Ellis Levi Wheeler
My paternal grandfather, Ellis Levi Wheeler (1896-1944), grew up in Newberry County in South Carolina’s Dutch Fork.
November 11, 2022About 1908 or 1909
Ellis at around age 11 or 12
This photograph was taken at Salter’s Studio in Newberry, South Carolina.
Ellis was the son of Thompson Luther “Dick” Wheeler (1855-1920) and Ida Rebecca Rikard (1859-1936). The youngest of seven children, he grew up on a farm near the small town of Prosperity in South Carolina’s Dutch Fork.
Ellis was baptized Levi Ellis but, according to Tom, my father, he later switched the order of his first and middle names because he thought Levi was too old-fashioned.
Daddy went to the Excelsior School where his older brother and sisters had gone. It was within walking distance of home. Grandpa Thompson used to come by the school in his buggy and pick him up and take him to town with him to spend the day sitting around the feed store or the town square. Granny Wheeler would find out and be furious with them both.
Tom Wheeler in The History Of A Wheeler Family in the Dutchfork, 1998
1917: WWI Military Service
Ellis registered for the WWI draft in Newberry County, South Carolina on June 5, 1917. His registration states that he was 22, single, and employed by Dr. J. I. Bedenbaugh as a car salesman in Prosperity. Dr. Bedenbaugh was married to Ellis’ older sister Bessie (Frances Elizabeth Wheeler).
Ellis enlisted in the US Army on June 14, 1917 at Charleston, South Carolina. He was honorably discharged six months later due to a physical disability not related to his military service. According to his enlistment record, he served as a sergeant, a noncommissioned officer, in Motor Truck Company 335. He did not serve in any expeditions. The record also states that he was of excellent character and was serving his first enlistment period at the time of discharge. His occupation before enlistment was listed as chauffeur. He was released from military service on December 29, 1917 at Camp Wheeler, Georgia.
After the Army
When he returned to Prosperity, he worked in the drug store and began to sell cars for, I believe, Bill Smith of Newberry. Daddy was a natural at selling cars and moved to Augusta, Georgia to bigger opportunities. His sister, Lucy, had married Uncle Elmo Layfield, who worked for the Augusta Herald and, when Daddy first moved to Augusta, he lived with Aunt Lucy and Uncle Elmo. He prospered in the automobile business and later he was given the franchise for the Hupmobile Company, which was a very popular car before the 1929 Depression.
Tom Wheeler in The History Of A Wheeler Family In The Dutchfork, 1998
About 1920
Ellis, early 20s
In the 1920 federal census, Ellis Wheeler was one of five boarders living at the residence of Oscar M. Buzhardt in Newberry, Newberry County, South Carolina. His occupation was listed as automobile salesman. Although the town of Newberry is between the Broad and Saluda Rivers, it is generally not included in the area in the lower fork known as the Dutch Fork.
October 1924
Ellis married Mary Agnes “Mae” Brennan (1905-1992) in Augusta, Georgia on Wednesday, October 15, 1924. Ellis was 28 and Mae was 20.
Ellis’ Ancestry in South Carolina’s Dutch Fork
To learn about Ellis’ parents and ancestry, check out the section on the Dutch Fork.