Ellen Rhoda Grant was born in Macon County, NC. She was the daughter of William Christenberry Grant (whose father was said to be a Mr Blalock; his mother, Elizabeth "Betsy" Grant, was unmarried) and Eliza Caroline "Lizzie" Totherow Grant. (See more later down about who the other parents were said to maybe be and why)

This relationship was substantiated by the Williams Family Bible (posted about on Ancestry by Pooh1945 who doesn't give her name) This lady had a house fire and the Bible was destroyed by had hand copied the info for other family members. She says, "The Bible was given to my grandfather by his nephew, Harley Weldon Grant. He had found it in an attic....Grandpa later gave it to his son, Fred Howard Grant, and in 1978, Fred gave it to me [Pooh1945] ... after the death of Ila Grant Dalrymple, her daughter found the paper on which I had written these records down for Aunt Ila. ... The information was recorded by William C Grant. I recognized his handwriting as being the same as what appeared on his Pension Application after the Civil War.
The opening page of the Family Registry.... [it] was written 'This certifies that William C Grant and Eliza C Totherow were united by me in the Holy Bonds of Matrimony at Wesser, NC on the 13th day of December in the Year of our Lord 1857....'
[The account continues, skipping a page summary]:
"The next page was entitled births:
William C Grant was bornd November the 14th, 1826
Eliza C Grant was bornd February 8 1834
Elizabeth D Grant was bornd Oct the 6 1858
Rhoda E Grant was bornd Aug the 2 1860
Mary L Grant was bornd Feb the 17 1862
John S Grant was bornd Sept the 16 1866
Andrew S Grant was bornd Dec the 11 1871
Joshua J Grant was bornd Jany the 19 1869
Sarah L Grant was bornd Dec 11 1871
William M Grant was bornd May the 30 1874
James M Grant was bornd March the 20 1877
Richard M Grant was bornd Feb the 2 1880...."

This fits with family stories passed down from her descendants and also with the stories passed down from Eliza Totherow's sister, Mary Ann Totherow who married William C Grant's cousin, Wilkie Icabod Grant that Mary Ann raised some of her sister's kids part of their lives. It also fits with this account given in book:

Our Kin: Being a History of the Hoffman, Rhyne, Costner, Rudisill, Best, Hovis, Hoyle, wills, Shetley, Jenkins, Holland, Hambright, Gaston, Withers, Casper, Clemmer, and Lineberger Families. Charlotte, NC, D.E. Ryne, L.L. Jenkins, and L.M. Hoffman, 1915.

On Page 112: " 5 Eliza [Totherow] Grant's children: 6 Lizzie, m. Thos. Grant; Ellen, m. Dan'l Dills; Jno., m___Smith; Sherman, m. _____Love; Lou, Mary; Wm. M ____Kee; Jacob, m. _____Gutherie; Richard, m. B. Grant. "

So this book published in 1915 matches what was passed down from descendants of Rhoda Ellen Grant Dills and descendants of her aunt, Mary Ann Totherow Grant also. It also fits the account in an old family Bible which had belonged to William C Grant passed down to his descendants. It also fits with what William C Grant and Eliza Totherow Grant's eldest daughter said, that she married a Grant but her death certificate had Blalock on it for maiden name and she was adamant that her family were Blalocks, not Grants so she and her husband were not related.

Now, I have gotten people sending edits to her on Find a Grave to tie her to Wilkey Grant and Mary Ann Totherow Grant; indeed, she is listed in their home in 1870 (just after Wilkey's death in May 1870); however, it was told to family members descended from Wilkie and Mary Ann that she raised some of her sister Eliza's children.

Another piece of information which may be interesting to note: in 1902, part of Wilkey Grant's land was sold to Alfred M Grant and his wife Lucinda. The heirs named were: John Patton Grant and wife Georgia An, Eliza Jane Grant, Arminda Grant, TH Lackey and wife Mary [Martha} Lackey, and Sarah H Grant. The only heirs who were not named were William Grant who was already deceased and Rhoda Ellen Grant; this would also give credence that Rhoda Ellen Grant was not Wilkey's child but was William and Eliza's child. (Swain County Land Records).

There was confusion over who Rhoda Ellen "Ellen" Grant's parents were. There were two possibilities:
1. William Christenberry Grant & Eliza Caroline "Lizzie" Totherow
2. Wilkey Ichabod Grant & Mary Ann Totherow
Both families lived at Cowee then later Welch's in Macon County; Wesser Creek was part of "Welchs Township" before Swain County was formed in 1871 then it became "Nantahala Township."
William C Grant and Wilkey I Grant are first first cousins, they were born to mothers who were unwed, whose maiden names were Grant.
Eliza Totherow and Mary Ann Totherow were sisters.
This makes it harder to prove with DNA but some descendants of Wilkey have found distant cousins matching "Keeter" surname. William C Grant's father was said to have been a Blalock. Descendants of Jihn Patton Grant noted his mother, Mary Ann Totherow Grant, helped raise some of her sister's children. There are also newspaper records showing Mary Ann Grant received some funds to help pay upkeep for children in her care.

Based on the old book written when Ellen Rhoda and her siblings were living in 1915, and based on the Family Bible Record, I am noting her parents were William C. Grant and Eliza Totherow Grant.

In 1870 she was living in Welch, Macon County, NC at age 8 and she was in the household with Mary Ann Totherow Grant. Researchers have noted that the 1870 census for the community of Wesser Creek which was in Welch's Township of Macon County at the time, is full of errors; both for Mary Ann Totherow Grant's family and also for William C Grant and Eliza C Totherow's family. This is the only census she would be on as a child also so it is unfortunate. It is good that we can rely on the book written in 1915 and also rely on the Family Bible Record which was passed down to descendants of William C. Grant.

At age 15, in 1877, she married Daniel B Dills, the son of John A Dills Jr. And Oliff/Olive Lucinda "Cindy" Cabe Dills. (The record says 17 but her other records show she would be 15 if born in 1862).

16 Sep 1877 Macon Co., NC Marriage Register
David B. Dills of Macon, 21, white
& R. E. Grant of Macon, 17, white
Married at Briartown Baptist Church, Nantahala, Macon County, NC by Mark May, Minister.
Witnesses: W. H. Cochran, J. M. Dalrymple, Wm Deweese

[Note, Briartown Baptist Church Cemetery is where her mother, Eliza Totherow Grant, is buried; Eliza's husband, William C Grant, is at Aquone Baptist Church Cemetery; his grave was moved to there when the man-made Lake was dug].

They are shown in Nantahala, Macon Co., NC in 1800 and 1900 and Nantahala, Swain Co., in 1910.

By 1920 the family had moved to Haywood County, NC.
Daniel died in 1921 and Ellen is shown in her daughter and son in law's household in the 1930 Census in Nantahala, Swain Co., NC. (Azor and Veney Huffman's). Ellen joined him in 1934.

Name: Ellen Dills
Age: 70
Born: 1859
Died: 20 Aug 1929; Death County: Macon; Death State: NC
Source Vendor: NC State Archives. North Carolina Deaths, 1908-67

Children of Daniel and Ellen (all born in Macon County, NC):
1. Amanda "Manda" Jane Dills (SEP 1878-
2. John Henry "Henry" Dills (08 SEP 1880-22 DEC 1922)
3. Eliza Loucendia Dills (OCT 1882-)
4. William Sherman "Sherman" Dills (13 FEB 1885-)
5. Milly E Dills (JAN 1890-)
6. Ollie M Dills (JUN 1892-)
7. Lena C Dills (26 SEP 1894-)
8. Vina Ella Dills (FEB 1897-)
9. Richard M Dills (NOV 1899-)

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