Ely was living in San Francisco at the time of the great earthquake and fire of 1906 and was active there in the early days of the sales and racing of automobiles. He married Mabel Hall on August 7, 1907; he was 21 and she was 17, which meant the marriage required her mother's consent; they honeymooned in Colorado. The Elys relocated to Nevada City, California, in 1909, and for a time he drove an "auto stage" delivery route.