The Ellis Families of Harrison County, Iowa

SAMUEL ELLIS, a highly respected citizen of Little Sioux Township, came to Harrison County with the vanguard of civilization in 1854, and hence very naturally finds a place in this connection. He was born in Brown County, Ohio, and is the son of John and Hannah (Martin) Ellis, natives of Ohio and Kentucky, respectively. The father’s father was Hezekiah Ellis, and the mother’s parents were Elijah andBebecca Boggs, of Virginia. Our subject is of a family of thirteen children — Elijah, living at Omaha; Samuel; Ephraim J., Hiram, and Sylvanus, deceased; Alexander, living at Missouri Valley; Silas, deceased; John H., Andrew M., Clark, and Eliza Cooper, living at Little Sioux; Hannah (Mrs.Bonney), deceased; and Luella, (Mrs. Murray.)

Mr. Ellispassed his early years in Brown County, Ohio, the date of his birth being June 3, 1826. He was educated at the district schools of his native county, passing his youthful days on his father’s farm and in the mill. Later on he leased the mill of his father and operated it a while, the same being sold to other parties in 1854. His father died in June, 1849, during the Asiatic cholera epidemic.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

HIRAM ELLIS, deceased, was a na-

Sj) five of Brown County, Ohio, but became a resident of Harrison County in March, 1871. The date of his birth was April 6, 1829. His parents were John and Hannah (Martin) Ellis, natives of Ohio. Hiram’s early life was spent in the Buckeye State, and there he received a common school education. He worked on his father’s farm until he became of age, and in 1854 emigrated from Brown County, Ohio, to near Hennepin, Putnam County, Ill., where he farmer until he came to Harrison County, and rented a farm of Dave Garnet, in Little Sioux Township. The following year he purchased a farm on section 2, Township eighty-one, and now owns one hundred and seventy-five acres of land, one hundred acres of which are under the plow and all surrounded by a good fence.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

Mr. Ellis is a native of the Buckeye State, and was born October 12, 1833, in Brown County, Ohio. He is a son of John and Hannah (Martin) Ellis. His mother was born in Kentucky, and removed to Ohio, when quite young. The father was born in Ohio, and died in 1849. The mother died in May, 1891. They reared a family of ten sons and three daughters, of whom our subject was the seventh child, and of tins number eight are living — one brother in Omaha and the remainder in this county. One sister is the wife of James Cooper, of Little Sioux Township and the older sister is Mrs. M. Murray, of Little Sioux. The father was a farmer by occupation, and as a matter of family record, it should here be recorded that the father was buried in Brown County, Ohio, and that the mother was eighty-six years, six months and twenty days of age at the time of her death, and was buried in Soldier Valley Cemetery, while the father was forty-nine years of age at the time of his death.

Our subject’s education was received in the common schools of Ohio. In 1851, one of his brothers came to Pottawattamie County, low7 a, and two years later was followed by another. Our subject came to Harrison County, and August 18, 1862, in the dark days of the Rebellion, when the sisterhood of States was in jeopardy, our subject enlisted in Company C, Twenty-ninth Iowa Infantry. Was mustered out August 10, 1865, and discharged fifteen days later at Davenport, Iowa. He was in the Southwestern Division, and later in the Gulf Division, of the Union Army. He took part in the battles of Spanish Fort, Ft. Blakely, and Saline River. After the close of the war, he returned to Iowa, followed farming and worked at the carpenter’s trade.

He was married May 20, 1858, to Lois A. Pratt, at Magnolia, Iowa. She was a native of Vermont, and came to this county with her brother in the autumn of 1856. Her brother still resides in Little Sioux Township. Her sister was married to S. J. Smith, (now deceased). They came to the County in 1854. Our subject and his wife are the parents of four children — Flora, born August 21, 1859; Elmer M., March 18, 1862, and died February 18, 1864; Mortie S., born September 28, 1866, and Arthur, August 7, 1875.

Politically, Mr. Ellis is an all the year around Republican. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Belden Post, No. 59, at Missouri Valley, while he and his estimable wife are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and bear the respect of the community in which they live.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

ANDREW M. ELLIS, a successful farmer of sections 17 and 18, of Little Sioux Township, is the per son forming the subject of this sketch.

He is a native of Ohio, being born July 12, 1839. He is a son of John and Hannah (Martin) Ellis, natives of the Buckeye State. His grandfather Ellis was named Hezekiah, and was of Welsh extraction. On the mother's side, the father was named Elijah Martin, and his wife's maiden name was Boggs, and this branch of the family was of Scotch-Irish descent. Our subject was the ninth in a family of thirteen children, eight of whom still survive, all living in this county but one.

Mr. Ellis’ early education was obtained in Ohio and Iowa, at the common schools. He came to Harrison County in 1855 and began farming, which pursuit he has followed ever since. The first land he owned was forty acres on section 30, but his present farm comprises one hundred and twenty acres, seventy acres of which are under cultivation, and the balance in timber and pasture land.

Our subject was united in marriage in Little Sioux, February 22, 1866, to Miss Alice L. Bonney, born April 10, 1844, be ing the daughter of Benjamin and Betsy (Jinks) Bonney, natives of Pennsylvania, who originally came from NewHampshire. Mr. and Mrs. Ellis are the parents of four children — Alice May, now Mrs. Scott; Frank L., in Council Bluffs; Susan L. and Dora E., at home.

Mr. Ellis enlisted as a member of Company II, Fifteenth Iowa Infantry, November 28, 1861, as a private, and was as signed to the Army of the West. He was at the battle of Shiloh, and was with his regiment until the evacuation of Corinth, and on account of sickness, was discharged August 10, 1862, at Bolivar, Tenn.

Politically, our subject gives forth no uncertain opinion, but has always voted for and supported the Republican party. He was a member of the Board of Supervisors in 1868, and has always taken much interest in the welfare of Harrison County, and has watched its growth almost from its earliest history. When he came to the county, the nearest mill was on Pigeon Creek, near Crescent City, and the nearest postoffice and trading point was Council Bluffs. He has endured the pioneer hardships, in common with the remainder of the vanguard to civilization, detailed accounts of which appear throughout this volume.

if'OHN SCHULTZ (deceased), came to Harrison County in 1855, and the date of his demise was April 26, 1888, in the sixty-fourth year of his age. He was born in Germany, March 22, 1824, and when but a young man, bid farewell to the scenes of his Fatherland, and sailed for America in 1852. After three years of wandering, he settled in Harrison County, Iowa, where he remained until the date of his death. He first engaged in business at the old village of Calhoun, which he followed for several years, and also followed farming at the same time. In 1869 he removed to Missouri Valley, where he continued in the mercantile business as well as farming in connection. He was an honored member of the Masonic fraternity.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

MARION ELLIS, who has been a resident of Harrison County since March, 1875, is now a resident of section 34, Union Township. When he came to the county he rented a farm in Harrison Grove, of Benjamin Pugh. The following year he moved to a farm near Neola, Pottawattamie County, where he remained one year and then moved back to Union Township, renting a farm of Mr. Whittinger for three years. From there he moved to the ‘forty’ on which he now lives, renting it one year before he purchased it. The place had a small log house upon it, but otherwise was well improved. The price paid per acre, was $20. After a few years he purchased eighty acres, to the east of this, for which he paid $15 per acre. This he broke up, built a story and a half house 16x24 feet, dug one well for use at the house and another for stock purposes, provided the place with numerous outbuildings, set out an orchard of one hundred trees, besides a large amount of shade trees.

Our subject was born December 28, 1851, in Davis County Mo., and is a son of Phillip and Mary Ann Ellis, natives of

Virginia, who reared a family of five children, our subject being the youngest. The family were born in the following order: John N., Nancy E., Owen, one who died in infancy, and Marion.

Mr. Ellis was married November 25, 1869, to Nancy (Deem) Elhs, daughter of Jefferson and Rebecca Deem, who were the parents of nine children.

Our subject and his wife are the parents of eleven children; J., born September 22, 1870; Cora M., January 21, 1872, Rebecca A., June 20, 1874, Eddie S., February 20, 1876, Orvil, June 24,

1878, Marion J., February 24, 1880,

Mary S., December 19, 1882, Lovinia M., June 5, 1883; Grover C., February 18, 1885; Christopher, December '19, 1887; Lillie L., April 27, 18S8.

Of these the following are deceased: Grover C. and Lillie L.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.