A name that is not familiar to most people in Northwest Arkansas is that of John Breckenridge Ellis. Born in 1870 near Hannibal, Mo., Ellis spent most of his life in Clinton County, Mo., about 35 miles north of Kansas City, where his father, John W. Ellis, in 1880 purchased Plattsburg College in Plattsburg. Ellis died in 1956 at Cordell, Okla., where he had made his home a few years prior to his death.
According to the Clinton County Historical Society, he was a prolific writer, having written 26 works, mostly historical romances that appeared in book form, plus numerous serials of book-length which were published by national magazines. Several of his works were made into stage plays and motion pictures. He also served as the first president of the Missouri Writers Guild.
His novel, Fran, was on the bestseller list in America and made into a movie. Several of his works were made into plays for the legitimate stage. At one point in his life, Ellis lived in Bentonville, and during that time he wrote a novel, "Little Fiddler of the Ozarks," which was published in 1913. The scene for that novel was laid around Bella Vista, the Big Cave (later known as Wonderland Cave), and Bentonville. It was later made into a silent movie, released in 1921, called Cinderella of the Hills, starring Barbara Bedford.
A name that is not familiar to most people in Northwest Arkansas is that of John Breckenridge Ellis. Born in 1870 near Hannibal, Mo., Ellis spent most of his life in Clinton County, Mo., about 35 miles north of Kansas City, where his father, John W. Ellis, in 1880 purchased Plattsburg College in Plattsburg. Ellis died in 1956 at Cordell, Okla., where he had made his home a few years prior to his death.
According to the Clinton County Historical Society, he was a prolific writer, having written 26 works, mostly historical romances that appeared in book form, plus numerous serials of book-length which were published by national magazines. Several of his works were made into stage plays and motion pictures. He also served as the first president of the Missouri Writers Guild.
His novel, Fran, was on the bestseller list in America and made into a movie. Several of his works were made into plays for the legitimate stage. At one point in his life, Ellis lived in Bentonville, and during that time he wrote a novel, "Little Fiddler of the Ozarks," which was published in 1913. The scene for that novel was laid around Bella Vista, the Big Cave (later known as Wonderland Cave), and Bentonville. It was later made into a silent movie, released in 1921, called Cinderella of the Hills, starring Barbara Bedford.
A name that is not familiar to most people in Northwest Arkansas is that of John Breckenridge Ellis. Born in 1870 near Hannibal, Mo., Ellis spent most of his life in Clinton County, Mo., about 35 miles north of Kansas City, where his father, John W. Ellis, in 1880 purchased Plattsburg College in Plattsburg. Ellis died in 1956 at Cordell, Okla., where he had made his home a few years prior to his death.
According to the Clinton County Historical Society, he was a prolific writer, having written 26 works, mostly historical romances that appeared in book form, plus numerous serials of book-length which were published by national magazines. Several of his works were made into stage plays and motion pictures. He also served as the first president of the Missouri Writers Guild.
His novel, Fran, was on the bestseller list in America and made into a movie. Several of his works were made into plays for the legitimate stage. At one point in his life, Ellis lived in Bentonville, and during that time he wrote a novel, "Little Fiddler of the Ozarks," which was published in 1913. The scene for that novel was laid around Bella Vista, the Big Cave (later known as Wonderland Cave), and Bentonville. It was later made into a silent movie, released in 1921, called Cinderella of the Hills, starring Barbara Bedford.
Xyta Lucas/Special to Weekly Vista
