Letter from T.O. Ellis to his daughter and family 19 January 1863

Date: 19 Jan 1863
Location: Visalia, Tulare, California, United States
Surnames/tags: Ellis Davis

After the death of Sarah Jane (Ellis) Davis (1838-1930), a collection of family letters, including the following letter, was found in a trunk. The original is held by members of the Davis family. The index to the complete collection is found at The Letters of Rev. T.O. Ellis, M.D.. The letters are all written by Reverend Thomas Oliver Ellis, MD (1808-1879), and almost all of them were to his daughter, Sarah Jane, and/or her husband, William Hale Davis (1828-1871). Ellis wrote from various locations in central California to family members also in that area.

Contents 1 Biographical and Historical Context 2 The Letter 3 Additional Information 3.1 Ellis' Involvement in the Methodist Episcopal Church South 3.2 Camp Babbit and the Prisoners 3.3 Taylor's Troubles with the Church 3.4 Rivalry Between Denominations 4 Sources

Biographical and Historical Context

Rev. Thomas Oliver Ellis, MD (1808-1879) wrote this letter to his daughter, Sarah Jane (Ellis) Davis (1838-1930), and her husband, William Hale Davis (1828-1871) on 19 January 1863 from his home in Visalia, Tulare County, California.^[1] William Davis and Sarah had lived in Visalia near the Ellis family from at least late 1859 through 1861. During that time their eldest child, Thomas Oliver Davis, was born and died and their second son, William Taylor Davis, was born^[2][3][4] The Davis family lived in Hornitos, Mariposa County, California in January of 1863.^[5][6] Hornitos was one of the roughest mining towns of the 1850s.^[7] It served as the hideout of the bandit, Joaquin Murieta, and was the site of anti-Chinese violence.^[8] By 1864, the town had settled considerably and was known for Ghirardelli chocolates.^[7]

The Civil War was a tumultuous time in southern California, which was more heavily settled by Southerners than the northern part of the state. When the war erupted, democratic (secessionist) sentiment ran high. Union supporters (Republicans) feared conspiracy everywhere, and difficulties soon surfaced.^[9] The Ellis family were Democrats, and T.O. Ellis, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church South (MECS), opened the Tulare Democratic convention with prayer in June 1861.^[10] In June of 1862, the Union Army established Camp Babbit near Visalia, reportedly because Union officials intercepted mail from Visalia citizens that supported the Confederate cause.^[11][12] In August of 1862, Colonel Thomas Baker, the democratic senator from Tulare County, gave a speech at the Methodist Church which some listeners thought was treasonous.^[13] In September, vandals destroyed the tents and burned the benches of the MECS camp meeting.^[14] Baker's trial was held in November and Dr. T.O. Ellis and others testified in his defence.^[15]

These events form the backdrop for T.O. Ellis' letter.

Note: spelling and line breaks preserved from the original. Transcriber's additions or interpretations in [square brackets].

The Letter

[page 1]
Visalia Jan 19th A.D. 1863.
My Dear Son & Daughter,
Your favors, by Letters,
have been duly received & highly
appreciated. In the first place, I
take pleasure in acknowledging
the reception of a very handsome
present in boots & shoes, 9 pair
in all. You will be so good, as
to accept the Family gratitude.
God Almighty, we trust will
graciously reward the Benevolence.
Many changes have taken place
since I wrote to you. Many have
been taken Prisoners at Camp Bab
bit, as Col. Baker, the two Mr.
Fines, Mr Work, & our two Edit
ors, & all released by taking the
Oath of Allegiance, except the Jun.
Editor, who, stoutly refused, alleging
he "would not admit even by im
plication that he, Garrison, had
violated his true Allegiance to
the United States". He was turned
loose, just so. Who will be the next,
I know not. In the next place, I
wish to inform you, I am on my
[page 2]
feet, in the Ministry, being the As-
sistant Preacher of Rev. Brother
Sim on this & King's River Circuit.
I did not force the door open, but
the Church invited, by her P.E. [Presiding Elder] & I
accepted the invitation, because,
that was the purpose I came to Cal.
I am not only on my feet, but ex-
pect to be on the wing at Annual
Conference, if "The Lord will. I have
now some very bad news to tell you.
Rev B.W. Taylor, at his own request
was charged of immoral Conduct
& broken vows, &, before a Commit-
tee of Local Preachers, T.O. Ellis sen.
Revs. M.T. Merrill & Joel Hedgpeth,
& was found guilty, & suspended
from all Ministerial functions in
til the ensuing Quarterly Conference
of this Circuit. It was to me a pain
ful trial, but, the cause of God re-
quired me to act as I did, by force of
Testimony, not to be disregarded. It
is suspicioned he intends to leave
our Church & join the Cumberland
Presbeterians, as he has already
invited Rev. Mr. Gilliam of that
[page 3]
church to Preach at the Academy
next Sabbath, to conflict with the Meth-
odists, & it is thought, to take unjust
advantage of our Legal proceedings to
deter us, or to build up a Church by
our misfortunes. Time, the great Expan-
der of events, will declare. I have al
ways defended him to the utmost of my
ability, & oftentimes, the Church & the
world think, when I ought not. Even
now I feel for him, & weep over him
but cannot follow him. I dare not!
at the risk of my life. Brother Taylor
has a few friends left, & those few are
trying to make capital for him, &, ag-
ainst the Committee & Parson Sim.
How far they will, or can succeed, I
know not. They are specially down
on me. I have two friends to their one
I think, but, above all, God is my Friend.
Bro. Taylor took the benefit of the Insol-
vent Oath to prevent paying his honest
debts, as the Committee think, &, you know
how the Methodist Church South oppo-
ses all dishonest Insolvences. There
were two charges, & eleven Specifi-
cations preferred. Both charges, sev-
en specifications, I believe, were
[page 4]
sustained. I hope God will bless us.
Brother Sim is very popular, & a Splen-
did Divine. He excels any man of
his age I ever heard. Thomas O. is
well of the Mumps. The family are
well & send you a thousand & one good
wishes, &, all, long to see you. Richard
Watson (T.O.'s son) is good & Smart, & sometimes
hooks Charley's Boots & Struts as large
as life. Both say their Prayers, night &
morning. The family entreat you to
come down as early as you can
with convenience. Do not forget us.
our love to you & Jane, & specially
to Wm. T. Davis, God bless him. Our re-
gards to Capt. Hunter & Bell. Sister
Johnson & Frances & Huldah are
well as common, just now. Mr Mer-
rill has fifty Schollars & I assist him
when not engaged in Practice or Prea
ching. His regards to all of you.
I am ever your dear Father,
in behalf of the whole Family

W.H. Davis	{T.O. Ellis Sr.
& Wife & Son	{Visalia
	{Cal.

P.S. come & eat honey with us, your Ma
says. & also bring Jane once a year to see us,
as you promised. T.O.E. Sr.

Additional Information

Ellis' Involvement in the Methodist Episcopal Church South

T.O. Ellis began his ministry as an itinerant preacher in the swamps of Mississippi during the time that area was frequented by the notorious bandit John Andrews Murrell (1806-1844). Ellis became a deacon in Mississippi in 1842.^[16] He continued to be active in the church when the family moved to Texas, and he was a founding member of the Goshen Methodist Church in Smith county, Texas in 1854.^[17] Soon after T.O. Ellis arrived in southern California, he became a Presiding Elder in the MECS from about 1857 to 1860.^[18]

Camp Babbit and the Prisoners

The prisoners were Colonel Thomas Baker, David and Smith Fine, Pleasant Lewis Work, Lovrick Pierce Hall and Samuel Jones Garrison, later to become T.O. Ellis' son-in-law. The two Mr. Fines and Mr. Work spent 18 days in prison, including Christmas, before taking the Oath of Allegiance. Jones and Garrison, the editors of the Democratic Newspaper the Visalia Equal Rights Expositor, founded the paper to "give to the slaveholder of the south the same protection and security to his slave property in the territories and states, and on the high seas that is accorded every other species of property."^[19] By March of 1863, the paper closed when Union soldiers stationed at Camp Babbit decided the paper crossed a line when it derided them in print. They mobbed the office and destroyed the press.^[20] T.O. Ellis advertised his medical practice in every issue of the paper's short existence.

Loyalty oaths were first proposed in California in 1861 as a way to determine the political sentiments of public officials but did not become law until April of 1863. In the intervening years, loyalty oaths were used as retaliation by Union soldiers stationed throughout southern California who were taunted by local secessionists.^[21][12] The loyalty oaths described in the letter fit this description.

Taylor's Troubles with the Church

The Methodist Episcopal Church South split from the Methodist Church in 1844 when pro- and anti-slavery factions clashed at the General Conference.^[22] The Discipline of the MECS described the method of dealing with preachers who were reported to be guilty of improper tempers, words, or actions. A first offence was dealt with by the local minister. A second offence involved calling witnesses and holding a trial at the Quarterly Conference (meeting) of the church. The preacher could appeal to the Annual Conference.^[23] This was not Taylor's first difficulty in the church. In 1860 he had been examined by the Pacific Conference and removed from his post.^[18] Taylor was a Democrat, and offended the editors of Visalia's republican paper in 1861.^[24] By May of 1862, he caused an uproar in church over his politics.^[25] By November of 1862, Taylor published two insolvent notices, stating his inability to cover his debts.^[26] Taylor protested his removal, and in the fall of 1862, the decision at Visalia was upheld and Taylor was expelled from the church.^[27][28]

Rivalry Between Denominations

The Cumberland Presbyterians believed in predestination, that God knew all future events and had foreknowledge of who were true believers in Christ. Methodists believed in salvation by faith in Christ alone. The Cumberland Presbyterians had few ministers in California at this time.^[29] Rev. Gilliam did become established in the community and a Presbyterian Church was founded in Visalia in 1866.^[30]

The next letter was written on 14 June 1863.

Sources

1. ↑ T.O. Ellis Sr (Visalia, California) to “My Dear Son & Daughter” [William Hale Davis and Sarah Jane (Ellis) Davis], letter, 19 January 1863; privately held by [private], [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE.], Santa Clarita, California, 2021. Original photographed January 2011 by Connie Davis.
2. ↑ 1860 U.S. Census, Tulare County, California, population schedule, Township No. 2, Visalia Post Office, page 7 (penned and stamped), dwelling 52, family 52, William Davis household; digital image, FamilySearch, (FamilySearch Image: 33S7-9YBJ-BJC : accessed 13 March 2021); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 71.
3. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (Find A Grave: Memorial #108743033 : accessed 10 July 2022), memorial 108743033, Thomas O. Davis, (1859-1860), gravestone photographed by Phil & Beth Hutson citing Visalia Public Cemetery, Visalia, Tulare County, California.
4. ↑ California Department of Public Health, death certificate local registration number 414 (1938), William Taylor Davis; Vital Statistics, Fresno County; original in researcher’s files.
5. ↑ “J. E. (Jeff) Davis,” obituary, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 September 1943, page 9, column 1; digital image, GenealogyBank (https//www.genealogybank.com : accessed 24 October 2022).
6. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (Find A Grave: Memorial #26958025 : accessed 11 December 2022), memorial 26958025, Jefferson E. Davis, (1863-1943), gravestone photographed by dot, citing Sanger Cemetery, Sanger, Fresno County, California.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Remi Nadeau, Ghost Towns & Mining Camps of California: A History and Guide, 4th ed. (Santa Barbara, California, Crest Publishing, 1992), page 114.
8. ↑ Barbara Braasch, Gold Rush Country: Guide to California’s Colorful Mining Past,” (Menlo Park, California: Lane Publishing, 1989.
9. ↑ Benjamin Franklin Gilbert, "The Confederate Minority in California," California Historical Quarterly, vol. 20, 1941, pages 154-170.
10. ↑ "To Our Readers," Visalia Delta 18 February 1862, page 2.
11. ↑ Wikipedia, "Camp Babbit," (link : accessed 12 December 2022).
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Joseph E . Doctor, "Rebels of Old Visalia," Los Tulares, Tulare County Historical Society, June 1961, issue 48, pages 1-3.
13. ↑ "Turn Out the Traitors," Visalia Delta, Visalia, California, 18 September 1862, page 2.
14. ↑ "Destruction of Church Property," Equal Rights Expositor, Visalia, California, 20 September 1862, page 2.
15. ↑ "Trial of Colonel Baker," Equal Rights Expositor, (Visalia, California), 8 November 1862, page 2.
16. ↑ “Family Records of the Ellis & Leonard Families,” Microfilm 41865, DGS 8706429 (Ellis & Leonard Families : accessed 9 July 2022); handwritten family record with newspaper clippings, 285 pages. Some of the handwriting appears to be that of William Josiah Ellis (1834-1918). Later entries likely by Georgia S. Peugh who submitted the document in 1926.
17. ↑ USGenweb "Goshen Methodist Church," Parker County, Texas, (memorial plaque : accessed 11 December 2022).
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} "Minutes of the Tenth Regular Session of the Pacific Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South held in the city of Sacramento," (San Francisco: Towne and Bacon, 1860) page 8.
19. ↑ "To the Reader," Equal Rights Expositor, 26 August 1862, page 2.
20. ↑ "Secession Sheet Mobbed," Daily Alta California, 7 March 1863, page 1.
21. ↑ Robert J. Chandler, "California's 1862 Loyalty Oaths: Another Look," Arizona and the West, 1979, volume 21, issue 3, pages 215-234.
22. ↑ Charles W. Ferguson, Organizing to Beat the Devil, (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., 1971, page 225.
23. ↑ Methodist Episcopal Church, South, The Doctrines and Disciplines of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, (Nashville: J.B. McFerrin, 1858), pages 138-140.
24. ↑ "Rev. B.W. Taylor," Visalia Delta, (Visalia, California), 31 October 1861, page 2.
25. ↑ "Disgraceful Scene in Church," Visalia Delta, (Visalia, California), 22 May 1862, page 2.
26. ↑ "Insolvent Notice," Equal Rights Expositor, (Visalia, California) 1 November 1862, page 2, and 15 November 1862, page 2.
27. ↑ "Minutes of the Thirteenth Regular Session of the Pacific Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South held in Petaluma beginning October 7, 1863," unpublished manuscript, Pacific School of Religion Archives, Berkeley, California.
28. ↑ Leon L. Loofburrow, Cross in the Sunset: The Development of Methodism in the California-Nevada Annual Conference of the Methodist Church and of Its Predecessors with Roster of All Members of the Conference, Vol. I (San Francisco: Historical Society of the California-Nevada Annual Conference of the Methodist Church, 1966.
29. ↑ B.W. McDonnold, History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, (Nashville: Board of Publication of Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1899).
30. ↑ Eugene L. Menefee and Fred A. Dodge, History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California with Biographical Sketches, (Los Angeles: Historic Record Company, 1913).