By Michelle Allen
Michelle Allen is a community storyteller dedicated to preserving the history and charm of Hesperia. Follow along at www.echoesofthewillow.com for more inspiring local stories.
Some names in history feel distant—etched in textbooks, carved into monuments. But every so often, one of those names turns out to be family.
According to recent research on FamilySearch.org, I may be the 3rd cousin six times removed of William Ellery, one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. A man who, at age 48, placed his elegant signature beneath the words that would birth a nation.
This remarkable discovery came to me on July 4th 2025—Independence Day. A holiday I’ve always observed and respected, now transformed into something deeply personal. The fireworks feel closer. The music of history, louder.
Born in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1727, William Ellery was a Harvard-educated lawyer, fluent in Greek and Latin, and known for his fine penmanship. He was deeply involved in the Sons of Liberty, and after the death of Samuel Ward, he was elected to the Second Continental Congress, where he voted for independence on July 2, 1776, and signed the Declaration on August 2.
He once wrote:
“Humility rather than pride becomes such creatures as we are.”
That humility, paired with conviction, shaped his legacy. He served as Collector of Customs for the Port of Newport until his death in 1820, living to the age of 92—one of the oldest signers alongside Charles Carroll and James Wilson2.
To think that his bloodline may run through my father’s side is both humbling and electrifying. It reminds me that our stories are braided into the very fabric of history, and that the search for ancestors is never just about names—it’s about discovering the values, choices, and courage that echo through generations.
I’ll continue tracing this connection, exploring the Ellery line and its ties to the Newberrys. But for now, I hold this truth close: perhaps the ink that helped shape a nation also flows through me—and this Independence Day, the celebration feels ancestral.
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