dorothy was one of the first women ordained in the Methodist Episcopal Church and Mom admired her very much.) According to Mom, Donald was a judge-advocate with the Nuremberg trials.

      Emily was possibly a Christian Scientist. In 1898, Emily sent a letter to the Clarinda State Hospital superintendent, stating that the Christian Science people were going to effect a cure of her brother-in-law Herbert Carroll, who had been hospitalized for 18 years.

Emily Stackhouse Carroll, in Chicago; photo in possession of Dorothy Crooks.

     When her husband died on December 8, 1917, in Chicago, Emily continued to live with her daughter Maude, still single, who rented a house or apartment at 5417 Cottage Grove Avenue, and worked as a stenographer. On April 29, 1922, age 66, Emily died at her home on 119 E. 44th Street, where she was living with daughter Maude. Causes of death were chronic interstitial nephritis and arteriosclerosis. Emily is also buried in Oak Woods Cemetery, although not near George!  

Written by Dorothy Crooks, her great-granddaughter.