From HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA (Bowen & Co., 1917), pages 960-962:

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ELLIS ROUNSEVAL LAKE

Ellis R. Lake, one of Fayette county's best-known citizens and landowners,
proprietor of a cement-vault factory at Connersville and an extensive
dealer in fertilizer at Everton, in which village he makes his home,
was born in the house in which he is now living at Everton and has lived
there practically all his life. He was the first person born in that house,
which is still standing, as good as any house in Everton.

The Lakes, an old family in this country, take their name from the ancient
founders of the family in England, a family which took the surname "Lake"
from the fact that it had its establishment in a home by a lakeside. Ellis
R. Lake has gathered through much effort, for the benefit of the entire
family, records of the Lake family which give dates back to 1585 in England
and about seven generations earlier, of whom dates are not available,
to about the year 1295, in England. The founder of the family in America
was William Lake, a whaler, who bought land near Trenton, New Jersey,
established a home there and became the owner of several other tracts of
land. William Lake, one of the descendants of this forebear and grandfather
of E. R. Lake, and who died on December 9, 1857, was thrice married, his
wives having been Mary Rounseval, Elizabeth Carmichael and Sarah Veatch,
and was the father of seven children, Daniel, Deborah, Ellis R., Absalom,
Catherine, Phenas and Willis. Leaving New Jersey in 1815, William Lake
came out to Indiana and settled on a farm in Dearborn county, across the
river from Harrison, and in 1835 moved up the river to Fayette county and
located on a farm in the Everton neighborhood, in Jackson township, where
he spent the rest of his life. On July 21, 1807, William Lake was married,
in New Jersey, to Mary Rounsevall, who was born in that state in 1785,
and they had four children when they came to this state.

Phenas Lake, who was the second of the children born to William and Mary
(Rounseval) Lake after their arrival in this state, was born on a pioneer
farm on the banks of the White River, in Dearborn county, across the river
from Harrison, July 25, 1820, and was about fifteen years of age when his
father moved to Fayette county and settled in the Everton neighborhood.
There Phenas Lake grew to manhood and in 1844 married Rebecca Lambert,
who was born near Everton on October 20, 1822, a daughter of William and
Nancy Ann (Lee) Lambert, among the earliest settlers of that community and
the latter of whom was a distant kinswoman of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Phenas
Lake established his home at Everton, in the house in which his son, the
subject of this sketch, was born and is still living, and there he spent
the rest of his life, one of the most active and influential residents of
that part of the county. In addition to farming on a considerable scale he
also for many years operated a saw-mill at Everton and also operated an old
horse-power threshing-rig, which he would set up in barns and with which
he would thresh the grain of his neighbors during the winter months. By
the exercise of his energy and excellent business judgment he became the
possessor of an estate valued at about eighty thousand dollars, a considerable
accumulation of property for one man at that time and place. He ever gave
his earnest attention to local civic affairs and for years served as justice
of the peace in and for Jackson township, a position in which he exercised
a wide influence for good throughout that part of the county. Phenas Lake
died at his home in Everton on March 18, 1888, and his widow survived him
for more than six years, her death occurring on December 18, 1894. They
[were] the parents of ten children, namely: Nancy Jane, William, Sarah,
John, George W., Charles, Daniel D., Ellis R., Mary Ann and Peter.

Ellis R. Lake, eighth in order of birth of the ten children born to Phenas
and Rebecca (Lambert) Lake, was born at Everton, in the house in which he
now lives, June 9, 1859, and has lived there all his life. He received his
schooling in the Everton schools and, in addition to being a helpful aid in
his father's farming operations, learned the carpenter trade, at which he
worked for some time, but has been actively engaged in farming most of his
life. At one time he was the owner of nearly five hundred acres of land,
but has reduced his land holdings until now he owns but about three hundred
and forty acres, the same lying in four tracts. About 1908 Mr. Lake formed
a partnership with Doctor Johnston, of Connersville, for the manufacture of
cement vaults at Connersville, and later bought the Doctor's interest in the
factory and has since been operating the same alone. He also, for the past
seventeen year, has been dealing in fertilizers, with offices and distributing
point at Everton, also he has been agent for automobiles and in both of these
industries has done very well, long having been regarded as one of the most
substantial citizens of that part of the county. He has been successful as
a seller of automobiles. Mr. Lake has ever given his earnest attention to
local civic affairs, but has never been a seeker after public office.

Ellis R. Lake has been thrice married. On February 22, 1883, he was united
in marriage to Indiana F. Murphy, who was born on a farm in the vicinity of
Everton, a daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Corbin) Murphy, and to that union
one child was born, a daughter, Rosa Maude, who married Clair Lake and lived
in the Green settlement, near Nulltown, about four miles west of Everton,
until her death, on December 26, 1916, leaving twin daughters. On October
30, 1895, Mr. Lake married Phoebe Ella Kingery, a school teacher, who also
was born at Everton, daughter of Henry and Amelia Kingery, the former of
whom operated a saw-mill at Everton, and to that union two children were
born, Edna May, who is now teaching school, and Ella, who died in infancy.
The mother of these children died on January 6, 1899, and on May 9, 1900,
Mr. Lake married Coda B. J. Ritner, who was born near Hartsville, in Decatur
county, this state, daughter of Stafford and Sarah (Johnson) Ritner, and
to this union two children have been born, Coda B. and Boyd J. The Lakes
have a pleasant home at Everton and take a proper interest in the general
social activities of the village, helpful in promoting all good causes in
that community.

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