Sacramento County
Biographies
WILLIAM HENRY ELLIS
WILLIAM HENRY ELLIS, of Brighton
Township, was born in Kentucky,
August 10, 1824, son of William and Rachel (McCaull)
Ellis, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of
Tennessee. They were
married in Kentucky, and in 1826 moved to Eugene,
Vermillion County, Indiana,
where the mother died, in 1828. The great-grandfather of the subject of
this sketch was James Ellis, who had as brother John
and William; his grandfather John had as brothers James and William; and his
father as brothers John and James; and the subject himself had John and James
as brothers; and these were all the male descendants in the line
mentioned. When William H., our subject, was six years old the family
moved to Parke County, Indiana, across the Wabash; and when he was eight years
of age he was bound out to William Brockway, who lived in the northern part of
Parke County, and was to give young Ellis nine months’ schooling, a good suit
of clothes and a good horse, saddle and bridle,--a
common condition in those days in the matter of indenture of orphan
children. The boy remained with him until twenty-two years old, a rarity;
and Mr. Brockway gave him two years’ schooling, the horse, saddle and bridle
and two or three suits of clothes. Mr. Ellis followed the river several
years, making nine trips to New Orleans
in eight years. On the second trip he made $100 net, by steering the
boat. From 1852 to 1854 he ran canal boats. The first locomotive
after the first railroad built into Terre Haute, was brought down by the canal,
and Mr. Ellis took it from Lafayette to Terre Haute, and rode on it during the
first trip it made from the latter. The railroad was then completed to a
point only five miles east of the place. It was the first railroad ride
Mr. Ellis ever had. He also boated coal from
Coal Creek to Lafayette and did
carpenter and joiner work, which he learned from Mr. Brockway. He
inherited a mechanical genius and also made wagons and cabinet furniture.
About 1848 he was taken sick and lost about $5,000 in gold, and the end of five
years he was $10 in debt. He next lived in Ottumwa,
Iowa, two years, and then Oskaloosa, that State, until 1853. A man named Joseph Batton intending to come to California,
with his family, wanted three men to come with him, and Mr. Ellis joined
him. May 8th they started, and came by way of Salt Lake, the
Humboldt, Carson Canon, and reached the summit of Grizzly Flat, and there Mr.
Ellis remained until Mr. Batton went down to Toulumne River. He made shingles, while another man
took charge of the stock. Next he went to mining six miles above Diamond
Spring and followed that employment three years, within ten miles from the
place he commenced; sticking to the old place proved his wisdom. He had
good success in the winter time, making $2,000 to $3,000 every winter and
sinking it in the river during the summer. At one time they were $4,000
in debt. They tore up their flume and carried it down the river a mile
and got about $80. They collected gold at the rate of only fifty to
seventy-five cents a day; but they obtained $4,080 one day, and Mr. Ellis at
once went to Placerville and
secured the coin, and returned and paid off his debts, and then they had $8
apiece. After accumulating $200 or $300 he came into Sacramento
Valley and entered 160 acres of
land, put in a crop and began improving the place. When he came there it
was a wild place. There was no house within a mile, and there was not 200
acres of land fenced within four miles. Mr. Ellis worked at carpentering a
great deal and at repairing wagons, etc., at which he made $5 to $12 a
day. On the night of July 7, 1880, he went to Sacramento
with a load of hay, returning home about eight o’clock in the evening.
Just as he opened the bars a tramp stepped out of a place of concealment, the
horses became frightened and ran away, dragging the wagon over Mr. Ellis and
knocking him senseless. His wife was not at home, and he lay there all
night. Although it was four days before he became fully sensible, the
next morning he arose, went into the house and told the parties there to go to
work. He suffered no pain for a month, but he has not seen a well day
since. His splendid constitution enabled him to recover so far as he has,
although the doctors thought he would die. He received no injury below
his shoulders. He possesses remarkable good judgement,
as his career shows. His memory is good and he relates many interesting
anecdotes. July 8, 1858, he married Miss Nancy Elizabeth Pressley, a
native of Tennessee, and reared in Missouri.
Her father died when she was an infant, and she also lost her mother when she
was bound out with her brother to a man named Neal in Missouri.
She lived with him until she was nearly twenty years of age. In 1857 she
came with some friends overland to California.
They lived with Mr. Bell until October 27, 1858, when they moved to the present
place, where they have ever since resided. When Mr. Ellis’ first child
was an infant his wife was taken sick, and she has been an invalid ever
since. They have five children: Urania
Ann, born April 12, 1859, now the wife of George Casey, and living in
Sacramento; Sarah Louisa, born November 29, 1860, now the wife of Arthur B.
Casey, and living in Brighton Township; James Franklin, born October 14, 1862;
John Grant, born February 20, 1865; and William Sherman, born February 7,
1867. Urania Ann has four children,
namely: William George, Effie Amber, Bertha and Frank; and Louisa also
has four; Amanda Elizabeth, Jesse Sylvester, Vina May
and Nora.
Transcribed
by Karen Pratt.
Davis, Hon. Win. J., An
Illustrated History of Sacramento County,
California. Pages 549-550. Lewis Publishing
Company. 1890.
© 2006 Karen Pratt.