John W. Ellis was born on March 2, 1837, in North Carolina. By the early 1860s, he was living in Chatham County, North Carolina. He married Rebecca Jane Welch on October 9, 1862, and they had at least four children: Joseph, born around 1865; Eli, born around 1867; Lydia, born around 1872; and James, born around 1875.

 

He enlisted in the Confederate army on May 28, 1861, and he mustered in as a private in Company E of the 26^th North Carolina Infantry. According to his service records, he was 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. The regiment took part in the Seven Days’ Battles, the Battle of Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, and the defense of Petersburg. He was promoted to sergeant in April 1862, but he resigned the position in November 1862.

 

He developed bronchitis in June 1862 and spent several weeks recovering. Then, in December 1863, he contracted pneumonia. He returned to duty in February 1864. Union forces captured him near Petersburg, Virginia, on March 25, 1865, and imprisoned him at Point Lookout, Maryland. He swore an oath of allegiance to the Union on June 12, 1865.

 

He returned to Chatham County after the war, and he earned a living as a farmer. By 1870, he owned $700 of real estate and $500 of personal property. His wife probably died in the late 1870s, and he married Salena Jones. They had at least five children: Rebecca, born around 1880; John, born around 1882; Bertha, born around 1884; William, born around 1887; and Ruth, born around 1892. They moved to Moore County, North Carolina, in the late 1800s, and he died on June 29, 1904.

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