Notes regarding census name associations and using neighbors
to locate precise locations in later census records.
This project of finding the gravesites for Peter and Catherine Sellars in Carter
County, Tennessee is proving to be much more difficult of a task than I had
imagined it would be.
1) An index of cemeteries for both Washington and Carter
County’s, Tennessee has not turned up the burial sites for Peter or Catherine
Sellars. Available since l976 the index
of cemeteries for Carter county is 406 pages {LCCN 76364166//r932 Author and
publisher Oriville T. Fields}.
2) Signal Mountain Press has republished in l997 a 60 page
soft cover edition of Carter county Tennessee tombstone records from a WPA
project {1937-1939} of 23 cemeteries.
3) James L. Douthat authored in l992 a 167 page soft cover
{LCCN:94-198629 Signal Mtn. Tn.
publication} which spells out the TVA grave removals and maps with an
index.
4) On-line can be found 103 cemeteries and 3,452 graves
surveyed of which 1,281 graves had to be relocated to higher ground to make
room for the Watauga Reservoir just before the dam was flooded {1947-48}. These
graves were removed to eleven re-interment cemeteries and vital record
information was gathered at that time. The Sellars and Garbers are absent from this index. Our
Sellars family lived nearby the small town of Watauga in Carter County,
Tennessee at the time of Catherine Armentrout Sellars death on November 23rd,
l839.
5) The surnames of David’s neighbors at the time of the l830
and 1840 census in Washington and Carter County’s, respectively, need to be
better tracked into the 1850 census records in order to get a more precise
location of just where in Washington and Carter county’s these Sellars family
members were located. This is where the Sellars project now stands. The Sellars
family is now very conspicuous because of the lack of Sellars surnames in the
indexed cemetery records. This suggests that these Sellars could be buried in
just one cemetery that has not been indexed or is not available on-line. The
cemetery may be small and may be located on private property….this is why it is
necessary to pinpoint some neighbors into the l850 census records and into even
later census records. The Watauga locals, including the descendants of James
Madison Sellars in Carter County, Tennessee should be able to direct us to
cemeteries that may not ever have been transcripted for the record books.
The Crouch family is just one neighbor of the Sellars family.
I will start with ten neighbors entered in the census records just before David
Sellars in the 1830 and 1840 census records….. and ten more neighbors recorded
just after David Sellars in those same records….. for a total of twenty
neighbors. If not one neighbor can be tracked into the l850 census
records…..the net will be opened further until we find those stable neighboring
families that stayed put in both Washington and Carter County’s, Tennessee. It
should be possible to more accurately locate the precise location of the
Sellars family in both of these Tennessee counties.
TRACKING THE NEIGHBORS FOR LOCATION
CLUES
The sheriff John
“Joseph” Crouch {b.1749-9-8-1830 Washington County, Tennessee, Last Will Sept.1st,1830
married 20 Feb 1778 Henry Co, Va. He received a land grant in l790, Sinking Creek, Washington Co, Tn.
And was sheriff of Washington County, Tn 1800-1806. Worked with Andrew Jackson
…then a judge. Joseph Crouch was a Revolutionary War soldier in Virginia. They
lived on Boone’s Creek in
Washington County, Tennessee. His father was John Crouch {1720-ca.1813}
and his mother was Sarah Barbary {Lane, Crouch}11Mar1782 WC.TN. Sarah Barbary
married first in 1746 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia to the Rev. John Fuller
Lane {1727-1785}and he was murdered by a female slave that had put poison from
a scorpion into his drinking water in l785. He and his brother Tidence Lane had
settled in Washington
County, Tennessee on Boone and Cedar Creeks in l779. Sarah Barbary Lane
was married for the second time to John Joseph Crouch in l749 in Henry County,
Virginia.
John Crouch was born 1756 in Stafford County, Virginia and
died l842 and was married {M1}to Mary Webb and {M2} to Christine McInturff 21 Mar 1807 in Carter County, Tennessee. He
was {M3} to Elizabeth Jenkins….This John served in the Revolutionary War and
lived in Washington County, Tennessee.
Jesse Crouch {1760-1841} was a Baptist minister of the Fall Branch Baptist Church and
was buried in the old cemetery of that church.
marie, iowa
-----Original Message-----
From: Rogerscap@aol.com [mailto:Rogerscap@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2005 11:58 PM
To: patstevens@positech.net
Subject: Peter Sellars/ Catherine Armentrout
July 19th, 2005
Hi Pat, Thanks for responding to my inquiry regarding the Sellars family genealogy. When you print out the genealogy chart attached you might have to go into the preferences section and get the printout in the landscape format. Please review this genealogy chart and let me know if there are any problems with it. If you have a chart of your own please send it and I will tryp to incorporate what you have into my own charts. If you'd like a picture of David Sellars please let me know as I can send to you.
I'm not so sure about Peter Sellars being married to Catherine Armentrout....several months ago I had a inter-library loan for the Armentrout genealogy and it seems unlikely to me. I'm certain that Peter's wife, Catherine, whatever her last name was, was living in her son David's household at the time of the l830 census. The census record indicates that Peter's wife, was born in l765 in New Jersey. I lucked out about twenty years ago when I found one descendant that had both Peter and Catherine's dates of death on a small piece of paper and I don't believe you can find these dates anywhere else on the planet. I'm still hoping that these dates will lead to something else. The 1830 census indicates that Peter was born in New York about February 1739....I believe it was in Annsberg, Schoharie Valley in New York. This would coincide with the history of Heinrich Zeller {can't prove it yet- I have tried for years to prove this} as Heinrich landed in Philadelphia in August of 1738 with his pregnant wife. They arrived in New York shortly thereafter where Peter was born.
Thank you for pointing out the Washington County tombstone extraction by Charles M. Bennett, the Watauga Assoc. of Genealogy, l977 pf 15-16 regarding Peter Sellars in the Barnes cemetary and Catherine in the Old Stevens cemetary. At last you have provided me with what I have been telling everyone for years - that Peter was a Revolutionary Soldier. Our family has a picture of David Sellars and scribbled in pencil on the photo it says that David's father and three uncles were with Washington at Valley Forge. Up until this point everyone has said that not a shred of proof exists to back up the photo scribbles. Now I guess we have the proof. Would you happen to know if Mr. Bennett included the burials of any other Sellars in that cemetary ? If it was an unmarked grave.....how was he able to determine that Peter was a revolutionary war soldier? The government records available do not show Peter as a soldier....ie no pension etc.
I have long suspected that many of the answers we are looking for can be found in Tennessee. When David left for California in 1849 he left behind his son James Madison Sellars. James had several children but the one that intrigues me is John M. Sellars who was born in l862 and died in l936 in Carter County, Tennessee and was buried in the George Mottern cemetary. This John M. had seven children living as of the l910 census. Probably none of them are alive but some of John's grandchildren would be and perhaps they have the family bible and much needed information. When David came out to California the Bible went down to the bottom of the Mississippi river when the wagon fell off the ferry. If you would be interested in doing some detective work to find these answers, particulary what Peter's wife's maiden name was, you might want to look to this matter further. If you do please keep me informed.
Yours,
Hal Rogers
rogerscap@aol.com
===========
Hi Hal & Pat,
Appreciate the forwarding of the ongoing dialogue concerning the Sellers-Armentrout
mystery and the continuing questions concerning David Sellers and his lineage.
Pat, I don't know if we have conversed before, so I'll take a moment to brief
you on where I'm connected. My 5 Great Grandfather, Adam Sellers, was a younger
brother to the Peter Sellers in question as both boys were sons of Heinrich
Zeller. Their families grew up with and beside one another in Rockingham County,
Virginia. My line from Adam remained in Rockingham Co. until Adam's grandson,
John Sellers, bought several 100 acres in neighboring Augusta County. John
Sellers was my 3 Great Grandfather, and the land he bought in 1835 is where
I was born and raised. So, I'm rather lucky in having quite a bit of firsthand
knowledge passed down the line in quite a few areas. Hal and I have been sharing
notes and info and exploring the questions surrounding Peter Sellers and Catherine
Armentrout along with allied families along the way.
Hal, the last time you and I corresponded with some regularity was up until
this past January. Since then I've continued to do some additional hunting
for items about Peter Sellers and the family in Rockingham County, VA, and
I believe I have found a couple of nuggets of info that are of value. The
information I have found may leave questions to be asked as some of it is
admittedly circumstantial. However, there are enough specifics to convince
me that Peter Sellers, son of Heinrich Zeller, was born in Germany rather
than America and that Peter Sellers, son of Heinrich, died in Rockingham County,
Virginia, in 1809 and therefore could not and was not in Washington County,
TN, at any time.
I'll outline what I have found and, as always, opinions and discussion is
always welcome :-)
1) Its my strong belief that placing Peter Sellers as the 3rd child of Heinrich
Zeller and Anna Maria Fechter with a birth year of 1738 or 1739 in America
is in error. Instead, I believe he was likely born in either 1733 or 1734
in Germany prior to the trip across the Atlantic and was the oldest son and
2nd child overall. To wit:
Dated June 13, 1755, in Augusta County, Virginia, Peter Sellers purchased
"90 acres on the north side of the Shanando (Shenandoah) River"
for 10 Shillings. (Land Office Patents No. 32, years 1752-1756, Vol. 1 &
2, p.591 on Reel 30). The area in which he purchased the 90 acres was within
Augusta County borders until Rockingham County was carved from Augusta in
1778. The location of the land "on the north side of the Shanando"
puts it in the area roughly southeast of McGaheysville and north of Port Republic,
VA, heading towards Elkton, VA, where the Zeller-Sellers were known to have
first settled in Virginia. Peter Sellers was to pay "Free Rent"
of 1 Shilling per year while cultivating and improving at least "3 acres
per 50 in said tract of land", otherwise the patent became void and Peter
would lose the 90 acres.
The land transaction is important not only in clearly establishing Peter
Sellers as being in present-day Rockingham County that early but also in establishing
his birth year as being prior to 1739. If born in 1739, as reasoned earlier
in the works of Frank Sellers and Mary Arrington, Peter would've been only
16 years old in 1755. The key here is that he would not have been of legal
age to receive the 90 acres land patent in 1755 if only 16. Peter possibly
could've purchased land by 18, but its doubtful that he alone would've made
such a purchase or have been able to for the amount of 10 Shillings at such
a young age. The Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia certainly wasn't
going to grant 90 acres of land to a 16 year old in 1755! Therefore, Peter
was probably at least the legal age of 21 when he purchased the 90 acres on
June 13, 1755, which makes his birth year likely to have been 1733 or 1734
and therefore in Germany prior to the migration to America.
The ship "Queen Elizabeth" carrying Heinrich and Anna Maria to America
landed in Philadelphia on September 16, 1738. Even if we allow for Peter to
have been born right after their arrival, he still would not have reached
the age of 17 by June 13, 1755. And, I really don't buy the idea that Anna
Maria possibly gave birth to Peter during the trip. Heinrich applied for migration
in February 1738. Knowing the trip was a long and arduous one lasting for
many months and given that Heinrich actually planned for it with his application
to migrate, I don't think he would've done so knowing that Anna Maria was
with child that early in 1738. But, even if she did have Peter during the
trip he still would've been only 17 by 1755 and still unable to purchase land
from the Commonwealth of Virginia at that age.
As such, I think this puts additional strains on the likelihood of Peter having
lived past 100 years of age given the date of July 7, 1835, when David's father
is thought to have possibly died in TN. To me, it puts additional doubts about
Peter Sellers, son of Heinrich Zeller, being the "Peter Sellers, father
of David Sellars" in Washington County, TN, on the 1830 Census.
2) What drives it home for me that Peter Sellers, son of Heinrich Zeller,
was not only not David's father but also that he never went to Washington
Co., TN, at all from Rockingham County, VA, is the following:
From the "Abstract of Executor, Administrator, and Guardian Bonds of
Rockingham County Virginia 1778 - 1864:"
Executor Bond
16 Aug 1809 - Peter Sellars - decedent
Thomas Brill, John Maggort - executors
Jacob Nicholas, Henry Hammer - bondsmen
Bond 2,000 pounds
There's really no doubt in my mind that the Executor Bond was issued in Rockingham
County, VA, due to the death of Peter Sellers, Sr., son of Heinrich Zeller.
The Executor Bond means there was a will, however, Rockingham County Clerk's
Office has no record of it still being in existence. That doesn't mean its
not still around. They just done have a record of it in their paper indexes,
and we all know how mishandled those can be sometimes.
With it being an Executor Bond and with that meaning there was a will, it
was not uncommon to find subsequent court orders for land surveys for property
owned by the decedent at the time of his death that is to pass on to the heirs.
If land was being left to heirs per the will, the land surveys were ordered
so that the land could be legally and properly transferred.
As such, on June 20, 1810, Peter Sellers, Jr. was granted "by the said
Commonwealth of Virginia a certain tract or parcel of land containing fifty
acres by survey bearing date the twelfth of September, one thousand eight
hundred and nine lying in the County of Rockingham on the west side of the
south fork of Shenandoah River". It was bounded on one side by property
that Peter, Jr. already owned. According to the "1787 Tax List for Rockingham
County, VA", which was recorded April 3, 1787, Peter Sellers, Sr. and
Peter Sellers, Jr., were living next door to one another. I believe that the
50 acres surveyed for Peter Sellers, Jr., in September 1809 was land being
left to him by his father, Peter Sellers, Sr. I believe the Executor Bond
was the catalyst for the need to have it surveyed so that it could properly
pass on to Peter, Jr. The key here is that Peter, Sr. and Peter, Jr. were
living next to one another. The 50 acres being surveyed were bounded on one
side to property Peter, Jr. already owned, which, I believe, makes it 50 acres
that was once owned by Peter, Sr. I think we can put two-and-two together
and see that the August 16, 1809 Executor Bond lead to the September 1809
survey of 50 acres that eventually went to Peter, Jr. and added on to his
property as of June 20, 1810.
A look at the 1810 Census shows Peter Sellers, Jr. living next door to his
uncle, Adam Sellers (my 5 Great Grandfather). Throughout their lives Adam
Sellers and his brother, Peter Sellers, Sr., owned land that was bounded by
the other or adjoined one corner or another. Land records throughout the latter
half of the 1700s shows this while the 1787 Tax List shows Adam living on
one side of Peter, Sr. while Peter, Jr. is on the other. After the Executor
Bond of August 1809 showing the death of a Peter Sellers, we then find on
the 1810 Rockingham County Census Peter, Jr. living next door to Adam Sellers
and Peter, Sr. is nowhere to be found. There's no doubt in my mind that the
16 August 1809 Executor Bond in Rockingham County, VA, was for the death of
Peter Sellers, Sr., son of Heinrich Zeller and brother of Adam Sellers above.
Is it possible that Peter Sellers, Sr. left for Washington County, TN, prior
to 1810 and that is why he doesn't appear on the 1810 Census for Rockingham
County, VA? Sure it is. However, I believe the August 1809 Executor Bond for
"Peter Sellers" and the September 1809 land survey preclude this
as being fact.
Up until the finding all of the above, along with smaller, less "break-through"
data that I won't bore you with here, I was admittedly on the fence as to
whether it was possible that Peter Sellers, Sr., married again late in life
and had more children whether it was with Catherine Armentrout or someone
else by another name. However, I have to admit that I no longer believe in
the possibility of Peter Sellers, Sr. of Rockingham County, VA, having remarried
and eventually ending up in Washington County, TN. Whether he was born in
1733, 1734, or 1738 is somewhat debatable. However, the 16 August 1809 Executor
Bond showing the death of a "Peter Sellers" in Rockingham County,
VA, and the subsequent evidence that supports that it was Peter Sellers, Sr.,
son of Heinrich Zeller, it pretty hard to ignore.
Deep down I doubt the will of "Peter Sellers" still exists given
that many such records are now known as the "Burned Records"; records
burned and destroyed by Union forces during the Civil War. However, until
I or someone else goes to the Rockingham County Court House and digs around
for it I still hold out the possibility of its existence. If by some miracle
the will of "Peter Sellers" from 16 August 1809 is ever found only
then, I suspect, will a lot of these questions ever be completely answered
one way or the other.
Michael Sellers
Mike and Amber Sellers [mikeamber@cox.net]
===============
Hi Mike, I haven't been working on the Sellars line since I last contacted
you in January of this year. I forwarded Pat Stevens correspondance cause
I thought it would interest you to know of the tombstone inscriptions by Bennet
regarding the revolutionary war status of Peter Sellars.
I follow your reasoning in this last e-mail you sent. This has been a tough
nut to crack and the answers will come about eventually if everyone just keeps
at it. The last will of Peter, as you say, may exist and could clear up this
mess. The grandchildren of John M. Sellars, the grandson of David Sellars,
are probably still living in Carter county {they were there as of 1936} and
they may well still have a bible record to share with us.
I think you are on the right track...... and for other reasons as well. This
confirmation of revolutionary war soldier status for Peter Sellars, in the
Bennett tombstone inscriptions, as well as the scribble notes on the photo
that state that Peter had three brothers also serving as soldiers in the revolutionary
war leave me to think that Heinrich Zeller may not be the best possible candidate
for Peter's father. I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of the notes on
the photo as yet.
Our Bible records clearly point out that David was born in Rockingham county,
Virginia on July 17th, 1798 and Heinrich's family has long been associated
with that coutny. I think there could very well be a family connection yet
to be found with the family of Heinrich Zeller of Rockingham county, Virginia
but who knows.......maybe they are not even remotely related. The spelling
from Zeller to Sellers in your own family, our family of David's spells it
Sellars, Margaret Steven's family spells it Sellers while the Barnes family
spells it Sellars only adds to the confusion.
I think your findings should lead future researchers into looking somewhere
else besides Heinrich Zeller for the parents of David Sellars. Understandably
researchers won't be comfortable with my reliance on that scrap of paper with
the first names of Peter and Catherine and their dates of death....given to
me by David's great granddaughter, Mable Mae Shirley {Waldrip, Taylor} back
in the l970's. Nonetheless that's what the scrap says so I have no reason
to doubt that David's father's name was Peter and his mother's name was Catherine.
Regarding Catherine's maiden name, I did a follow-up with your comments about
the Armentrout family by getting an inter-library loan on the Armentrout family
history and once again I think you are right......not a shred of evidence
to suggest that John or Christopher had a daughter Catherine Armentrout married
to a Peter Sellars. The 1870 David Sellars census record mentions Catherine's
possible foreign birth and the l880 David Sellars census record suggests that
Catherine was born in New Jersey but either of those scenarios do not fit
into the Armentrout genealogy at all. I still don't know how or when the Armentrout
theory ever developed.......I do know that I didn't start it though I was
guilty of perpetuating it, but no longer.
I wish you luck in finding Heinrich's son, Peter's, last will and I will re-double
my efforts to locate the Sellars clan in Tennessee. I hope Pat Stevens will
take up my invitation to look in the direction of relatives still residing
in Carter county, Tennessee. Someone from the Sellars family living in Carter
county, Tennessee has the answers we are looking for.....I feel certain of
that.
Regards,
Hal Rogers
rogerscap@aol.com
=============
aug 2005
Is anyone tracing the Dutch family of Van Schuyler that became the Sellars
family after they arrived in New York.
Sellars descendants said to have been from Emmen, Drenth and Nieuwe Kerk,
Amsterdam, Holland.
Peter Van Schuyler {Americanized to Sellars}was born in New York before 1758
and was married to Catherine Armentrout, native of New Jersey, at about the
time of the Revolutionary War. The family settled in Rockingham County, Virginia
after the war and removed to Greene County, Tennessee in l811. Peter Sellars
son David was married on February 12th, l824 in Washington County, Tennessee
to Margaret Barnes Mears. David would marry three times in Tennessee and have
a total of fourteen children. Would like to have more information about the
Netherlands branch of the family.
Thanks,
Hal Rogers
Rogerscap@aol.com
12-09-2004
=
Hal,
From what I've seen of the Schuyler lineage they didn't change
their name to Sellers after arriving in New York.
Tjerck Jansz B: 1575 Emmen, Drenthe Province, Netherlands
Spouse: Styntis Doudes B: 1579 Emmen, Drenthe, Netherlans
Children: Pieter
Pieter married Gertruyt Phillips Van Schuylder M: 1627
Children:
1. Philip Pieterse Schuyler M: Margareta Van Slichtenhorst
2. Maritje Schuyler died young
3. Pieter Pieterse Schuyler died young
Pieter married 2nd wife Catrina Buyck
4. David Schuyler M: Catalyn Ver Planck 1657
Philip & David arrived in the United States abt 1649-1650.
My ancestral lineage retains the Schuyler name until at least 1834.
When my Great-Great Grandmother Mary Ann Schuyler married
my Great-Great Grandfather Edward Tonkins Shinn.
So I seriously doubt there has been a name change. Most of
the family pronounce the Schuyler name as "Skyler". Unless
you have proof that the name changed somewhere...I believe you
have been given some bad information somewhere along the line.
Charlie
scotsmen@daktel.com
=====
Hi Charlie,
Thanks again for confirming what I suspected already about the Van Schuyler
family. The information about the Van Schuylers becoming Sellars is posted
on Ancestry.com and I found it while searching the Mormon library computer.
I think you are correct.....but I'd like to add something new to the investigation
and then ask you a few questions.
1) The Van Schuylers became well known in New York very early in it's history.
Do you come from the New York line of Van Schuyler's ?
2) Can you suggest to me anything about the Sellars family living in the Netherlands.......my
best clue to his Dutch origins comes from his niece who said her grandfather,
David Sellars, was of sturdy Dutch extraction. David was born 1798 in Rockingham
County, Virginia and was buried in San Jose, California in 1891. He actually
died in Salida, California.
3) Years after David's father, Peter, died, his son David Sellars would state
to the census takers that his father was born in New York and his mother was
born in New Jersey.
4) No obituary has been found in San Jose newspapers but I will be checking
out the newspaper in Modesto this November. Since he died in Salida while
on a visit maybe it got some coverage there.
5) Researchers have been trying to tackle this mysterious lineage and have
not been able to connect it to the Heinrich Sellars immigrant or any other
Sellars family. I have one other clue about Peter Sellars.....on the back
of a picture it states that Peter and his three brothers were with George
Washington during the Valley Forge campaign.
If you can help with this at all please contact me..
Regards,
Hal Rogers
==============
JAN 2006
Hello Marie and Mike,
Thought I'd forward this on to you as it could be a breakthrough on the Sellers/Sellars
involvement at Valley Forge. We have four Sellers on the Muster roll for the
Valley Forge campaign including John, William and two Michael's. One Michael
was from New York....could this be our elusive Peter....was his name Michael
Peter or Peter Michael and was he simply going at that time by the name of
Michael? It fits so nicely with what we know about the scribbling on the photo
that I must follow up on this lead to satisfy my curiosity.
The gentlement named Charlie scotsmen@daktel sent me this website which might
be useful for researchers wanting a better handle on the Valley Forge campaign
so here it is: http://Valleyforgemusterroll.org/
All four Sellers were privates and none of them served in the same regiment.
No spelling of Sellars is to be found on the muster roll. Peter's cemetery
record indicates he was a revolutionary soldier......and if this Michael from
New York isn't him then perhaps I can find a Peter on another muster roll.
It makes sense to me that Peter would have been serving from Virginia with
these three Virginia privates also but maybe he still had his New York connections.......perhaps
he had aged parents still residing in New York.....I just don't know yet.
The 1880 San Jose, California Federal census record for David Sellars is clear
that his father was a native of New York. I remain fixated on that.
At this point it seems logical that I may have located the three Virginia
uncles of David Sellars that served in the Valley Forge campaign and briefly
alluded to in our family photo of David Sellars......if so....they were John,
William and Michael.
I believe it may be possible to locate a common parentage of these three Virginia
Valley Forge privates....and I'll get back to you on that.
Also included with this e-mail is a photo of Frank
Sellars, son of Landen Carter Hanes Sellars. Frank is David's grandson
and was born in 1867 in California.
Regards,
Hal Rogers
Rogerscap@aol.com
==================
Hi Hal,
Interesting info indeed. I hope you will update us as you learn more.
I cannot add much at this point other than to say that the "Michael Sellers"
from VA was not your "Peter Sellers" nor the ancestor of your David
Sellers.
The following info about the "VA Michael Sellers" is/was taken from
the pension application filed by his widow, Catherine (Dillman) Sellers, on
January 13, 1853.
Michael from VA served for 2 years beginning "in the Spring of 1776"
under Col. Peter Muhlenberg in Captain Croghan's Company of the 8th Regiment
of the Virginia Continental Line. Afterwards, he re-enlisted in the same company
under the same command "for the remainder of the War, to the end of which
he served, or for the term of 7 years". According to Catherine, Michael
Sellers from VA was "a native of Germany, and came to the United States
when very young and settled with his parents in Lancaster County, PA".
She went on to attest that "at the breaking out of the Revolutionary
War he [Michael] was in Woodstock, in Shanandoah County, VA, at which place
she thinks he enlisted into said Company and Regiment". However, she
did go on to testify that "if he did not enlist there, he returned to
Lancaster County, PA, and there immediately enlisted", though her impression
was that he enlisted at Woodstock, VA. According to Catherine, Michael had
stated to her that he was "in the battles of Brandywine, Monmouth and
Germantown, and that he was also a participant in what he termed 'the Southern
Campaigns'".
Catherine further stated that she and Michael were married in Bourbon County,
Kentucky, by Rev. Isaac Scott on or about December 20, 1786, and that her
name at the time of their marriage was Catherine Dillman. After their marriage
they "removed to Bracken County, Kentucky and settled on what was called
Little Bracken Creek". She further stated that she had 10 children and
that 7 were living at the time of her 1853 testimony: Philip Sellers, Michael
Sellers, and Mrs. Catherine Perry of Covington, Kentucky: Sarah McDonald of
Augusta, Kentucky: Mrs. Polly Shane of Bracken County, Kentucky: Henry Sellers
of Bourbon County, Kentucky: and George Sellers in Ripley, Brown County, Ohio.
She further stated that her husband, Michael Sellers, resided in Bracken County,
KY, until his death on June 4, 1836. Catherine also stated that she was 90
years old at the time of her January 13, 1853, testimony.
Doubtful that the above helps determine David's parentage but at least it
removes this Michael Sellers of VA from consideration.
Michael Sellers
Mike and Amber Sellers [mikeamber@cox.net]
