Ella H. Scharring-Hausen

Ella H. Scharring-Hausen (Ella Harris February 28, 1894 - June 5, 1984) born in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, USA, was an American poet, author and historian. She was considered the founding mother of Library Week in 1921. Ella is most notably known as the oldest author of the .
Life
Ella H. Scharring-Hausen (Ella Harris) was born to Daniel Harris and Sarah McCutcheon. Her father was one of the original oilers of Titusville, Pennsylvania. Her mother taught Sunday School. She grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania until her family moved to New Jersey to continue farming. She was a school teacher in the early 1920s and taught Sunday School in Princeton, New Jersey. She married Robert Louis Scharring-Hausen in Hopewell, New Jersey.
Ella and Robert Louis Scharring-Hausen were philanthropists who founded the Hopewell Public Library and Hopewell Museum in Hopewell, New Jersey during 1921-1922. The Hopewell Museum remains to this day. The Sarah D. Stout collection of antiques are housed at the Museum. Ella was an active member of the round-a-bouts an historical group of individuals who sought to preserve history of the town of Hopewell.
On June 6, 1922, at the age of 28, Ella H. Scharring-Hausen wrote a poem, titled "Footprints" also known as Footprints in the Sand. She often shared her poem and writings with other members in the community. Ella Scharring-Hausen's community endeavors included forming Library Week during May 21-30, 1921. Ella Scharring-Hausen's husband, Robert Louis Scharring-Hausen, was the founding father of Library Week in 1921. They each shared an interest in nature, farming, education, writing, publishing and philanthropy.
The Scharring-Hausen's were both historians, friends and neighbors to Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Norman Schwarzkopf and the Guttenberg's, all of Hopewell, New Jersey. The Scharring-Hausen's often entertained quest from Princeton University which included Albert Einstein, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and Linus Carl Pauling, all Nobel hopefuls.
Ella was the great aunt of American poet Carolyn Joyce Carty. Ella recognized the extraordinary abilities of her niece Carolyn Joyce Carty who could read and write well at an unusually young age. Ella encouraged Carolyn to write the Footprints poetry anthology which is a compilation of Ella's Sunday School lessons in 1963.
Ella had no children of her own. In 1975 Ella moved from New Jersey, to Whidbey Island, Washington where she remained until her death in 1984, at the age of 90 years old. Ella donated funds to Rutgers University, the alma mater of her late husband Robert Louis Scharring-Hausen, for scholarships in journalism due to her love of writing.
Ella H. Scharring-Hausen declared her non-popular version to be public domain property in 1968 according to the copyright laws which governed her text from 1909. Ella H. Scharring-Hausen never lived to see the success of her Footprints poem published in books, calendars and cards. Others have tried to claim Ella H. Scharring-Hausen's authorship, yet none can compare with her original version of text.

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