SEVENTH GENERATION

127. Mary TEMPLE was born on 4 Jul 1878 in Buon Creek, Tenn. She died on 28 Jun 1969 in South Hill, Virginia. She was buried in Pohick Church, Fairfax County, Virginia. Mary Temple moved to Washington from Tennessee with her sister. They went to work for the Government.

She was married to Wayne McVeigh ELLER (son of James William ELLER and Francis HAGER) on 9 May 1903 in Philadelphia, PA. Wayne McVeigh ELLER was born on 28 Sep 1881 in Fairmont, Neb.. He died on 18 Jul 1959 in Petersburg, Virginia. He was buried in Pohick Church, Fairfax County, Virginia. Wayne Eller grew up in Omaha, Nebraska.
He moved "back East" in the early 1900's, after the death of his mother. Wayne Eller lived in several cities, including Philadelphia, Washington and Petersburg.
He was employed by the National Biscuit Company and was an officer with State Planters Bank in Petersburg.
In the ealy 1940's, Wayne and Mary Eller operated a rooming house in Washington. About this time, Wayne Eller became interested in Amateur radio (Ham radio) primarily to contact his son Temple who was in the army in Puerto Rico. Wayne Eller was an avid camper and outdoorsman. He frequently took his family on camping and canoe trips along the James and Appamattox Rivers and into the Great Dismal Swamp. He even wrote a column for the "Petersburg Progress Index" on the best places to canoe. Mary TEMPLE and Wayne McVeigh ELLER had the following children:

+151 i. Helen Vaughan ELLER was born on 16 Mar 1904 in Philadelphia, PA. She died on 1 Dec 1979 in Richmond, Virginia. She was buried in Kenbridge Cemetary. Helen ELLER grew up in Petersburg, Virginia. Her brothers nicknamed her "Sissie." In the 1920' she left High School in Petersburg to enter nurse's training at Alexandria Hospital. She was certified a Registered Nurse in 1918 or 1919. She practiced nursing in South Hill, Virginia, at Community Memorial Hospital.
It always bothered her that she was older than her husband, and so she created several records showing her born about 1908. They were false. When she applied for Social Security, she confirmed that she was born in 1904.
+152 ii. Donald Temple ELLER was born on 28 Jun 1906 in Sibley Hosp; Washington, DC. He died on 30 Oct 1994 in Florida. He was buried on 7 Nov 1994 in Arlington National Cemetery. Donald Eller grew up in Petersburg, Virginia, where he attended public schools. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1929. Donald had a distinguished Naval career. He commanded the USS Burns during World War II and participated in the invasion of the Gilbert Islands and opertions on the Marshall and Marianias Islands. At the time of his retirement, he had been promoted to Rear Admiral.
Upon his death, Donald's ashes were burried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Later, some ashes were also burried at Pohick Church, next to the body of his first wife.
+153 iii. Temple Lawrence ELLER was born on 12 Oct 1912 in Hagerstown, Maryland. He died on 8 Mar 1996 in New Haven, Conn. Temple Eller enlisted in the U.S. Army Engineers in Oct 1933. He served in Europe during World War II, where he received a battlefield commission. Following the war, he served as an electronics expert for the Army. Following his retirement from the Army, he served as a Civilian employee of the Defense Department, again in the field of electronics.