The daughter of William and Ellen Head Hagan, Ada was born on March 29, 1877 — Holy Thursday — and was baptized soon after in St. Agnes Church, Uniontown, Ky. The Hagans were pioneers from Maryland who first settled in Nelson County before coming to Union County. Ada was a prayerful girl and carried on church work in St. Agnes parish. She accepted God’s invitation to serve Him more closely in religious life and entered the novitiate at Mount Saint Joseph on December 8, 1913. She received the Ursuline habit on May 5, 1914 and the name Sister Mary Ellen.
Sister Mary Ellen taught at St. Paul School in Louisville; St. William, Knottsville, Ky.; St. Augustine, Jeffersonville, Ind.; St. Elizabeth, Curdsville, Ky., and St. Mary Magdelene, Sorgho, Ky. Loss of hearing forced her to retire from classroom teaching in 1927. She came back to the Motherhouse and devoted her time almost exclusively to the cultivation of bees. Through native talent, extensive research, deep interest and hard work, Sister Mary Ellen built up a credible apiary of about 40 colonies. She obtained pedigreed bees from expert apiarists in the southern and western areas of the United States. She knew the queen bees by sight, name, and pedigree. She seldom spoke, but was happily dedicated to her work of providing abundant honey for the dining pleasure of the Sisters and Academy students. During the winter months when the bees were dormant, Sister Mary Ellen specialized in weaving beautiful rag rugs. Dr. J. J. Walsh, professor at Fordham University, while visiting the Mount, greatly admired the rug in the school office. The superior sent him one of Sister Mary Ellen’s creations as a Christmas gift. In return, Professor Walsh sent a set of his autographed books to the Mount Saint Joseph library, as a mark of appreciation for his treasured rag rug.
Although in frail health for years, Sister Mary Ellen was seldom off duty. She became seriously ill while assisting at Mass on Holy Thursday, March 25, 1937, and was later diagnosed as having a brain tumor with kidney dysfunction. She entered eternal life on April 16. Three days later, Father Andrew Zoeller, chaplain, celebrated the funeral Mass. Sister Mary Ellen’s remains rest in the convent cemetery.