Caleb Ellis (1754 – 1813)
Contributed by Compatriot Ray King
Caleb Ellis was born on August 16, 1754 in Massachusetts, the son of Richard Ellis Jr. and Jane Phillips. Caleb married Mary Crouch of Ashfield in 1779 and raised six sons, Daniel, John, Thomas, Squire, James and Robert, and five daughters, Hannah, Jane, Mary, Sally and Betsey.
Caleb was the youngest son of Richard Ellis, Jr. who emigrated to North America from Dublin, Ireland in 1717 at the age of 13, landing in Boston, Massachusetts and then later removing to Ashfield, Massachusetts where he resided until his death on October 7, 1797. Caleb eventually relocated to New Hampshire and then to Ellisburg, New York where he resided until his death.
Caleb Ellis was one of the first pioneer settlers of Ellisburg, New York in 1797 and made a purchase of land on the south branch of Sandy Creek, selecting a site where stood the log cabin or hut of a man named Waldo, who was a hunter and squatter in the region. The town was established on land purchased by Lyman Ellis (not related to Caleb) and formally organized on February 22, 1803. Caleb was elected to the offices of “Overseer of the Poor” and “Overseer of Highways” at the first town meeting held in 1803.
Caleb Ellis was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War having served in several campaigns. According to an old SAR application record, he was in Captain William Toogood’s Massachusetts Company under command of Col. Thomas Nixon reporting to General Gates and Ethan Allen at Lake Champlain, Ticonderoga and when Burgoyne surrendered. Other Revolutionary War records also show him enlisted October 6, 1775 in Capt. Jeremiah Stiles Company of Col. Paul Dudley Sargent’s Regiment in the Eight Months Army.
Caleb died on March 1, 1813 in Ellisburg, New York at the age of 58 and is buried there. His grave is proudly marked with an SAR bronze marker. His wife Mary died in April 1813 at the age of 55 and is also buried in Ellisburg alongside Caleb.
