From: The History of El Paso, IL
Ellis, John and Mary Render*--both from England, she from
Yorkshire. He was born November 6, 1816. They were in Palestine
Twp. probably before 1857 when he owned the NW 1/4 of Section
14. He was later a grain dealer in El Paso. John was a Republican
and Methodist. There were eight children born to John and Mary,
one of whom was Mary (Hitch) who as a young girl waited on Lincoln
and other 8th Circuit lawyers at the Denman House in Bowling Green
where she was employed. (*Mary was John's mother see below)
Ellis, William--born September 4, 1836 and died September
26, 1872. He was mustered in the army from El Paso on September
26, 1861 and discharged November 3, 1864. He is buried in the
Evergreen Cemetery.
From: Portrait and Biographical Album of Woodford County,
IL. Chicago 1889 Chapman Bros.
JOHN ELLIS. The farming community of El Paso Township ackowledges
a most worthy representative in the subject of this notice. Quite
well advanced in years, he is one of the oldest farmers and stock-raisers
in the county, and is now living retired from active labor, his
residence being in West El Paso, where he has a very pleasant
and comfortable home. This he has occupied for the last ten years,
and has become a familiar figure to the residents of the city.
Prior to this he lived on a fine farm of 200 acres in Palestine
Township, this county, which he improved from the raw prairie,
and upon which he settled in 1857, remaining there until taking
possession of his present home. In connection with farming he
operated a dairy, and was generally successful in his various
enterprises.
The suibject of our sketch emigrated from England when a poor
man, early in life, and settled in New Jersey, where he lived
four and one-half years. He was born in the North Riding of Yorkshire,
Nov. 6, 1816, and of pure English stock. His father, Sylvester
Ellis, made his living by honest labor, mostly at farming, and
when a young man was married to a maiden of his own shire, Miss
Mary Render. They reared their family and spent their last days
a few miles from the place of their birth. The father lived to
the advanced age of eighty-four years, and the mother died when
seventy-five years old. They were Episcopalians in religion, and
worthy, honest people, who commanded universal respect wherever
known. They were the parents of one child only, the subject of
this sketch.
John Ellis received careful home training, and remained with
his parents until his marriage. This important and interesting
event was celebrated in North Riding, in May, 1836, the bride
being Miss Mary Nettleton. Her parents, Joseph and Anna (Toole)
Nettleton, were likewise natives of Yorkshire, where they settled
after their marriage, and where they spent the remainder of their
lives, both attaining nearly three-score years. Like the Ellis
family they were Episcopalians in religion, and highly respected
in their community.
Mr. and Mrs. Ellis after their marriage continued the habits
of industry in which they had been trained, and worked together
with a mutual purpose to obtain a home and a competence. Our subject,
however, was not satisfied with the progress he was making financially,
and after he had become the father of several children, he in
the early part of 1852 came to America. After a few month's sojourn
in New Jersey he returned to England during the summer of the
same year, and brought back with him his family, landing in New
York City upon the day that Franklin Pierce was elected President
of the United States. He went to New Jersey and established himself
and his little family in Weston, in Somerset County, where they
lived four and one-half years, and then came to Illinois, as already
indicated. Settling in Woodford County, Mr. Ellis improved a piece
of wild land in Palestine Township, and after years of unremitting
toil finally found himself financially on solid ground.
To our subject and his excellent wife there was born a large
family of children, two of whom are deceased: One died in infancy,
and Thomas was taken from the household circle at the age of thirty-seven;
John, Jr., the eldest living, is President of the Peoples' Bank
at Beatrice, Neb.; Mary is the wife of Robert Hitch, a farmer
of El Paso Township; Joseph is farming in Grant Township, Gage
County, and he is also a Director in the Peoples' Bank at Beatrice;
Jane is the wife of Harry Hitch, a farmer of Hamilton County,
Neb.; Margaret, Mrs. Charles Campbell, is a resident of Witchita,
Kan.; Thomas S. occupies the old homestead in Palestine Township.
Our subject, politically, is a sound Republican, and Mrs. Ellis
is a member in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
In addition to his other interests, Mr. Ellis owned a large elevator
in West El Paso. This has a capacity of 30,000 bushels of grain;
he has recently sold it, and it is operated by another party to
whom Mr. Ellis transferred the business sometime since.
