In 1852, Ellis married Samuel Worthington Dorsey, an older man who was a member of a prominent Maryland family. His father Thomas Beale Dorsey had accumulated large cotton plantations in the Tensas Parish region, which Samuel inherited.
Ellis married Samuel Worthington Dorsey, an elderly gentleman from a prominent family, in 1852. His father Thomas Beale Dorsey had amassed significant agricultural holdings in the Tensas Parish area, which Samuel inherited.