History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties. Page: 326

326

326 HISTORY OF TEXAS.

business, after another two years resumed
railroad work, taking a contract for building
three miles of road on the Missouri, Kansas
& Texas Railroad from Taylor to Bastrop.
Mr. Seiders afterward contracted with the
same road for building bridges and grading
county roads. In 1892 he resumed work on
the Missouri, Kansas & Texas extension to
Houston.
January 1, 1884, our subject married Miss
Alice Schieffer, a native of Sabine county,
Texas, a daughter of Ferdinand and Sophia
(Cook) Schieffer, natives of Germany who
caine to this State long prior to the late war.
The parents had twelve children: Robert;
Gus, deceased; Richard; Annie, wife of Will
Thirlie; Mary, wife of P. M. Seiders; Bertha,
now Mrs. Charles Thirlie; Alice, wife of our
subject; Otto, Hermnon Willie, Alexander,
and one deceased in infancy. The father
died February 16, 1889, at the age of sixtyone
years, and the mother died July 17, same
year, at the age of fifty-eight years. Mr. and
Mrs. Seiders have five children,--Hattie,
Emma, Alice, Julia and Henry H. Our subject
affiliates with the A. 0. U. W., Taylor
Lodge, No. 95, and both he and his wife are
members of the old-school Presbyterian
Church.
iWh Ad A. ELLISON, a physician and merchant
of Manchaca, Travis county,
was born in Caldwell county, Texas,
October 19, 1855, a son of W. W. and Emily
(Rather) Ellison. The paternal great-grandfather
of our subject came from Ireland to
America in Colonial times, locating in South
Carolina, and later in Alabama. The grandfather,
William Ellison, was born al raised
in that State, later lived many years near

Jackson, Mississippi, and finally died in
Texas, at the advanced age of ninety years.
The father was born in Alabama in 1828,
where he was reared to manhood, and was
married in Mississippi at the age of nineteen
years. He followed agricultural pursuits in
that State until 1849, when the family came
to Texas, locating on the Colorado river, in
Bastrop county. In the following year Mr.
Ellison bought land three miles south of
Lockhart, Caldwell county, where he remained
until after the close of the late war, was then
a resident of Smith county, later of Bell
county, and his death occurred in Hays
county in 1884. The mother of our subject
departed this life in 1865. Mr. and Mrs.
Ellison were the parents of six children, viz.:
Cornelia, now the Widow Shelton, of Dripping
Springs, Texas; James R., of Bell
county; W. A., the subject of this sketch;
Ada, wife of Thomas McElroy, of Buda,
Texas; Hewitt, of Travis county; and Robert,
of Bell county. After the mother's
death the father married her sister, then the
Widow Collier. They had five children:
Frank, a resident of Bell county; Lola, now
Mrs. Denny,-of San Marcos, Texas; Mattie,
who is still unmarried; and Charlie and Leta,
twins, the.former of San Marcos and the latter
of Buda.
W. A. Ellison grew. to years of maturity
.in Caldwell and Smith counties. He began
the study of medicine under an uncle in the
latter county, Dr. H. M. Rather, in 1875,
and during the years of 1876-'77 attended
lectures at the Missouri Medical College at
St. Louis. He then practiced medicine under
a certificate in Maunchaca until 1883, and in
that year entered the Louisville Medical College,
graduating at that institution in Felbruary,
1884, receiving two gold medals.
Since that time Mr. Ellison has practiced

RISTOR Y F EXS