Chesterfield County SC Estates~Estate Folder #650–Mary Eliza Sinclair Sellers

 
This is a new series of posting, appearing every Sunday, on selected Estate Folders from the Estate files of Chesterfield County. No known estates exist for the period before the Civil War. They were destroyed with the burning of the Courthouse. There are a few “Equity Records” in the State Archives. Do not overlook this valuable resources if you are looking for ancestors in Chesterfield County, South Carolina. 

Today we will be looking at the following Estate folders:

Folder #650
Mary Eliza Sinclair Sellers¹

This estate folder begins at image #209 and ends with image #239. (images 209-239)  
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-19383-13089-56?cc=1911928

Warning: This probate folder contains mixed information. I believe it to be the folder for Mary E. Sinclair Sellers; but also contains information on Samuel S. Sellers and his wife Mary E. including the Will of Samuel S. Sellers. 

Mary Eliza Sinclair was born 23 April 1830, a daughter of James B. Sinclair and Mary Hollingsworth Burch. At age 18, on 20 January 1849, she married Hardy Huntley Sellers. Five children and 8 years later, Mary’s husband Hardy Huntley passed away on 12 January 1857. Her oldest child was a month shy of his 7th birthday. 
 
The petitioners in the below letter are definite the children of Mary Eliza Sinclair Sellers. 
 


State of South Carolina } In Probate
County of Chesterfield} Court
To T. L. Huntley Judge of Probate __
The petitioners Mrs. A. L. Burch, Mrs. M. E. McGregor and J. A. Sellers by their petition shows to this Court.
1. That Mrs. Mary E. Sellers of the State and County above written is their Mother and that she is possessed of a personal Estate amounting to about four hundred Dollars.
2. That she owns real estate the income from which is about two hundred dollars a year.
3. That the Said Mrs. Mary E. Sellers is now in the State Hospital for the Insane and her disease has affected her mind, so that she is totally incapable mentally to attend to her business and is not capable of transacting any business at all.
4. That the business of the said Mrs. Mary E. sellers demands prompt and careful attention from some one who is capable of attending to same and who is under bond to account for the management of the same.
5. That J. S. Sellers her son, also our brother, is a fit and suitable person to attend to the business of the said Mrs. Mary E. Sellers.
Wherefore Petitioners preys that the Said J. S. Sellers may be appointed committee of Lunacy for said Mrs. Mary E. Sellers and will ever pray &c.
As to Mrs. A. L. Burch & Sign here                    J. A. Sellers
M E McGregor}                                                  A. L. Burch
In the presence of}                                            Mollie E. McGregor
C. B. McNair}

State of South Carolina}
County of Chesterfield}
Personally before the subscribing officers appears J. A. Sellers, one of the above named petitioners, who on oath says that allegations of the above petitioner are true of his own knowledge.
Sworn to before me}                                           J. A. Sellers
Sept. 16, 1899}
D. S. Matheson {seal}}
Notary Public
I hereby unite with above named petitioners in asking this Court to appoint me as committee of my mother. Mrs. Mary E. Sellers and agree to accept the commission if so appointed.                                                           J. S. Sellers

State of South Carolina} In Probate Court
County of Chesterfield}
On reading and filing the within petition it appearing that Mrs. Mary E. Sellers is mentally incapable of attending to her business, and that she is liable to suffer loss, unless some one proper person under bond be appointed to take charge of the same and that her son J. S. Sellers is a fit-person to attend to said business. It is therefore ordered that – the said J. S. Sellers be and is hereby appointed committee of Lunacy of the said Mrs. Mary E. Sellers and on entering into a bond for twelve hundred dollars conditioned to account for the property income and effects of the said Mrs. Mary E. Sellers payable to the Judge of Probate of this County according to the usual terms of Guardians bonds the said Committee shall have the right and it shall be his duty to take charge of all and singular the effects of Mrs. Mary E. Sellers and proceed to manage her business in every particular.
Sept. 25th, 1899}                                              T. L. Huntley
                                                                       Judge of Probate


James Sinclair Sellers was appointed administrator of his Mother’s Estate upon her commitment to the State Hospital. Dismissory letters were issued in 10 April 1908.  No death date is recorded within the Probate file for Mary Eliza but we know from her tombstone that her date of death is recorded as 11 December 1912. 



The home of Hardy and Mary Eliza still stands today, just outside of Ruby, SC, and is occupied by Sellers descendants. The home can be viewed by clicking on this link. 

http://carolinafamilyroots.blogspot.com/2013/02/wordless-wednesday-hardy-huntley.html










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[1] "South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-19383-13089-56?cc=1911928&wc=MPP5-3TT:190567401,190561002,190567402,191220701 : accessed 07 Jun 2014), Chesterfield > Probate Court, Estate records > 1865-1927 > Cases 0638-0757 > image 209 of 1623.