William E. Ellis (1840-1919)

ELLIS

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 9/24/2022 at 00:09:31

William M. Ellis
(October 21, 1840 – October 27, 1919)

William Ellis, who is engaged in general farming on section 8, Sherman Township, was born in Upper Canada, October 21, 1840, and is of Irish lineage, exemplifying . in his life many of the sterling haracteristics of the sons of Erin. His father, John Ellis, was a native of Ireland, born in 1809. After arriving at years of maturity he was married, about 1832, to Ann Morrison, whose birth occurred in Ireland in 1809. Crossing the Atlantic to America in the year of their marriage, they settled upon a farm in Upper Canada, and there the father made his home until his death, which occurred in 1877, while his wife survived him two years. In their family were seven children: Thomas, who is yet living in Canada; Ann Jane, the wife of Samuel Curry, of that country; William, of this review; John, Thompson, Arthur and Henry, all of whom are farmers of Canada. On the old farm homestead William Ellis, of this review, was born and reared. He remained with his parents until 1865, and then abandoned the plow, securing work in a sawmill, where he remained for a year. On the expiration of that period he returned to farm work, which he followed for three years in Canada, and in 1870 he arrived in Calhoun County, where for three years he devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits. He then sold his property and went to Grand Haven, Michigan, working in a warehouse for two years, after which he returned to Canada, continuing in the Dominion until 1880, when once more he took up his abode in Michigan, settling this time in Bay City. For a year he was employed on the dock there, and in 1881 he again came to Calhoun County, and, with the capital he had acquired through his own labors, purchased the farm upon which he now resides. He owns eighty acres and in addition he rents three hundred and twenty acres. He is extensively engaged in the raising of cattle and Poland China hogs and is gradually improving his herd of cattle by the introduction of the Hereford strain.
On the 27th of August, 1866, Mr. Ellis was united in marriage to Elizabeth Smith, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Armstrong) Smith. Her father was born in Ireland, in 18 17, and died in North Dakota, January 21, 1894, while his wife, who was born on the Emerald Isle in 1816, passed away in Calhoun County, Iowa, on the 28th of January, 1896. They were the parents of five children, of whom Mrs. Ellis is the eldest. She had two brothers, who were named John and Jay. but both are deceased. Thomas W. Smith is a resident of Joliet, Montana, where he is engaged in general merchandising. George F., the youngest, was killed while at work in the Klondike by a snow-slide. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Ellis has been blessed with twelve children: Thompson, who was born October 27, 1867, and died on the 17th of November, 1880; Annie, who was born December 1, 1870; John H., who was born January 8,
1872, and is now a resident of Sherman Township ; Arthur V., who was born in 1874 and is in this county; George F., who was
born February 15, 1876, and died November 21, 1880; Jane, who was born July 6, 1878, and died November 13, 1880; Thomas W., who was born April 30, 1881, and is living in this county; Emma M., who was born August 31, 1884, and is the wife of Francis Clipperton, of this county; Edith, who was born January 23, 1887; Morrison S., born January 13, 1889; Mary Agnes, born August 23, 1891 ; and Margaret L., born May 16, 1893. Mr. Ellis is a large-hearted, broad-minded man, devoted to the interests of his family. To his children he has given a good education and such aid as would enable them to start out in life for themselves in a comfortable manner. In politics he is a Republican, and in religious faith is a consistent Methodist, his life being in harmony with his professions. A successful farmer, he owes his prosperity not to influential friends, but to his own energy and determination, and his life shows
conclusively that success may be won through honorable efforts. [Source – Biographical Record of Calhoun County, Iowa, by S. J. Clarke, 1902, p.351]