“On the great clock of life, the time for health is now.” (Dr. Anna Ellison)
Born on December 26, 1888, to Albert and Elizabeth Etzrodt, Anna Etzrodt was raised and educated in Scranton. Following her early schooling, Anna worked as a dressmaker. She then furthered her education and was a 1917 graduate of the Dr. Reed Burns Private Hospital Training School for Nurses.
In 1919, Etzrodt matriculated into The Palmer School of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. While at The Palmer School she met recently widowed fellow student Jay W. Ellison of Bay City Michigan. The two dated briefly and were wed in May 1920.
Following the marriage, Anna left school for almost three years. During that time, a son, Edward, was born to the couple. After a hiatus of almost three years, Anna Etzrodt Ellison returned to The Palmer School and graduated in 1923.
Following her graduation the Ellisons returned to Scranton, but Jay Ellison’s stay was short-lived. By 1924, Anna Ellison filed for divorce on grounds of desertion as Jay Ellison had returned to Michigan. The divorce never came to fruition and the couple remained estranged for the remainder of their lives.
Anna Ellison operated a chiropractic office in the Coal Exchange Building on Wyoming Avenue in Scranton until 1940. She then purchased a home at 603 Jefferson Avenue. In 1943, the house became Ellison Chiropractic Hospital. Ellison advertised regularly that her hospital offered a restful environment with one of the finest and most completely equipped offices employing a staff of nurses and trained technicians.
She felt her chiropractic method could correct health problems in all parts of the body. Ellison also practiced plasmatic therapy which involved inducing heat into blood circulation to treat illnesses. In 1942, Ellison’s estranged husband died due to colon cancer. Shortly after his death Ellison began treating of ailments of the colon.
Anna Ellison held membership in the American Bureau of Chiropractic, Pennsylvania Chiropractic Society, Anthracite Chiropractic Association of Pennsylvania, and International Plasmatic Therapy Association. Her establishment on Jefferson Avenue hosted guests in the chiropractic field who visited Scranton for conferences held at the Hotel Jermyn. Likewise, Ellison attended chiropractic and plasmatic therapy conferences both nationally and internationally.
During her career, Ellison received numerous accolades for her chiropractic and alternative methods of healing. But her greatest honor came from the son she raised single-handed. In 1943, while serving with the United States Air Force, Private Edward Ellison was interviewed and stated, “I want to become a chiropractor like my mother when the war ends.” In 1947, Edward Ellison graduated as a physician from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathy.
Anna Ellison died at the age of 61 of kidney disease on August 24, 1950. She was laid to rest in Section 23 of the Dunmore Cemetery. Shortly after her death, the 20-room house that was the Ellison Chiropractic Hospital was purchased by the Jewish Federation. The house was eventually razed and is currently the site of Scranton’s Jewish Community Center.