[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 2, Ed. 1, Tree #1735, Date of Import: Jan 5, 1997]

Thomas and Nancy Elsey migrated to Missouri in 1835 with a son of Daniel
Boone and several other families. When they reached Crane Creek (ana
Turnback Creek), they returned to Tennessee and returned later to
establish Elsey, Missouri. the town of Huntsville, Arkansas ws organized
in 1839, thomas Elsey was the town's first blacksmith. Thomas Benton
Elsey, his son, was born in Huntsville in 1844. The family returned to
Missouri before 1849.

The 1870 census for Buck Prairie Township (June 21, 1870) list Thomas
Elsey, age 64, as a retired blacksmith. Living in the household:
George, age 21 born in Missouri in 1849
Daughter-in-law Amanda (Drake)
William M. age 2, son of George and Amanda
Edward S. age 8 months, son of George and Amanda
Elizabeth Drake, age 19, born in Arkansas (probably Amanda's sister)

Thomas was born Elzey, but in all later records he is known as Thomas
Elsey. He is on the tax rolls as a child, probably from land deeded to
him by his father.

The 1830 Census of Tennessee listed the following:

Thomas Elsey of Warren County, age 20-30
Wife: age 20 to 30 (Nancy Ledbetter)
1 male child 5 or under

Thomas Elsey married Nancy Ledbetter in Tennessee in 1829. Thomas was
born in 1805 and Nancy in 1810. They had seven children. George (our
ancestor) was born in 1849 in Missouri.

Official Temple Record Film #: 1761113
Batch #: F812717, Sheet #: 39, Source Call #: 0884781
Official Temple Record Film #: 1760790
Batch #: 5015215, Sheet #: 45, Source Call #: 1553607
Batch #: 5005237, Sheet #: 14, Source Call #: 1553254
Official Temple Record Film #: 1761091

[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 2, Ed. 1, Tree #1735, Date of Import: Jan 5, 1997]

James H. Elsey enlisted in the 32nd division of Missouri Volunteers in
1861. He served until 1864. He served under General Sherman, was also
in the battle of Gettysburg and was injured at Vicksburg. He died in
1891 and his wife in 1910.

On headstone:

J.H. Elsey
Co. E
32 Mo. Inf.

[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 2, Ed. 1, Tree #1735, Date of Import: Jan 5, 1997]

May have been born January 10, 1847

[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 2, Ed. 1, Tree #1735, Date of Import: Jan 5, 1997]

1880 census of Buck Prairie Township (Marionville, Missouri) list George
Elsey, age 32, as a photographer. The census list Nancy, mother of
George, age 70, "living in the house".

Letter to Richard "Dick" Elsey in Shreveport, La, dated August 2, 1988:

"George Elsey was listed on the Missouri 1880 census with wife Amanda and
children. His second wife was Alice Annett Hunt. They had their first
child on January 12, 1881. George and Alice Elsey lived in Ash Grove Mo.
unitl after 1900. They moved to Austin, Tx, where George started
contracting. He was responsible for the first buildings built at Fort
Sam Houson Army Base in San Antonio, Tx. Later he started his photograph
studio.

There was no court records from George's death. Nothing was ever
probated for h is estate-no one ever knew what happened to anything
George had at the time of his death. His children got nothing-he ad some
property before he died. I could never find any that he owned at the
time of his death.

George Elsey died of bronchial pneumonia when he was 78 years old. He is
buried next to Alice Hunt Elsey in Oakwook Cemetary in Austin, Tx.

After the children were older George did not live with his family. He
lived in an apartment behind his studio. In later year Alice lived with
her son Roy. Raymond Carl had one said that his Father (George) would
never "give them a nickel"-said if you want money go out and work for
it. George was also known to always carry a $100 bill in his hat. The
money was not found when George died. Raymond Carl had told his children
that he had 1/2 brothers somewhere but he had never met any of them. So
the family must have known George had another family.

George's sons George Roy, Raymond Carl, and Frank Hershel all worked in a
mattress factory in Austin, Tx when they were young. Later George Roy
and Raymond Carl opened their own mattress factory. About 1940 George
Roy and Raymond Carl sold their business and George Roy and his son John
Roy opened Elsey Upholstery in Austin and Raymond Carl and his son
Clarence Raymond opened their business in Blanco (Blanco Mattress Co.).
My husband (Douglas Terry Elsey: Clarence Raymond's son) and I (Bonnye
Elsey) now operate the family business only the name has been changed to
Elsey's Upholstery. We have been restoring and re-upholstering funiture
here in Blanco for 3 generations."

Bonnye Elsey also gives George's full name as George Bethel Elsey

Kenneth Lindsay has George's psalter book