Historical Marker
William Lewis Ellis
Seymour, Baylor County · Texas
Erected 1969
Two men died at Seymour on August 6, 1916. Newspapers that week reported that Stephen Brown, a Black prisoner, shot Sheriff Ellis and was then killed by a posse; his age is unknown. The NAACP's tally of lynchings and the Lynching in Texas project list Brown's killing as a lynching. The Texas Peace Officers' Memorial records Ellis's own death as by gunfire. The Lynching in Texas entry gives the place as Seymour and the date as August 6, 1916, and the story ran in papers from Nebraska to Whitewright, Texas, within days.
What the plaque says
William Lewis Ellis (January 25, 1861 - August 6, 1916) Sheriff of Baylor County 1912-1916. A champion of the law, he was feared by the many rustlers and bandits in the area. He gave his life in the line of duty. First wife was Barnetta (Ashton); second, Sarah E. (Scott). He was Presbyterian. Recorded--1969.
Where it stands
33.57456, -99.24229 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Edward D. and Mary S. Miller — steps away
- Baylor County — 1.4 mi
- Near Route of The Western Trail — 2.6 mi
- St. John Catholic Church (of Bomarton) — 11 mi