
Mt. Vernon Cemetery, Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views (in public domain – Wikimedia Commons)
Ellen Brodhead was “Christian” & Daniel Brodhead Jr.‘s first child. Born in Pennsylvania in 1802, she died in Philadelphia on 17 August 1881 of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 79. She was buried two days later in Mt. Vernon Cemetery. At the time of her death, she had been living at 4658 Main Street in Germantown, Philadelphia.
Ellen married Michael Stroup circa 1822; their two children that I know of are listed below. :
- Amanda Kline Stroup (b. cir. 1823) – married Christian Donat (b. 1822; d. bef. 1870) and had at least one child, a daughter named Mary (1846-1895) who went on to marry Charles D. Matlack (1843-1905). Amanda died on 1 November 1895 and was buried in St. Thomas Episcopal Church Cemetery, Whitemarsh, Montgomery Co., PA. Daughter Mary and Charles Matlack are buried there as well. (Whitemarsh is a suburb of Philadelphia.)
- Ellen Stroup (b. 1826) – married **Thomas Jefferson Woolf on 25 Sep 1845; they had one child — Margaret Ewing Woolf (b. 1847) who married a Mr. Hatch. Ellen Stroup Woolf was buried in Monument Cemetery, Philadelphia. Her husband Thomas went on to marry one of Ellen’s cousins, **Julia Brodhead Cobb (daughter of Mira Brodhead and William Cobb), on 9 March 1857. Thomas and Julia are buried in Mt. Vernon Cemetery. A son named Clifford (b. 1859), who died of pulmonary consumption at age 16, is also buried at Mt. Vernon.
Michael Stroup likely passed away prior to 1850 since, according to census records, that year Ellen was living with her daughter Amanda Donat & family in Spring Garden, Ward 3, Philadelphia. Unfortunately, Ellen’s marital status is not given.
Christian Donat | M | 28 | Pennsylvania | |
Amanda Donat | F | 26 | Pennsylvania | |
Mary Donat | F | 4 | Pennsylvania | |
Joseph Mahenacke | M | 24 | Pennsylvania | |
William La Mintzer | M | 32 | Pennsylvania | |
Ellen Stroup | F | 46 | Pennsylvania |
The 1860 and 1870 census records* show an Ellen Stroup (of the right age) living in Hoboken, Weehawken Co., NJ, and working as a housekeeper in the two households. I don’t know why Ellen would have left Phila. for a housekeeping job in Hoboken.

View looking down the Schuylkill River from Laurel Hill cemetery near Philadelphia, Pa, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views (in public domain – Wikimedia Commons)
In 1880, at age 76, she was back in Philadelphia, living on Germantown Avenue with the Joseph Budd family, according to US Census records found on Ancestry.com. At this point she is listed as a widow. Her relationship to the Budds is not given. Joseph Budd was listed as a bookkeeper and Ellen Budd as keeping house.
Self | Joseph Budd | M | 60 | Pennsylvania, United States |
Wife | Ellen Budd | F | 56 | Pennsylvania, United States |
Daughter | Julia Budd | F | 28 | Pennsylvania, United States |
Son | Charles Budd | M | 25 | Pennsylvania, United States |
Other | Ellen Stroup | F | 76 | Pennsylvania, United States |
Since 1st daughter Ellen Stroup Woolf died in 1852, this Ellen Budd could not have been Ellen Brodhead Stroup’s daughter as I have seen claimed in message boards on the topic. But Ellen Budd must have been someone important to Ellen Stroup since Ellen Budd is listed as a beneficiary in Ellen Stroup’s will* dated 20 March 1873 and proved on 6 September 1881 in Philadelphia.

Laurel Hill Cemetery, Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views (in public domain – Wikimedia Commons)
Interestingly, Ellen B. Budd and Joseph Budd are buried next to Ellen Brodhead Stroup’s sister Juliana Brodhead Mintzer and Juliana’s husband Adam in Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, which is just across the road from Mt. Vernon Cemetery, resting place for Ellen Brodhead Stroup and her niece Julia Cobb Woolf & husband Thomas J. Woolf.
So who was Ellen Budd? That’s the question. If you know or have a theory, please share!
More on other Daniel Brodhead Jr. offspring in an upcoming post.
1-Capt Daniel Brodhead Jr b. 1756, d. 2 Feb 1831, Philadelphia, PA +Christian Abel b. Poss. 1783, d. Prob. bef. 1820 |----2-Ellen Brodhead b. Cir 1802, Pennsylvania, United States, d. 17 Aug 1881, | Philadelphia, PA, bur. 19 Aug 1881, Mt. Vernon Cemetery, Philadelphia, | Philadelphia Co., PA | +Michael Stroup d. Bef 1850 | |----3-Amanda Kline Stroup b. Cir 1823, Philadelphia, PA, d. 1 Nov 1895, | | Pennsylvania, United States, bur. St. Thomas Episcopal Church | | Cemetery, Whitemarsh, Montgomery Co., PA | | +Christian Donat b. 1822, d. Bef 1870 | | |----4-Mary Donat b. 1846, Pennsylvania, United States, d. 15 Mar | | | 1895, Pennsylvania, United States, bur. St. Thomas Episcopal | | | Church Cemetery, Whitemarsh, Montgomery Co., PA | | +Charles D. Matlack b. 23 May 1843, d. 16 Feb 1905, bur. St. | | Thomas Episcopal Church Cem., Whitemarsh, Montgomery Co., PA | | |----5-Elwood Matlack b. Cir 1866 | |----3-Ellen Stroup b. 23 Feb 1826, Pennsylvania, United States, d. 27 Nov | | 1852, Philadelphia, PA, bur. Monument Cemetery, Philadelphia, PA | +Thomas Jefferson Woolf b. 28 Apr 1823, Philadelphia, PA, c. 8 Mar | 1850, St. Jude's Church, Philadelphia, PA, d. 15 Feb 1904, | Philadelphia, PA, bur. 18 Feb 1904, Mt. Vernon Cemetery, | Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., PA | |----4-Margaret Ewing Woolf b. 1847 | +Hatch
Source:
*Research done by Diana Gail Matthieson and posted on Diana, Goddess of the Hunt — for Ancestors!
**Harper-Banta Tree on Ancestry.com – shows original marriage records for the two Thomas Woolf marriages.
Ellen Stroup on Find a Grave