Yolo County CA Archives Biographies.....Ely, Benjamin 1820 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 31, 2007, 7:12 pm

Author: Lewis Publishing Co. (1891)

BENJAMIN ELY, one of the well-known farmers and stock-raisers of Yolo County,
and a pioneer of 1850, dates his birth in Ralls County, Missouri, September 25,
1820, a son of Thomas and Margaret (Howard) Ely, the father a native of Virginia
and the mother of Kentucky. The father, a farmer by occupation, removed from
Virginia to Kentucky at an early age, and in 1818 removed to Missouri, becoming
a pioneer also of that State, and he remained there in his humble calling until
his death, which occurred in 1837, when he was forty-seven years old. The
maternal grandfather of Benjamin Ely, namely James Howard, served through the
entire war of the Revolution and received a pension for the same. Mr. Ely's
mother died at her daughter's (Mrs. Griffin) residence in Yolo County, in 1877,
at the age of eighty-four years.

  After the death of his father, the subject of this biographical notice, took
charge of the home place until he was married, April 15, 1850, when he started
for the Golden West, with ox teams, and he arrived at Placerville as the sun was
sinking behind the golden hills on August 26. After mining two weeks on the
American River, he suffered a siege of sickness, and on recovering he went to
Sacramento and contracted to cut a certain amount of wood for $9 a cord, but was
balked in the enterprise, and thus suffered a fatal blow to his brightest
prospect. In 1851 he returned to Missouri by way of the Isthmus, being
forty-five days on the way. He settled down there at farming, with the
expectation of remaining there the rest of his life; but ere long he saw that
California was the center of business and excitement, which made him restless,
and he sold out and in 1857 he came again to the land of golden opportunities,
bringing with him a drove of cattle. This time he had serious trouble with the
Indians. Twice he had a hard-fought battle with the red savages, and he was
wounded in his hand, the scar still remaining. He settled near where Winters is
now located, and where he has ever since remained, making one of the best
improved farms in the county. He has suffered losses and drawbacks, however, but
his enterprising spirit has carried him through. He now has 1,600 acres of
choice agricultural land, in a state of fine cultivation. His large and handsome
residence was erected in 1869. The place is situated fifteen miles southwest
from Woodland and six miles from Winters. The latter is a thrifty town, the
second in size in the county. Mr. Ely also has eighty acres of foot hill land,
planted in choice fruit trees and vines. His place is properly known as Buckeye,
there being at one time a thriving town on a portion of this ranch by that name;
but the starting of Winters by the railroad drew Buckeye to that place, and its
original site has relapsed into a portion of Mr. Ely's wheat-field. Mr. Ely has
a finely furnished home. The interior is splendidly decorated, in great part by
the artistic hand of one of his own daughters, who is an excellent painter.

  The marriage of Mr. Ely to Miss Elizabeth Daniels, a native of Kentucky, took
place in 1840. They have had ten children, viz.: John H; Margaret J., now the
wife of M. O. Harlan; Sallie, wife of James McClure; Benjamin; James D; Nancy S,
now Mrs. Leslie Button; Mary B., now Mrs. Lucius Spergin; Robert Lee; Dixie, the
wife of James G. Crucher; and George E.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California.

Illustrated, Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast
from the Earliest Period of its Occupancy to the Present Time, together with
Glimpses of its Prospective Future; Full-Page Steel Portraits of its most
Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers and also of
Prominent Citizens of To-day.

"A people that takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will
never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote
descendents." – Macauley.

CHICAGO
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
1891.


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