THOMAS ELY
Thomas Ely, was born in Lincolnshire, England, on the 16th of April, 1851. He is the son of Benjamin and Ruth (Atkinson) Ely, and when four years of age he moved to America, and located in Wisconsin, and there grew to manhood. He remained at home until 1871, when he came to Cass county, Iowa, and settled in Noble township. In 1873 he purchased forty acres of good land on section 28, and one year later he purchased eighty acres of the adjoining land. He now has his farm nicely cultivated, and has built a commodious house. Mr. Ely was married on the 15th of September, 1878, to Grace V. Christopher, who was born July 2, 1853, in La Salle county, Illinois. Her father, J. M. Christopher was a native of North Carolina, and her mother, E. J. Christopher, a native of Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Ely have had three children--Lizzie M., Cook A., and Beulah.
Contributed by Lisa Varnes-Rex from "History of Cass County, Iowa. Together With Sketches of its Towns, Villages and Townships, Educational, Civil, Military and Political History: Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Old Settlers and Representative Citizens." Springfield, Ill.: Continental Historical Company, 1884, pg. 664.
