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Archiver > GAMITCHE > 2005-10 > 1130474319


From: Richard White <>
Subject: Re: [GAMITCHE-L] Sellers and West family, late 1800's
Date: Fri, 28 Oct 2005 00:38:39 -0400
References: <MB06FRaqbC8wSA1XvpF00001ce3@MB06.myfamilysouth.com> <43553FEE.2030100@pone.com> <435D6694.86689A56@earthlink.net> <690589e00510250448w51ef298es14e4e7a969190eb@mail.gmail.com> <690589e00510250449p1ccf11aew322e4793c28a5a53@mail.gmail.com> <690589e00510250457yc2a4efeld88d1d3c1bf8dd34@mail.gmail.com> <435EED35.F0446B83@earthlink.net> <435EFA84.8060308@pone.com> <009d01c5da1f$ed0eab10$6501a8c0@Fran> <43605AB3.4080300@pone.com> <000701c5dad7$99f37420$6401a8c0@Fran>
In-Reply-To: <000701c5dad7$99f37420$6401a8c0@Fran>


Fran...

My 2-great grandfather Jacob Benjamin Sellers' (sic) family was wiped
out in 1862 and 1863, so far as adults went. Jacob Benjamin Sellers
(sic) who was born about 1805 in North Carolina, was enrolled in the
51st Georgia Infantry Regiment, Company E, at approximately age 57, on 4
March 1862... and he died of disease within at most a few weeks
afterwards. His wife, Georgia Ann Joiner, who was born in Camilla (now
Mitchell County) in 1819 when it was still in Indian Lands, also died in
1862 according to an affidavit by Susan Sellars... who described herself
as somebody, I believe Jacob Benjamin Sellers' (sic) sister-in-law, in
the affidavit (which is largely illegible from effects of darkening of
the paper from age), when she claimed the back pay of George W.
Sellars. George W. Sellars also was enrolled in the 51st Georgia
Infantry Regiment, Company E, on 4 March 1862. In the 1860 census
George W. Sellars was residing in the household of Alfred Joiner (who
was first cousin to Georgia Ann Joiner Sellers), in Camilla, Mitchell
County, but he was the oldest son of Jacob Benjamin Sellers and Georgia
Ann Joiner Sellers and was in their household in the 1850 census in
Dooly County... but not in Terrell County in 1860. The family was in
Sumter (now Schley) County in 1847, because minutes of the Ebenezer
Baptist Church in Ellaville record them becoming members by letter and
receiving a dismissal letter, both events dating to 1847. I'm not
certain where the family was in 1840.

Jacob Benjamin Sellers was a son of William Sellers and Nancy Moye. He
and his sister Elizabeth, who married Alexander Peacock, Jr., both
married in Pulaski County in the 1830s. This is the same Alexander and
Elizabeth Peacock that William "Cellers" was living in the household of
in Baker County in 1850.

The back pay in question was not Elijah's, but Jacob Benjamin Sellers'
oldest son, George W. Sellars. Right offhand I'm not remembering if
Elijah served in the Confederate Army, or not... but all I'm saying is
that the only Susan Sellers that I can find in Georgia that seems to be
the right age to do something like claiming George W. Sellars' back pay,
is Elijah's wife Susan... and since Jacob Benjamin Sellers was Elijah's
brother, the description of Susan Sellers as Jacob Benjamin Sellers'
sister-in-law fits.

The reason I was asking about Susan's maiden name is that I thought it
possible that she might have been not only an in-law, but possibly also
blood kin to either Jacob Benjamin or Georgia Ann. Now that I know she
was a West, that still seems very possible, because I have a definite
impression that the Sellers and West family trees intertwined quite a
bit... but I do not at this point know of any specific blood
relationship to Susan.

As to the name "Mallie" West... hmmm... I think that we need to drop
that one. Mallie seems to have been, so far as I can figure, a nickname
of a brother of John David West... who would also have been Missouri
Lester West's brother, and their father was also named John West. But
frankly, I'm confused... My main source of information is a newspaper
clipping from the Cairo Messenger. I have put a copy of it and of some
census records of this family on a web page that can be seen here:
http://sofkee.org/sellars/JohnWestFamily.htm In 1860 John's wife was
called Polly and in 1870 she was apparently a widow and was called
Mary. The sons were called "_ffa" in 1860 and "Theophalus" in 1870,
Zadock, and John... and the 5 year old "Zura" of 1860 was 16 year old
Missouri in 1870. So, I figure that Mallie is probably one of the two
brothers of John who have the unusual names... as if Mallie isn't
unusual as well...? <G> I actually wrote Mrs. Josie West Miller a
letter and at my request she telephoned me, but we only talked about
Missouri... and she died a couple of years ago so I can't ask her now.

There were a number of men named John West in Georgia in the 1860s, but
my guess is that the John D. West who served in Campbell's Independent
Company of Georgia Siege Artillery is probably Missouri's father,
because that unit was raised in Bainbridge. However, I'm very familiar
with Campbell's Artillery and to the best of my knowledge they had no
battle casualties, so if John died in Confederate service it was
probably from "disease" and its possible that even that much cannot be
determined from the records, as they are very few.

RW

fredandfran wrote:

> writes:
>So, my great grandfather's brother's Confederate back pay was presumably
> claimed by Susan West Sellars, etc.
>
>Fran replies:
>It might be useful for me to ascertain just which SELLERS/ARS we are
>discussing. I am writing on belief that your GrGranddaddy's brother was
>Elijah SELLERS who lived out his days in Mitchell Co., GA after having been
>cut into that county from Baker. Elijah was born Sampson Co., NC ca 1813.
>
>If that is correct, I don't have record that Elijah served during the War,
>so cannot address
>the statement regarding the back pay from the War.
>
>Fran
>
>

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