Elizabeth Ellen Falwell was the 2nd of six children born to her father, John B. Falwell, by his 1st wife, Mary P. Martin. Elizabeth was only 7 years of age when her mother died.

Elizabeth was named after her grandmother Elizabeth Fallwell, wife of Elisha Fallwell of Chapel Hill, Marshall County, Tennessee. Elizabeth's father, being a widower, raised his children with the help of his family until 1858 when he married Charlotte Rebecca "Lottie" Little and John moved with his wife and children to Texas.

Opal Clore notes: Elizabeth's granddaughter, Ethel (Davenport) Mosley told me in 1991 that her grandmother said she walked most of the way from Tennessee to Texas. Guess riding in a wagon was pretty rough. This same granddaughter said Elizabeth often rocked a baby's cradle with her left hand while seated at a table reading her bible and turning pages with her right hand.

They made the move to Colorado County, Texas between April 25, 1858 (when she was 14) and census in June 1860 (age 16) from Marshall Co., TN, where she was in the 1850 census (age 6). Elizabeth was in Colorado Co. from then until her move with her husband and family to Milam Co. in 1873-74 (application for widows pension dated Aug 14 1904: she stated she had lived in Milam County 30 or 31 years).
1880 Milam Co. census (see husband)

John's parents stayed in Chapel Hill, Marshall County, Tennessee and lived out their lives and are buried there in the Fallwell Family Cemetery. (Note: For some reason, Elizabeth's father John spelled his last name "Falwell" where the rest of his siblings spelled their name "Fallwell". On records it is found with both spellings quite frequently.)

When Elizabeth was almost 22 years old she married James Robert Burgess on July 20, 1865 in Columbus, Colorado County, Texas. James Robert went by his middle name. Robert was born on July 5, 1838 in Cherokee County, Alabama. Robert & Elizabeth had six known children: James Collins, b. 1869; Nora Hazeltine, b. 31 May 1872; William, b. 1869; Henry, b. 1876; Robert, b. 1879 & Dora Clementine, b. 1881.

Soon after their children were grown, Elizabeth's husband, Robert, died on Feb 18, 1904. Apparently, Elizabeth never remarried as the 1910 and 1920 census records lists her as a widow living at the home of her daughter Dora Clementine (Burgess) Davenport and her son-in-law, James David Davenport, in Falls County, Texas.

Found recorded in a family Bible belonging to Nora Hazeltine (Burgess) Brown, Elizabeth's daughter, is this note concerning the tragic fate of her mother, our dear Elizabeth Ellen. "On March 25, 1924 in Alice, Wells County, Texas, Elizabeth Ellen Falwell Burgess died in a house fire." Elizabeth was 80 years, 6 months and 19 days old at the time of her death.** (from Dortha Kay Brown in 2001.)

**According to the Texas Death Certificate #9612, Elizabeth died from Endocarditis which is an inflammation of your heart's inner lining. Her death certificate is signed by Dr. R. W. Well who stated that he had attended her for three days for this disease. This contradicts the fact that she died in a house fire. Her death certificate also states her birth as Feb. 6, 1844 which is different from her tombstone. Her death certificate also states that she was 90 years, 1 month and 19 days when she died. This is 10 years in error. Very confusing! The informant on her death certificate is J. D. Davenport, husband of her daughter, Dora.

When Elizabeth died, she was survived by two sons, two daughters, forty grandchildren and a lot of great grandchildren.