Who Was W. P. Ellis?

William P. Ellis oli mu vanavanaisa. Kahjuks, Ta suri, kui mu vanaisa, Gilbert P. Ellis, was only two years old. Minu vanavanaema ei tea, palju William pere. The actual information Grandpa had on him was sparse, so William was the real mystery man in the family history up until 2006 või 2007.

Grandpa had a picture of William sitting on a fake moon. William was a giant of a man. Ütleksin 6'4″ kuni 6'6″. My grandfather was 6’4″ ise. Tänu digitaalajastul, I know more about my great grandfather than his own son did, but the journey was complex and illustrates the joys and challenges of the genealogical journey.

I started out knowing William died in St. Louis, Missouri juunist 22, 1917, ja juuni 21, 1918. Minu vanaisa oli kõige tõesed, direct person I have ever known. I knew his information was as correct as his memory allowed. I limited my search to this period even with memory not being 100 protsenti täpne.

The Missouri Secretary of State uploaded most Missouri death certificates from 1910 kuni 1955 to it’s website, kui ma hakkasin selle otsingu. The first few times I searched, Ma ei suutnud leida William P. Ellis. Lõpuks, I decided I would search for every death certificate from St. Louis City mõlemas aastas 1917 ja 1918 viimase nimi Ellis.

Õnneks, Ma tabanud naelapea sisse 1917. You see my great grandfather’s death certificate listed his first name as “W.P.” ja perekonnanimi “Ellis”, so I could have search William Ellis throughout the state until the cows came home and never found him. Finding William’s death certificate was like hitting the lottery.

William was born August 1, 1877, William H. Ellis and an unknown mother in the state of Kentucky. He lived at 5311A Magnolia Avenue, where died of lung disease on December 4, 1917. The death certificate listed his occupation as a clay miner. St. Louis was home to a large amount of clay mines along S. Kingshighway Boulevard and the “Dogtownist” neighborhood at the turn of the century.

These mines turned out the bricks that St. Louis on veel kuulus. William’s death certificate proved that my great grandmother only had limited knowledge of William’s background because she did not know his mother’s name or where she was from. See on väljakutse nii sugupuu ja ajalugu. Kui sa ei ütle keegi või ei salvesta see, andmed on kadunud.

William moved to St. Charles, Missouri, millalgi enne 1900 because he mustered into one of the volunteer units going to fight the Spanish-American War on July 9, 1898, St. Charles, Missouri. He served in the 6th Volunteer Missouri Regiment, Light Battery. He served for two years and mustered out on May 10, 1899.

Minu vanavanaema, Caroline Ellis, lived in St. Charles also. Nad kohtusid millalgi enne 1912, kui nad abiellusid. Mail 15, 1912, William P. Ellis abielus Caroline Leah “Lee” Johan Peter St. Charles. Nad sooviksid minu vanaisa, Gilbert P. Ellis, into the world on Tuesday, Juuni 22, 1915, mille ajal, nad elasid St. Louis City. They moved to the city to be closer to his work. Clay mines were located within a couple of blocks of their flat on Magnolia Avenue.

Kas see oli töö savi miinid, keskkonnategurid, or some other cause, William was stricken with lung problems for six months prior to his premature death on December 4, 1917. Ta oli lihtsalt 40 aastat vana.

His obituary was printed in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on December 5, 1917: Obit WM P Ellis, St. Louis Post Dispatch, 05 Detsember 1917 Ellis-Jõustunud ülejäänud teisipäeval, Detsember. 4, 1917, juures 11:20 olen Residence, 5811 Magnolia Avenue, William P. Ellis, armastatud abikaasa Lena Ellis (nee Johann Peter), Kallis isa Gilbert, meie kallis poeg, vend, ja väimees aastaselt 40 aastat, 4 kuud ja 3 päeva. Funeral reedel 2:30 pm alates Blederwieden-Dunkmann kabel, 1934 St. Louis Avenue, Uus Petlemma kalmistu. Mootor.

Juba aastaid, I thought that William’s lineage traced back through Susan Mustain through to the Plantagenet Kings of Cowardly King John and King Edward III. I recently discovered that I may have traced our lineage through the wrong William H. Ellis. Kahjuks, William Ellis is a quite common name in both Virginia and Kentucky. I don’t know if or when I will be able to verify this side of the family back past William P. Ellis and his father, William H. Ellis.

Sources: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Detsember 5, 1917, p. 17 and Missouri Death Certificate Database

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