The Eller Chronicles

TEDDY GENTRY'S MOTHER WAS AN ELLER

(Member of the musical group ALABAMA)

From Dorothy W. Newbold, P.O. Box 507, Ball Ground, GA 30l07. Ltr. dated 19 May 1989...Finally -found an address for possibly reaching Teddy Gentry: "Alabama" Fan Club, P.O. Box 529, 201 Glenn Ave., S.W., Fort Payne, Alabama 35967- [Attention: Teddy Gentry, in lower left hand corner- of envelope.] No one is allowed to give out his address or telephone number. Teddy's maternal grandfather is Burt Eller, Rt. 4, Fort Payne, Alabama 35984. Burt was married to Ollie Owens. His father was Elisha Hedden Eller who married Julia Brickley. His father was George Henry Eller who married Rachel Brown. His father was Joseph Eller who married Mariah Hedden. We wrote to Burt Eller but have received no reply. [Eds. See Eller Chronicles Vol. II, No. 1, p. 8 for more on this line of Jacob Eller (Rowan Co., N.C.) descendants.]

From Georg Eller, Bingen/Rhein, Germany. A Christmas Greeting to the EFA and the two following pictures, one of his home and one of his family.

Georg Eller & Family

Georg Eller's Home

CLEVELAND ELLER: AN HONOR GUARDSMAN AT PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S FUNERAL

From Louise Eller Collidge, 1401 W. First St., McCook, Neb. 69001 via letter to A. Wm. Eller, President, EFA.

Barnett Cleveland Eller, b. 29 Feb. 1844, Wilkes Co., N.C.; d. 30 Mar. 1929, David City, Nebraska; m. 14 Dec. 1859 Annie Troxel. He was a lst sargeaut in Co. K, 9th Iowa Cavalry in the War Between the States ... from J. W. Hook, Geo. Michael Eller, pp. 202-206.

Ltr. dated 21 Jan. 1964 from Helen and Harry Evans and Uncle Hugh Eller to Louise Eller Coolidge, grand-daughter of Cleveland Barnett Eller: "I am wondering if you have heard ... that Grandpa Eller participated in Lincoln's funeral ... He had gone to war for a neighbors son and was paid $500.00 ... this was how he got his start and bought his land when he came back to Iowa ... his Division of the Army were guards at the funeral ... they were shipped by train with their horses ... after the funeral they were let out ... Grandpa wanted to buy his horse, a beautiful animal but they would not sell. Liucoln's casket was open ... Grandpa did not see him.

Ltr. dated 9 Jan 1976 from Harry and Helen Evans to Louise and Dave Collidge ... I took a few shots (photos) of the ribbon that Grandpa Eller wore at Lincoln's funeral. He was an honor guard ... it has the name on the ribbon- also David City on it - both in gold and two flags - all is pretty fragile. I have it in a deep frame to protect it ... It was in papa's trunk... I had never seen it until after his death.

Notation on back of photo below:"...it has David City Neb. on it, Lincoln And Post #10 under it- has 13 stars and stripes on the flags. Really valuable to us -will try again for a better one (photo) would make a good enlargement for Bicentennial. The white flags are frayed a bit. At top says, "Grand Army of the Republic", Also 1866 on medal. Harry holding it."

BIFFLE AND HENCKEL FAMILY ASSOCIATIONS

(of interest to Jacob, Jr.,/Mary Biffle Eller Line)

From Janet M. Roseen, 219 Second Street N.E., Minneapolis, MN 55413-2217 comes an announcement that she is exploring the possibility of starting a Biffle Family Association.

[Eds. This announcement will be of interest to descendants of John Jacob and Mary Marlena Biffle Eller of Buncombe County, N.C. See the chart below which shows the Biffle-Henckel connection to this Eller line.. Note that Catherine Henckel Biffle is a descendant of the Lutheran minister, Rev. Antonius Jacobus Henckel who came to Pennsylvania in 1717.

A delightful book: The Pastoral years of Rev. Anthony Henkel 1692-1717, by Ann Hinkle Gable was published by the Penobscot Press, Camden, Maine in 1991. The author passed away in Pleasant Hill, Tennessee soon after the book was published. The book deals with the life of Rev. Anthony Henckel in the German Palatinate before he immigrated to Montgomery Co., PA in 1717.

A Henckel (Hinkel Hinkle) Family Association has been in existence since 1925. An extensive genealogy was published in 1964 by the Henckel Family Association : THE HENCKEL GENEALOGY 1500-1960 - Ancestry and Descendants of Reverend Anthony Jacob Henckel 1668-1728 - Pioneer Evangelical Lutheran Minister, Emigrant from the German Palatinate to America in 1717, by William S, Junkin and M. W. Junkin. This publication has been followed by the HENCKEL BULLETIN, published each year since 1964. The current editor of the Henckel Bulletin is: Nedra D. Brill, 12816 Lampton Lane, Fort Washington, MD 20744.

The immigrant Henckels, Biffles, Goettges and Ellers (Jacob and Melchoir, probably Christian) settled near one another in Montgomery County, PA. The Henckel arrived first (1717); then came Paul Buffel (Biffle) (1738) whose daughter Elizabeth married Christian Eller, then came Johannes Goettge (1751) whose daughter Maria Eva married Jacob Eller there in 1753 (Arrival date for the Ellers not known). John Justus Henckel, son of Rev. Anthony Jacob Henckel, removed to Rowan County, N.C. in 1750, about the same time as did Paul Biffle. The Ellers and Goettges arrived in Rowan County as early as 1755-60. We believe it is safe to say that the first German ancestor of the Jacob Eller, Jr./Mary Biffle line to reach America was the Rev. Anthony Jacob Henckel who came in 1717. It is known that the early Henckel, Biffle, and Goettge immigrants to Pennsylvania in the mid 1700's came from the German Palatinate. In all probability so did the early Eller immigrants.

[Eds. Brent A. Cox (see following page) has written a most interesting account of the life of Col. Jacob Barnett Biffle who served with great distinction under, Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest in the War' Between the States. Col. Biffle was a great grandson of Adam Biffle and Catherine Henckel. His father, was born in Haywood Co., NC but the family moved to Maury Co., TN in 1810. Cox says, "When the Mexican-American War was declared in 1846, Col. Jake was 18: � he volunteered ... wearing brown jeans and a roundabout coats and riding an $80.00 horse, young Jake galloped off to war." ..."In July 1861 Jacob Barnett Biffle organized Company B of the Second Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry Battalion" ... and again went to war.]

5 Generation Ancestor Chart for:
Mary Marlena Biffle, 1760 - 1837

THE CLOSSON STORY

In a busy basement in Apollo, Pennsylvania a husband and wife team work feverishly to meet yet another deadline on a client's printing needs. Often- the result of their efforts is another issue of the Eller Chronicles. The couple are Bob and Mary Closson, owners of the Closson Press, 1935 Sampson Dr., Apollo, PA 15613-9238.

Some years ago Bob and Mary, motivated by their church's suggestion that people search out their ancestors, spent considerable time chasing down their roots, starting in Pennsylvania and reaching into the centers of Germany and Scotland. It was soon apparent that such searching could be an expensive venture, so they decided to start a genealogy service that made it reasonable for others to search their ancestry in Pennsylvania. They hoped to make enough profit to support their own "habit". At no time did they have intentions of getting into the genealogy or printing field professionally.

They started by compiling 60 cemetery records for Westmoreland County, PA and offering to search these for specified names for $1.00. They were amazed at the response. People began to ask them to search here, there, and everywhere in Pennsylvania. At first they rejected the requests but these continued in an endless stream. So they began to purchase and compile more records in response to the many requests. They began to visit courthouses to abstract and compile records to be put in book form. That was their- entry to the book business.

Finding a printer for, their books was a problem. Most professionals were quick printers interested only in lager quantities. Their smaller orders languished longer and longer, at these places and the prices were out of sight.

Bob had been a printer in high school and loved it; but now he had a full-time job with Bell Telephone but was unhappy there. When he retired after 30 years he and Mary decided to start "CLOSSON PRESS" and this they did in 1976.

Soon their multilith was replaced with the state of the art modern equipment that occupies their basement today. The business expanded and expanded until it gradually took over most of their house. Interest in genealogy on the part of many people whose needs, made known to Bob and Mary, created and maintains the Closson Press.

Genealogy books are very very slow sellers. No more than two copies of some books are sold per year. Many you can't give away unless you find the right person who needs them. Bob and Mary felt that all history and genealogy was worth preserving so they took many chances. In time it became necessary to go into commercial printing so they could continue to produce duce their, little genealogy books (church, cemetery, courthouse records, etc.)

Juanita and Gerald Eller, when they started the Eller- Chronicles, produced the first three or four issues by doing all the photocopying, collating, addressing and mailing. As the membership grew this became a difficult task and professional local Printers were consulted. All were too expensive.

Gerald had used the services of the Clossons on several occasions to search records for Ellers in Pennsylvania and had learned of their printing services. He contacted Mary and Bob and learned that they would do the work for a price quite acceptable to the EFA. In addition to turning out good prinr they made it possible for pictures to be used. They excel in printing pictures at an affordable price and they also save the EFA considerable postage by mailing under their bulk rate permit.

When Bill Eller- was searching for, a printer, for, the reprinting of the James W. Hook book, he was on the verge of signing a contract with a local printer in Denver when Gerald suggested he might check with the Closson Press. Bill did so and a contract was quickly negotiated and the handsome reprint of the George Michael Eller book was the result.

The Eller Family Association is fortunate to have found dependable and dedicated people like Mary and Bob Closson. Their, services are highly recommended to one and all who are looking for professional printing at affordable prices.