Biography
Ella Maria Ballou was born in 1852 in Wallingford, Vermont, to her parents Eliakim Ballou, who was a farmer, and Atherlinda Howe Ballou. She attended Wallingford high school, and directly after graduating became a school teacher, teaching in both Wallingford and Manchester schools. After a few years of teaching, she decided to leave the profession due to the fact that she was paid less than her male peers.
In order to advance in her career, Ella learned shorthand, and became the secretary to her relative, Attorney Joel C. Baker, with whom she lived in Rutland from around 1880 to at least 1900. By 1885, she had gained recognition for her skills in recording court cases, and was appointed by W.G. Veazey to be the official stenographer of the Rutland County court. Due to her success in the position, she was later also appointed to be the stenographer in Addison County. Ella Ballou was the first woman to serve as an official court stenographer in Vermont, and may have been the first to serve in this position in the entire United States.
After Joel Baker died in 1904, Ella Ballou went to live with her brother, Henry in Rutland. Ella retired in 1920 after almost fifty years of service in the courts. She died in Wallingford in 1937 after a period of declining health, and was buried in Green Hill cemetery in Wallingford. She was never married, never had any children, and at the time of her death her closest remaining relatives were her cousins. It was noted in her obituary that she was an active member of the Episcopal Church and the Daughters of the American Revolution.Occupation
Educator
Secretary
Court Stenographer