Sip Ellison was born into enslavement in about 1846 in Forsythe, Missouri. Sip married Mollie Robinson, his second wife, about 1888. In 1900, Sip and Mollie lived on College Street in Ash Grove, with Mollie’s daughter, Bessie. Sip never had any children of his own. From 1900 to 1920, Sip worked as a general day laborer, though his death certificate lists stonemasonry as his trade. He was one of the first trustees of Berry Cemetery in 1910 and was also a trustee of the Colored Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Ash Grove. In October of 1926, Mollie admitted Sip to the Greene County Alms House in Springfield (also known as the County Farm) for care. He was suffering from advanced-stage syphilis. The disease would kill him within a month. Sip died on November 29, 1926 (Russell 2012).
Grave Marker: Sip Ellison's specific place of burial within the Berry Cemetery is unknown and there is no individual headstone for him. However, Sip is memorialized by the inscription of his name (shown below) on the new monument, installed in 2017, for individuals interred in unmarked graves in the Berry Cemetery.
