Mary Dixon Ellis was born of Nov. 17, 1929. She was only 16 years old when she married C.P. Ellis on October 29, 1945, in Randolph County. Despite C.P. Ellis owning a small service station the two still struggled to escape from poverty. The couple would go on to have four children.

They had one son who they called Punkin’. He was blind, deaf, and intellectually challenged which led to more financial hardships. Mary Ellis didn’t support C.P.’s involvement with the Klan. “She didn’t particularly like the Klan,” said C.P., “but she endured it because I enjoyed it, see?” It is believed that after the charette, Mary took C.P.’s rifle he used for Klan duties and buried it in the backyard, making sure it was never to be retrieved again. Mary Ellis died on October 22, 1999, at the age of 69. She is buried in Durham County, NC.