Ella Lorton Lee was born in the Pendleton District of South Carolina on June 5, 1844. Her mother, Eliza Amanda Whitner Kilpatrick, 1812-1884, was widowed in 1840, and later married John S. Lorton, a Pendleton merchant. John S. Lorton, died in October 1862 and Ella's half-brother, Franklin Whitner Kilpatrick, was killed in action during the Civil War (Lookout Mountain, 1863). Ella began keeping a journal in April 1865 towards the end of the Civil War. In 1876, Ella married Gideon Lee of Carmel, New York, and moved north where she lived until her death in 1921. Lee was previously married (from 1869-1871) to Ella's friend, Floride Clemson, the daughter of Thomas Green and Anna Calhoun Clemson. Ella kept her journal irregularly until December 31, 1892.
From the description of Ella Lorton Lee journal, 1865-1932, (bulk 1865-1876) (Clemson University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 437429205
