Born Alexander Coleman, in Connecticut in 1805. He took the nick name of Elic and relatives know of his having brothers Elisha, Chester, John, Hiram, James, and Erastus, and one sister Annie. The Colemans originally came from England. The great-grandparents settled in Connecticut in early colonial days and the great-grandfather, Ebenezer, was a soldier in the War for Independence, in which he took no insignificant part.

This line of the Colemans were great pioneers. They were settlers in five different states, Connecticut was the first. As a young boy, Mr. Coleman moved to Ohio (which became a state in 1803) in approximately 1812. He was married thirteen years later in Coshocton County, Ohio where his first two children, Jane and Matilda, were born. In 1830, the Colemans removed to Knox County, Ohio. Nine children were born there: Ebenezer, Mary, Lucy, William, John Henry, Amy, Elic Jr., Amanda, and Luther.

In 1850, the Colemans removed to Henry County, Iowa, the Mt. Pleasant settlement, only four years after statehood was adopted there. The fourth state in which the Colemans made a home was Nebraska, but they made this move as several groups.

Their daughter, Matilda, her husband Joseph Pearson, and two children, Jennie and George, came in 1857. Their daughter, Mary and her husband, William J. Laughlin, and three children came in 1859. Mr. and Mrs. Coleman and other members of the family came in 1861.

When the Colemans came, Nebraska was a territory. It included part of Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. Not until 1863 was it cut to its present size, and not until 1867 was it made a state. So Matilda lived in Nebraska ten years before it became a state. And one of their granddaughters, Katharine Pearson, was the first white child born on Salt Creek. Some say in all Cass County. She was born October 26, 1858. Three of the Coleman grandchildren (the children of daughter Amy Coleman Farmer) homesteaded in and helped settle South Dakota, the fifth state.

In 1863 Elic and Catherine Coleman settled on the N 1/2 NE 1/4, Section 21, in Salt Creek Precinct, half a mile south of his final resting place in Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery, first living in tents until they could build sod or log homes. This land was just across the road west from the quarter section Mary and William Laughlin took, the NW 1/4 of Section 28, three-quarters of a mile north of Ebenezer, who had the NE 1/4 SW 1/4 of Section 28 and also the E 1/2 SW 1/4 and the W 1/2 SE 1/4, and the NE 1/4 SW 1/4 and the SE 1/4 SW 1/4, all in Section 29, and the NE 1/4 NW 1/4 in Section 32. Henry lived in the same section with his parents, on the W 1/2 SE 1/4. Amanda, wife of Thomas Cheuvront, lived first on their homestead in the W 1/2 NW 1/4 of Section 34, and later in Greenwood. He was a carpenter by trade. It was their son, W. G. Cheuvront, who was president of the Sheffer Cemetery Association during its first ten years. Lucy had the SW 1/4 NE 1/4 of Section 21, adjoining her parents on the south.

ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ne/cass/cemeteries/sheffer.txt

The Salt Creek Congregational Church was organized on Saturday, November 20, 1864, through the instrumentality of Rev. Reuben Gaylord, the first place of worship being a schoolhouse about a mile south of the subsequent town site. The original members were Elic Coleman, William Coleman, William Laughlin, Sarah Montgomery, Anna Coleman and one other. In December, 1870, the name of the society was formally changed from that of the "Salt Creek" to the "Greenwood Congregational Church." During 1872 and 1873, a church structure was erected, being dedicated on April 6 of the latter year, by the Rev. O. Merrill, Superintendent of Home Missions. The first pastor of the society was Rev. M. V. Platt, who was superseded by Rev. David Knowles, upon the dedication of the church building. Rev. Mr. Knowles remained in charge until the year 1874, when Rev. Mr. Platt again assumed the pastorate, to be once more succeeded by his predecessor, in 1878. In 1879, Rev. William Leavitt commenced a ministry, continuing two years, Rev. Mr. Knowles assuming the charge, which he yet retains, in 1881. The present membership of the church is twelve.
Source:
http://www.ukans.edu/carrie/kancoll/andreas_ne/cass/cass-p10.html#louisbio s

Note: Family Bible says Elic and Catherine were married Sept. 8, 1825. His given name was Alexander, after Alexander Chalker, nickname Elic. His son's given name was Elic (not Alexander) but was referred to as a "junior".