John Breckenridge Ellis (1870–1956) was an American writer.
Biography
Ellis was born near
Hannibal, Missouri
Hannibal is a city along the Mississippi River in Marion County, Missouri, Marion and Ralls County, Missouri, Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,108, ...
, on February 11, 1870, but spent most of his life in
Clinton County Clinton County may refer to:
*Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States:
**Clinton County, New York
** Clinton County, Ohio
*Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...
. He was the son of John W. Ellis, PhD. and Sallie Breckenridge Ellis.
In 1880, his father purchased
Plattsburg College and the family moved to
Plattsburg, Missouri where the
elementary school
A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
still bears his name.
Ellis was a prolific writer, writing 26 works (primarily
historical romance
Historical romance is a broad category of mass-market fiction focusing on romantic relationships in historical periods, which Lord Byron, Byron helped popularize in the early 19th century. The genre often takes the form of the novel.
Varieties
...
s) which appeared in book form, besides numerous
serials of book length which were published by national magazines.
[
His novel, ''Fran'', was on the best seller list in America, and made into the 1919 ]film
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...
'' The Love Hunger''.stage play
A play is a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than mere reading. The creator of a play is known as a playwright.
Plays are staged at various levels, ranging ...
s. He was president of the Missouri Writers' Guild.[
During the 1900s and 1910s, Ellis supplied numerous serials to the '' Chicago Ledger''. Many featured the recurring character Detective "Keeneyes".][
Ellis' writing is of the Stanley Weyman school. His romances were pithy and understated, artfully avoiding the affectations and pretensions of many of his contemporaries.
He died at his home in ]New Cordell, Oklahoma
New Cordell is a city in and the county seat of Washita County, Oklahoma, United States. It lies along U.S. Route 183. The population was 2,775 at the time of the 2020 Census. The community was previously established a few miles from the curr ...
, on April 2, 1956, and was buried at Greenlawn Cemetery in Plattsburg.[
]
Novels
*''The Dread and Fear of Kings'' (1900)
*''Garcilaso'' (1901)
*''The Holland Wolves'' (1902)
*''Stork's Nest'' (1905)
*''Adnah: a tale of the time of Christ'' (1907)
*''The Soul of a Serf : A Romance of Love and Valor among the Angles and Saxons'' (1910)
*''Fran'' (1912)
*''Lahoma'' (1913)
*''Little Fiddler of the Ozarks'' (1913)
*''The Picture on the Wall'' (1920)
Films based on his novels
*'' Emmy of Stork's Nest'' (based on ''Stork's Nest'') (1915)
*'' The Love Hunger'' (based on ''Fran'') (1919)
*'' Lahoma'' (1920)
*'' Cinderella of the Hills'' (based on ''Little Fiddler of the Ozarks'') (1921)
*'' The Shadow on the Wall'' (based on ''The Picture on the Wall'') (1925)
See also
* List of bestselling novels in the United States in the 1910s
References
External links
Photo of Ellis' house
at The Clinton County Historical Society
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, J. Breckenridge
1870 births
1956 deaths
People from Hannibal, Missouri
People from Plattsburg, Missouri
Novelists from Missouri
19th-century American novelists
20th-century American novelists
American historical novelists
American romantic fiction novelists
American male novelists
19th-century American male writers
20th-century American male writers