Mariella (sometimes spelled "Mary Ella") Wood was born in 1886 in Marshall, Texas to parents Martha and Samuel E. Wood. She was the eldest of 6 children: Joseph Glen, Ruby Ackert, Samuel Eldred, John Robert, and Mattie Callaway. In December 1900, Mariella became ill with what was thought to be "a cold and some congestion". She died suddenly on December 10th at the age of 14, most likely from diphtheria. Tragically, the Wood family also lost 4-year-old John Robert just a week later from the same illness "after a painful and difficult operation had been performed as a last resort". I can only imagine how Mr. and Mrs. Wood felt during all of this.
There is also a second name on the back of the photo: Naida Adams. I'm unsure why this woman's name is on the back of this photo or her relationship with the family, but I do know she was living in Marshall, Texas around the same time. She was born in 1898 and would have been 2 at the time of Mariella's death. Naida's story is just as tragic. In 1921, the same year she married her husband, Ernest McClaren, she died in childbirth. It's possible she was a friend of the Wood family and the photo was given to her as a gift.
If you know who this may be, let us know in the comments!
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