The Eller Chronicles

Announcements, Reports, and Comments

Lynn Eller, President: EFA Board Meeting
A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Eller Family Association is called for September 3, 1994 at the Fieldstone Inn, Hiawassee, Georgia. All members of the EFA are invited to attend this meeting and the first annual North Georgia Eller Family Reunion on the following day.

Lynn Eller: Eller Family Archives
The Eller Family Archives Committee convened in Salisbury, N.C. on April 10 and 11, 1994. Members present were R. Vance Eller, Bethel E. Stolte, Pat Beck, J. Gerald Eller, and Lynn Eller. Eloise Sperati could not attend due to illness.

This committee met with officials of the Rowan Public Library, Evelyn Stallings, Local History and Genealogy Librarian, and Phillip Barton, Library Director. We were graciously received and given an indoctrination of the Edith M. Clark History Room and the Genealogy Library stacks. The impressive collection focuses on North Carolina, with additional information showing a heavy migration into the Piedmont, especially from Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware. Original document collections include over 150,000 items relating to North Carolina genealogy, information concerning the history of Rowan County area, and documents which trace many Rowan County families as they traveled west.

The Rowan Public Library is located downtown Salisbury in the historic section at 201 W. Fisher St. The proper mailing address is P.O. Box 4039, Salisbury, N.C. 28145-4039. The telephone contact is 704-638-3020. The facility is new having been constructed within the past six years. Though primarily it is a public library, the emphasis on genealogy collections has been established and is growing in importance.

It was the conclusion by the committee that this facility will best serve the needs of our association for a repository for Eller records and documents. A Donor application has been completed and returned to the Library, so the Eller Family Archives is now officially established.

Initially, the most important documents for our collection will be a full set of Chronicles. By this letter I am asking Nancy Eller to send back issues of the Chronicles to Gerald and Juanita Eller who will properly bind them and then place then in the Eller Family Archives in Salisbury. Nancy has also placed the Rowan Public Library on the EFA's permanent mailing list. All future issues of The Chronicles will be insured a place in the History room.

In the future documents not published in The Chronicles, letters, books, and other genealogical information can be forwarded to the Library for inclusion in our collection. The Library cannot accept any three dimensional artifacts such as quilts and other relics. It was suggested that perhaps the Rowan County Museum might accept such items. But it was concluded that the museum at this point does not have the proper space to accommodate such.

The future responsibility for assessing documents for inclusion in the Archives was discussed. Pat Beck suggested, wisely, that all future Eller documents be assessed by Rowan County Ellers who would volunteer their time. We think this is wise for two major reasons, it would keep expenses at a minimum for the EFA Eller Family Archives and, secondly, Eller volunteers would have a much greater interest and responsibility than someone outside the family circle. Our financial responsibility, then, should be minimal. We will be charged in the future for acid-free document boxes and envelopes if needed. Loose documents will require professional folders and boxes. An inventory of Eller documents will be maintained. This again can be accomplished by Rowan County volunteers.

We found it interesting and important that Rowan County Library also receives the LDS microfilms which will carry The Eller Chronicles. In conclusion, the committee feels that having committee members Pat Beck and R. Vance Eller in the immediate vacinity of the Rowan Library to be an additional safe guard for our collection. These two people are well known in the area and are active Library workers.

Budget for the Eller Family Archives: The committee is pleased to present this positive report and action to the EFA Officers and Members. Also, we are most pleased to announce that Charlotte Marshall, Vice-President of the EFA, has contributed $155 to initiate a line item in the budget for support of The Eller Archives.

Eds.: Eller Family Conference, Asheville, N.C., July 19-23, 1995: Don't wait to reserve Rooms for the conference; remember you can always cancel later if necessary, Also, let Lynn Eller know of your thoughts and ideas relative to the format of Conference '95. Current informal discussions among several members leans heavily toward shorter less formal presentations with frequent breaks. Some current thinking that has passed about - do not expect senior citizens to sit for long periods at a time - avoid long recitations of genealogy that can better be made available through the Chronicles - all presentations should be informal and short (not more than 10 min. each) - present information if possible by slide projections - provide more entertainment interspersed throughout the conference - provide more opportunities for people to get acquainted early in the conference- more opportunities for those who come seeking information about their ancestry to make this known publically early in the session so that others might lend assistance- a suggested theme for the conference "Getting to Know You" with emphasis on "musical heritage of the Ellers of North Carolina." Lynn will appreciate your comments and suggestions.

Eds.: Eller Family Song Book: At the 1995 Eller Family Conference in Asheville, music, both instrumental and vocal, traditional to Western North Carolina, where so many early ancestors of EFA members lived, will be featured. John Eller of Skiatook, Oklahoma loves group singing and will lead us in "group sings" more than once during the Conference. John loves old time gospel and country western music. He invites EFA members to let him know their favorite old time gospel songs and hymns, country-western or mountain songs. Send along a copy of the words if possible. He will put these together into a booklet (The Eller Song Book) so that we can all "sing along." Send to John Eller, Box 638, Skiatook, OK 74070.

John and Lucy Eller: On the Road Again
June 11th: We flew to Coming, California to attend a reception for Manta Dorcas Eller who was celebrating her 90th birthday. Manta Dorcas was the widow of John Chester Eller. The celebration started in the evening of the 11th with a cook-out arranged by her grandchildren.

May 30th: We were invited to a family get-together in Hulbert, OK. This is the family of John Corn Eller,. one of the three ELLER men who first came to Oklahoma from north Georgia in the early 1900's. John Corn was the son of William "Billy" Eller, grandson of Jacob, Jr., and Mary Biffle Eller of Buncombe County, N.C. We were so excited to find this family. John Corn's youngest daughter is still living in Tulsa, OK, and her family is living in nearby communities. They are now listed in the EFA membership and have expressed interest in the '95 Conference in Asheville.

July 2: We helped host the ELLER FAMILY REUNION for the Oklahoma Ellers in Tahlequah, OK with over 100 in attendance. We concentrated our program on the three "ELLER" men who were the first to come to Oklahoma from north Georgia. They were Samuel Jefferson Eller, John Corn Eller, and Davis Bogard Eller. Davis Bogard being the youngest and the first to arrive in Tahlequah, then Cherokee Indian Territory, in 1895. The other two brothers came in the early 1900's. We presented a complete bound set of THE ELLER CHRONICLES to be placed in the Ballinger Genealogy Library at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah. We were assisted in this presentation by the daughters of Zelma and Bill Willis. Zelma is the grand daughter of Samuel Jefferson Eller. Bill Willis was the Speaker of the House in Oklahoma for 20 years; he is now retired. There were people in attendance from Arkansas, Texas, and all over the state of OK. Three members of the EFA Board of Directors attended: Nancy and Walton Eller of Crowley, TX, and Winnie Green of Lawton, OK. Cousin Ed Eller of Dalton, GA was also present. Many expressed interest in the EFA and several joined as members. Looking forward to the Conference in Asheville, N.C. (Eds. Thanks for the special greetings sent to us.)

Eds.: We have been laboring in the EFA vinyard now almost ten years. We have seen many new members join and bring with them much positive energy and go to work to help build the organization. We posed the question, "What is the EFA?" in the last issue. We quoted Walton Eller who said, " The EFA is just a bunch of old folks trying to have some fun." We like that explanation. We also like to think of the EFA as a bunch of Eller descendants who cooperate unselfishly to build an organization that can serve as a depository and clearing house for all Eller Genealogy and Family History. To accomplish this we need members who bring what we call "positive energy" to bear on the organization. John and Lucy Eller and their cousin Ed have brought a triple load of positive energy to the EFA. Since the Portland Conference we have seen many new members join the EFA - most of them the direct result of the work of John and Lucy Eller of Skitook, Oklahoma. Right now Ed is knocking himself out to host the first North Georgia Eller Family Reunion - see the back cover.

Lucy Eller: (Mrs. John, address just above) Handicrafts for the Asheville Conference -We want to encourage everyone to be thinking about items you plan to donate to the "Craft Sale and Auction." It is not too early to start making your preparations now. The price of any donated items should be marked prior to arrival. Remember this is a donation so let's keep pricing at a conservative level - remember the cost of traveling to and from the conference and other conference expenses. We want to sell all items and not have to take them back home with us. The Craft Sale at the Portland Conference was a big success, let's make this a bigger success. All proceeds will go to support EFA project activities. Please direct your questions to any member of the committee:

Lynn Eller, President: Appointment of Coordinators of EFA. Computer-user Group: I am pleased to appoint Harvey W. Eller (of the Christian Eller line whose genealogy is published with this issue) as the Central or technical coordinator of the EFA Computer-user Project. I am asking Gerald Eller who helped start this project to continue his services as the General Coordinator for this and the Research projects until plans for both have been completed. Family line coordinators are listed in the following reports. I anticipate this will prove to be one of the most rewarding projects begun to date by the EFA. I want the Board to allow this group the freedom to develop this project as free as possible from too much bureaucratic oversight.

J.G. Eller: EFA Computer-user Group Reports-
We are pleased to introduce Harvey W. Power who volunteered and has been appointed by President Lynn Eller the Central or Technical Coordinator of the EFA Computer-user Group. Harvey is well acquainted with modern computer technology and its application to genealogy. In addition to his training and broad experience as a working journalist he brings much positive energy and enthusiasm to the EFA. He is author of a Family History that covers seven of his ancestral lines including that of immigrant Christian Eller. The chapter from that book is published in this issue as a Special Chronicles Report.

As the Central Coordinator of the Group, Harvey will receive by computer disk the databases compiled by each of the Family Line Coordinators and compress these to a single disk (and a second and third disk as needed). See Harvey's report below on how to order the compressed disk.

From: Harvey W. Powers, Central Coordinator, EFA Computer User Group, 13430 Hensley Road, Midlothian, VA 23112.

Those of us who've used a computer to track our efforts on Eller Family History have discovered that there is a quick and easy way to exchange huge amounts of information: the GEDCOM file. We can compress everything we've found about Eller genealogy onto one computer disk. And that is just what we have done.

As of today (July 7), Clarice Stanley, Ed Eller, Leon Korte, and I have placed all our information (on Henry, Jacob, Christian, Melker, and Harvey Eller and their descendants) into a series of GEDCOM files on one disk. That is more than 5,000 people! This number may double by the time of Conf '95.

If you too use a computer genealogy program and if it has a GEDCOM import feature (most programs do, but not all of them, so check to make sure), the EFA Computer-user Group can provide a disk copy of this combined database for$10.00. Any profit goes to the EFA budget.

This is "work in progress", and so this "combined data base" will grow and see corrections over the months and years ahead. We can not guarantee an absence of errors and omissions. We can and do promise to work toward as error free data base as possible, but this will require the assistance of others to help check for errors. We'll let you know, here in the Chronicles as we make major additions and corrections. In the meantime, we want to get disks into the hands of at least a few members who can begin to help check for errors and omissions.

Here is how to order: let me know if you want (a) 3.5 inch double-sided high-density disk or (b) 5.25 inch (1.2mb) disk. Send your request with your name and address and check for $10.00 (payable to the Eller Family Association) to Harvey W. Powers, 13430 Hensley Road, Midlothian, VA 23112. We'll get your disk in the mail immediately. Gerald Eller is developing a plan to make paper copies from our data bank available to non-computer users.

J. G. Eller: A goal of this group is to become a depository and clearing house for Eller genealogy of dependable quality that delivers data at the lowest reasonable price to EFA members. However, one reality must be kept in mind - no guarantee can be made that errors and omissions will not be found at least in the earliest computer products. Like all who produce printed material, these compilers can only strive to eliminate errors; no one can guarantee perfection. A part of the process is to get copies of these early disks into the hands of other computer-users who can help proof them for errors and omissions, and add family history narrative information.

Note that any computer-user with a genealogy software program containing the GEDCOM file may volunteer and become an additional coordinator for any particular branch or line; several different computer-users may volunteer for the same branch or line - the more who become involved and the greater the degree of data exchanges, the chance of errors in the finished product will be diminished. All coordinators are expected to exchange data freely among themselves and cooperate in removing errors and adding new information.

Interested persons may direct general questions about the project to me until the group is organized and operating under its own approved guidelines. In the meantime direct technical questions about the operation to Harvey or one of the other coordinators. No individual will profit except in the satisfaction gained in being a member of a team seeking to provide a service to all Ellers and their descendants.

It is not an insignificant accomplishment that this new EFA computer-user group already can deliver the largest body of consolidated Eller genealogy that exists any where in the world and at such a cheap price. That this is possible in such a short time proves the efficiency of the coordinator approach. Another goal, envisioned for this Group, is the development of data bases that contain every Eller genealogical record to be found in America (and then take on Europe). Don't make the mistake of scoffing at such an ambitious goal. Some current members of the EFA will live to see this accomplished - modern computer technology makes it all quite possible and if the EFA continues in existence it will happen.

As expected, the first consolidated data bases vary in content; some include narrative material as well as the basic data. For example, Ed Eller's data base for the Jacob Eller line now contains only names and basic genealogical data; narrative, sources, and notes have yet to be added. It is significant to understand that when completed these data bases will show the sources for each item. "Research-in-progress" reports will be issued at intervals as new material is added. Such a label means the work is still incomplete and subject to corrections.

We hope EFA members will continue to share their genealogy and family history in the usual way - by submitting it to the The Eller Chronicles for publication. After publication, the data will be automatically picked up by the appropriate coordinator and added to the computer data base for that line. For example, the James Granville Eller story in this issue contains 365 new names for the Jacob Eller line. Of course members if they wish can elect to send data directly to the coordinators of the project rather than to The Eller Chronicles.

Plans are being made to make paper copies form the computer data-bases available to individual members at the lowest possible price. Prices will be set to insure a small profit sufficient to fund this project. We think it best not to disseminate paper copies until after the computer disks have been examined and the initial errors and major omissions are corrected. Remember that these computer programs do not replace the The Eller Chronicles which will still be published in its present form.

A computer cannot replace the need to conduct genealogical research in the classical fashion. The researcher who grubs through courthouse and cemetery records and compiles data from all available sources will always be the heart and soul of genealogy. Data obtained in this manner are the substance of all genealogical computer data bases. Those who compile data on paper or computer have the same responsibility to strive for accuracy. On both paper and computer each time data is copied errors can be made.

Eds.: We have received good comments on Clarice Stanley's report on the Henry Eller Descendants and the manner in which we choose to publish it. Two more special reports are distributed with this August issue, although one of them is part of the November issue. We wanted to publish these at the same time for a special reason: they provide an excellent contrast between two format styles or what genealogists call "numbering systems." Harvey's is the computer generated data base called the "Modified Register System" and the one by Wait and Nancy Eller was done on a computer word-processor. When one is dealing with a few generations at a time, as in Wait and Nancy's case, the word-processor (or typewritten) system is the best way to present the data. When one is dealing with several generations and many individuals in each generation, as in Harvey's work, the Modified Register system is the best system, especially for computer-users. The modified Register System is the one being compiled by the EFA Computer-user Group.

1st row 1,R: Lynn Eller, EFA President; EFA member Patricia Beck Salisbury; Local History and Genealogy Librarian Evelyn Stallings (Rowan Public Library, Salisbury;
Back Row, L-R: EFA Historian Bethel Stolte (Kansas), Library Director Philip- Barton, EFA Member Vance Eller, Salisbury. Present but not pictured: Gerald and Juanita Eller. (Occasion: EFA Eller Archive Committee meets with library staff to complete plans for establishing The Eller, Family Archives at Rowan Public Library.)

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