Edward S. Ellis

Internationally, Edward S. Ellis is probably known best for his Deerfoot novels read widely by young boys until the 1950s.

• Name — Edward Sylvester Ellis • Born — 11 April 1840 • Birthplace — Geneva, Ohio • Died — 20 June 1916 • Place of death — Cliff Island, Maine • Occupation — Author • Parents — Sylvester Ellis Mary Ellis • Education — Master of Arts (Princeton 1877) • Other Names — James Fenimore Cooper Adams Captain Bruin Adams Boynton M. Belknap J. G. Bethune Captain Latham C. Carleton Frank Faulkner Capt. R. M. Hawthorne Lieut. Ned Hunter Charles E. Lasalle H. R. Millbank Billex Muller Lieut. J. H. Randolph Emerson Rodman E. A. St. Mox Seelin Robins • Footnotes — Information sourced from NIU Beadle and Adams Novel Digitization Project

Seth Jones was a prototypical early dime novel published by Beadle and Adams. It is said that Seth Jones was one of Abraham Lincoln's favorite stories. During the mid-1880s, after a fiction-writing career of some thirty years, Ellis eventually began composing more serious works of biography, history, and persuasive writing. Of note was "The Life of Colonel David Crockett", which had the story of Davy Crockett giving a speech usually called "Not Yours To Give". It was a speech in opposition to awarding money to a Navy widow on the grounds that Congress had no Constitutional mandate to give charity. It was said to have been inspired by Crockett's meeting with a Horatio Bunce, a much quoted man in Libertarian circles, but one for whom historical evidence is non-existent.

Besides the one hundred fifty-nine books published by his own name, Ellis' work was published under various pseudonyms, including: • Illustration — Cover of Seth Jones; or, The Captives of the Frontier by Edward S. Ellis • "James Fenimore Cooper Adams" or "Captain Bruin Adams" (68 titles) • "Boynton M. Belknap" (9 titles) • "J. G. Bethune" (1 title) • "Captain Latham C. Carleton" (2 titles) • "Frank Faulkner" (1 title) • "Capt. R. M. Hawthorne" (4 titles) • "Lieut. Ned Hunter" (5 titles) • "Lieut. R. H. Jayne" (at least 2 titles in the War Whoop series) • "Charles E. Lasalle" (16 titles) • "H. R. Millbank" (3 titles) • "Billex Muller" (3 titles) • "Lieut. J. H. Randolph" (8 titles) • "Emerson Rodman" (10 titles) • "Colonel H. R. Gordon" (6 titles) • "E. A. St. Mox" (2 titles) • "Seelin Robins" (19 titles)

Ellis' best known books follow the adventures of Deerfoot of the Shawnee, a young Native American brave based on the historical character of the same name who was renowned for his skill with the bow, and his abilities as a runner. • Deerfoot in the Forest • The Hunters of the Ozark • Deerfoot in the Mountains • Deerfoot on the Prairies • The Camp in the Mountains (London: Cassell and Company, 1897) • The Last War Trail (Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1884)

This series introduces the characters Oskar Relstaub and Jack Carleton. Deerfoot appears in the second and third books. • The Lost Trail (Philadelphia: Porter & Coates, 1884) • Campfire and Wigwam (Philadelphia: Porter & Coates, 1885) • Footprints in the Forest (Philadelphia: Porter & Coates, 1886)

Further series of books written by Ellis included the following: