John Breckenridge Ellis was an American writer. Mr. Ellis was born near Hannibal, Missouri, on February 11, 1870, but lived the majority of his life in Clinton County. He was the son of John W. Ellis, PhD, and Sallie Breckenridge Ellis. In 1880, his father bought Plattsburg College, and the family relocated to Plattsburg, Missouri, where the elementary school still carries his name. J. Breckenridge Ellis was a prolific writer, having produced 26 books (mainly historical romances), as well as numerous book-length serials published in national publications. His novel, Fran, reached the best-seller list in America and was adapted into the 1919 film The Love Hunger. Several of his novels were adapted into films and theater plays. He also served as president of the Missouri Writers Guild. Throughout the 1900s and 1910s, Ellis provided numerous serials to the Chicago Ledger. Many included the recurring character Detective "Keeneyes". Ellis' writing is from the Stanley Weyman school. His romances were brief and simple, eschewing the affectations and pretensions of many of his contemporaries. He died on April 2, 1956, at his house in New Cordell, Oklahoma, and was buried in Plattsburg's Greenlawn Cemetery.
