EMANUEL SELLERS 1795 ~ 1885
Based primarily on the 1880 census records, it is estimated that Emanuel was born about 1795. Earlier census records have a lot of contradictions on his age. He is referred to as a brother to Gurley in Mildred Sellers Bible notes and a 1917 record shown below.
Emanuel married Fanny Rogers 1 Jun 1825 in Franklin Co., NC. (Fanny’s sister, Winnie married Bennett Sellers who is also believed to be a brother to Gurley and Emanuel.).
Emanuel and Bennett left NC about the same time that Gurley and Delila left and very likely all moved together to S.C. Gurley shortly moved on to AL and Emanuel and Bennett settled in Spartanburg, SC.
Early Nash, NC records show these references to Emanuel:
Aug 1830 – Charged for assault and shows he was from Franklin Co. Bailed out by Littleberry Rogers who was likely his brother-in-law.
Feb 1833 and Feb 1834 – Working on a Nash road crew with Bennett and Jordan Sellers
Census records:
1830 Emanuel is in Franklin Co. NC: 2 males under 5; 2 females 5-10; he is 30-40; Fanny 30-40
1840 Spartanburg, SC: 2 males 5-10; 1 10-15; females 1 <5; 1 5-10; 1 20-30; he is 50-60; Fanny 40-50
1850 Spartanburg. Listed as SHORT SELLERS 50 (obvious error). (Brother Bennett, 69, listed as LONG SELLERS in same census one house away. Winny is 55.) Fanny is also listed as 50. Children and ages:
Lucinda 15
Allison 18
E. Henry 10 (believe this is Emanuel Henry)
1860 Spartanburg. Emanuel, 55 (error?); Fanny, 60 and daughter Nancy,17
1870 No record found
1880 Living with son Allison in Jefferson Co., AL; age 85; and listed as ‘superanuiated’ (means living off savings or pension). Also lists his mother and father’s birthplace as NC (which would conflict with the story that his father came from Ireland during the Rev. War.
Emanuel and Fanny's children: Here is a matrix that shows the children and estimated birth years and how they fit in the 1830 and 1840 census as noted above.
From the 1830 census, Emanuel had 2 daughters born in the 1820-1825 time frame
Henderson Sellers: born abt. 1825; believed to have died in the Civil War at Chicamauga about 1863.
Lucinda Louvinia Sellers: born abt. 1835.
Allison Sellers: born 1832-1835; Lots of inconsistencies in the reported ages in various censuses
Henry Sellers: born about 1840. In the Jefferson 1900 census but not in 1910
Apparently there was another male child born around 1830 and a female born 1835-1839 who is missing in 1850.
Here is a record from April, 1917 of relatives of one who married Henderson's son. This was from someone who knew the Sellers personally so I think it validates that Gurley and Emanuel were brothers as well as providing other evidence:
Emanuel’s sons Allison and Henderson both moved to Jefferson Co. AL late 1855 based on the birthplace of their children in the later censuses. It’s possible this move took them through Tenn and that Gurley aided in their move which might make Mildred’s Bible record that “Gurley and Emanuel went to AL, then to Tenn and back to AL…” make sense or perhaps the story handed down simply confused SC with Tenn.
In any event, Emanuel stayed in SC through the 1860 census. It’s possible that Fanny died and he then decided to move to AL as well. He was living in Shelby Co., AL prior to 1 Apr 1865 according to his claim against the Union for their Army taking 400 pounds of bacon from his property on that date.
The claim reveals a number of interesting pieces of information regarding his stance against the Confederate uprising and his loyalty to the Union throughout the war. It also notes that his son Allison had his arm shot off in the war and that his younger son Henry deserted the army and hid in the hills in AL. A later family member recorded this information:"She recalls a story Henry Sellers told her of being shot at by the Yankees at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. he told her he just kept running and was so scared he didn't even know his three fingers had been shot off. Also, she told me that Obediah told her he hid under a porch from the Yankees and didn't dare breath because they were all around. ". In the claim, Emanuel does not mention Henderson who had died in the war (possibly because it might not serve his cause in proving his loyalty to the Union throughout the war). It does state that Emanuel was born in Nash Co. (although it inadvertently states South Carolina instead of North Carolina) so this may be confirmation that Gurley and all were truly born there.
Here is a copy of the first page of that claim:
Also, check this information from one of my genealogy friends whose husband descends from Henderson Sellers. She has more details on the children of Henderson and others in the family:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~scsparta/marthamorris.htm
I have tried to estimate the location of Emanuel’s farm on modern day maps using the information that I was able to pull from the claim document and old maps of the area. He states he lived “about 7 miles south of Elyton and one and a half miles from the main public road to Selma. It's just below Chase Lake Country Club. (Didn't know he was a golfer!)
