Ellen Agnes Head was born on April 25, 1871 at St. Louis, Missouri. She was baptized on May 16, 1871 at St. Lawrence O'Toole Catholic Church, St. Louis, Missouri, by Reverend A. R. Mulholland the sponsors were Edward Fitzgerald and Bridget Kenny. St. Lawrence O'Toole Catholic Church was founded in 1855 by Father James Henry as a mission of St. Patrick's Church. It was replaced by a later structure across the street at the southwest corner of 14th and O'Fallon Streets in 1865. It was sold by the Archdiocese in 1948 and was used as a truck repair garage.

     Ellen Agnes Head was enumerated with Michael Head on the 1880 U.S. Census at St. Louis, Missouri, she was identified as a nine-year-old white female born in Missouri and was attending school.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, in 1872 at 1620 rear Cass Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, in 1874 at 1714 rear Cass Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, in 1875 at 1805 Division Street, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, in 1877 at 1305 North 18th Street, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, in 1878 at 1417 North 18th Street, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, in 1879 at 1321 North 17th Street, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, in 1880 at 1436 North 19th Street, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, in September, 1880 at 1318 North 20th Street, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, in 1882 at 2210 Division Street, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, in 1884 at 2108 Division Street, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, in 1885 at 2129 Division Street, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, in 1886 at 1912 North 13th Street, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, in 1887 at 1915 North 10th Street, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, in 1888 at 2406 North 9th Street, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, in 1894 at 1408 Madison, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, in 1895 at 1519 Benton Street, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head lived with her parents, Margaret and Michael, from 1897 to 1898 at 1306 Montgomery Street, St. Louis. She lived with George W. Hardesty from 1900 to 1901 at 2832 North 21st Street, St. Louis, Missouri.

     Ellen Agnes Head married William Edward Madel, son of William Henri Mädel and Margaret Reilly, in 1905 at St. Louis, Missouri. Ellen and William Edward Madel lived from 1907 to 1910 at 6319 Audry, St. Louis, Missouri. Residing with them were their children Thomas and Roy. Their nephew Ellen Agnes Head also was living with them.

     Ellen Agnes Head was enumerated with William Edward Madel, as "Ellen Madel", on the 1910 U.S. Census at Wellston, St. Louis County, Missouri, she was listed as a married 34-year-old white female born in Missouri, both her parents were born in Ireland. She had been married five years and had two chldren both still living at home.

     Ellen and William Edward Madel lived in 1917 at 1571 Valle Avenue, Wellston, St. Louis County, Missouri. Residing with them were their children Roy, Marie and Thomas.

     Ellen and William Edward Madel lived between 1918 and 1920 at 1415 Cockrell Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri. Residing with them were their children Marie and Thomas; Cockrell Avenue originally crossed Ella Avenue however it no longer exists in 1999.

     Ellen Agnes Head was enumerated with William Edward Madel, as "Ellen Madel", on the 1920 U.S. Census at St. Louis, Missouri, she was listed as a married 44-year-old white female born in Missouri.

     Ellen and William Edward Madel lived from 1922 to 1925 at 6114 Ella Avenue, Wellston, St. Louis County, Missouri. Residing with them were their children Thomas and Marie.

     Ellen and William Edward Madel lived in 1935 at 6116 Ella Avenue, Wellston, St. Louis County, Missouri. Residing with them were their children Marie and Thomas.

     Ellen Agnes Head approved for purchase of food stamps after the death of her husband on December 16, 1940 at St. Louis, Missouri. She died on March 24, 1953 at 501 West Adams Avenue, Kirkwood, St. Louis County, Missouri, at age 81 the cause of death was chronic myocardites (2 years), malnutirition (6 months), senility (10 years), hyptensive cardio-vascular disease - mild stroke. Her funeral service was held on March 28, 1953 at St. Peter's Catholic Church, Kirkwood, St. Louis County, Missouri, from Bopp Chapel, 131 W. Argonne Dr., Kirkwood, Missouri at 8:45 a.m the service was performed by Father Alphonse E. Westhoff. She was buried on March 28, 1953 at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery, Affton, St. Louis County, Missouri, in section 20B, lot 74, grave 1-2 of Our Lady of Fatima Garden. Funeral director was Louis H. Bopp, Inc. 131 W. Argonne Drive, Kirkwood, Missouri.

     The family had very little money, in the winter her refrigerator was a peach crate attached to a window on the flat on Ella Avenue. In the summer they only occasionally had enough money for a 25-pound block of ice, the rest of the time they just bought what they could consume for the day. They cooked on an old wood-burning stove so Nell rarely baked anything. They lived in what was called a cold-water flat (no hot water!). They heated the flat in the winter with a single coal-burning stove. Her grandson, Tom, obtained coal for her by tricking the guard dog at a nearby coal yard. He would throw a small rock over the fence, the dog would go fetch a lump of coal and bring it to the fence (it couldn't really find the small rock). Tom would then throw another rock and take the coal while the dog went after the next rock.

One of her favorite treats on Sunday was pastry from a small bakery near the house on Hodiamont Ave.

Not long after her husband died she became prematurely senile.

The house at 6116 Ella Avenue was across the street from a junk yard and a Seventh Day Adventist Church and up a large hill about two blocks from Wellston High School. One trolley ran on Hodiamont Ave. and another on Cockrell Ave.

The area was very poor even when the Madels lived there in the mid-1920s and is even worse in 1999.

The Madels lived on the first floor and for a while two of Nell's sisters lived on the second floor.

Speh Monument Company erected a Vermont granite marker at her grave site.