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Jefferson Ely

Jefferson Ely

1836-1896

Jefferson Ely HeadstoneSometimes in life, outside events shape the outcome of our lives.

Jefferson Ely was born December 1, 1836, to Whitson Ely (1/6/1800-5/8/1871) and Eliza Wall, in Yardleyville (later shortened to Yardley), Pennsylvania, and came from a long line of Elys in Bucks County going back to 1684 when his great-great-great-grandfather moved to Solebury from England and was granted 400 acres (1). His father Whitson, had seven siblings, multiple aunts and uncles, and cousins too numerous to count (2). Many of them remained in the areas of Yardley, Lower Makefield, and Solebury townships in Pennsylvania, as well as Mercer and Hunterdon Counties in New Jersey (3). 

His mother, Eliza, was born on 10/15/1807 (died 1/10/1838) in Solebury Township and is listed in Quaker records from the period (4). Although she only lived for thirty-two years, she had five children with Whitson. Jefferson was the youngest, and three years after she passed, Whitson took another bride named Eliza (1/19/1803-2/27/1875), and had one more son, a half-brother to Jefferson, named Allen Holcombe Ely, born in 1844. Both women also came from a long line of descendants from Bucks County, some with familiar names you might recognize, including Wall, Holcombe, Briggs, Smith, and a lot of other Elys.

In fact, Whitson’s second wife was also an Ely by birth, but was a distant cousin several years older than the first Mrs. Whitson Ely. (5) It must have been very difficult for young Jefferson to lose his mother before the age of three, especially with another three older siblings: Mary Jane (aged just ten when her mother passed), Julie Ann (age eight), and a brothe,r Watson (just one year older than Jefferson at the time). Unfortunately, another sister born in 1832 did not survive more than a few months. Based on norms for the time, it’s easy to see why Whitson needed to marry again-he needed help with four children aged ten and under! (6)

I fear both Jefferson and his brother Watson may have been shuffled back and forth between various relatives, as in the 1850 census, Jefferson is listed as living with Amos Ely and his wife Rachel (ages 23 and 26, respectively), while Watson lived next door with Alfred Ely and his wife Rebecca (7). Amos and Alfred lived next door to their father, Amos and his wife, with their other children. Both older sisters were married by the 1850 census. Mary Jane (8) was married and had her first child by the age of sixteen, while Julie Ann (9) was married and living in Newtown; she was just eighteen at the time she married. It’s possible Jefferson felt abandoned or didn’t know who or where to turn to for guidance. It’s likely his early life experiences impacted his later decisions.

It’s also possible the brothers were sent off to learn a trade, given they were fifteen (Watson) and thirteen (Jefferson). In fact, Watson lived with a family of blacksmiths at the time, and in future censuses, he’s still listed as such. Jefferson was listed in various censuses as being a farmer, laborer, or blacksmith, so it’s possible he never truly found his niche either, turning towards other pursuits. 

Regardless, the lack of a strong mother, both sisters out of the house and married, and a father focused on a new bride, put a strain on Jefferson during his formative years, no doubt. Perhaps this explains why he seemed to find himself in trouble with the law on multiple occasions. There are several newspaper articles through the period from 1858 through 1884 that report his petty crimes. They included theft, larceny, and arson (10, 11, 12,). 

However, he may have found some redemption and stability when he grew fond of his future bride, Sarah Ann Riley, born 12/30/1838 (13), sometime on or around 1857. Both were originally from Solebury, so it’s certain they were previously acquainted, although there are no clear records to verify where or when they met. We know that she lived with her parents, William and Christianna (Falkin) Riley in both 1850 and 1860. In the later census, she was listed as age 21, along with another five siblings-the youngest named Thomas, yet in every census where Jefferson is listed after marrying Sarah on 9/8/1863, there is a Thomas Ely listed, born in 1858 (five years before Jefferson and Sarah married) .There are a few possibilities:

  • Thomas WAS actually Sarah’s sibling, and he merely came with her when she married Jefferson for some reason unknown. He IS listed with the last name Riley in 1860 and age two.
  • Thomas was born out of wedlock and for whatever reason, they did not marry at the time, which frankly would have been quite scandalous! In the 1870 census, he is listed with the last name of Ely and is twelve years old. It was common practice at the time that if an unmarried woman, through death or desertion, remarried, the children took on the husband’s last name without any type of formal adoption or paperwork being filed.
  • Based on timing, Jefferson was arrested in 1858, per an article in the Trenton Times. The article notes that he and an accomplice were already under indictment for domestic terrorism and destruction of property for driving a “colored woman” and her children from the home, then tearing the home down. New charges stemmed from a series of barn fires in Yardleyville (later Yardley). Perhaps Jefferson was in prison or under arrest with a shady past and that impacted their marriage plans? Knowing Jefferson actually escaped jail in 1859 but was very quickly caught again, maybe Sarah and his baby Thomas were on his mind, and he wanted to see them?
  • Perhaps they DID marry sometime during this five-year period, but kept it secret for some reason. Jefferson was in and out of jail, having been arrested again in 1862. We could not find any records to support this, and it would have meant perjuring herself on the census records and Jefferson’s pension application to list herself as single and with the last name Riley, so that doesn’t seem likely.
  • To save face, Sarah’s parents may have passed off her baby, Thomas, as their son, also not uncommon at the time, given the stigma for unwed mothers, especially of good Quaker families!

Given that Sarah and Jefferson did finally marry on 9/8/1863 and proceeded to have five more children, it’s most likely that Thomas was indeed the child of both of them both. And, it appears once marriage “took” with Jefferson, he seemed to settle down a bit-or at least until he was drafted (14, 15) into the Union Army, and reported for duty on 8/23/64, just about six months after the birth of their second son William (3/4/1864) (16). It is highly likely that Sarah knew she was pregnant (at least three months) when they married, but there must have been love between the two of them! Perhaps Sarah was exactly the calming, caring influence Jefferson needed to truly become a responsible man. 

With a little luck, Jefferson served for less than one year and was honorably discharged on June 29, 1865, almost three months after the war was officially over (April 9, 1865). However, as a result of the conditions during his service, he was often out in the damp and cold, and those adverse conditions caught up with him, leaving him with rheumatism that affected his shoulder and arms. As of the 1880 census, the last data available until 1900, he was still employed as a laborer, but likely suffered a great deal due to his poor health (17).

It seems Jefferson and Sarah were still able to live a relatively quiet life while continuing to grow their family, adding four daughters, Ella Jane in 1867, Lydia in 1871, Elizabeth Emma (known as Emma) in 1873, and Mercy in 1875. And Jefferson seems to have stayed out of trouble with the law for the most part until he was arrested again in 1884 for felonious entry, larceny, and receiving stolen goods. Per a news article, September 11, 1884 (18), he and an accomplice pled guilty, but we haven’t yet found any documentation as to what sentence they might have received. We can guess he must have spent some time behind bars again.

Why, after the responsibilities of family, the horrors of war, and the stability that home and family must have provided, would he return to crime?

Is it possible he simply could no longer work but was desperate to provide for his family? Was he easily coerced by other criminals who engaged him in behavior he might not otherwise have? 

Per Jefferson’s pension application in 1890 (the first year Civil War Veterans were allowed to apply), he listed an inability to work any longer due to rheumatism and disability “from chills and fever” from his service, and had no other means of income. His pension was denied, most likely due to a memo from the Department of War that stated he had “no evidence of disability” at the time of his discharge (19). That must have been a further blow to the family, and with limited mobility and age catching up to him, life must have been hard on them all. 

What likely kept them afloat was Sarah’s ability to do some type of domestic labor for others, as well as the likelihood that most of their children were no longer living at home, based on their relative ages in 1890. Unfortunately, most of the census records of 1890 were destroyed, so we may never know. In another 1880 census, their daughter, age thirteen (20), is listed as a “servant” for the Susan Cook household in Yardleyville, PA, so it’s quite possible all of the children were put out to work to keep the parent’s household solvent. 

We do know, based on an article published June 16, 1892, that Jefferson appears to have been at least a small part of attempting to save a man’s life. (21) To summarize the story, two men got into a violent argument, and one stabbed the other. The injured man sought out help from the local doctor around 2:40 a.m., but wasn’t found until a few hours later, when Jefferson was walking by and helped the injured man until he stated he was cold. Jefferson left him in a doorway to go get a coat, and when he returned, the man was already dead. Perhaps age, life experience, and love finally gave Jefferson some peace of mind in his final years.

Jefferson Ely died on March 18, 1896 (22), at the age of sixty, although curiously, his pension paperwork lists his age as fifty-six at the time of death. We don’t have an official birth certificate, but the Quaker Meeting Records from the time show Jefferson’s birth date, as well as those of his four siblings. We also know that he listed his age as twenty-three at the time of the draft, again an age making him younger than his actual age of twenty-seven by four years. It’s possible he didn’t truly know how old he was, or that he misrepresented his age for some reason-perhaps an attempt to escape his past misdeeds.

The cause of death was listed as a result of the rheumatism first contracted during his service, in the revised and resubmitted pension application filed by Sarah in May of 1896, seeking a widow’s pension. This time, the claim was approved, likely with the help of her brother Joseph T. Riley’s affidavit, as well as several other prominent citizens. Sarah’s brother also served in the Civil War, and we will share his story soon!

An interesting detail regarding Jefferson’s service record, the pension process, and Emma’s resolve to make things right for both her parents. She was instrumental in helping her mother to get what she was owed as a Civil War Widow-$50/month back in those days, and she also ensured her father received what he was due as a veteran. Jefferson was finally buried as an indigent soldier and provided with a headstone and recognition for his service in 1897, Emma being reimbursed for costs she bore (23).

By 1900, both Sarah and her daughter Emma were found to be living with Sarah’s brother Joseph in Yardley. Family had always been important to Sarah, and she spent her time caring for the household, including her now disabled brother. In that same census, note that Sarah and Jefferson’s son Thomas lived right next door to his mother and sister with his wife and two daughters (Millie and Katherine). Also based on this census, we know Sarah was no more than eighteen when she gave birth to Thomas, as he is listed as age forty-two, and she as age sixty. (24)

By 1910 (25), Sarah was still living with her brother Joseph and her daughter Elizabeth (Emma), who was now listed as the head of the household. Her son William was also living in the home. It is interesting to note that Sarah lists herself as having had nine children, three of whom were still living at the time. We could not verify by birth or death record any other than the six already listed. It’s highly likely that three were indeed born but died in infancy. Unfortunately, we may never know their plight. As to the three still living in 1910, besides Emma and William in the home, the 1920 census (26) shows Thomas as living in Trenton, NJ, with his wife Susan, and both of their married daughters, Millie and Katherine, as well as their spouses. It’s certain Sarah would have had relatively frequent contact with her firstborn and her only known grandchildren.

There are no records of either Mercy (born 1875) or Lydia (born 1871) after the 1880 census, and they are not listed anywhere we could find in the 1900 census. Given this, they likely died sometime prior to 1900. We also could not find any further information on what happened to Ella Jane (born 1867) after she was listed as a servant in 1880. Did she marry? Move? Lose contact with her birth family? We may never know, but it’s possible she did survive, marry, and have children, though her mother did not know of it.

Did Jefferson and Sarah have any progeny who could still be alive today? What’s known is that both of Thomas’s daughters married. Millie’s husband, John C Mitchell, was drafted in 1917, making him roughly twenty-nine years old at the time. He lists his wife as a dependent, but no others. In the 1940 census, no children are listed, and although this is a twenty-three-year gap, John was away at war for several years, so it would be likely if there were children, they’d appear. They haven’t. 

Katherine married John H. Morgan, and in the 1930 census, they lived with her father, Thomas in Trenton, NJ. They appear to also not have had children, as his draft card from 1917 (age approximately twenty-seven) lists him as married with only a wife as a dependent. A likely conclusion is that unfortunately,y Jefferson Ely’s lineage died out with his grandchildren, neither of whom were born before he died.

By 1920, Sarah was living alone with Emma after her brother Joseph died in 1917. She remained under Emma’s loving care until she passed on 10/12/1927 (27). Apparently loyal to her mother until the end, Emma stayed single until she met and married John Kershner sometime after 1920 and before 1950, when Emma appears as a widow in the census. Emma Ely Kershner died 7/14/1957 (28), and her obituary states her only living relative as a niece, Millie. We can conclude she also had no children, given she was already forty three in 1920, when she still lived with her mother, she would have been too old by the time she met her husband.

Emma is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Hamilton, NJ, lying next to her husband John and her mother Sarah. It’s important to note that Sarah could not have been buried next to her husband Jefferso,n as the township no longer allowed burials in Slate Hill by 1917. It seems “right” that Sarah got as close as she could to her beloved Jefferson through her daughter, ever faithful to family.

References:

  1. Elys in bucks county since 1684 Search results - Google Drive- Newspapers.com™
  2. Witson ely’s siblings U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 - Ancestry.com
  3. Witson ely’s relatives living in the area 1827 Bucks County, Pennsylvania, U.S., Tax Records, 1782-1860 - Ancestry.com
  4. Eliza Wall-Ancestry Family Tree
  5. The second Eliza Ely -Eliza Wall-Ancestry Family Tree
  6. Family history Whitson U.S., Family History Books
  7. 1850 United States Federal census,
  8. Mary Jane Anestry Family Tree
  9. Julia Ann Ely Ancestry Family Tree
  10. Arrest 1858-Yardleyville Paper 2/28/1858
  11. Arrest 1862 Yardleyville Paper 7/22/1862
  12. Yardleyville Paper 2/1/1859
  13.  US Federal Census 1860, Sarah Riley-age 21
  14. U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934-Riley widow
  15. U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865
  16. 1870 United States Federal Census
  17. 1880 United States Federal Census
  18. News Herald Perkasie, Pennsylvania • Thu, Sep 11, 1884-Page 2
  19. Detailed pension record (25 pages) 
  20. 1880 United States Federal Census-Emma is a servant at 13
  21. News Herald -Jun 16, 1892, page 3
  22. Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934
  23. Feb 11, 1897, page 4 - News Herald-Buried as indigent soldier
  24. 1900 United States Federal Census -1900 census, Sarah lives with Joseph, son Thomas next door with his family.
  25. 1910 United States Federal Census - 1910 census shows Sarah nine children, three still living, and living with Joseph (brother)
  26. 1920 United States Federal Census -1920 Census Sarah lives with Emma
  27. Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1973-Wife Sarah’s Death Certificate 
  28. Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1973-Daughter Emma Death Certificate

References and Links