Sellers

Do you have ‘bushes’ in your tree? For anyone looking at my Heartland Genealogy tree on Ancestry, they may easily stumble upon a ‘bush’ and not realize that they aren’t on my ancestral tree. My Sellers research represents one such ‘bush’. Over the years, I have acquired quite a bit of information about the family of Nathaniel Sellers. This family connects to my CRAWFORD research in several ways:

• His son, James Sellers married Mary Crawford in 1791 in Lincoln County, Kentucky. Mary is thought to be the daughter of Rebecca Crawford who owned land in Garrard County, Kentucky.
• His son, William David Sellers married Sarah Crawford in 1796 in Lincoln County, Kentucky. Sarah is also thought to be a daughter of Rebecca Crawford.
• His son, Nathan A. Sellers, migrated to Preble County, Ohio and lived near the two James Crawford families.
• His granddaughter, Jane (daughter of Nathan A. Sellers) married Henry Duggins, step-son of James Crawford (my ancestor)

As I’m starting to review my research of James and Mary (Crawford) Sellers, I came across a reference to Weik’s History of Putnam County, Indiana, on archive.org. Within that book is a very interesting article about John L. Sellers and his father, John Crawford Sellers (son of James and Mary).

page 472

John L. Sellers

Among the native sons of Warren township, Putnam county, who deserve a place in local history is John L. Sellers, who has spent his long life here and who has ever had the interest of his community at heart. His birth occurred August 25, 1836, the son of John Crawford Sellers, who was born March 26, 1796, in Garrard county, Kentucky. March 1, 1821, he married Fannie Brown and thirteen children resulted from this union, two of whom are living, John L. of this review, and Joseph B. whose death [should this be birth?]occurred in 1843; those deceased are, Mrs. Rebecca Gilmore, born in 1830, died in April, 1906; Mrs. Martha Ruark, born in 1838, died April 19, 1909; Mrs Lucy Ann Leach, born in 122, died May 6, 1846; James Washington, born in 1823, died June 11, 1865; William, born in 1824, died October 5, 1850; Mary, born 1826, died October 2, 1853; Elizabeth born 1828, died October 16, 1858; Amanda J., born 1832, died November 13, 1836; Mrs. Nancy Talbott, born 1834; died February 8, 1872; Fannie E. (twin sister of John L.) born 1836, died November, 1856; Sarah b., born 1840, died in infancy.
The father of these children arrived in Putnam county in 1823, having a capital of only two hundred dollars. He bought eighty acres of land in section 5, Warren township, all in the woods, ten acres of which had been deadened. the first spring after he came here he rolled logs and assisted to build cabins for thirty-one days in succession. His only horse being crippled, he was compelled to tend his first crop of corn with a steer. He laid the “worm” rail of his fence at night and his wife wold finish building the fence the next day while he was doing other work. From time to time he added other land to his home farm until he owned four hundred acres of valuable land, entering most of it from the government. When he started out he worked for twenty-five cents per day to get money with which to buy his first land. When he came here the county was practically a wilderness and

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to get to Greencastle, then a hamlet composed of seven cabins, he was compelled to blaze his way through the heavy woods, composed principally of tall oaks and dense underbrush. School houses and churches were unknown then and the chances for an education were very limited, but he gave his children such as could be obtained. he was a soldier in the war of 1812, his regiment being organized principally in the northern frontier and he was in the famous charge when the Indian chief Tecumseh was killed at the battle of the Thames. Mr. Sellers was an industrious,, plain, honest man, who never sought or held office. For forty years he and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church at Putnamville, he being an elder during the greater part of that time, giving liberally and cheerfully of his means for the advancement of the church’s interest, and he did much to develop the resources of the county. His death occurred November 1, 1874, at the age of seventy-eight years, his wife surviving until 1878, dying in her seventy-seventh year and they are buried at the old Putnamville cemetery.
John L. Sellers the immediate subject of this review, spent his youth on the home farm, having the advantage of a three-months subscription school each winter. September 4, 862, he enlisted in Company L. Forty-fifth Regiment, Third Indiana Cavalry, under Capt. O. M. Powers and Lieut. G. J. Langsdale and he served with credit until the close of the war.
On December 11, 1866, Mr. Sellers married Mary Matkins of Greencastle, and they went to live with his parents, with whom he remained during their lifetime — in fact, he has since made his home on the parental farm, devoting his attention exclusively to general farming and stock raising, being very successful in each.
Mr. Sellers very ably served his township as trustee for a period of four years. He is known as a very liberal man, generous and kind hearted, and he has thus been imposed upon, having frequently paid notes on which he was security. He is a member of the Presbyterian church and was an elder in the same for years, also a trustee for many years. Mrs. Sellers, was also a faithful member of the Methodist church. She died October 20, 1879, having borne her husband seven children, namely: Edward J., born September 11, 1867, married Clara Silver, and they are the parents of seven children: Arthur U., Lawrence L., Ethel V., Joyne M. Louisa A., Harold G. and Edward L. Katherine A. Sellers was born in November, 1868; she has remained single and is living at home. Jenni L., born in April 1870, died in November, 1882. Nannie E., born July 4, 1872 is the wife of Alonzo Day and they have two children, Hazel and Russell (deceased). Sarah F.

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born in October, 1874, died may 20, 1879. Minnie B., born February 15, 1876, married Charles R. Grogan and they had four children: Grace May, Jennie (died October 22, 1902), Dorothy F., and Esther A. Ida M. Sellers is the wife of Hays Williams; she was born August 1, 1879, and they have two children, Estelle L. and Hubert L.
On August 3, 1880 John L. Sellers married a second time, his last wife being Elizabeth Wells, daughter of Levi and Katherine Wells of Greencastle, and this union resulted in the birth of three children: William C., born August 21, 1881, married Grace Haymaker, and they have one child, John Riley; Mary E., born January 17, 1884, and Myrtle O., born July 5, 1891, graduated from the Greencastle high school in the class of 1910.

Weik Jesse W., Weik’s History of Putnam County Indiana (Indianapolis, IN: B. F. Bowen & Company, Publishers, 1910), pages 472-474; archive.org viewed online 7 October 2022.