The Eller Chronicles, Volume IX-2 p53
The Eller Chronicles Vol. IX: 2 May 1995
Genealogy and Family History Section
Lucius Elom Eller (14 Mar 1884-23 Dec 1953)
by George C. Eller, II, Apt. 1005, 8214 Princeton Sq. Blvd. E. Jacksonville, FL 32256
"Honor your father and mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you." Ex.20:12 NASB
Probable descendant of Leonard Eller Mar.20,1754-Sept 9,1839 and Elizabeth Mast 1754?-1831?; descendant of Jacob Eller Mar.12, 1798-Feb.24,1855, and Elizabeth Byrkit 1802-1876; Elom Eller Sept. 14,1826-Aug.14,1902, and Sabrina Patterson Sept.11,1831-Feb.18, 1874; Warren A. Eller ?1855 -Nov.27,1919 and Laura Fuller 1860-May.12,1894.
Married Elsie Estelle Cook, 7 children, two brothers and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Lucius "Lute" Eller ended his days on the afternoon of December 23, 1953; and passed on unexpectedly but peacefully in his favorite chair. I was with him earlier on that day.
He was a victim of that saying "familiarity breeds contempt". It was not his fault, rather; a few that were close to him, chose to slight him. This was puzzling to most of those that knew him. That's why I'm writing; to try to set the record straight. Most people are not properly taught loyalty; which is first, - to God allmighty and his word. Second, to the marriage relationship, third, the children; then relatives, friends, and finally the government. If people were careful about these matters there would be much less trouble in the world.
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The Eller Chronicles Vol. IX: 2 May 1995
In actual dollars of that day, Lute would have been considered poor. At the time, his peers would have judged him lower-middle class. But he lived life as a rich man would have liked to. He had a small farm called a "truck " farm in those days; with horses, several dairy cows and a flock of chickens. The farm including a new house had been given to him by his father. Even now, (1995), he is still famous in the area for his outstanding "truck" crops.
In his youth Lucius was quite a handsome young man with dark wavy hair and light blue eyes. He was also a snazzy dresser and had quite a reputation as the ladies man. He was notorious for having the liveliest team and the "smartest" buggys around. While he was still a boy; his mother - the former Laura Fuller, had died of "consumption", or as we would now describe it - the flesh of her arm withered up. His father, Warren A. Eller was a very successful farmer and businessman. Lute was proud of his parents, and had the greatest honor for them.
He would not tolerate deteriorating quality and kept his white house and red outbuildings freshly painted. He kept his large yard immaculate and had the typical German practice of sweeping the dirt around the outside of the house with a broom, which left several feet of bare dirt next to and around the house. The home is still standing in excellent condition on the NW corner of Inwood Rd., [Dragoon-Trail] and St.Joseph-Elkhart county line road; about 2 miles South of Osceola, Indiana. It is now owned by another family.
His life was lived by "signs"; whether it was animal tracks in the snow, weather conditions in the sky, changes in the appearance of animals, or attitudes in humans. In my opinion it is a special strength of some of the German people. He farmed by the "sign" of the moon, and taught me how to do it. For those who may be interested, I'll briefly try to explain it. The principle is quite simple - that is, the roots of the plant are connected to the dark of the moon, and the tops of the plants to the full or "light" of the moon. For example, if you wanted to plant a root crop; say - turnips, you would plant the seeds on days close to the dark of the moon. However in practice; it was a bit more complex. Say, for example; you wanted to plant field corn for your livestock, on sandy ground which does not hold moisture as well as the clay or muck. Without thinking, one might say, plant it as close to the full moon as possible. Not so. That corn would need a strong root to continue growing in the late summer dryness and also to stand the fall and early winter storms. Therefore, plant it about a week AFTER the full moon.
He also tried to teach me how to care for stock by the signs of the moon, for example; dehorning cattle, castrating, weaning calves, and slaughtering. I am sorry to report that I did not remember it.
He lived his life by analyzing everything that he came across and no "practical" activity was considered too mundane to not be treated as a "science". For example, one of the major factors in successful farming is the practical use of manure. I'll briefly try to pass on the secret. Manure runs in states of "hotness", from - cattle, which is the "mildest"; through sheep, horses, pigs, to chicken; which is the "hottest" or "sharpest". In the case of watermellons,
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you need heat for the chilly nothern-Indiana Spring. So, he would make a small hill with his hoe, say - 1 inch to an inch an a half high, and about 8 inches round. Then, from a bucket, throw (!) a small handfull of dry chicken manure at the hill. Next, 3-6 seeds are thrown onto the hill. Finally, an additional half to 1 inch of dirt is again scraped over the top of the seeds. This all may sound quite tedious, but once a person gets the "hang" of it,- using the mass production technique and going about it smartly; one man can put out several acres of mellons in his part time using only the hoe once the seed bed is ready. (In sandy soil plant 3-5 days AFTER the full moon.)
He despised machinery of all sorts, but lived in co-existence with living and thinking creatures, like good horses and dogs. The most complex machine that he was willing to accept was the wheel-barrow and that - just barely. One could not tell when a "Satanic" machine might go haywire and THAT was' the problem. Lest the reader be misled, his handtools were kept in pristine condition and better than new. For example; his hoe was hung in a special dry place, and the wood handle was periodically treated with oils and preservatives. Also, the metal was kept oiled and sharpened to keep a type of knife edge. As a result - after years of heavy use, it was still better than new, since the handle was well cured and finished and would not split or splinter as easy, and the edge was keener.
Even more than a farmer, Lute was a hunter. It was unthinkable to him to come home without meat for the table; on a daily basis - except Sunday, during the hunting season. He had probably shot the last deer in the region some 25 years previously; and therefore had to depend on small game. It would be nearly 60 years before the deer population returned to normal. At least one unique feature of the house hinted of a strong hunter - the rooms had flower vases containing not flowers but pheasant feathers. Being a good hunter was most evident on Thanksgiving. The dining room had a large (oak?) table with 10 or 12 legs, With the extra leaves added, it
was HUGE, and would have 5 or 6 different types of meats (no turkey), in piles, grown or shot by him.
His most special quality is the hardest to explain. He was sought out in an awesome way for his opinions and observations. From time to time, and especially on Sunday afternoon, visitors would arrive, and it was not unusual to see 6-8 cars on the sides of the drive. At times, there were 12 or more. But they did not come for advice. Rather, it was for the stimulation that comes from an intellect that has a pure and profound way of looking at life. He despised phonyness and the untrue. He most despised not looking at life analytically and did not hesitate to ridicule those failing to do so. He was the master of the split second "come back" or "put down". But the recipients deserved their fare and it never failed to draw huge shouts of laughter and glee from his audience, which surprisingly; was nearly equal with women, and catered more to the intelligent class of people. He had a college degree in business, at the time when the norm was grammar school. Many of the visitors had not visited for 2-3 years, and some not for 5-6 years. Now, those with a bent for calculation will see the astounding number of visitors.
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The Eller Chronicles Vol. IX: 2 May 1995
In my opinion his funeral procession was the longest ever in that region. The chapel held several hundred people with several hundred more standing outside. Most had to remain in their cars. It was about a mile and a half to the cemetery with cars backed up at least a half mile behind the chapel. Many people gave up for the delay and visited the cemetery later that day when the traffic jam subsided; some even waited until the next day. If a person can be judged by how well they are thought of, then; Lucius Elom Eller - you did well.
Lucius was born on his great-grandfather Jacob's freeholding. This land as of 1992 is still in the Eller family, now owned by Warren J. Eller. It is located on the E. side of Basswood Rd.; about a quarter mile N. of Dragoon Trail and 2 miles "as the crow flys" SW of Osceola, Indiana. As I understand it, Jacob's cabin from 1831 was located just NE of the remains of the peppermint "still", which is still visible, and was erected by Elom Eller; who introduced the farming of peppermint into northern Indiana. The home next to the mint-still was built by Warren A. Eller, Lute's father.
Leonard Eller is buried in the private Eller cemetery just outside of Noblesville, Ind. The rest of the descendants mentioned are buried in the Osceola cemetery located on the SE corner of the intersection of US 33 [Lincoln Hwy] and the St.Joseph -Elkhart Co.Line Rd. Jacob and family, and Elom and family; rest on the west side; Warren and family in the center, and Lucius and family on the east side.
It is probable that our Jacob is the son of Leonard 1754-1839. The evidence is circumstantial. Leonard had a son Jacob in North Carolina before 1800. It is proven that our Jacob was born in 1798 in N.Carolina, that he married in Miami County Ohio, near Leonard in April 28,1822, that he was the head of a household in Monroe Twp. Miami County in 1830 - close to Leonard; and that his son - Harvy Burkett Eller is buried in the private Eller cemetery with Leonard and other close members of Leonard's family. I have been unable to find a single document stating Leonard was Jacob's father. Possibly, the Miami Co. Ohio marriage records from -1822 have this information.
Tis article was written by Lute's grandson, George Eller 2nd., of Jacksonville, Florida.
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