The “Aunts & Uncles” series of biographical sketches are Artificial Intelligence (AI) compiled narratives of selected individuals from my Genealogical database. The selected AI will used the RootsMagic Individual Summary from my Genealogical Software, Roots Magic. All genealogical data is my research material acquired over the past 46 years of research. Today's Biography of Timmey Ellen (Parsons} Sellers" (1819-1899) was compiled with the assistance of Claude Sonnett 4 and is entitled:
"From Carolina to Texas: The Journey of Timmey Ellen Parsons Sellers"
Early Life and Family Background
Timmey Ellen Parsons was born on September 2, 1819, in Chesterfield, South Carolina, into a family that would soon face significant challenges. Her father, Abington Parsons (1784-1826), and mother, Mary (1796-1845), had created a life together in the Chesterfield District, but tragedy struck when Timmey was just six years old. Her father passed away on April 13, 1826, leaving Mary to raise their six children alone.
Timmey grew up as one of six siblings: her older sister Ann (born June 27, 1818), who later married Richmond White; her younger brother Raymond (born December 5, 1820); sister Elizabeth (born March 9, 1822), who married William Sellers; and her youngest siblings Thomas (born May 10, 1823) and Mary M. (born April 10, 1825). Growing up in a household headed by a widowed mother in the 1820s and 1830s South Carolina would have presented considerable challenges, though census records show the family maintained some stability, including ownership of enslaved people.
Marriage and Young Family
After spending her youth in her mother's household—the 1840 census still shows her living at home at age 21—Timmey married Noah Sellers (1819-1894) sometime in the latter half of 1840. Though no official marriage record has been found, legal documents from 1843 confirm she was Noah's wife by that time, and the birth of their first child in 1841 helps narrow down the wedding date.
The young couple wasted no time starting their family. Their children came in fairly quick succession:
James Calhoun Sellers (1841-1901)
William A. Sellers Sr. (1842-1932)
Thomas E. Sellers (1844-1918)
Andrew Jackson Sellers (1846-1905)
Susannah Sellers (1848-)
Mary Annettie Sellers (1852-1919)
George Washington Sellers (1855-1859)
Josiah Sellers (1857-1860)
Tragically, Timmey and Noah lost two of their sons in childhood—little George Washington died at just four years old, and Josiah passed away at three.
Land Dealings and Moving On
In September 1846, Timmey and Noah made an important financial decision by selling her inherited land. The deed shows they sold Timmey's distributive share of her father's estate—approximately 30 acres in Anson County, North Carolina, just across the South Carolina line—to Roderick Shaw for $25. This transaction represented Timmey's final connection to her father's property, land that had been divided among Abington Parsons' heirs after his death two decades earlier.
Life in Tennessee
By 1850, the Sellers family had relocated to Tennessee, appearing in the census for District 12, Carroll County. At that time, Noah was 28 and Timmey was 29 (though she was actually 31), and they had five children with them, including newborn Susannah. The family had made the significant decision to leave South Carolina behind and start fresh in Tennessee.
The 1860 census finds them in District 2, Henderson County, Tennessee, with eight children at home. Life continued in Tennessee through the turbulent Civil War years and beyond. By 1880, the census shows Noah and Timmey, now in their early sixties, still in Tennessee (listed as Madison County, District 14), with two adult daughters—Susannah and Mary—still at home, plus a granddaughter named Lillie, age 8.
Final Years in Texas
As Timmey aged and her health declined, her family faced the question of how to care for her. Family memories passed down through the generations tell us that neither her daughter Lillie (actually her half-sister) nor her daughter Mary could adequately care for the elderly woman, and daughter Susannah was dealing with mental illness herself. The solution came from sons James and Andrew, who took their mother to Ellis County, Texas, to stay with their brother William.
Timmey Ellen Parsons Sellers died on December 24, 1899, in Ellis County, Texas, just shy of her 80th birthday. She was laid to rest in Milford Cemetery in Milford, Ellis County, Texas.
Historical Context
Timmey's life spanned nearly the entire 19th century, a period of tremendous change in American history. She was born during the "Era of Good Feelings" under President James Monroe, grew up during the Age of Jackson, married during the early years of westward expansion, raised her family through the turmoil of the Civil War and Reconstruction, and died at the very end of the Victorian era as America stood on the threshold of the 20th century. Her journey from South Carolina to Tennessee and finally to Texas mirrored the westward movement of countless American families seeking new opportunities and better lives on the frontier.
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