He had hoped to become a sculptor, but found he could not support his family by that means. Her mother was Lucette Lambert (also called Louise). Both parents were born and raised in France. In about 1900, their socialist politics and pacifist beliefs led them to migrate to New York so that André would not be drafted into the French army. Ruellan was born in a brownstone building in New York's Greenwich Village on April 6, 1905. She was an only child. French was the language spoken at home and thus was her first language. In 1952, Ruellan was described as a petite brunette. When Ruellan was about 12 she was injured in a fire and shortly thereafter the family moved from Manhattan to Mineola, Long Island. A few years later, in 1920, André died in an airfield accident. Ruellan and her mother returned to Manhattan and Ruellan obtained scholarship aid to develop her skills so as to help support herself and her mother. Following the death of her father, she and her mother remained together for the rest of their lives. During the 1920s, they resided together in Paris. In 1929, Ruellan met, and three months later, married John W. Taylor. Returning to the United States, the three lived together in a farmhouse Taylor had purchased in Shady, New York. They resided there until their deaths. Ruellan and Taylor had determined to support themselves via their art and Lucette agreed to take on the management of their household so as to give them more time for their work. She also accompanied them on their travels. John Taylor was also known as Jack Taylor, John Williams Taylor, and John W. Taylor. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1897, and died in Shady, New York, in 1983. Ruellan provided income through sale of artworks and Taylor did the same while also taking temporary jobs teaching college-level art courses. Ruellan and Taylor were active participants within the artists' colony at Woodstock and she continued to produce art well into her eighties. Longevity At 95 years old Andree was quoted as saying, "If you have talent, don't neglect it. One of my great life joys was marrying an artist who was my equal. It made my life so much richer than those of most of my friends." She died July 15, 2006, at the age of 101 at an extended care facility