Edgar, Charles and Emily ("Emilie") Ely were three of the seven surviving children of Elias S. (1809-1888) and Hester (1812-1881) Ely of Madison, Connecticut. Elias was a farmer. Three of the Ely children fought in the Civil War, on the side of the Union.
Edgar (1837-1896) enlisted as a private on July 30, 1862 and joined the Company G of the 14th Connecticut Infantry on August 20, 1862. He was promoted to corporal on October 1, 1863 and mustered out on May 31, 1865. He remained a farmer in Connecticut and married Jane M. Brown.
Charles (1839-1912) enlisted with the 27th Connecticut Infantry on September 9, 1862 . He served initially as sergeant and acting orderly and was promoted to a 2nd lieutenant on May 11, 1863. He resigned on June 4, 1863. He married Mary G. Darling and they lived in Columbus Ohio, where Charles was a teacher for the deaf (circa 1870). The family then moved to Frederick City, MD, where Charles served as the Principal and Superintendent of the Maryland Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb (c. 1880-1910).
From the guide to the Ely family letters, 1862-1864, (The New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division.)
