from the pen of the Editor

THE ELLER CHRONICLES is a newsletter published quarterly by the ELLER FAMILY ASSOCIATION.

POLICIES

DEADLINES for contributions for publication: December 15 for the February issue, March 15 for the May issue, June 15 for the August issue, September 15 for the November issue.

ORIGINATOR OF INFORMATION IN THE NEWSLETTER IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS ACCURACY. Material submitted for publication must be legible, preferably typed, double-spaced, or printed by hand in a clear readable style..

QUERIES: Free to full members; $1.00 per query to non-members..

A PRINTED TRANSCRIPTION must accompany any blurred photocopy submitted for publication..

PICTURES: Black and white photographs can be photocopied with fair results. Pictures of ancestors, the older the better, are solicited. Pictures will be returned after publication.. Be certain that all pictures are correctly and fully identified and the name and return address of the sender are on the back of the picture..

Members are urged to offer suggestions concerning the above. Your editors will especially appreciate your comments and criticisms of the first issue of THE ELLER CHRONICLES..

Send all correspondence concerning the newsletter to:

HOW ABOUT SHARING

New and powerful channels of communication are unleashed when a FAMILY ASSOCIATION begins to function and publishes a newsletter. Surprises are in store for members. Descendants of the Eller family of Buncombe Co., NC will be happy to have the information in Mrs. Lyle's story. The Jacob Eller of her story was known to have left Buncombe Co., NC in the early 1800's. No further knowledge of him came down through relatives in Buncombe Co., NC where his two younger brothers, Joseph and Adam Eller, reared large families represented today by many descendants (of whom I am one)..

The story, as told by Mrs. Lyle, includes the ingredients that make for interesting reading genealogical information interlaced with history and human interest..

Dozens of stories, similar to that of Mrs. Lyle's, exist in the unpublished files and memories of every Eller family descendant. For example the Eller family was represented in all the major US wars beginning possibly with the French and Indian War, definitely with the Revolutionary War. They were among the early settlers to reach each new frontier that opened in the westward expansion. Lest I leave you with the impression that the Ellers were all warriors or trail blazers, I hasten to say that the professions of Education, Law, Medicine, and Religion have benefited from the contributions of the family Eller. Also, many Eller descendants were skilled in business and various crafts. Music in various form, often as "shaped note" Christian Harmony singers and country music performers, was an avocation of many Eller s in Western North Carolina and North Georgia. I strongly suspect that in any list of "colorful characters" the name of Eller would certainly appear. I implore the members to share these stories for publication in future editions of THE ELLER CHRONICLES. The style set by Mrs. Lyle is worthy of emulation.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

BOOK: Reprint of HEARTHSTONES OF HOME by Jerzy A. Taylor, PO Box 101, Young Harris, GA contains several pages of information on the Eller family of Georgia dating from the early 1800's. The book covers Family Histories of past and present generations of Town Co., GA and transcriptions of the 1834, 1840, 1850 census records of original Union Co. GA from which Town Co. was formed. Price: $50.00 in advance, $2.50 tax for GA residents, $2.50 for shipping. Make check to HEARTHSTONES OF HOME and mail to Editor, Jerry A. Taylor..

BOOK: JACOB'S LADDER by Charlotte Eller Marshall, 605 SE Park Ave., Corvallis, OR 97333. A collection of primary source materials, pictures, and stories dealing with the descendants of Jacob Eller, son of Joseph and Sarah Stephens Eller of Buncombe Co. NC who are now living throughout the western US. Price: $17.00 plus $2.50 for shipping..

BOOKLET: THE ELLERS IN AMERICA by A. William Eller, 370 Upham St., Lakewood, CO 80226. Prepared for an Eller Family Reunion held in Estes Park, CO in Aug. 1980, the booklet is dedicated to the participating families of ELLER, CREWDSON, MOUER, AND DE SEELHORST. Most of the material was extracted from GEORGE MICHAEL ELLER AND DESCENDANTS OF HIS IN AMERICA by James W. Hook. Over six pages of new genealogical data deals with the descendants of ROBERT TRACY ELLER, who trace back to George Michael Eller via William, Simeon, John, and Peter all treated in the Hook book. No price quoted..

BOOK: THE MIKESELL FAMILY by Nadine A. Mikesell, 101 NE 108th St., Vancouver, WA 98685. Eleven generations with allied families, hardcover, 516 pp., hundreds of pictures, index. Price: $40.00. (Note: Nadine is a descendant of Henry Eller, brother of George Michael Eller.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

On behalf of the Eller descendants who began the process of trying to organize THE ELLER FAMILY ASSOCIATION, I express our deepest thanks to each member for your interest and support. Your gracious letters and telephone calls are gratefully acknowledged..

A special thanks goes to those who took time to prepare and submit material for publication..

With your continued support and assistance the association will move toward its goals and bring to Eller descendants, now and in the future, a better perspective of who we are and from whence we came..