Over 350,000 people journeyed on the Oregon Trail, the most famous wagon route across America, with ruts still visible today. Our Ellison family is included in those 350,000. Larkin Tuggle and Nancy Emmeline Ellison and family traveled the trail for six months in 1865.
Larkin and Nancy were both born in West Virginia and were married on December 13, 1841. That year, Larkin’s father, Asa William Ellison, granted Larkin 46 acres on Tom’s Run in Giles County. Ten years later, in January of 1851, Asa granted him 50 more acres. During this time, their family bloomed with six children born in West Virginia.
In 1853 they migrated to Missouri along with Larkin’s parents and Nancy’s brothers John and Peter Cummings and their families. They settled northeast of St. Joseph on a rented ranch. In 1854 they took claims on Deer Creek, four miles north of Atchison, in the Kansas Territory. It wasn’t until 1855, after their daughter Mary Adeline was born, that they built and moved into their cabin. After two years and dissatisfaction with the location, they migrated seven miles southwest to Camp Creek near Parnell Junction, Kansas in 1857. Two more children were born there, Sallie and Preston.
In the spring of 1865, Larkin and Nancy decided to move to Oregon. The impetus for this move was likely a house fire that claimed their home and all of their possessions. Eliza, Larkin and Nancy’s youngest daughter, told the story in her biography.
“Larkin was working on his father’s (Asa’s) plantation and Nancy was at her folks’, two miles away, for the day with the smaller children. Amanda, Olivia, and Jane were doing the washing down at the spring when the house caught fire. When Nancy came back around five, everything was gone.”
“She (Nancy) was a wonderful house keeper and homemaker. She had woven all the cloth and had two everyday outfits or changes of everything for each one of her family and nice clothes for Sunday. Grandpa was a Baptist minister called missionary Baptist. Those days they went to different homes and rode 30 miles some times, mother said. Grandma had the cellar full of fruit, vegetables and jellies and jams. And all their meat for winter. Which was a great loss in those days.”
On the 16th day of May, they began their trek to Oregon. Among their belongings were a light wagon with a team of fine mares for the family and two heavy wagons with two yoke of oxen and provisions for six months.
The Oregon Trail was well-established by 1865, having begun in 1843. By then, some of the dangers and challenges had been eliminated, but the trip was a perilous one, lasting a full six months. Just as many others encountered hardships, so too did the Ellisons.
Nancy went blind while crossing the plains. They thought it was from neuralgia, which was treated by pulling all of her teeth. Can you imagine having your teeth pulled probably with pliers and no pain killer? Her eyesight never returned during her lifetime.
Preston, the three year-old son of Nancy and Larkin, died while on the journey and was buried in an unmarked grave along the trail.
Larkin and Nancy’s oldest daughter, Martha Jane, married Thomas Ashpole in November of 1864 and was pregnant on the trip. She gave birth to her son along the way. He died in infancy and was also buried in an unmarked grave along the trail. Martha Jane was very ill after giving birth and spent many days in her bed in the covered wagon. Her husband also became ill and died shortly after their arrival in Oregon.
In 1866 the family settled in Yamhill County, Oregon, southwest of Portland. Larkin continued farming there. One more child, Eliza Ann, was born to Larkin and Nancy in 1867.
Oregon was the final destination of the Ellisons, for they didn’t move after that. Larkin died of typhoid fever on July 1, 1877. Nancy then lived with her oldest daughter, Martha Jane who had remarried to Henry Parrott. She died June 2, 1902. All their children lived out their lives in Oregon except for Overton, who had remained in Kansas.
Find out more about Larkin Tuggle Ellison and Nancy Emmeline Cummings Ellison here.