Lige Ellison Freighted Material Which Built Much of Crosbyton
Lige Ellison hauled much of the lumber with which the original city of Crosbyton was built. He started freighting for C-B Livestock Company in the early fall of 1908.
"We stayed on the road all of the time," reminisces Ellison. "Any time we got to Plainview and there wasn't a shipment in, we just put up at the hotel. But there was usually something waiting for us.
Ellison says he and fellow workers freighted sand here from just below the Caprock to make concrete blocks for old bank and other buildings. It took eight horses to pull the loads up the Caprock but only two to pull them once on top.
"The railway stopped our freighting." muses the early settler. "We all gave a dollar an acre on our land (to finance the railroad) to stop the only job I had."
Elijah Ellison was born in a log cabin at Speedwell, Tenn., December 26, 1886, son of B.W. and Mary Ellison. In 1889, the family moved to Middleburg, Ky., for 18 months, then to Harrogate, Tenn., seven years. After spending more time at Cumberland Gap, Tenn., the Ellisons moved to Seymour, Texas, in 1897.
In 1907, young Lige first came to Crosby county, where his father had bought land, with Harley Coffee. They brought lumber from Plainview to build a 12x18 half dugout in which they spent the winter.
Ellison returned to Baylor county for the harvest there, then returned for the harvest in Crosby.
"I expect we turned over half a section in Crosby county," says Ellison. "We just turned the sod over, rolled it over flat, then knife-planted it to get the seed in. We made the most kaffir corn I've ever seen."
On December 20, 1911, Ellison married Eva Gertrude Edwards, daughter of "Uncle" Ben Edwards. Since Lige had just lost his freighting job and suffered a crop failure, his bride drove to town daily for a $10 a month clerking job in her father's general store.
Mrs. Ellison died in 1942. Their son, Glenn Kermit Ellison, resides in Canon City, Colorado.
Ellison is the only active charter member of the First Baptist Church here. Formed in 1909, the church first enrolled nine members and five of these were Ellisons. Since then, Lige has been church clerk 12 years, brotherhood member, Glad Hand class secretary and taught Sunday School Class.
Asked about other salient factors in his life, Ellison recalls that he received a $125 buggy for the first year he worked after he was 21; and that he first voted in the Hank Smith Rock House.
He married Maggie Fulkerson in 1945. Mr. and Mrs. Ellison now reside here where he looks after farming and rental interests.
The Crosbyton Review, Thursday, October 4, 1962
Elija "Lige" Ellison, 92, died at his home in Crosbyton on Tuesday evening, April 24. The details of his death and funeral arrangements were not available at press time. Services are pending at Adams Funeral Home.
He was born Dec. 26, 1886 in Taswell, Tenn. He had retired from farming in 1944 and had been a resident of Crosbyton since 1907.
Justice of the Peace Clyde Davis, pronounced him dead about 8:15 p.m.
©Crosbyton Review, April 26, 1979
Lige Ellison
Funeral services for long time Crosbyton resident, Lige Ellison, 92, were held at 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 26, in the First Baptist Church of Crosbyton.Officiating was the Rev. Bobby Rine, pastor, Rev. Johnnie Williams, pastor of First United Methodist Church and Loyd Hall, minister of the Church of Christ.
Burial was in Crosbyton Cemetery under the direction of Adams Funeral Home.
Ellison was pronounced dead at 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday at his home following a lengthy illness. Death was due to natural causes.
A native of Speedwell, Tenn., he had lived in the Crosbyton area since 1907. He was a retired farmer and a charter member of the First Baptist Church of Crosbyton. He married Maggie Fulkerson in Crosbyton on Aug. 25, 1945.
Survivors include his wife; two step daughters, Opal Baulch of El Paso and Mary Jean Dick of Tucson, Ariz.; four sisters, Mrs. John Harvey and Mrs. Mode Reed both of Crosbyton, Belle McDermitt of Midland and Viola Gray of Hereford; a granddaughter; three great-grandchildren; two step grandchildren; and four step great-grandchildren.
©Crosbyton Review, June 3, 1979
Record provided by Crosby County Pioneer Memorial Museum
transcribed by Linda Fox Hughes
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