The Ellis family, whose name and blood lines are linked with many other pioneer families, began its migration to the Plains in the late 1880´s.
The patriarch of the clan was Charles R. Ellis, a native of Kentucky, who was living in Missouri at the time of the Civil War. He fought for the Southern cause during that conflict, serving as a captain of infantry. One family history compiled during the late 1920´s states that he owned a flour mill and tobacco factory in Warren County, Missouri. After the mill and factory were destroyed by fire, he apparently sought a new start in life and moved with his family to Texas in 1876. The Ellises, who had seven sons and two daughters, first settled near Waxahachie in Ellis County.
Later they moved to Collin County, from whence they began the trek to the Plains in about 1887. The Ellises settled near Estacado and built a large sod house which was considered quite luxurious in that time and place. Ellis farmed and raised livestock for several years. The Spikes and Ellis "History of Crosby County" credits him with planting the first Indian corn on the Plains.
After the death of his wife, Catherine Bryan Ellis, in 1893, he moved to Rockwall County, where he lived until his death in 1900. His daughters and several of his sons stayed on the Plains, however, and contributed much to the development of the region.
Source: "A History of Crosby County 1876-1977" © Crosby County Historical Commission 1978; Taylor Publishing Company, Dallas, Texas.
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Crosby County TXGenWeb Project
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