Audrey Maxine Ellis' Father
Leroy Ellis was born on January 16, 1881 in Homewood, Cook, Illinois to George Hiram (1857-1920) and Emma Ann Baldwin (1858-1919) Ellis. George and his family farmed in Bloom Township in the 1880's.
By 1900, the family was now farming in Thornton township, and the family had grown to six children, George Nathan age 21, Leroy age 19, Lillian Estelle age 17, Joel Lyman age 15, William "Willie" Alfred age 12 and Lydia Matilda age 8.
Carrie and Leroy Ellis were married in 1904 in Harvey, Cook, Illinois. Carrie's father, John, died sometime before 1910 as evidenced by the fact that his wife in 1910 was living with her father, William Howell Beal, whose wife Maria Elizabeth Yount had died in March of 1910 and Maria Soule, the daughter of Frederick (1865-1900) and Maria Gwendolen Beal (1867-1894) Soule. The latter was Lillian Inez Beal's sister and Carrie's aunt. They were living at 106 Yenter(?) Avenue in Burnham.
Carrie and Leroy were living with their family at 15227 Turlington Avenue in Harvey, Cook, Illinois which included Vergil age 5, Cedil age 3 and Audrey almost 2 years old. ; Leroy's occupation was a craneman operating a steam shovel at the Thornton Quarry. Living next door at 15223 Turlington Avenue was Leroy's father George and his family.
By 1920, the family had moved into a rented house on Thornton Homewood Road inThornton Township. Several more children had joined the family. Russell Ray was born in 1912, Bessie Rae was born in 1915, Russell Leroy was born in 1917 and Gerladine F. was born in 1919. Unfortunately, Russell Ray died in 1917 while Carrie was pregnant and when the child turned out to be a boy, was named Russell Leroy after the recently deceased sibling. Leroy Ellis continued working at the Thornton Quarry as a Steam Shovel operator.
According to Constance, Leroy had a drinking problem. ; Carrie and Leroy had separated probably in 1927 or 1928 with Leroy moving in with Sam & Audrey Pagoria at 139 16th St. in Chicago Heights, Cook, Illinois. Carrie had taken the three youngest children Bessie, Russell and Paul and moved to Elkland township in Michigan where she rented and lived on a farm with an uncle, Jacob W. Spencer whose wife was Carrie's aunt (her mother's sister), who had died in 1927 . Leroy and Carrie subsequently divorced and she remarried a man named Greenleaf in1935, whom she subsequently divorced. Finally, she married a man named Gleason and they moved to Michigan, where he subsequently hung himself.
By 1942, Leroy was living with his son Russell at the corner of Eleanor and Williams Streets in Thornton, Cook, Illinois. He was still working at the Thornton Quarry at 61 years of age. On Octoer 9, 1948, Leroy passed away, and was buried at the Washington Memorial Gardens in the Ellis family plot.
Leroy Ellis |
Roll 1613168, Draft Board #8. Date of Registration September 12, 1918. Occupation listed as Steam Shovel Engineer. Nearest relative was wife, Carrie G. Ellis at 15227 Tarlington, Harvey. Birth Date listed as January 16, 1881.