Chesterfield County SC Estates~Estate Folder #109–William Riley 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 folder:
Folder #109 
William R. Sellers¹

The estate folder begins at image 555. There are 18 images within the estate folder. (images 555-572)

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-19384-44866-53?cc=1911928

William Riley Sellers was born abt 1823, a son of Roland Sellers and Margaret Eddins. I thought this post was going to be easy but once I got into the Probate file I realized my research was not complete. 

There are eight William R. Sellers in my database. The administrator of probate file #109 was Richard Calvin Sellers so this narrows the candidates to either his brother William Riley or his son William Riley.
 
Looking at his son’s death date of 1947 eliminates him because the probate took place in 1862; but, I have his brother William Riley Sellers death recorded as 23 March 1865.
Obviously, something is amiss here. If William Riley Sellers died in 1865 his brother would not be administrating his estate in 1862.  So off I go to Fold3.com to reviews civil war records. Looking at my genealogical database I see that I have three William R. Sellers of age to serve in the Civil War; but, only two died in the Civil War. 

• William Riley Sellers, b.  abt 1823, son of Roland Sellers and Margaret Sellers
• William Riley Sellers, b.  abt 1822, son of William Eddins Sellers and Elizabeth Parsons.
• William R. Sellers, b.  abt 182, son of John Sellers and Henrietta Norwood. This William R. moved to Tennessee and died in September 1898.

Because we have Richard Calvin Sellers named as the administrator, we now have sufficient documentation to distinguish which units these men served in and when and where they died.

First, we know that the estate of William Riley Sellers was probated between September 1862 and 19 Aug. 1885. The probate file shows this William Riley’s brother Richard Calvin was named as administrator and documents within the probate files shows that he started the probate process on or about 30 September 1862. 

Image 558 ²

Then from the Civil war files on Fold3.com we find this record for a William R. Sellers ³- https://www.fold3.com/image/20/73893261

Pvt. William R. Sellers, Co. B, 8th SC Infantry

Only 6 documents are recorded in this file. the record shows that William R. Sellers, enlisted 13 April 1861, admitted to Chimborazo Hospital No. 3, Richmond, Virginia on April 9, 1862 (pg 5) and page 6 shows his transfer on May 20th, 1862 to Winder Hospital, Richmond, Virginia. ⁴



It is between this date 20 May 1862 (to Winder Hospital) and 30 September 1862 (Image 558, Estate Folder) that William Riley Sellers passed away. No document has been found documenting his actual death date but it seems obvious it had to have occurred between these two dates (20 May 1862-30 Sept. 1862). 

Two interesting tidbits regarding this W. R. Sellers. “Broken Fortunes” by Randolph W. Kirkland, Jr. shows that he died May 11, 1862. A FindAGrave Memorial (FAG Memorial# 93886626) in the Hollywood cemetery also shows that W. R. Sellers died on 11 May 1862. ^{5 6} 
These two items, the Book and the Memorial are "Derivative records" and is consider to be secondary information. 

On 19 August 1885, Richard Calvin Sellers petitioned the Courts to settle the estate of William Riley Sellers. Heirs apparent to the estate can be found on Image 572.

Office of
*JUDGE*OF*PROBATE*
Chesterfield County
Chesterfield, C. H. , S. C. Aug. 19^th 1885
Richard C. Sellers, Admr of Estate of William R. Sellers.
To D. M. Barrentine, Judge of Probate for Chesterfield County
The Petition of the undersigned showeth that he is administrator of the Estate of William R. Sellers deceased and that he has settled the Estate in full with all of the Heirs as per voucher in his possession and that he now prays to be discharged from all liabilities as Administrator of Said Estate.
                                                                                         R. C. Sellers

We have a dilemma; I calculated from copies of original documents that William Riley Sellers died between 20 May 1862  and 30 Sept 1862. A FindAGrave memorial and the book “Broken Fortunes” shows this individual passed away on 11 May 1862. No war record exist after page 6 stating that William R. Sellers was “Transf’d to Camp Winder, May 20th”.









 
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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-1-19384-44866-53?cc=1911928 : accessed 02 June 2014), Chesterfield > Probate Court, Estate records > 1865-1927 > Cases 0088-0152 > image 555 of 1495; county courthouses, South Carolina, and South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia.
[2] Ibid. Image 558
[3] https://www.fold3.com/image/20/73893261
[4] Ibid.
[5] Randolph W. Kirkland Jr., Broken Fortunes: South Carolina Soldiers, Sailors and Citizens Who Died in the Service of Their Country and State in the War for Southern Independence, 1861-1865 (Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina, 1997), page 312.
[6] Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database and digital images, (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 27 February 2014); Memorial page for William R Sellers; (Unk-11 May 1862); Find a Grave memorial # 93886626, Citing Hollywood Cemetery; Richmond, Richmond City, Virginia, USA.

Amanuensis Monday~Searching and Finding a Death Date For Allen M. Page

Amanuensis Monday is a genealogy blogging theme. It was started by John Newmark who writes the TransylvanianDutch blog.


His definition of Amanuensis is:
Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

Today’s subject is Searching and Finding a Death Date For Allen M. Page.

Allen M. Page, born in 1829, a son of Sion Page and his wife Nancy. Allen can only be found  in one census, by name. That census is the 1850 Census for Stanly County, NC. Allen M. Page is listed in the household of Sion and Nancy Page as a 21 years old male.¹ 

In 1853, Allen M. Page married Sarah “Sallie’ Huneycut. Sarah was a daughter of Mark and Charity Dry Huneycutt. She was my  2nd Great Grand Aunt. Allen and Sallie had one child, a daughter called “Bitha” born 21 June 1854. It was alleged and documented in many on-line trees that Allen M. Page died in 1854. No source was given. ²
No additional information, no sources, nothing more was documented beyond the fact that Allen M. Page died in 1854.  This lack of information stirred my curiosity so I went looking for the source of this date – 1854. That search led me to Allen M. Page Probate folder, which can be found here:³
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-35566-9873-39?cc=1911121
 
Two pages from that folder of 39 images are provided and transcribed below. What I found was that Allen M. Page did in fact died in 1854; how he died I do not know. Image 36, dated 13 October 1854, is a petition by his wife Sarah Huneycutt Page for a years provisions.  Image 38, states that “your petitioner is the relict of Allen Page who died in the year 1854 leaving some personal property & leaving your Petitioner wholly unprovided for, in view of the premises…” 

Probate record proves that Allen M. Page died sometime before 13 October 1854 in Stanly County, NC. No specific date was stated within the 39 pages of the probate file.
 

Image 36

State of North Carolina}
Stanly County} to the worshipfull Cort the Jestus of the of pleas and qarter sesfion August tirm 1854 wee G D Whitly as Jestus of the peace of said County and
                              and freeholders in obedianc to an order of cort procedead on the 13 day of october to new the estate of Allen page Desest and out of the crop stock and provishion on hand wee hav had layd laid off and allotted to Sary page wider as follows that is to say Thelve Bushels of Corn & five bushels wheat & tow hundred & fifty pounds of pork one bushel & there not being not A half of salt one dollar worth of shoggar [sugar] & 25 pounds Coffy Tow dollars worth to by molasses & spice & peper & Jinger one bedstid [bedstead] & bead and it nessary [necessary] furnature & tow pare shos & one small pot & skillet A half set nifs [knife] abd forks & a half set plats [platters] one small Coffypot as heare [her] Absolute property and and put heare [her] in perseashion [possession] of the same
given under ours hand and seals this the 13 day of October 1854
                                                       G. D. Whitley {seal}
                                                       Hiram X Barbar {seal}
                                                       Daniel Reap {seal}
                                                       Nelson Smith {seal}

Image 38

North Carolina} Court of Pleas and Quarters Sefsions
Stanly County) August Sefsions 1854

To thee Worshipful the Justice of said Court the Petition of Sarah M. Page Ex parte, respectfully sheweth unto your Worships, that your petitioner is the relict of Allen Page who died in the year 1854 leaving some personal property & leaving your Petitioner wholly unprovided for, in view of the premises, your Petitioner respectfully petition your Worships to appoint a Magistrate & three freeholders unconnected with your petitioner who to go upon the premises ad allot & set apart a years provision for the support of your Petitioner & family, and on a grant such other relief as to your Worships may seem proper,
And as in duty bound your Petitioner will ever pray & c.
                                                      M. Corkle Sol.
                                                       for Petitioner
 
Sarah Huneycutt Page is my 2nd Great Grand Aunt and by marriage Allen Page is also my 2nd Great Grand Uncle.
 
 
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[1] 1850 Census, Stanly County, North Carolina, population schedule, Furr, Stanly County, North Carolina, Page: 38A(stamped); Line 16, Dwelling 533, Family 535, Household of Sion PAGE; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 21 July 2015); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 645.
[2] State of North Carolina, Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, Marriage; Stanly, North Carolina (8 December 1853), Allen Page and Sarah Huneycutt; https://www.ancestry.com.
[3] "North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1979," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-35566-9873-39?cc=1911121 : accessed 26 November 2015), Stanly County > P > Page, Allen (1854) > image 1 of 39; State Archives, Raleigh.