The Fryeburg Elas lived in Conway at the same time as the South Conway Elas, and there even seems to have been confusion of the two families in town records. The puzzle is that William Ela, the earliest one tied to the Fryeburg clan, disappears from town records without comment, and we aren't sure where his parents originated. Good possibility that the Fryeburg Elas acquired this spelling of their name in Conway and that they were, as D.H. Ela said, originally Healys. He did seem to make the wrong connection however when he said this family descends from Joseph Healy of Dunbarton. I've checked that family line and there is absolutely no way to connect that Joseph to Joseph Ela father of William. I wish we had access to D.H. Ela's notes. Interesting however that he also speculated that "Ela" may have been Healy too.