<Tr> <Th> Children </Th> <Td> Mary Beth Jackson Debbie Jackson (daughters with Bruce; mentioned on The Carol Burnett Show) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Relatives </Th> <Td> Fran Crowley (maternal aunt; deceased) Bubba Higgins (nephew) Sonja Harper (niece) (Tiffany Thelma Harper) (niece) Buzz Harper (nephew) Billy Joe Higgins (nephew) </Td> </Tr> <P> Ellen Jackson (née Mary Ellen Harper), who made sporadic appearances in the sketch comedy, The Family, and its spin - off sitcom, Mama's Family, was played by Betty White . </P> <P> Ellen was born on June 30 in Raytown and is the oldest of Carl Harper and Thelma Crowley Harper's three children . Even as a child, her snobbish tendencies asserted themselves . Typically, she prefers not to associate with anyone in her family unless it benefits her in some way . She was married to an often spoken of but never seen husband named Bruce Jackson, whom she later divorced . Her ability to do anything well irritated her resentful younger sister, Eunice, to no end . This, added to the fact that Ellen was Carl and Thelma's clear favorite, added to the explosive rivalry between the two sisters . Ellen later learned of Bruce's infidelity from Eunice, who gleefully exposed it to her face the night before Vint and Naomi's wedding . Ellen's relationship with her brother Vinton "Vint" Harper tends to be amicable, although like the rest of the family, she usually dismisses him for being a bit dim . </P>

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