J. Breckenridge (John Breckenridge) Ellis

Born near Hannibal, Missouri, in 1870, John Breckenridge Ellis spent much of his life in Clinton County after his family moved to Plattsburg. He became known as a remarkably productive writer, publishing more than twenty-five books, many of them historical romances and popular novels that found a large readership.

Ellis also worked as an educator. As a child he was left unable to use his legs after spinal meningitis, and later in life his eyesight failed; according to Missouri Encyclopedia, he taught himself braille. Those challenges did not stop him from building a long literary career, and his story is often remembered as one of persistence as much as authorship.

Several of his novels were adapted for silent films, helping extend his reach beyond the page. Today he is remembered as a distinctive Missouri author whose fiction entertained readers for decades and whose life reflected unusual determination.