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Elisha F. Ellison
Born August 26, 1851 |
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During the fifteen years of his residence in Greenfield township, Jones county, agricultural pursuits have claimed the time and attention of Elisha F. Ellison, and during this period he has worked earnestly and diligently, his labors finding well merited reward in the gratifying prosperity which he now enjoys. In the winter of 1909-10, he removed to Martelle, where be is now living retired. Born in Linn county, Iowa, on the 26th of August, 1851, he is the son of John and Rachel R. (Curtis) Ellison, the former a native of Belfast, Ireland, and the latter of Ohio. The mother went to Linn county, Iowa, in 1848, where she became the wife of Mr. Ellison. In their family were eleven children, five sons and six daughters, as follows: James, who passed away in 1876; Elisha F., of this review; Charles H., now deceased; Joseph S., a resident of Martelle; Hulda, the deceased wife of Joseph Kohl; Minta, the wife of Frank Boxwell. Nancy, who married Jasper Woods and resides in Linn county; Clara, the wife of Frank Myers, of Linn county; John, Jr., making his home in Linn county; Bertie, who wedded George Joslin; and Linnie, the wife of John Moore. The surviving members have all grown to years of maturity and have reared families of their own.
Amid the scenes and environments of rural life Elisha F. Ellison was reared to manhood, the period of his boyhood and youth being spent in the usual manner of country lads of that time. As a pupil in the district schools he acquired a good education and when not busy with his text-books assisted his father in the work of the home farm, early becoming familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil, while in the broader school of experience he learned practical lessons concerning the value of industry, energy and perseverance. The period of his minority was spent on the home farm, but upon attaining his majority he entered the business world on his own account, choosing as his life work the occupation to which he had been reared. In 1874 he came to Greenfield township, locating on a farm of eighty acres in section 19. His early training under the direction of his father had well equipped him for successfully carrying on agricultural pursuits on his own account, and as the years passed and he prospered he was able to add to his original purchase, until his property holdings today consist of one hundred and sixty acres of the richest soil to be found in Greenfield township. The farm is under a high state of cultivation and everything about the place indicates a life of industry and thrift upon the part of the owner. He practices rotation of crops, makes a close study of the cereals best adapted to soil and climate and is meeting with most gratifying success in the conduct of his business affairs.
It was in 1875 that Mr. Ellison was united in marriage to Miss Alwilda Hunter, whose father was killed in the Civil war, no trace of him having ever been found. Unto this union were born three sons and three daughters, namely: George Henry, born July 27, 1876; William John, whose birth occurred on the 7th of March, 1878; Walter F., born January 1, 1880; Cora May, the wife of Perry Lemmer, of North Dakota; Myrtle Elma, born March 3, 1884, who married William Brock and makes her home in Martelle; and Anna Maude, the wife of Harry Porter, residing in North Dakota. There are twelve grandchildren in the family. On the 24th of March, 1889, Mr. Ellison was called upon to mourn the death of his wife, and on the 2d of February, 1898, was again married, his second union being with Mrs. Sarah (Streach) Lemmer Paul, who by a former marriage became the mother of two children, P. J. Lemmer and Albert Lee Paul, the latter residing in North Dakota. She was born in Nova Scotia in 1855 and in 1862 came with her parents to Iowa, the family home being established in the central part of the state. Her parents, William and Ann (Cruikshank) Streach, are now both deceased, the mother passing away when the daughter was eleven years of age, and the father's death occurring in 1897. She is a member of the church of Christ at Martelle, the teachings of which form the guiding influence of her life. Mr. Ellison gives his political allegiance to the democracy, doing all in his power to extend the influence of that party in the community. He was president of the Laurel Hill independent school district for about twenty years and is well known in business circles as the president of Laurel Hill Telephone Company.
Mr. Ellison is known as an enterprising and progressive farmer and the methods which he has followed are such as insure success. His labors are well directed by sound judgment and realizing the fact that zeal and energy constitute the basis of success he has pursued his work diligently year after year and is now one of the substantial agriculturists of Greenfield township.
Source: History of Jones County, Iowa, Past and Present, R. M. Corbitt, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, 1910, p. 357. |
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© Copyright 1997-2013, The Art Department, © Copyright 2014-2020, Richard Harrison.
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