John Willis Ellis
Attorney ✵ Superior Court Judge ✵ Governor of North Carolina
| | Salisbury History & Art Trail - Civil War & Reconstruction | |
John Willis Ellis was born November 20, 1820, in the area of Rowan County which later became a part of the new county of Davidson. In 1842 he opened his law office at No. 2 Cowan's Row, located in this block. Early in his career he won a seat in the House of Commons, and by the age of 28, he was serving as a Superior Court judge. Ellis was elected Governor of North Carolina in 1858 and reelected for a second term.
On April 15, 1861, two days after Fort Sumter at Charleston, S.C., fell to Confederate troops, President Lincoln issued a call for Federal trorops to include two regimentss from North Carolina. Ellis promptly responded: "Lincolnl can get no troops from North Carolina." He then ordered state troops to occupy the federal forts and to seize the Fayetteville Arsenal. On May 20, 1861, a convention met in Raleigh to determine North Carolina's course of action. The Ordinance of Secession, introduced by Burton Craige of Salisbury, was unanimously adopted, and North Carolina linked "her fate with her sisters of the South."
Ellis, ill with tuburculosis, journeyed to Red Sulphur Springs, Virginia, in hopes of regaining his health. He died there on July 7, 1861, at age foroty. First buried in the Ellis family graveyard in Davidson County, his remains were later removed to the English Cemetery, Salisbury, and interred next to those of his first wife, Mary White Ellis.
Erected 2007
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Government & Politics • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is April 15, 1861.
Location. 35° 40.026′ N, 80° 28.187′ W. Marker is in Salisbury, North Carolina, in Rowan County. It is on East Innes Street just east of South Main Street (U.S. 29/70), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 E Innes St, Salisbury NC 28144, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont and in Greater Charlotte. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: William Valentine
Credits. This page was last revised on June 23, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 23, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 369 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 23, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
