Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Fellows, Elisha C 
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Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com November 10, 2007, 12:01 am

Author: Genealogical and Biographical Record of Will County

ELISHA C. FELLOWS. In the early period of Will County's history there was no 
attorney so prominent and influential as Mr. Fellows, who was long the Nestor 
of the bar in Joliet and one of the leading criminal lawyers of Illinois. Born 
and reared in Brockport, N. Y., the son of wealthy parents, he was given in 
youth every advantage which ample means could provide, and was educated in law 
under the tutorship of successful attorneys in the east. During the year 1836 
he came to Joliet, which was then a frontier town in the midst of the 
wilderness, with few indications of its future prosperity and population. 
Largely through his efforts the first charter was secured for the city. In 
many ways he promoted the growth of the town and the enlargement of its 
interests. No movement was started of a public-spirited nature that failed to 
receive his co-operation. As the passing of the years brought a constant 
prosperity to Joliet, they also brought to Mr. Fellows an ever-increasing 
reputation in his chosen profession. His name was connected with the most 
important cases in the courts of Will County, and as a criminal lawyer he was 
recognized as unequaled and without a rival. Frequently he was called into 
other counties of the state in connection with important cases. He was a 
tireless worker in the interests of his clients. Every authority was looked 
up, every research was made and every clue investigated that would aid him in 
his professional work. His life was in his work, and it might almost be said 
that his profession was his life, so closely were the two interwoven. After a 
useful and honorable career, Mr. Fellows retired from his activities. For some 
years before his death he was an invalid. September 5, 1875, his step-son, 
George Leonard, who had been his partner in law, and was a young man greatly 
beloved by all, passed away from earth at the going down of the sun. His own 
health was very poor at the time, and the following year, August 1, he died at 
the rising of the sun. During his three years' illness he had been tenderly 
cared for, not only by his wife and daughter, but also by his adopted son, 
Frank Fellows (a son of Mrs. Fellows by her first marriage). This son was his 
constant attendant throughout his illness, and Mr. Fellows showed his 
affection for him by bequeathing him an equal share of his property with his 
daughter. At a meeting of the Will County Bar Association, October 2, 1876, 
the following resolutions were passed: "Whereas, The death of E. C. Fellows is 
to the bar a sad occasion and of no ordinary character, and he has given his 
whole life to practice within its precincts, be it ''Resolved, That we 
remember with emotion his power as a practitioner, his fervid eloquence, his 
marked fidelity to his clients, and, as an associate, his genial social 
qualities ; and "Resolved, That these resolutions be made a matter of record 
in the court and the clerk be instructed to forward a copy to the bereaved 
family of the deceased." During a portion of his life Mr. Fellows was an 
exhorter in the Methodist Church, and he died in the Christian faith, with the 
hope of a resurrection to life eternal. In early life he affiliated with the 
Democrats of the old school, but during Civil-war times he supported Abraham 
Lincoln, and afterward he was independent in politics. He was a man of 
straightforward honesty, and would tolerate no wrong methods, though they 
might offer tempting professional allurements. His knowledge of criminal law 
was excelled by no attorney of his locality and day, and by his high 
professional attainments he added to the influence of his home town. Mr. 
Fellows married Miss Frances D. Gates, a grand-daughter of Gen. Horatio Gates, 
the famous Revolutionary hero, and also a relative of Generals Schuyler and 
Van Rensselaer, who gained renown in the struggle with England. In later days 
other relatives of Mrs. Fellows have gained fame. Her cousin, Major Anderson, 
was the one who held Fort Sumter until approaching starvation forced a 
surrender. Her parents were Seth and Mary (Anderson) Gates; the latter, who 
was a daughter of a Scotch nobleman, was reared under strict Presbyterian 
influences, and was a woman of marked ability, gentle in disposition and kind 
to all. At the time of her death she was ninety-five years of age. Seth Gates 
was born and reared in Rutland, Vt., but in early manhood removed to Bradford 
County, Pa., taking with him $1,000 in gold, which was considered a fortune in 
those days. He purchased a tract of timbered land and hewed a farm from the 
wilderness, in which wolves and other wild animals made the night hideous with 
their cries. At the time the family removed to the new home Mrs. Fellows was 
nine months old; consequently she retains no recollection of her native 
county. She was one of twelve children, namely: Rufus R., Luther, Schuyler, 
Herrick, Van Rensselaer, Horatio, William, Aurilla, Demorest, Frances Diantha, 
Almira and Sarah. Rufus R. Gates became a prominent evangelist in the Seventh-
Day Advent Church, and made his home in Philadelphia. Of the family, Schuyler, 
Herrick, Horatio and Mrs. Fellows are still living. The only child of Mr. and 
Mrs. Fellows, Addah, was born in Joliet, and married Lomando Pierce, by whom 
she had two children, Frank Fellows Pierce and Florence Gates Pierce. Mrs. 
Fellows and Mrs. Pierce are members of Christ Episcopal Church in Joliet, 
having been confirmed by Bishop McLaren in Lockport.

Additional Comments:
Genealogical and Biographical Record of Will County Illinois Containing 
Biographies of Well Known Citizens of the Past and Present, Biographical 
Publishing Company, Chicago, 1900

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