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William Ellingham
Pioneer in IOOF and wholesale grocery business
OBITUARY -- from the Wheeling Intelligencer, March 7, 1922
DEATH OF WM. ELLINGHAM REMOVES LAST SURVIVOR OF FIRST WEST VA. GRAND LODGE OF ODD FELLOWS
PIONEER WHEELING BUSINESS MAN EXPIRES SUDDENLY AT HIS HOME EARLY MONDAY
-- R. S. M. GIBSON WILL CONDUCT FUNERAL SERVICE ON WEDNESDAY AT THREE O'CLOCK
DECEASED HAD BEEN PROMINENTLY CONNECTED WITH WHEELING BUSINESS HALF A CENTURY
The mortal remains of William Ellingham, pioneer business man, who expired rather suddenly at 6 o'clock Monday morning at his home, No. 45 1/2 Fifteenth street, will be laid at rest in Greenwood cemetery Wednesday afternoon. Funeral services will be held at the residence at 3 o'clock, conducted by the Rev. Dr. S. B. Gibson, pastor of the First Presbyterian church. Pallbearers had not been selected last night.
The sudden death of Mr. Ellingham removes the last Wheeling survivor of the first West Virginia grand lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. A Past Grand of the old Wheeling Lodge No. 59 under the grand lodge of Old Virginia, Mr. Ellingham sat with a group of representatives of the several subordinate lodges of Odd Fellows when the new West Virginia grand lodge was formed on December 5, 1865. In 1866 the old Wheeling Lodge No. 59 was reinstituted as Wheeling Lodge No. 9 of West Virginia, and Mr. Ellingham retained his active membership in Wheeling Lodge No. 9 from that time until his death. A search of the records of the grand lodge yesterday failed to show that any other members of the first West Virginia grand lodge of Odd Fellows is living, and it is believed that he was the very last survivor of the new grand lodge, which resulted from the separation of West Virginia from the Old Dominion.
Mr. Ellingham spent many years of active service in the Odd Fellows' subordinate bodies and grand lodge. In 1886 he was honored with election to the office of Grand Master of the West Virginia grand lodge, service in that capacity [ ... ] ing the term 1886-'87. He last [ .. ] a grand lodge session at the [ ...] Methodist church on the [ ... ] during the fall of 1919. As a [ ... ] Grand Master of West Virginia, [ ... ] also attended the Sovereign [ ...] oge. Mr Ellingham was also a member of the I. O. O. F. encampment being a member of Abrams Encampment No. 1, to which body he transferred his membership from Wheeling Encampment No. 11 about five years ago.
Mr. Ellingham was also a member of Wheeling Lodge No.28, B. P. O. Elks.
Although Mr. Ellingham had passed the eighty-year mark, he remained active in business even up to a few days before his death. He retained a keen interest in business and civic affairs and much physical vigor of early manhood to the end. Two weeks ago he contract a cold which he was unable to overcome, owing to his advanced age.
The name William Ellingham has been prominently connected with various business interests in this city for the last half a century. He was one of the pioneers in the wholesale grocery business, having been the founder of the firm of Neill & Ellingham, which was located at Fourteenth and Main streets for a number of years and later changed the name to the Neill Grocery company. the firm is now located at Twenty-second and Water streets. Mr. Ellingham always retained an active interest in the firm and was recently elected its president.
Just previous to his death, Mr. Ellingham spent the most of his time engaged in the merchandise brokerage business under the name of Ellingham & Co., with offices in the National bank building. He was vice-president of the National Exchange bank, of which institution he was a director for the last 48 years. He was also a member of the board of directors of the Security Trust company, and a trustee of Mount Wood cemetery. Mr Ellingham kept in close touch with all his business connections and devoted himself thoroughly during his entire career to any undertaking with which he was associated.
Mr. Ellingham was born in Ireland, and came to this country when he was very young, and by constant application with courage and ambition, rose steadily to a position of power and respect in the community.
He enlisted with the Union forces at the time of the Civil war and served the four years with the states, returning to this city after the struggle had ended and peace had been declared.
Mr. Ellingham always took a keen interest in politics and was an enthusiastic Democrat though he never aspired to public office.
The only surviving members of his immediate family are his widow, formerly Miss Susan Chambers of Wheeling, and two sisters, Misses Maria and Ellen Ellingham, both of Wheeling.
