Letter from T.O. Ellis to his son-in-law and daughter, 14 June 1863

Date: 14 Jun 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 4 Sources

Biographical and Historical Context

Rev. Thomas Oliver Ellis, MD (1808-1879) wrote this letter to his son-in-law, William Hale Davis (1828-1871) (whom he refers to as his son in the letter) and daughter, Sarah Jane (Ellis) Davis (1838-1930), on 14 June 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] The Davis family lived in Hornitos, Mariposa County, California in January of 1863.^[4][5] Thomas Oliver Davis was buried in Visalia, a fact that Ellis notes in the following letter.^[6]

T.O. Ellis started his activities as a minister at the age of 19 and served the Methodist Episcopal Church South in California.^[7][8] He trained as a physician, likely through an apprenticeship, as was common at the time.^[7] He completed his medical studies in 1846^[9] and started a medical practice after relocating to Visalia from El Monte (near Los Angeles).^[10][11]

This background provides context 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]
[1863]
Visalia California June 14th A _____
William Hale Davis
and Sarah Jane Davis,
Three times I have taken
the pen, &, three times let it fall,....
you judge the reason: How can I
tell the news that rives our hearts!
O My Jane, your Brother Thomas
Oliver Ellis is no more! O my son!
why did you not come down
when I wrote to you? O My Son!
William! Your Brother T.O. Ellis Jr
is dead! Oh fatal word! Why
did I write it. O! that Truth would
allow me to recall it. But stubborn
Truth - the Bible will allow me
to say Thomas Oliver Ellis has De
parted this life & is gone to Endless
Life - to Abraham's Bosom – the
Land of the free & the Home of the Brave.
yes-yes, it is too true. He was con
fined to his Bed Monday June 1st,
the horse he was riding on Friday
before, May 29, stumbled with him
badly, &, strained, or tore the old
seam, or cicatrix where he Bled
two or three times before - once in
Losangeles, once holding Hamby,
once jumping the Ditch, & then
May the 29/63, & took his Bed Mond-
ay evening, & took Medicine.
He was very nervous. Tuesday June
2nd he told me very calmly
[page 2]
he should die. I saw nothing to
justify such a conclusion until,
June the 11th about Sunset. He
was mending several days. I called
in Drs. Russel & Riley to see if I,
in sympathy had overlooked any
thing of importance to him. They ap-
proved my course. About the fourth
day, Thursday he got worse, next day
or two was convalescent for several
days & thought to be safe, but, still
said he would die. On Thursday
11th at Sunset he got over the night-
glass & could not have an evacu-
ation - turned sick, was put to bed
& in Ten minutes was swelled
so with blood & wind, as, almost
fit to burst open. You never saw
the like! The two two Drs. mention-
ed & I took hold again & stopped
the Bleeding, but, Oh My soul, we
could not move his Bowels any more
to do any good. Friday the 12th was
an unlucky day, a day of trial, pain,
& alarm. Saturday Morning,
Oh wretched, fatal day, revealed
the dreadful secret. Miss Martha Blair
was sent for. He wanted to
see his Parents through the
ordeal, we are passing through.
We wished to fill his engagements.
Friends called in - he said Pa
Keep the Room empty except My
nurses, keep down noise –
[page 3]
I did so. About One Oclock,
Saturday June 13th 1863, he had
just taken some cooling medicine
from me, also a little water -"Now
Pa" says he "Invite them in, hur-
ry!! I want to tell them good-Bye.
He kissed & blessed his Pa,- his
Ma, Sophia, Agnes, Martha, Mary,
Lizzie, Nannie, Hindman, George,
Charley & Richard Watson. He
said "Lord God bless Pa & Ma, O!
bless and save my sisters & brothers
Lord bless me & take me to Heaven
I want you all to Meet me in
Heaven - tell Martha Blair to
Remember me & meet me in Hea-
ven,, I then said to him, ‘My Son
say "Lord Jesus receive My Spirit
You recollect these are the dying
words of St. Stephen, the 1st Martyr
- My Beloved Son, said "Lord
Jesus receive my spirit & then
fell to Praying & actually left
Praying until we could not
understand him, & in two min-
utes his Spirit took its flight
beyond the trials & chances of life!
At 3 P.M. Miss Martha Blair
& her Father arrived--just two
hours too late. She took it hard.
On Sunday at 10 A.M. the Inde-
pendent Order of Good Templars
convened--Brother Sim was
[page 4]
sent for, he had seen my Son a few
hours before his Journey to the skies, he at-
tended to a part of the Methodist Burial
services at the House of your Father, the
Templars being present. It was a moving,
heart rending time. All the family had
carriages prepared, & all went with the
citizens to finish the Services at the Grave
near your Dear little Thomas Oliver –
two Thomas Oliver's now sleep togeth-
er, & one, your Father mourns their loss.
Our loss is given to them. The largest com-
pany ever seen in this valley attended –
the Independent Order of Good Temp-
lars & Methodist Church South Buried
him together - both participated & re-
turned home amidst the sobs & cries
of Father, Mother, Sisters & Brothers. O that
you could have been present. Every
thing of his we see, pants, shoes, &c, &c
grieves us. T.O. Jr. was just rising to
a virtuous, manly dignity of Charac-
ter & making friends very fast, &, now
he is gone! Oh that word gone. O my
children how I weep & write - how can
I help it? Monday Morning June 15th
we are now preparing Breakfast &
making ready for Prayers. I shall spend
my days in Prayers & let go of old Earth.
We are looking for you, &, you now
may be on the road. We put off the
Funeral Sermon until you can get
here. The 3d Sunday in July. Josiah
will be written to this day.
[The letter apparently ends here. It is in the handwriting of Rev. Thomas Oliver Ellis, MD.]

Additional Information

T.O. Ellis’ two callings are captured in this letter. He described the medical situation in detail, and also his concern that he, “in sympathy” may have overlooked some crucial diagnostic clue or made an error in treatment. This prompted him to have two colleagues review the case. The description of Thomas Oliver Ellis Jr.'s injury, and the course of his illness lead to the conclusion that he died of a bowel obstruction, possibly from a complication of a hernia and/or former injury. A circatrix is a scar. His course fits the description given for a bowel obstruction in medical texts of the time.^[12] The treatments tried likely included the administration of laxatives and a medication for fever ("cooling medicine"), most likely quinine.^[13] When medicine failed, religion provided solace, and Rev. Ellis urged his son to recite verses from the Bible as he died (Acts 7:59 "And they stoned Stephen calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.")^[14] The Templars was a Temperance Society, encouraging its members to refrain from alcoholic beverages.^[15] It was unique because it had both male and female members. Temperance fraternities became popular in the mid 19th century. The I.O.G.T predated the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, which was founded in 1874.^[16]

The funeral sermon was delayed until July, and apparently William and Sarah Davis made the trip from Mariposa county, as mention is made of “your Tulare trip” in a letter written on 7 August 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. ↑ California Department of Public Health, death certificate local registration number 414 (1938), William Taylor Davis; Vital Statistics, Fresno County; original in researcher’s files.
4. ↑ “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).
5. ↑ 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.
6. ↑ 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.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} “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.
8. ↑ "To Our Readers," Visalia Delta 18 February 1862, page 2.
9. ↑ Myron Angel, compiler, “William Josiah Ellis,” A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Fresno, Tulare and Kern, California, (Chicago : Lewis Publishing Company, 1892), p. 341; digital images, InternetArchive, (W.J. Ellis Biography : accessed 13 March 2021).
10. ↑ “Dr. T. O. Ellis, Sen.” (Advertisement), Visalia Equal Rights Expositor (Visalia, California), 7 September 1862, unknown page.
11. ↑ 1860 U.S. Census, Tulare County, California, population schedule, Township No. 2, Visalia Post Office, page 6 (penned), dwelling 51, family 51, Thomas Ellis household; digital image, FamilySearch, (FamilySearch Image: 33SQ-GYBJ-BYQ : accessed 13 March 2021); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 71.
12. ↑ J. M. Da Costa, Medical Diagnosis with Special Reference to Practical Medicine, (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Copmany, 1864) pages 540-551; digital images, Internet Archive (Book : accessed 22 May 2023).
13. ↑ George W. Groh, Gold Fever, Being a True Account, Both Horrifying and Hilarious of the Art of Healing, So-called During the California Gold Rush, (New York: Morrow, 1966).
14. ↑ Martha Blair was a schoolmate of the older Ellis sisters at the Visalia Select Seminary.<ref>“Visalia Select Seminary” (advertisement), Equal Rights Expositor (Visalia, California), 4 October 1862, page 2.<ref> T.O. Ellis Jr. was a member in good standing of the Independent Order of Good Templars, Visalia Lodge No. 48. To mark his passing, members wore badges of mourning for 20 days.<ref>“Died," Thomas Oliver Ellis, Jr., Visalia Delta (Visalia, California) 18 June 1863 page 2.</li> <li id="_note-12">[[#_ref-12|↑]] “I. O. Good Templars,” Equal Rights Expositor (Visalia, California), 15 November 1862, page 1.</li> <li id="_note-13">[[#_ref-13|↑]] The Social Welfare History Project, "Women's Christian Temperance Union," Virginia Commonwealth University ([https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/religious/womens-christian-temperance-union/ article] : accessed 22 May 2023).</li></ol></ref>