Jessie T. Ellison -- help, please

[foehn]

I corresponded in the mid-80's with the daughter of the late poet, Jessie T. Ellison. Google that name and you'll get hits.

It was my intention at the time to publish in book form all of her published poetry, as she never succeeded in publishing a book, although I always felt that her work merited it. The daughter lived near Miami, Florida. I can remember few other details.

As I was working on this project, my life was interrupted by many severe personal hardships. I lost touch with Jessie's family, and practically lost touch with myself also.

I still have the poems which were faithfully mailed to me by her daughter, and now am at the point I would like to reconnect. It's a debt I owe.

During the 70's and 80's, before the Internet age, this poet was a source of inspiration and continuous encouragement for me. We often corresponded by mail, and shared our individual triumphs and frustrations. If anyone can help me, with any information or any helpful advice whatsoever, please contact me.

A bit more detailed information may be available to anyone with a serious interest in being of assistance.

Sincerely,
foehn

 

[annaswirls]

Good for you, it is not always easy to follow through on promises like this, I have made similiar promises. I wish you luck.

Do you remember the daughters name? Did you search high and low for the envelopes the poetry came in? Re-read all the letters for more clues?

I am not sure what I can do to help, but I wish you all the best,

~J

 

[DeepAsleep]

Hanging Loose Press (www.hangingloosepress.com) has her listed as one of their writers, but I can't tell you if it's the same person. I'm off to hunt for jobs, today and so cannot do more in-depth research.

However.

if you know the county where she died, many records are public domain and you can reach county offices quite easily. I was in the title insurance business for quite a while and it's amazing what you can find out with very little information and the right kind of prying.

Two good resources:

www.netronline.com - complete listing of every county assessor's office in the country. Some info is online, depending on the county. You can check their records pretty far back. It's useful if, say, your friend ever owned a home, or you just need to get at a county. The assessor will always transfer you to the department you need. Get to birth/death records, etc. Some places, like most of New England, however, are pretty... well. Bitchy, when it comes to doing things over the phone. Be prepared to possibly get access to a fax machine and also to spend a lot of time on hold, long distance. It sucks, but it's how it goes.

www.whitepages.com - Pretty complete US phone listings, also valuable if you have a good idea of city/last name.

Keep up hope, chief. Send me a PM with more details if you're comfortable and I'll see what I can do. Can't promise much, but I've hunted people down with less.

~D.A.

 

[foehn]

Thanks!

Thanks much for the ideas/offers. I'll keep plodding along on this as I'm able.

 

[flyguy69]

.... Can't promise much, but I've hunted people down with less.

~D.A.

Didn't you write poems about "a hundred bullets" and something about boobs as weapons?

I'm not sure D.A. is the guy you want hunting someone down for you, Foehn.

Now go bag a job!

 

[foehn]

hundred bullets?

Didn't you write poems about "a hundred bullets" and something about boobs as weapons?

I'm not sure D.A. is the guy you want hunting someone down for you, Foehn.

Now go bag a job!

*tries to remember* -- don't think that was me... & boobs can defin(a)itely be weapons, but I don't remember having written anything about that...

Now: To "bag a job" ... would that be the same as sacking a hag?

++++++

Jessie T. Ellison lived in Daytona Beach, Florida, in an old house with 9 foot ceilings. It was small, but adequate, and near the beach. I visited her there a few times before moving back to Texas. The county there is Volusia.

She and I corresponded regularly around 1984, '85, '86. I returned to Florida around 1987, and learned of her death due to complications from diabetes. Her father had Alzheimer's Disease, which caused her great discomfort.

I do not remember how I was able to do it, but I managed to get in touch with her daughter. I remember the mailing address as being "Miami"... Dade county, I believe. I can't remember the name, though I'm sure I'd recognize it.

I have no other preserved records. During that time also, I went through a painful separation and divorce, in addition to working 2 jobs and attending university studies, and in the insanity that followed all that, I threw away some thousand poems or so of my own. In some future year they may be fished out of some dump in Florida. It was a crazy, very painful time for me, during which I gave up on practically everything I'd previously been pursuing. And, quite possibly due to the attendant discomfort, I cannot easily remember details, which I'd now like to be able to remember.

"Hanging Loose Press" is definitely one of the many, many places she had published. I thank you for your research, interest, friendliness and so on, and may contact that press, also, to see if they think a book would be in order. Obviously, I cannot at this time give examples of her work here, but I wish I could. It is amazing.

/foehn