the family of charles david ellis and mary haggard of roane county, tennessee
Charles Ellis and Mary Haggard of Roane County, Tennessee 
from the research of Dawnelle Giles Loiselle 
 
 
The family of Charles David ELLIS and Mary HAGGARD
(with my usual genealogy disclaimers & copyright caveats [see the home page] )
all narrative and layout © 2005-2008 dawnelle giles loiselle
last updated: 11.30.2008



Husband: Charles David ELLIS

           Born: 12 Dec 1853 - Roane Co, TN

           Died: 3 Sep 1886 - Seba, Benton Co, AR

           Buried:  - Centerton Cemetery, Benton Co, AR         Father: William Monroe "Monroe" ELLIS (1818-1902)
         Mother: Lucy BOWLING- (1824-1911)

Note: Charlie was shot and killed by Dr. Robert O. Chambers. Despite Ellis family lore to the contrary, Dr. Chambers lived at least until 1924, many, many years after Charlie's death.  Chambers did have a brother, also a doctor, who died of natural causes not long after Charlie was killed. This fact, coupled with some legal terminology in a trial document about Chambers' body being before the court, evidently gave rise to the story of Charlies' killer's earlier demise.

        Married Mary HAGGARD on 24 Jul 1871 - Roane Co, TN  

Charles "Charlie" Ellis:

1. He appeared on the Post Oak Springs, District 13 census on 14 Aug 1860 in Roane Co, TN. Older brother William O. and William's new wife Euracha (married within the preceding year) are also living with Charlie, his parents, Monroe and Lucy ELLIS, and quite a few of their children:

Household 1747/1614
line 30 - RODGERS, John, 58, Laborer
Betsey, 49
William M., 25, male, Laborer, $150 personal property, real property box is blank, b NC (as are all in household), marked as having attended school within the year (faint tick precedes this in preceding box - more as if the attendance fact is being checked than to indicate marriage within the year as the preceding column is meant to indicate. The same goes for John D., following - school within the year evident and faint check as if to confirm.)
John D. [?], 20, m, Laborer
Mark A., 15, Laborer
Samh [?], female, 6

lines 37 ff
ELLIS, Wm. M., 48, male, Farmer, $5500 personal property, real property box is blank, b NC (as Lucy, Wm O, and Euraky are all reported to be here)
Lucy, 33, female, over 21 but cannot read or write
Wm. O., 18, male, married within the year
Euraky W., 21, female (this is Wm. O's wife, Euracha DELOZIER), married within the year

The family appears on the same census page (Original page 13) as Francis M. and Parthena ELLIS. Francis is Monroe's nephew, son of his brother Cale.

John ELLIS, Monroe and Lucy's son, is on the page following Wm Monroe and Lucy, so the household listing continues there (original p 231, line 1 ff):

ELLIS, John, 17, Farming, b TN (as are the rest in the household)
Phillip, 15, farming, attended school within the year
Hannah C, 12, attended school within the year
Sarah E, 11, attended school within the year
Benjamin, 8, attended school within the year
**Chas [or "Charl" ] [ Charles David Ellis], 6, m**
Thomas, 4, m
Frank, 2, m
Susanah, 4/12, f

On this second page, near the ELLIS family is a DELOZIER family - James and Mary, likely related to Euarcha who is a DELOZIER.

Note about birth locations reported in this census: good evidence suggests that Monroe, Lucy, and all their children were born in Roane County, TN.  Monroe's father, Francis ELLIS, was, however, born in NC.

2. Following the Civil War, Charlie appeared on the District 11, Bernardsville Twp census in 1870 in Roane Co, TN - still with his parents:
1870 census
Family 90:
William M Ellis, head, age 52, farmer, b TN
Lucy, age 46, b TN,
**Charles [Charles David Ellis*] 19**
Thomas A 15
Francis (m) 13
Susan 10
Jefferson 8
James 6
Sam 5/12
all b TN.
3. After a time in Arkansas, Charlie and his wife Mary HAGGARD appeared on the District 11 census in 1880 in Roane Co, TN: **Charles ELLIS   Self   M   Male   W   26   TN   Farmer   TN   TN  **
Mary ELLIS Wife M Female W 22 TN Keeping House TN TN [Mary HAGGARD, dau of Robert Gilliland HAGGARD and Mary McPHERSON]
Mollie ELLIS   Dau   S   Female   W   7   TN      TN   TN
Susie ELLIS   Dau   S   Female   W   6   TN      TN   TN
Frank ELLIS   Son   S   Male   W   5   AR      TN   TN
  • Laura ELLIS   Dau   S   Female   W   3   AR      TN   TN
  • Gillum ELLIS   Son   S   Male   W   8M   TN      TN   TN
  • Charlie and Mary are close neighbors to Charlie's parents, Monroe and Lucy Ellis, who are the household enumerated just before them for this census. A portion of the land the Roane County, Tennessee ELLIS family owned can be seen | here |.

  •     Wife: 
    Mary HAGGARD
     
    Married 1st Charles David ELLIS: 24 Jul 1871 - Roane Co, TN
               Born: 16 Jan 1853 - Roane Co, TN

               Died: 1909 - Roane Co, TN

               Buried: 1909 - Winton's Chapel Cemetery, Roane Co, TN (She is buried beside her son Gillie Ellis and Claude Allen Keylon, her daughter from her second marriage to James Harvey KEYLON.
    (see Roane County, Tennessee cemetery photo album listings | here |.

    Note (updated 30 Nov 2008; birth year changed from erroroneous 1853 to 1856): Mary's birth year is usually recorded as 1856, which is likely correct because she is listed as being five years old for the 1860 census, and the 1900 census gives her a birthdate of Jan 1856. 1856 is found on her tombstone, and her 1909 obituary says that she was "about 53 years old" when she died, giving her a birth year of about 1856. According to the published obituary, she had a long-standing history of heart trouble that contributed to her inability to recover from what the newspaper called "a stroke of paralysis." She died two weeks after suffering the stroke.

             Father: Robert Gilliland HAGGARD-(1815-1898)

             Mother: Mary "Polly" McPHERSON (1816-1891)


    Mary (Haggard) Ellis:

    1. appeared on the Cross Keys census in 1860 in Roane Co, TN.
    Family 1571
    Robert G. Haggard 44
    Mary 44
    Gray 16
    Perthina 13
    Lorinda 11
    John 8
    **Mary 5 **
    William R. 1


    2. Mary appeared with Charlie on the District 11 census in 1880 in Roane Co, TN. She is 22 years old when the 1880 census is conducted. She and Charlie have five children. They are living near Charlie's parents, Monroe and Lucy Ellis south of the Tennessee River. After visiting Monroe Ellis' land in 2005, I speculate that Charlie and Mary were living on his parents' land - maybe even living with his parents.

    Charles ELLIS   Self   M   Male   W   26   TN   Farmer   TN   TN
    **Mary ELLIS   Wife   M   Female   W   22   TN   Keeping House   TN   TN  **
    Mollie ELLIS   Dau   S   Female   W   7   TN      TN   TN
    Susie ELLIS   Dau   S   Female   W   6   TN      TN   TN
    Frank ELLIS   Son   S   Male   W   5   AR      TN   TN
    Laura ELLIS   Dau   S   Female   W   3   AR      TN   TN
    William G. "Gillum or Gilly" ELLIS   Son   S   Male   W   8M   TN      TN   TN
    Mary's age here would give her a birth year of abt 1857, close to that found on the 1860 census.

    3. Her obituary was published in The Rockwood Times on 22 Jul 1909 in Rockwood, Roane Co, TN:  "Death of Mrs. Keylon"


    The children of Charlie and Mary ELLIS:

    1  M  Hobbs ELLIS. Hobbs was born after his father's death (verified source). Family oral tradition is that Billie Hobbs Webster, Zerelda Ellis's son and Hobbs Giles, Cora Ellis's son, are named after him)

    The following photo is of Billy Hobbs WEBSTER - named for Hobbs ELLIS, his uncle:

    From ELLIS


               Died: 1915 - Cincinnati, Hamilton Co, OH
     
    2 M  Smith ELLIS (unverified!)Some researchers list Smith, and some list a son named Crowder ELLIS.. To date, I have not located any documentation for a son of Mary and Charles David ELLIS by either name - Smith or Crowder.
    Their daughter Cora did, however, have an infant son named Smith who died. I can't figure a basis for any son named Crowder at the moment, however.


    3  M  Mollie ELLIS

             Born: 25 Sep 1872 - TN

             Died: 18 Feb 1954

             Buried:  - Spring City Cemetery, Spring City, Rhea Co, TN

             Spouse: Isaac Anderson "Ike" GRESHAM- (1868-1948)

             Marr: 4 Apr 1891 - Roane Co, TN  

    4  M  Susie "Sudie" ELLIS

               AKA: Sudie, Sadie ELLIS           Born: 23 Dec 1873 - TN

               Died: 10 May 1927

               Buried:  - Winton's Chapel Cemetery, Roane Co, TN

               Spouse: Edward "Ed" HILL

               Marr: 23 Feb 1895 - Roane Co, TN
    Note: Sudie likely died of a stroke or from complications of Bright's Disease.



    5  M  Frank ELLIS Sr.-

               Born: 28 Oct 1875 [revised information 23 Jul 2006]- Arkansas           Died: 26 Feb 1918 - Roane Co, TN           Spouse: Susan "Susie" BROWN

               Marr: 9 Mar 1899 - Roane Co, TN
    NOTE: Frank's gravemarker gives his birthdate as 28 October 1875,and sworn court testimony in 1886 says that he will be turning eleven in October of that year. Frank died in the influenza epidemic of 1918. He was likely named for Charlie's brother Frank (who in turn was probably named for his grandfather, Francis Ellis [b abt 1763, d 1839, married Sally Breedlove]), but Charlie's Frank may well have also been named for the outlaw Frank JAMES, brother of Jesse JAMES. Likely, Charlie was one of the people who romanticized the JAMES brothers, as did many people in those days. Charlie's daughter, Zee, below, is known to have been named for JAMES family members.


    6  M  Laura ELLIS

               Born: Abt 1877 - Arkansas

               Spouse: Stanley TREW- (Abt 1889- unk)

    7  M  William G. "Gillum" or "Gilly" ELLIS

               Born: 1879

               Died: 1888

               Buried:  - Winton's Chapel Cemetery, Roane Co, TN
    Note: Gilly's gravemarker reads:

    William G. Ellis
    Son Of
    C.D. & Mary Haggard Ellis
    1879 --- 1888

    I strongly suspect that the "G" is for GILLILAND, his maternal grandfather's middle name. The nickname he went by - "Gilly" - certainly would support that supposition. (That he went by Gilly is supported by primary documentation.)




    8.   M  * Cora Pickens ELLIS

               Born: 29 Jan 1881 - Rockwood Landing, Roane Co, TN

               Died: 23 Mar 1961 - Harriman, Roane Co, TN

               Buried: 26 Mar 1961 - Harriman Cemetery, Harriman, Roane Co, TN

               Spouse: William Jacob Morgan "W.M." GILES- (1870-1953)

               Marr: 22 May 1898 - Roane Co, TN
    Note: "Pickens" was Cora's given middle name. Her spouse was William Morgan Giles and not William Houston Giles, as is widely found. William Houston Giles was her son.

    .............
    [This next son was inadvertently omitted in the first version of this record (sorry!):]
    9.   Charles D ELLIS [aka Charles Drayton ELLIS]

               Born: 21 Nov 1882 - (Rockwood Landing?), Roane Co, TN

               Died: 26 Jul 1944 - Custer County, MT


               Spouse: Etta Cleo MORRISON,b 16 Dec 1885 in Texas, d 1977 in San Diego, CA.

               Marr: abt 27 Oct 1905, Gainesville, Cooke Co, TX
    Note: I assumed that Charles D ELLIS was Charles David ELLIS, Jr until recently when one of his descendants told me she had data that indicated that his middle name was Drayton, not David. He and Etta in turn had a child who is found on the census as Charles D ELLIS , but their son has only initials on his birth certificate: C D ELLIS. . I'll just add here that in my family lines it is not unusual to have sons or daughters with different middle names - just as it is also not unusual for members to have given their children three given names. It is also a common family practice to "go by" one's middle name.

    ..........
    10  F  Zerelda "Zee" Mimms ELLIS

               Born: 25 Oct 1884 - Rockwood, Roane Co, TN

               Died: 12 Dec 1963 - Chattanooga, Hamilton Co, TN

               Buried: 15 Dec 1963 - Forest Hills Cemetery, Chattanooga, Hamilton Co, TN

               Spouse: Samuel David WEBSTER (divorced)

    Note: Zerelda was named for Jesse James' wife Zerelda MIMMS who had been named for his mother Zerelda, who was her aunt. Jesse James' parents were Robert Sallee JAMES and Zerelda COLE. On April 23, 1874 in Kansas City, MO, he married his first cousin Zerelda Amanda Mimms. One circulating ELLIS family story has it that Zee was most likely named for the women because the JAMES family members owned a farm near the ELLIS farm in Roane County; and Jesse - whose father was a minister - and his family were well regarded in the area. [see also my note on Zee's brother Frank above.]

    FURTHER NOTES:
    *Mary's 2d spouse: James Harvey KEYLON (1844-1925)
    Married 10 Jan 1889 - Roane Co, TN.
    Children of Mary and James Harvey KEYLON:  Virgil Peter KEYLON (1889-1959) and Claude Allen KEYLON (1894-1927)(see photo and link below):

    From ELLIS

    James Harvey KEYLON and his first wife Sarah Ann JOHNSON had nine children. Sarah died in 1887


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    original page (2006) revised 11.30.2008
    all narrative, photos, and layout © 2005-2008 dawnelle giles loiselle