Complex sentence: Ely was born on April 13,1854 in Ripley, New York, the eldest of three children of Ezra Sterling and Harriet Gardner (Mason) Ely.
Split into simpler sentences: Ely was born in Ripley, New York on April 13,1854. He was born as the eldest of three children of Ezra Sterling and Harriet Gardner (Mason) Ely.