Benjamin F. Ellis was the father-in-law and eventual business partner of J.E. Dunaway. Ellis was a large Dallas County (Ala.) planter who extended his business into retail trade and "advancing" after the Civil War. His business, which became the J.E. Dunaway Mercantile Company in 1898, was one of the oldest firms in Orrville (Ala.). Ellis was a Baptist and actively supported Judson College. Dunaway headed the firm in general mechandising, advancing, and farming, into the 1930s.
From the description of Papers, 1886-1961. (Auburn University). WorldCat record id: 37340012