Charlie Ellis
Grandpa Ellis was a changed man, transformed by the Gospel.
In the photos, you can read his testimony in his own words from a book published by his church in Durham many years ago. I even got a pic of him!
He talks about his shame in his life of sin, but he doesn’t go into details in this writing - and for good reasons. My Grandma, his daughter, shared with me some of the things she knew of her Daddy before he trusted Jesus.
We are Durham people. Charlie Wendell Ellis was born on July 3, 1909 and died July 6, 1997. He was married to Allene Ellis and they lived in the Oak Grove area of Durham, over in rural East Durham. Grandpa Ellis was a cook in downtown Durham, loved to fish and had massive gardens. I had the pleasure of having him take me fishing at his pond & I got to shell beans in his den while he watched shows like Hee Haw. Grandma Carter, his daughter Delores, said he’d catch snapping turtles, put them in a steel hog trough to let them “clean out”, then slaughter & eat them… According to Grandma there are “7 different flavors of meat in a turtle”. (Grandpa never fed me any turtle… Ha!)
He worked at the AB Morris Cafe on Blackwell Street. You can read more about it here: AB Morris Cafe.
He was a simple man, he lived off the land, and loved his family. I remember his hugs, how broad in the shoulders he was. He had a quiet strength about him, and to me a child then, seemed like a gentle giant.
After Grandpa Ellis & Grandma Ellis passed away, our families went through their home to see what needed sorting. Behind their home was his old smoke house & salt house… Inside the salt house, we found hams from the pigs he had killed still in salt! (No… we did not eat them… Ha!)
The Gospel changes people and shapes families for generations. I believe I found Jesus because of the decision of Charlie Ellis to surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord. I can’t say that for all of our family, but for me its changed my life. Read more about the Gospel here: Paul Washer - What is the Gospel?
Take a few moments and read his story in the photos - it’s a gift to me now.
Thanks to Aunt Tammy for finding it and preserving it for us.
Charlie Ellis with Rose
The AB Morris Cafe that Grandpa Ellis cooked at for many years - 416 Blackwell Street in Durham, NC.
