Ellis lived to be 100 years old and had a centennial celebration in his honor. The account of the Centenarian was copied from the Springfield Monitor in 1889. An excerpt from the account: "One hundred years reached by Ellis Wilcox, of Island Grove, Sangamon County, Illinois. The event was celebrated Monday by a grand picnic on the old farm, where Ellis and Ann settled when first coming to Illinois to make their home. The spot selected was a grove that skirted the meandering stream which runs through the farm. The stand and seats located in the grove, a natural amphitheater where the crowd could easily overlook the stand, and the speakers could be heard while they talked to the audience. The choir and the brass band could also be seen and heard from the stand. In the center of the stand in the back was an old wooden clock, an heirloom, which had been in the family for years. On both sides of the clock was the crayon portrait of Ellis and Ann Lewis Wilcox, the venerable centenarian to the left, and that of his deceased companion in life to the right. In the center was an old time center table with a lovely bank of cut flowers. In an old fashioned arm chair sat the patriarch, and on either side of him his old friends and the presiding officer."