Amy Johnson Crow of No Story To Small has started a challenge of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. From her blog “The challenge: have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor. Not only should this get me blogging more, but also to take a deeper look at some of the people in my family tree.”
The focus of my blog post today is Elizabeth Parsons Sellers.
Elizabeth Parsons Sellers, my 2nd Great Grandmother, epitomizes the title of “A Resolute Pioneer Mother”.
Elizabeth Parsons was 4th of six children born to Abington Parsons and his wife, Mary (LNU). She was born on 9 Mar 1822 in North Carolina.1 2 3 4 5
Elizabeth Parsons married William Eddins Sellers about 1840 . William Eddins Sellers, son of William Sellers and Gilly Eddins, was born about 1820 in Chesterfield, Chesterfield, South Carolina.
About the time that Elizabeth and William married in 1840 many of William relatives had already migrated to Tennessee. Sometime around 1844 William and Elizabeth along with their two sons William Riley and Andrew Washington packed the family up and moved to Carroll County, Tennessee. I think this became an easy move for my Grandmother Elizabeth because her sister Timney Ellen had married William’s older brother Noah Sellers and the two families made their journeys westwards together.
William and Elizabeth first appear as a married couple in the 1850 Census for Carroll County, Tennessee. By 1850, the family had added another son, James Arnold “Buck” and two daughters, Mary Abigail and Louise Ellen Sellers.6
Then about 1854, tragedy struck the family. Their father, Husband and sole provider, William Eddins Sellers, was killed when he fell from the rafters during a community-wide church building. By now the family had grown to 6 with the addition of another son, Alonzo.
This left great Grandmother in a very desperate situation; widowed, 6 young children, one a mere baby months old and all under the age of thirteen. No recorded has been found to document how she did it but, Grandma Elizabeth packed everything up and returned to Chesterfield County, South Carolina. I have no proof and no folklore but I feel certain that her Brother-in-Law Noah and quite possible Timney made the trip home with her.
She appeared in the census in 1860, 1870 and 1880 Censuses for Chesterfield County, South Carolina. 7 8 9
Elizabeth (Parsons) Sellers died on 30 May 1899 and was buried at Zoar Church Cemetery, Chesterfield County, South Carolina.10 11
William Eddins Sellers and Elizabeth Parsons had the following children:
i. William Riley Sellers was born about 1842 in Chesterfield, Chesterfield, South Carolina12 13 14
ii. Andrew Washington Sellers, born 24 Nov 1844, Chesterfield, Chesterfield, South Carolina.15 16
iii. James Arnold "Buck" Sellers, born 16 Sep 1846, Madison County, Tennessee.
iv. Mary Abigail Sellers, born 24 Mar 1848, Madison County, Tennessee, United States.
v. Louise Ellen Sellers, born Jun 1850, Madison County, Tennessee.
vi. Alonzo W. Sellers was born about 1854 in Madison County, Tennessee.17 He died in Apr 1860 at the age of 6 in Chesterfield County, South Carolina.18
Related Articles:
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1. Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database and digital images, (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 11 June 2010); Memorial page for Elizabeth Sellers; (9 March 1822–10 May 1899); Find a Grave memorial # 83059642, Citing Zoar United Methodist Church Cemetery; Brocks Mill, Chesterfield County. South Carolina, USA.
2. 1830 U S Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Page: 260; Line 3, Household of Mary Parsons; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 2 January 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm M19_Roll 172.
3. 1830 U S Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Population Schedule, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Page: 362; Line 20, , Household of Mary Parsons.
4. James C. Pigg, Cheraw/Chesterfield District Wills, 1750-1865 &: Abstracts from the Court of Common Pleas 1823-1869 (Tega Cay, South Carolina: self-Published, 1995), page 115.
5. 1850 U. S. Census, Madison County, Tennessee, population schedule, District 10, Madison County, Tennessee, Page 305B; Line 1, Dwelling 244, Family 244, Household of Wm. E. SELLERS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 2010); citing National Archives Microfilm M432 Roll 889.
6. Ibid.
7. 1860 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Page 130B; Line 28, Dwelling 0522, Family 0521, Household of Elizabeth SELLERS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 2010); citing National Archives Microfilm M653_1217.
8. 1870 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Court House, Chesterfield, South Carolina, Page: 291A; Line 33,, Dwelling 75, Family 75, Household of B. [Elizabeth] SELLERS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 2010); citing National Archives Microfilm M593_1491.
9. 1880 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Court House, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, enumeration district (ED) 005, Page 325C, Line 29, Dwelling 252, Family # 252, Household of Benj. F. BROCK; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 2010); citing National Archive Microfilm T9, Roll 1225.
10. James C. Pigg, Chesterfield County Cemetery Survey; Chesterfield County Genealogical Services, 1995, page 837. Tombstone of Elizabeth Sellers; 9 March 1822–10 May 1899, Zoar United Methodist Church Cemetery, Chesterfield County, South Carolina.
11. Brock Family Bible Family Bible Holy Bible, (N.p.: n.p., n.d.), Death - May 30th 1899; ELIZABETH SELLARS, Obtained from Owned by Ruby L. Johns Purvis.
12. 1850 U. S. Census, Madison County, Tennessee, Population Schedule, District 10, Madison County, Tennessee, Page 305B; Line 1, Dwelling 244, Family 244, Household of Wm. E. SELLERS.
13. 1860 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Population Schedule, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Page 130B; Line 28, Dwelling 0522, Family 0521, Household of Elizabeth SELLERS.
14. Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database and digital images, (http://findagrave.com : accessed 2012); Memorial page for Pvt W R Sellers; (1842–23 March 1865); Find a Grave memorial # 66214868, Citing Woodlawn National Cemetery, Plot: CSA 2438; Elmira, Chemung County, New York, USA.
15. Interview with a Confederate Veteran obituary, The Chesterfield Advertiser, Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, 7 April 1932. Interview with Andrew Washington Sellers, Confederate Veteran (conducted by Nellie Bristow, Florence Morning News, reprinted Chesterfield Advertiser, April 7, 1932).
16. 1860 U. S.Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Population Schedule, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Page 130B; Line 28, Dwelling 0522, Family 0521, Household of Elizabeth SELLERS.
17. Ibid.
18. 1850 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Mortality Schedule, Chesterfield District, South Carolina, Household of Elizabeth Sellers, A. W. SELLERS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 3 June 2001); citing National Archives Microfilm MRT573_2304.
You are right. Elizabeth must have been a strong woman to make that move and raise those children all by herself!
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