Wilmer M. (Wilmer Mateo) Ely

author

Wilmer M. (Wilmer Mateo) Ely

Best remembered for brisk, outdoorsy adventure stories for young readers, this early 20th-century writer set many of his tales in Florida’s rivers, forests, and coastal waters. His books in the popular "Boy Chums" series mix friendship, travel, and danger in a fast-moving style typical of the era.

3 Audiobooks

The Boy Chums in the Forest; Or, Hunting for Plume Birds in the Florida Everglades

The Boy Chums in the Forest; Or, Hunting for Plume Birds in the Florida Everglades

by Wilmer M. (Wilmer Mateo) Ely

The Boy Chums in the Florida Jungle

The Boy Chums in the Florida Jungle

by Wilmer M. (Wilmer Mateo) Ely

The Boy Chums Cruising in Florida Waters

The Boy Chums Cruising in Florida Waters

by Wilmer M. (Wilmer Mateo) Ely

About the author

Wilmer M. Ely, sometimes listed as Wilmer Mateo Ely, was an American author active in the early 1900s. Records attached to digitized editions of his books identify him as Wilmer Mateo Ely (1874–1917), and they connect him with a run of juvenile adventure novels published by A. L. Burt.

He is chiefly known for the "Boy Chums" books, including The Boy Chums on Indian River, The Boy Chums in the Forest, The Boy Chums' Perilous Cruise, The Boy Chums on Haunted Island, The Boy Chums in the Gulf of Mexico, and The Boy Chums Cruising in Florida Waters. These stories lean heavily on outdoor action, boating, hunting, and survival, with Florida serving as a vivid backdrop.

Although not much biographical detail was easy to confirm, his surviving work suggests a writer with a strong feel for serialized adventure and for the kinds of settings that fired young readers’ imaginations a century ago. Today, Ely’s books remain of interest to readers exploring classic boys' fiction and public-domain adventure writing.