When I have a family mystery, I like to write down all the knowns, theories, stories, etc. regarding the mystery.  I then revisit and rewrite them as I work to resolve the mystery.  Sometimes I write up stories based on the theories.  This helps me see if they are plausible or not.

This article takes a look at Roger Ellis, my 4^th-great-grandfather and presents the story of my current working theory about his life and his parents.

My Theory

Although it is possible that Roger’s parents were born in Pennsylvania, my working theory (and this is a theory with a high chance of change) is that Roger’s parents originally lived in Virginia or possibly Maryland.  They then migrated to Pennsylvania, possibly to Washington County.  This may have been influenced by the Revolutionary War as people were known to move to that area during the war and Roger was born in Pennsylvania on July 29, 1782.

They could have lived in Pennsylvania and then migrated through Virginia to Kentucky as one of the migration patterns went from Pennsylvania to Loudoun County, Virginia, where Roger’s wife Susannah (Lewis) Ellis’ family lived, and then into Kentucky.  However, I do not yet have any evidence that the Ellis and Lewis families knew each other prior to their arrival in Shelby County, Kentucky.

When looking at the name Roger Ellis, one is found in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania in the 1790s.  That Roger was older and had what appeared to be several brothers or cousins that had land near him.  The names of those in that area don’t seem to match Roger’s family and no DNA matches to that Ellis family have been found to date.

In addition, Roger and his siblings appear to live in areas that were highly populated with people from Virginia.  Since people of a given region tended to migrate together or at least to the same places, this implies Virginia is a likely place of origin or that the family at least spent some time in Virginia.  It is also important to note that Kentucky was a part of Virginia prior to gaining statehood on June 1, 1792.

Kentucky

Then, prior to late November 1797 and possibly as early as 1790, the family or a portion of the family was in Kentucky.  David Allis (spelling in the Bible) purchased a Bible in Georgetown, Scott County, Kentucky on November 27, 1797.  Georgetown was originally called Lebanon and was renamed in 1790 in honor of President Washington.  The name was legally “George Town” until 1846 when it was legally changed to Georgetown.

Names In the Family Bible

Note: Various spellings of the name Ellis were used by the family.  The names are listed as recorded from the family Bible (spelling & order)

• Owner: David Allis
• Richard Elless b 15 Jan 1779
• Roger Elless    b 29 July 1782
• David Elless b 7 Jan 1780
• Ann Elless    b 23 Dec 179-
• Richard Elless b 1 Nov 179-
• James Miller Elless b 19 Dec 1798
• Elizabeth Elless b 21 July 1801
• Jeremiah Elless b June 1804
• Sarah Elless    b 25 Apr 1807
• John Elless b 10 May 1804
• Nancy Elless b 1 Jan 1800
• James Elless b 4 May 1805

James, who was born in 1805,  is Roger’s son James Lewis Elless/Ellis.  The use of the “Elless” spelling implies these births were likely added to the Bible while in Roger or his son James’ possession as most early records and some later ones use Ellis or Elles.  

Settling in Kentucky

By 1801, Roger Ellis moved west a county to Franklin County, Kentucky (tax record).

Tax records show that by the following year, Richard (likely Roger’s brother), John, and William Ellis were in Shelby County, Kentucky.  None of them appeared to own real estate, but between them they owned five horses. 

By 1803, Roger joined his family in  Shelby County, Kentucky.  The Ellis men listed in the tax records for that year were Roger, Stephen, Thomas, William, Daniel, John, and Richard.  Although Ellis wasn’t as common as Smith and some other names, it was common enough to assume that these men may not all be related.

The next year, the list of Ellis men on the tax list for Shelby County included Richard, Roger, John (2), William (2), Daniel , Joseph, and Jesse.  At this point, none of the men own real estate.  However, they own 22 horses between all the men, with Roger owning two.  Daniel, Joseph, and Jesse have African Americans also living in their household.

In 1805, Roger married Susannah Lewis, daughter of Joseph and Rebecca or Esther (Beck) Lewis, who had also settled in Kentucky.

The following year, the Ellis men on the Shelby County tax list included John (2), Thomas, Roger, William, Stephen, Jesse, Daniel, Samuel, and Joseph.  Of these men, only Jesse and Daniel owned real estate, having 210 and 200 acres, respectively on Floyd’s Fork.

Taxation and Land Ownership

Ten years later the number of Ellis families who owned real estate had grown as had the number of Ellis families taxed in general.  Each Ellis listed in the tax records, their land ownership, and a few additional details are listed below.

• Elizabeth Ellis owned 210 acres of 3rd rate land on _____ Fork.  She owned 4 horses and had 5 African Americans living in her household.
• William Ellis owned 100 acres of 2nd rate land on B. Bullskin Creek.  He owned 2 horses.
• Isaac Ellis owned 300 acres of 2nd rate land on B. Bullskin Creek.  He owned 7 horses and had 7 African Americans living in his household.
• David Ellis owned no land and only had one horse.
• William Ellis owned 50 acres of 2nd rate land on Floyd’s Fork.  He owned 4 horses and had 2 African Americans living in his household.
• Mary Ellis owned 178 acres of 2nd rate land on Floyd’s Fork.  She owned 2 horses and had 4 African Americans living in his household.
• Charles Ellis owned 255 acres of 3rd rate land on Floyd’s Fork.  He owned 8 horses and had 12 African Americans living in his household.
• Samuel Ellis owned 209 acres of 2nd rate land on Bullskin Creek.  He owned 8 horses and had 11 African Americans living in his household.
• Joseph Ellis owned 116/4 acres of 3rd rate land.  The location was not provided.  He had 6 horses.
• Thomas Ellis owned no land.  He only owned one horse.
• Stephen Ellis owned 100 acres of 2nd rate land on Six Mile Creek.  He owned 9 horses.
• Roger Ellis owned 55 acres of 3rd rate land on Six Mile Creek.  He owned 3 horses.
• William Ellis owned 192 acres of 3rd rate land on Six Mile Creek.  He owned 6 horses.
• Richard Ellis Jr. owned 150 acres of 3rd rate land on Six Mile Creek.  He owned 2 horses.
• Richard Ellis Sr. owned no land.  He owned 2 horses.
• John Ellis owned no land.  He owned 6 horses.

Roger’s Land

Roger and John Bell made an agreement for Roger to purchase the land for $1 per acre or $55.50.  However, before the land transferred to Roger, Mr. Bell died.  This complicated things and created confusion and it appears they may have attempted to sell the land.  In any case, with more legal work and an additional $1 Roger became the legal owner of the land.

Formal Descriptions

The formal description of Roger’s land mentioned above is  “lying and being in the County of Shelby on the waters of Six Mile Creek containing by survey fifty five and a half acres and bounded as follows to wit: Beginning at three beeches North west corner of Jesse Lewis land thence South East One hundred poles to two beeches and sugar tree corner to Abraham Cook thence with his line South 88 ½ West to the lick branch thence down said branch to three Sycamores at the mouth of said branch thence a straight course to two beeches and sugar tree South West corner of John Rogers land thence East with his line to the beginning.” 

It was later described as follows: parcel of land lying & being in Shelby County on the waters of Clear Creek Containing fifty five & a half acres be the same more or less bounded as follows to wit Beginning at a stone corner to Michael Cook thence with his line South 88 West 80 poles to a stone corner thence South 3 East 140 poles to a stone corner thence North 88 East 80 poles to a stone corner thence North 3 West 140 poles to the Beginning.” It was a portion of the 5,570 acres originally patented to Moses Kerkendall.

Land Ratings

The land was considered 3rd-rate.  Third-rate land was hilly, rocky, or heavily timbered; whereas, first-rate land was excellent farmland suitable for corn or tobacco and second-rate was somewhere in between. The rating of land was based on state rules for taxation.  It was related to the productivity and fertility of the land.  Each rating had a different tax rate with first-rate paying the highest rate.

The land rating did not imply a valuation of the land, instead it was simply an indicator of its agricultural value.  Land on Six Mile Creek may not have been the best for growing crops.  However, it was sought out for its water supply.  Daniel Boone’s brother owned a large amount of land on the creek at one time.

Roger’s Family

If we assume that families bought property near each other, then we can assume that Stephen, William, and Richard Jr. are likely all related to Roger.  Unfortunately, it is impossible to tell anything about the ones that didn’t own land.  However, the list is in the order that they were recorded with other families amongst them. Thus, Richard Ellis Sr. and John Ellis are likely family members.  The name David is in the family records and it is likely, although he isn’t listed with the rest of the family, that this David is a part of our Ellis family.

Stephen is a question as he isn’t listed in the family Bible.  However, it appears that this same man moved to Jefferson County, Indiana, which was adjacent to Ripley County.  There he founded the Brushy Fork Baptist Church.  An interesting tie to Roger and his wife Susannah was that Stephen’s wife Rebecca was Susannah’s sister.  Stephen had married her in 1795 in Virginia.  Since he also lived on Six Mile Creek, it seems likely that he is related to Roger in some way.

Roger is later identified as being a strong Baptist.  Thus, it is likely that Roger attended Six-Mile Creek Church, which was formed in 1799.  The first church was a log cabin, which burnt in the 1800s and was subsequently replaced with a more modern building.  The church was later renamed Christiansburg Baptist Church and still exists today and celebrated its 225 anniversary in 2024.

Indiana

Growing Family

In 1818, Roger sold his land on Six Mile Creek to William J. Johnston Jr. as he had moved his growing family to Indiana.

Roger and Susannah settled in Ripley County, Indiana, where they raised their family. 

Roger and Susannah’s children are as follows (in birth order) with most of them being born in Kentucky.

• James Lewis Ellis
• Nancy Ann Ellis
• David Ellis
• John Ellis
• William Ellis
• Mary Elizabeth Ellis
• Martha Jane Ellis
• Rebecca Ellis
• Wesley W. Ellis
• Susannah H. Ellis

Personality          

In The Peoples History of Ripley County V.01, Violet E. Toph, a local historian, describes Roger as follows:

“Mr. Roger (?) Ellis, or, as everybody called him then “Old Toddy Ellis,” a shrewd farmer of little education and less culture, but an honest, industrious, upright man, a rigid Baptist, and an unflinching Democrat.”

The one thing that is strikingly odd is that he did not come from culture as his wife Susannah apparently came from money and refinement.

Roads

In addition to farming, Roger, like many others in those early days, was a viewer of roads.  The viewers made recommendations for where roads should or should not be built.  One of those roads just happened to terminate by Roger’s farm.  Although he was not a viewer for that road, one must think that he influenced that decision as he became the road supervisor for his district, which paid him $1.

The viewers also recommended changes to existing roads in the area.  

Roger’s Death

Roger died December 3, 1859.  Susannah followed him six years later.  He and Susannah are buried in Ripley County.  Read more about  the questions surrounding Roger’s burial.

Siblings & Other Relatives

Richard 1779

Roger’s brother Richard lived in Shelby County, Kentucky where he married Lucretia Lee.  Later, he had land in Ripley County, Indiana next to Roger’s land.  Roger’s oldest son James Lewis Ellis later had a patent for the same property.  It appears that the same Richard may have also lived in nearby Switzerland County.

David Ellis

David Ellis appears to have married Martha Epperson and stayed in Shelby County, Kentucky.  His will entered probate in January 1835.

James Miller Ellis

James Miller Ellis married Mary Hill in 1818.  They lived in Switzerland County, Indiana, which is near Ripley County.

Jeremiah Ellis

Jeremiah, who was born in 1804, was likely Roger’s nephew.  (Bible entry ordering)  He was staying with Roger’s family in 1850.  In 1855, Jeremiah wrote his will stating that he lived in Ripley County, Kentucky.  He gave his current wife Luhana(?) (Hatfield) Ellis and his son John a portion of his property while selling the remaining portion.

Other People’s Theories

There are a variety of theories that researchers have regarding Roger Ellis’ parents.  The following are couples/individuals that people on ancestry.com believe are Roger’s parents.

• Theory 1: Joseph Ellis and Mary Litteral
• Theory 2: Obediah Ellis and a wife prior to his marriage to Ms. Nicholson
• Theory 3: Joseph Ellis and Mary Hughes
• Theory 4: Richard Ellis and unknown
• Theory 5: Joseph Elllis and Elizabeth Perkins
• Theory 6: Joseph Ellis and Sarah Hugg (Back to Ellis and Perkins)

The first theory is the one most widely used in trees.  However, none of these have been proven and some can be easily disproven. 

Do any of the theoretical parents match my story?

Whether any of these couples are Roger’s parents is currently unknown.  It is possible that they are a completely different couple than those listed.  I do know that Joseph Ellis and Elizabeth Perkins can be eliminated as Elizabeth was well beyond childbearing years when Roger was born. 

Additionally, we do have DNA matches to people that claim Sarah Hugg as an ancestor.  Ancestry has picked up on this and Thru-lines lists her as a possible ancestor.  However, the families do not appear to match up with Roger and the family Bible.  Also, the  initial review of these families indicates that the connection is likely through a different family line.

AI Theories

I decided to ask grok (AI) what it thought Roger’s story might be. I provided basic information and then added to it in subsequent queries.  I greatly abbreviated the answers I got for readability.

Query #1

I started by asking the AI what the story likely was for someone born in 1782 in Pennsylvania, was a Baptist, and who was in Franklin and Shelby Counties in his early twenties.

Answer

It guessed that he likely lived in a rural area of Pennsylvania and might be of Scotch-Irish or German descent. (Note: I haven’t given it a name yet.) It talked about migration that occurred from Pennsylvania to Kentucky after the Revolutionary War.  Apparently may people made that move looking for land, lower taxes, and other economic opportunities.  

With Kentucky as a new state, it was in high demand from settlers who were traveling down the Ohio River or on the Wilderness Road to reach their destination.  It was also very attractive to Baptists as the religion was widespread in the region.

The AI believed his life probably was focused on working the land, church, and family. “Overall, it’s a tale of resilence, faith-driven community building, and pursuing the American dream on the frontier.”

Afterward

Some of the information contained herein will be added to the Ellis Mystery pages and/or Roger Ellis’ biography.  The Ellis Mystery pages provide more information about the research into Roger and his family.

AI: grok.com

Featured Image: Altered design of Dark_Moon Art via pixabay.com

Prompt:  A Theory In Progress

#52ancestors52weeks