Dr. Mabel E. Elliott

06/24/2026

An article about my work in the Near East -

Florida doctor Mabel E. Elliott embarked on a remarkable humanitarian odyssey across war-torn Greece, Turkey and Armenia starting in 1919.

06/13/2026

On this day in 1968, a soul slipped the earth. Dr. Mabel E. Elliott had walked it for 87 years, using her powers to heal forgotten orphans and sick children across the Near and Far East.
Was it a coincidence that she left in a place named the Good Samaritan Hospital? There are no such things as coincidences; they are just pieces of the puzzle we must assemble to see the truth.
She had been in a nursing home that once stood across the street from Good Samaritan, so her last journey counted yards, not miles.
Her ashes were scattered, her atoms melding and becoming new life.
It is astonishing how one woman's actions affected the lives of thousands of people as she went about her life of healing. She saw her duty to humanity and fulfilled it. A fearless heart that served.

05/26/2026

My father Joseph ran this hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida. We moved to West Palm Beach in 1894, right at the beginning of the town. I went in 1897 to live with my sister in Albany , NY so I could attend high school. West Palm Beach had none! My sister Grace and I then attended medical school in Chicago.

03/19/2026

My biographer Ginger Pedersen was a guest on this week's episode of the "Land of Laura" podcast from Sandra Hume. Together with Sallie Ketcham, they discussed the discovery of Rose Wilder Lane's collaboration with me on the 1924 book "Beginning Again at Ararat," republished under its intended title of "Children of Ararat." Listen in to hear how this fascinating discovery was made.

02/13/2026

On Friday, February 13, 1920, a blizzard hit the French troops and Armenian refugees who left Marash after weeks of battle with Turkish soldiers, who had killed thousands of Armenians in the city. They were in search of Islahiyé, a town with a rail connection to Adana.
Dr. Elliott wrote:
"We got off to bed and up at 5:30 and started out to find a frightful blizzard holding forth. Hell will have no terror for me after that day. It started out a tragedy and it ended a hell. The snow was so thick one could see only but with difficulty and then only a couple of yards."
They could not find the town. Just when they were ready to give up hope, this:
"What was that? My God, a train whistle and Islahiyé. A train whistle under ordinary circumstances would be exciting enough for I hadn’t heard one in four months, but a train whistle when you are beginning to think that you were stranded in the snow was a miracle."
She had guided her Armenian staff and her American nurses to safety, along with helping as many Armenian refugees as she could along the way. Her bravery and self-sacrifice in Marash has forever placed her among those who service to humanity will never be forgotten.

The photo, taken by Stanley Kerr, shows the Armenians fleeing Marash. Many would freeze to death on the 75 mile march.

Dr. Elliott's biography, her memoir and her original siege diary from Marash are available at: https://www.palmango.com/books/

02/08/2026

I was born on this day in 1881 in Tottenham, England. I began my long journey that would take me across continents, countries, and cultures. I was the tenth child born to my family, four more would follow. I came to Florida at age 2.

My journey was sometimes perilous, but I lived my life exactly as I wanted. I wouldn't change a thing.

01/11/2026

Me in 1954 at the age of 73. I was still practicing medicine, serving as the physician in residence at Penney Farms, a retirement community. I’m seated to the right. #

12/15/2025

Well what a surprise! My great nephew, Jim Elliott Neil, came to the Christmas market in West Palm Beach, Florida, at our church, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. He was standing in front of of the booth staring at my photo on the easel. "That’s my aunt!" He knew nothing of my biography, Unbreakable Healer! He is the grandson of my youngest sister, Berthe Elliott Neil.