Ellis, J.W.

ELLIS, LAFORGUE, CAMERON

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 12/3/2007 at 17:37:45

Jackson Sentinel
December 7, 1920

Curator J. W. Ellis Assists in Locating Grave of 1812 Veteran

Jackson County has indeed been the center of many interesting historical incidents. Another has just been brought to notice.

Several years ago the French government sent a young civil engineer to Colorado to investigate a mine which the French were interested in. The young man was of a very wealthy family and could trace his ancestors back for three hundred years.

Elsie Billingsley was in Colorado, with her father, at the same time. She met the young Frenchman and they became great friends, their friendship grew in love and Elsie became Mrs. La Forgue.

Soon she and her husband went to Paris to make their home.

Mrs. La Forgue came of good families, the Castile and Camerons being her ancestors. When she learned of her husband’s pride of ancestry she determined to trace her own back as far as possible.

All were traced except her grandfather George Cameron who served in the navy during the war of 1812.

Early last spring Mrs. La Forgue wrote the State Librarian of Iowa making inquiries in regard to Geo. Cameron and his descendants. The Librarian referred the letter to the curator of the historical society of Iowa who sent it on to J. W. Ellis of this city, asking his help. Mr. Ellis, when young, lived neighbor to the Cameron family and attended school with the younger generation of Cameron’s. He hunted up many of the relatives and put Mrs. La Forgue in communication with them.

George Cameron was buried in the old ‘parsonage graveyard’ on what was then the Dr. Usher farm, now owned by Dolly Jackson Tilton.

Mr. Ellis, with the aid of old neighbors, recently located the grave of the old veteran. The Daughters of 1812 have obtained a government marker which will immediately be placed on the grave in accordance with the wishes of the great grand father who now lives in Paris, France.

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