Elliott was born in Shelby, North Carolina into an illegal interracial marriage of an African-American Cherokee share cropper and the daughter of the plantation owner.

Her white colleagues were all automatically rewarded Red Cross pins that allowed them to transfer to the Corps and help with the war effort.

Elliott refused to be defeated and contributed to the war effort through nursing soldiers in Tennessee, but was never able to go overseas.

She managed prenatal, maternal and child health clinics in Detroit and ran a commissary at the Ford Motor plant during the depression to provide workers with food.

She also established a nursery in Michigan that was so successful she caught the attention of Eleanor Roosevelt who raised funds for the center.