Treasure Chest Thursday~Joel Sellers, Civil War Pension File

Joel Sellers was born June 1831, a son of of Phillip Sellers, Jr. and Mary E. “Polly” Gulledge. Joel along with his brother Phillip enlisted in the Civil war on 25 February 1862. While I have no proof, I suspect that Joel was injured while in the military. On  23 May 1864, General William Henry Chase Whiting issued orders discharging Joel from the military for “an excessive and remarkable congenital malformation of the chest." 

Joel returned home and married about 1865, Rachel Phillips, daughter of Reuben J. Phillips and his wife Hannah.  

The last census that I could find Joel and Rachel in was the 1910 Census for Anson County. Joel was 74 and Rachel was age 72. They had been married for 45 years with no children. 

1910 CENSUS: Gulledge, Anson County, North Carolina; Roll: T624_1096;  Enumeration District: 0005; 5 May 1910, FHL microfilm: 1375109, Page 11A/63(stamped); Line 17, Dwelling 180, Family 180; Joel SELLERS, male, age 74, born in SC and Rachel SELLERS, Wife, age 72, born in NC; married 45 years, no children.

No tombstone or death certificate had been found for Joel Sellers. His wife Rachel, did have a death certificate that shows she died as a widow on 24 Jan 1918 in Anson County, North Carolina.

For some years, Joel's death date has been recorded in my database as before 24 Jan 1918. So last week I made a concentrated effort to locate a death date for Joel. While I was unable to locate a precise death date I have narrowed the time line down to between 5 May 1910 and 15 July 1912; a 2 year 2 months time period. 

The two documents that allowed me to narrow the time frame for Joel’s death are the:

• 1910 census enumerated 5 May 1910 showing Joel alive and living in Anson County and
• page 3 of Joel’s Civil war pension file where Rachel stated  on 12 July 1912 that she was the widow of Joel Sellers. 

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1. Ancestry, "Civil War Service Records" database, Military Service Records (http://www.fold3.com/ : accessed 14 August 2014), entry for Joel Sellers, Private; Third Artillery, 40th State Troops); Confederate.
2. 1870 U S Census, Anson County, North Carolina, population schedule, Gulledge, Anson County, North Carolina, Page: 343A(stamped); Line 2, Dwelling 164, Family 164, Household of Joel SELLERS; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 4 June 2014); citing National Archive Microfilm M593, Roll 1122.
3. 1880 US Census, Anson County, North Carolina, population schedule, Gulledge, Anson County, North Carolina, enumeration district (ED) 003, page 375B(stamped), Line 31, Dwelling 276, Family 276, Household of Joel SELLERS; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 14 August 2014); citing National Archives Microfilm T9, Roll 951.
4. North Carolina, Deed Book: Deed Book 21, Pages 614 and 615, Chas S. Phillips & Others to E. Phillips & Others; Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.
5. 1900 US Census, Anson County, North Carolina, population schedule, Gulledge, Anson County, North Carolina, enumeration district (ED) 0003, Page 7A/50(stamped), Line 22, Dwelling 110, Family 110, Household of Joel SELLERS; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 14 August 2014); citing National Archives Microfilm T623, Roll 1181.
6. 1910 U. S. Census, Anson County, North Carolina, population schedule, Gulledge, Anson County, North Carolina, enumeration district (ED) 0005, Page 11A/63(stamped), Line 17, Dwelling 180, Family 180, Household of Joel SELLERS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 14 August 2304); citing National Archives Microfilm T624, Roll 1096.
7. NC MARS System. Id 5.22.380.63 (Folder), Joel Sellers, Civil war Pension File.

Amanuensis Monday~Chas. S. Phillips and Others to E. Phillips and Others

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 an Anson County Land Deed – Chas. S. Phillips and Others to E. Phillips and Others.¹

Chas S. Phillips & Others to E. Phillips & Others

This indenture made and entered into this the 25^th day of November AD 1881, by and between Charles S. Phillips and Miles W. Porter wife Mary Ella Porter, parties of the first part, and (1) Elizabeth Phillips (2) Mary Ann Phillips, (3) Lively Phillips, (4) Rachel Sellers wife of Joel Sellers, 5 Sarah Jane Talton wife of C. M. Talton, parties of the second part. All of the County of Anson and State of North Carolina, Witnesseth: That for and in consideration of the sum of Fifty Dollars to them paid by the parties of the second part the receipt of which is hereby acknowledge, the said parties of the first part have bargained and sold , and by these presents, do bargain, sale, alien, convey and confirm unto the said partied of the second part jointly, their heirs and assigns all the rights, title, claim, and interest which the said parties of the first part has in and to the tract of land hereinafter described, that is to say all the right, title, claim and interact that have in and to said land as heirs at law of Reuben Phillips deceased, and as heirs at law of R. J. Phillips deceased by virtue of a deed of conveyance from Reuben Phillips to R. James Phillips, dated December 1^st., 1855, and registered on the registers Office of Anson County, in Deed Book No. 14, on pages 539 and 540. Said land is situate in the County of Anson, State of North Carolina, on the waters of Jones Creek, and is bounded as follows: beginning at a pine on Joel Gulledges’ corner the first corner of said tract and runs N. 89 W. 12.80 chains to a stake the corner of lot No. 1 then S. 30 W. 10 chains to a stake the Beginning of No. 5 then N. 89 E. 35 chains to a stake 8 red oak pointer, then 1 East 11 chains to the old corner 2 pines and a pact oak pointer, then S,. 89 East 20.20 chains to the old corner 2 pines pointer, the with the Gulledges’ line N. 9 E. 19.50 chains to the Beginning containing Seventy Five acres more or less, these boundaries being copied from the registry of the deed above referred to. To have and to hold to them the said parties of the second part jointly, their heirs and assigns, all the title, right, claim and interest in and to the above described land, with all the privileges and appurtenances thereunto belonging. In testimony whereof the said Charles S. Phillips and Miles W. Porter and wife Mary Ella Porter partied of the first part have hereunto set their hands and seals the day and date first above written.     Charles S. Phillip {seal}
                                                M. W. Porter {seal}
J. T. Lowry                               Mary E. Porter {seal}

Personally appeared before me J. T. Lowry, Justice of the Peace of Anson County, Miles W. Porter and Mary Ella Porter his wife and acknowledges the due examination of the foregoing deed of conveyances, and the said Mary Ella Porter being by me privately examined, separate and apart from her said husband, touching her voluntarily execution of the same doth state that she signs the same freely and voluntarily , without fear or compulsion of her said husband, or any other person and that she doth still voluntarily assent thereto. Witness my hand and seal, this 28^th day of November 1881.
                                                                       J. T. Lowry, J. P.

State of North Carolina}
Anson County} I, J. C. McLanchlin, Clerk of Superior Court for said county of Anson, do hereby certify that the due execution of the foregoing deed of conveyance (beginning Page 615) by Charles S. Phillips, one of the grantor therein named was proven before me this day by the Oath and examination of J. T. Lowry, the subscribing witness thereto. And the foregoing certificate of J. T. Lowry, a Justice of the Peace of said county touching the execution of said deed by the other grantors therein names, is adjudged to be in due form and according to law. Let the deed, with these certificates, be registered. This January 7^th A.D. 1882.                                         John C. McLanchlin
                          C.S.C. and Judge of Probate
January 7thy 1882 Then the forgoing Deed & certificates came into my hands & were duly registered.
                                                               P. J. Coppedge.
                                                               Register of Deeds

Land deeds are a valuable resource in the research of our families. Compare the names in the above Land Deed to those shown on the 1850 Census for Anson County, North Carolina.

 
Joel Sellers is my 1st Cousin 4 time removed. This land deed provided the maiden name of his wife Rachel.








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[1] North Carolina, Deed Book: Deed Book 21, Pages 614 and 615, Chas S. Phillips & Others to E. Phillips & Others; Register of Deeds, Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina.
[2] 1850 Census, Anson County, North Carolina, population schedule, Dumas Shop, Anson County, North Carolina, Page: 229B(stamped); Line 27, Dwelling 1052, Family 1052, Household of Reuben PHILLIPS; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 11 April 2015); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 619.