The tax list you posted
contained the names C.K. SELLERS and Calvin. Those
are names I've found in my Butler Co., Ala. SELLERS research. Of
course, I
don't know if the C. K.
SELLERS on your list is the same one as the one in
Butler Co., but since there
could be a connection, I'm sharing C. K.'s obit
and one for J.M.Y. (whom I'm
assuming to be the son mentioned in C.K.'s
obit).
Died near Bear's Store on
23rd Mr. C. K. Sellers, father of
J. M. Y. Sellers and George
and Angus Sellers of the Alabama Conference. He
died as he had lived in the
faithful service of his Master. "Rest soldier
rest from thy loved employ.
Thy work is done--enter thy Master's joy."
by J.R.S.
[from the Greenville
Advocate of Wednesday, June 30, 1886, from a column
called Georgiana Dots]
[note by C. S.]
C. (Calvin) K. Sellers is
buried at Providence Cemetery near Georgiana. Born
Nov. 20, 1818, Died June 23,
1886,
Private 3 Bn Ala. Res. C. S.
A.
-----------
In addition, I found some
handwritten notes (unsigned) in the Sellers files
in the Greenville Ala.
Public Library genie room. These notes said Calvin
was born in Brunswick Co.,
NC, was married to Elizabeth Talbot in Ala. in
1836 or 1837, and they had
twelve children.
-------------
A Tribute to My Friend,
J.M.Y. Sellers by J.A. Reid
Denied by illness from
attending his burial, which occurred in Oak City
Cemetery, I cannot refrain
from offering this humble tribute to the memory
of my lifelong friend.
He was born January 22,
1848, in Montgomery County, Alabama, and died at the
home of his daughter, Mrs.
W. A. Leysath, in Greenville, Ala. on March 6,
1926, being then a little
more than seventy-five years of age. It was our
fortune in early life to
live only a few miles apart in south Alabama. There
he was married April 5,
1868, to Miss Mary E. Casey, daughter of Dr. W. T.
Casey, a prominent physician
of Alabama, and their union proved to be the
beginning of a long and
ideal companionship. Five sons and six daughters
were born to them, all of
whom lived to manhood and womanhood, save one
daughter, who died in
Bainbridge November 24, 1901.
I knew him intimately as my
friend in social, business, and religious life,
and never knew him to say
nor do a thing that would in any way reflect on
his Christian character. He
was indeed a Christian. He had his joys and
sorrows. I have walked with
him under the shadows, and it was custom when
the way grew dark and the
burden grew too heavy to bear, for him to turn
aside to the throne room
where he had in early life enthroned his Saviour,
and there in quiet communion
with Him, lay all of the problems and
perplexities of life at His
feet, asking Him for guidance and strength; and
I never knew him to go away
from such communion without added strength and
light and a brighter hope
with which to renew life's journey. Then too, I
have seen him scale the
heights of spiritual exaltation, and standing on
some bright peak, he seemed
almost to catch glimpses of his future home with
its bright prospects. It was
a privilege and a blessing to have had such a
lifelong friend. He did not
strive for great material wealth, but rather for
Christian character for
himself and for those who God had committed to his
care and training.
While in Alabama he
conducted his farming operation, and at the same time
was in charge of the timber
department of the Milner, Caldwell, and Flowers
Lumber Company of Bolling,
Ala., until he served his connection at
Bainbridge with the Flint
River Lumber Company, which connection he
maintained until they closed
operations for want of timber. For thirty years
he was an honored citizen of
this county, and for a time served as one of
its Commissioners. He was
also instrumental and active in the building of
the church at Diffee, Ga.,
and was a member of the building committee for
the construction of the
Bainbridge Methodist Church, of which he was
afterwards a Steward and an
active and useful member.
During all of these years he
was my intimate friend. As the years crept by
he grew feeble, and at last,
weary with the pilgrimage, he laid down to
rest, and fell asleep. Sleep
on, my friend. No discordant sound, nor even a
note of melody nor lilt of
song shall disturb your peaceful slumber. Sleep
on until the voice of God
shall call you into wakefulness on the
resurrection morn. Then
shall you wake in His likeness. To his loved ones he
has left in his life and
character a richer heritage than any material
legacy. And now that his
useful Christian life has ended--
Go, bury thy sorrow, the
world has its share;
Go, bury it deeply; go hide
it with care;
Go, think of it calmly, when
curtained by night;
Go, tell it ot Jesus, and
all will be right.
J. A. Reid
[from the Greenville
Advocate April 7, 1926]
------------------------------------------------------------------
J. M.Y. Sellers Dies
Saturday Night
About 12:00 Saturday night,
J.M.Y. Sellers "Uncle Joe," as he was called by
a great many loved ones,
died at the home of his daughter Mrs. W. A. Leysath
in this city. For many
months the deceased had been a great sufferer and at
times his life hung by a
thread. A few days ago the prevailing epidemic,
flu, attacked him, and in
his feeble condition he succumbed. He was 79 years
of age.
Mr. Sellers was reared in
Butler Co. [Ala.] and when almost a boy, was
engaged by the Confederate
government in collecting from the farmers their
ten percent of the crops, to
be used for the army. Mr. D. G. Dunklin was in
charge of the "Tax in
Kind" department, and one-tenth of everything grown,
or hogs and cattle raised,
had to be turned over to him for the sustenance
of the soldiers. After the
war, Mr. Sellers married and was a prominent
farmer in the southern part
of the county. He was always a Christian, and
early in life connected
himself with the Methodist church, and was a leader
in it until ill health
prevented active work. He lived and died in the
faith. A good man as
everyone who ever knew him will testify.
In his old age he had been
living first with one and then with another of
his children, making his
headquarters with his daughter in Bainbridge, Ga.
He came to Greenville on a
visit to his daughter, Mrs. W. A. Leysath, some
months ago, when he became
ill and has been here ever since.
Funeral services were held
at the home of his daughter Sunday afternoon at
3:30 and the body carried to
Bainbridge, Ga. for burial. Rev. D.H. McNeal
officiating. A large number
of citizens were present to pay their respects
to him.
He is survived by his widow
and a number of children, all of whom are grown
with families of their own.
The deceased was a very
prominent citizen of this county and at one time was
a candidate for the State
Senate on the Democratic ticket. It was the time
when the Populist party was
in the ascendancy, and he was defeated. That was
the only time he ever
entered politics, and he did not seek that office; it
was thrust upon him.
[from the Greenville
Advocate of March 10, 1926]
------------
Hope this helps someone.
Cheryll Sumner
<Irishsttr2@aol.com>
Two of my SELLERS
connections are a great aunt Victoria Black who married
Willie E. Sellers in 1891
and a gg-aunt Eliza Jane Brooks who married Duncan
T. Sellers in 1869, both in
Butler Co., Ala.. I believe you've posted some
of my info on them on the Butler County, AL page.