Elizabeth "Jennie"
(Murdock) Ehrlich
(1848-1930)
Elizabeth Jane "Jennie" (Murdock) Ehrlich was born on April 14, 1848 (or 1850) in Kingwood, Preston County, WV, the daughter of John S. and Rebecca (Miner) Murdock.
When Jennie was age
six, her mother died.
Then, at age 17, in 1865, she moved to Ironton, Lawrence County, OH, where she
resided with her brother Thomas. Many of
her siblings also moved to Ironton.
On Sept. 30, 1886, Jennie married Fred W. Ehrlich (1855-1945), who was seven years younger than she. Fred was a native of Germany, having been born in Wahlershausen, and emigrated to the United States in 1870, when he was age 15.
They had one son, Phillip H. Ehrlich.
The Ironton Evening Tribune said that as a girl in Ironton, Jennie attended:
... Kingsbury school, with Mrs. H.C. Buhr as teacher, and in the same year, 1865, she united with the Spencer M.E. church to remain a faithful, devout member until attendance was curtailed by failing health three months ago. During her long term of membership at church she was always in her place at service, ever a willing worker for the congregation and always a devout Christian, wife and mother…. Mrs. Ehrlich loved home and church above everything else and her aim in life seemed to be to make things more pleasant for beloved members of her family, friends and neighbors. She was a beloved, devout mother and wife and her death will be felt keenly…
The Evening Tribune added that her marriage "was a happy and ideal one, abounding in that admirable companionship and devotion that follows righteous living and high ideals."
Fred was the proprietor of a "notion store" in Ironton when the federal census was taken in 1900. That year, Jennie's married sister Mary Peters lived next door.
Later in life,
the Ehrlichs resided at 1908 South
Sixth Street in Ironton. The town's 5 & 10 store, on Center Street from
Third Street, is seen here circa 1923.
She suffered from cancer of the intestines, stomach and liver, and died at age 80 on Dec. 11, 1930. She was buried at Woodland Cemetery in Ironton.
Fred outlived his wife by 15 years. He had heart disease, and died from its effect on April 27, 1945, at the age of 89. He was laid to rest beside his wife.
The fate of son Philip is unknown. He resided with his widowed father circa 1945.
Copyright © 2001, 2005, 2008 Mark A. Miner