Allen Valois Ellis was born in Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York, February 8, 1834. He attended district school until his fifteenth year, when he entered St. Lawrence Academy.
After a year in study here, he taught school for two years and at the age of eighteen, on April 6, 1852, he started for the gold fields of California. He made the journey overland from Erie Pa., where railroad traffic ended, and at St. Joseph, Mo., joined the Beeman-Pugh overland party to California, under the personal leadership of Pugh. The journey ended at Eldorado, Cal., September 11, 1852.
For the next three years Mr. Ellis worked in the gold mines of California. He made the homeward journey via Isthmus of Panama, minted his gold in Philadelphia, and returned to his home in Potsdam, where he married Belle McGill, February 13, 1856. Three months later he came west, preempted 160 acres of land thirty miles west of Red Wing and also bought a quarter section.
Later he sold his land and returned east. His wife died January 1, 1857, leaving an infant daughter. In May of that year he again came west and located at Austin, and was employed as civil engineer of the Minnesota Central railway. On April 24, 1859, he married Helen Quain and the next day they moved out to what is now known as the Evergreen Farm, where he lived for more than fifty years, dying there August 3, 1909.
He left a widow, two sons, Charles F., of Mandan, N. D., and Dr. Sidney A., of Boston, Mass., also four daughters, Mrs. W. W. Keyser, of St. Louis, Mo.; Mrs. J. H. Skinner, Austin; Mrs. K.C. Ingmundson, St. Paul, and Mattie C. Ellis, Peru, Neb. Mr. Ellis was one of the builders of the county. He was a man of tireless energy and indomitable will.
When other men were satisfied to sow their wheat among the stumps, he cleared his fields by grubbing. He is credited with being the first man to bring the evergreen trees to this county and from his nursery rows thousands of these trees were transplanted to beautify southern Minnesota. He counted these his best monument.
[The History of Mower County 1911]
Transcribed by Jessica Erwin: submitted by Kathy Pike