My Father's Family

My traced lineage in the United States goes back to the early 1700s, as does that of most people in America with the surname of Eller. As you can see, there is a link on my page to The Eller Chronicles, which is the official newsletter of the International Eller Family Association. I used to be the co-editor along with my brother, who still serves as executive editor of The Eller Chronicles. Feel free to check out the web-site if you are interested.

My father comes from a family of seven, which he seems to describe as being a little on the dysfunctional side. But doesn't everyone think their family is? In the words of Pat Conroy, "In families, there are no crimes beyond forgiveness." Of course, one also might not feel too bad about not talking to one's siblings and mother for twenty years, but ultimately there is forgiveness somewhere along the line. No one's pointing fingers here.

My Great-Grandparents, Lucius and Estelle George Clifford Eller, Senior (my grandfather) was the son of Lucius Elom Eller and Elsie Estelle Cook Eller. My great-grandfather was supposedly legendary for his farming and hunting skills. My great-grandmother came from a family chock full of school teachers and other members of the educational community. (Incidentally, as a former health care employee, I have noticed that schoolteachers have a high rate of psychological problems. Just an observation.) My great-grandfather was said to have had one of the highest attended funerals in Osceola, Indiana.

The Cook family My great-grandfather takes aim

Lucius Elom had two brothers and was the son of Warren Eller and Laura Fuller Eller, the debutante daughter of a prominent attorney. His mother died young and his father remarried a young lady named Rose. My great-great-grandfather was a real estate developer and also a prominent businessman in Indiana and Ohio. He also had a favorite chair at one of his hotels and once punched a man for sitting in it. This is another one of those anecdotes that has passed into family legend.

Warren was the son of Elom Eller and Sabrina Patterson Eller. My great-great-great-grandfather was supposedly the ruler of some type of peppermint oil empire. His oil was the standard by which the quality of all other oils produced at the time were tested. Remember, o ye scoffers, candy canes were invented in Indiana. He had the tallest monument in Eller Cemetery in Osceola, Indiana, where he was buried.

My Great-great-great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Byrkit Eller Elom was the son of Jacob Eller and Elizabeth Byrkit Eller. My great-great-great-great-grandfather was the first WASP born in St. Joseph County, Indiana. (The previous residents were of the Native American persuasion, to whom I profusely apologize for the actions of my ancestors.) They lived in a log cabin, which was supposedly not a bad log cabin -- according to my father -- before my great-grandmother burned it to the ground in a fit of rage. (Remember what I said about schoolteachers earlier.)

Jacob was the son of Leonard Eller and Elizabeth Mast Eller. My great-great-great-great-great-grandfather was an explorer, pioneer, real estate developer, and in the words of another Eller Family Association member, loan shark. His neighbors included a certain explorer named Daniel Boone. His estate took eight years to settle after his death. He also founded the town of Frederick, Ohio, and had close business contacts with a friend by the name of Hoover, one of whose descendants was a president named Herbert.

Leonard was the son of George Michael Eller and his wife, whose name escapes me. My great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather arrived in Philadelphia in the 1730s to escape religious persecution in Germany. He was from Bavaria -- probably Baden or Dusseldorf. (The Von Eller family has a castle there.) He was a German Dunkard (the forerunners of the Southern Baptists and a similar religion to the Amish and Mennonites). He moved to Maryland and lived there for most of his life until he finally settled and died in Rowan County, North Carolina. His most famous descendants are a brother-sister duo from Salt Lake City who had their own TV shows in the 1970s and 1990s. That's right, folks, I'm related to Donny and Marie. Aren't I cool?

Elizabeth Mast Eller was the daughter of John Mast and Barbara Harmon Mast. She, like Leonard, was most likely born in Maryland. Her father may have fought in the Revolutionary War but I need to verify that. Her mother, of Irish descent, was most likely descended from Irish Catholics displaced during the Plantations of the 1690s. They lived in Maryland, which, incidentally, is where I lived prior to moving to Israel. Neat, huh?

	George Clifford Eller, Senior (my grandfather) was the son of Lucius Elom Eller and Elsie Estelle Cook Eller. My great-grandfather was supposedly legendary for his farming and hunting skills. My great-grandmother came from a family chock full of school teachers and other members of the educational community. (Incidentally, as a former health care employee, I have noticed that schoolteachers have a high rate of psychological problems. Just an observation.) My great-grandfather was said to have had one of the highest attended funerals in Osceola, Indiana.