b.Sep. 1, 1827 (Wash. Cty, Indiana) d.Feb. 4, 1911 (Eugene, OR) |
m.Jan. 6, 1849 Shelbyville, IN |
b.April 24, 1829 , Michigan d.Dec. 12,1887 ,Pleasant Valley, OR |
Text Information:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 3, 1850 Shelbyville, IN |
John Lloyd Hunter |
? |
|
|
1854 Story County, Iowa |
Eliza Martin |
? |
|
|
Oct. 16, 1856 Story County, Iowa |
Ganey Matthews |
? |
|
|
May 29, 1860 Story County, Iowa |
? |
Typhoid |
|
|
Dec. 10, 1864 Ukiah, CA |
Sept. 10, 1888 Lavina Ellen Halleck Monmouth, OR 2nd July 15, 1929 Ada B. Lane Banks, OR |
Aug. 4, 1936 Banks, OR |
|
|
July 10, 1864 Ukiah, CA |
Unmarried |
? |
JAMES RODMAN SELLERS, LAKE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, 1863-1871
Dean D. Sellers, genealogist for the Sellers Family and grandson of James Rodman Sellers - together with his wife, Jay, traveled through California in June 1977 in search of information which had heretofore been sketchy in JRS' history.
Fortunately, through considerable effort and many contacts they were able to get a clear picture from the Courthouse in Ukiah, California in Mendocino County and the Courthouse in Lakeport in Lake County.
Knowledge up to this time was confined to the 1870 Census which listed J. R. Sellers as living at Uncle Sam Post Office, Big Valley, Lake County, California with his wife, Mary Ann (McCartney) and their four sons and two daughters. The two youngest children; William Thomas and Charles Henry were born in Ukiah, Mendocino County and were six and two years old in the 1870 Census report.
It took a trip to the area to realize what Mary Ann must have gone through to travel the some 40 miles over primitive roads to get from her home in Big Valley to Ukiah to bear her last two children. The terrain is some of the most rugged one can imagine even with more modern paved roads - with many curves over sharp mountains and into gulches. Former routes used by the early settlers were marked from time to time indicating that such roads now would be impassible without the trusty horse and wagons.
Armed only with the 1870 Census, the Courthouse in Ukiah was of little help to the genealogist but he finally met a title company representative who was also searching for information in the records who told him to see the County Assessor who had lived in the county all his life.
Fortunately the Assessor knew both counties well and was able to spot Big Vailey as being near Clear Lake in Lake County and not just across the county line near Ukiah. Armed with this information a trip to Lakeport paid off and a great deal of information was gathered at the Lake County courthouse. The Mendocino County Courthouse did not keep a record of births as early as 1864, so there was no record of William's or Charles' births.
Dean and Jay traveled through the Big Valley area and spotted the property where JRS and his family of six llved for eight years. They were impressed by the productiveness of fruits and vegetables in the valley.
The following transactions of buying and selling real properties in Big Valley, Lake County area by James Rodman were found and copies were made for the general JRS file. After considerable cajoling of clerks and personnel who ran the duplicating machine it was possible to get early charts of the area and township maps which made it possible to pinpoint the exact locations of the property where JRS lived.
Land purchases started in July 1866 when a deed had been issued by Henry and Mary Rochet, City of Washington, D. C. for 711 acres of land and premises in Lake County, California, to Woods Crawford, Nick Phelan, Jonas Ingram and James R. Sellers. The consideration was $1,868.75
Subsequently on 15 February 1867 a fire in the Lake County Courthouse destroyed the original deed and on 27 February 1868 a replacement deed was documented. The description on the new deed designated the property as 711 acres as "a certain tract of land lituate lying and being in Lake County in the State of California and known as Leup Yomi Rancho.
In Book 1 of Deeds in the Lake County Courthouse, is a deed issued by the United States of America to James R. Sellers for "full payment" for 158 acres of land of which a full legal description was recorded. The deed was issued on 20 February 1870 and the Land Grant Deed was signed "By the President U. S. Grant" by S. D. Williamson. (It would seem that JRS had filed for the Land Grant possibly in 1863 when he first arrived in Lake County and that he had finally proved up on the property and had been issued a deed in 1870).
The description and charts of townships have been made a part of the genealogical record and the area granted by the United States is fully marked on said charts. It is located near Clear Lake in Big Valley near Kelseyville and Finley.
On 17 August 1870 JRS sold the property to William Ballinger for the sum of $4,000, gold coin.
On 12 March 1874, after James R. Sellers had moved to Lane County, Oregon, he issued a corrected deed to William Ballinger due to an error in the legal description on the original.
Copies of all the above documents have been made a part of the JAMES RODMAN SELLERS genealogical file in the Dean D. Sellers genealogical library in Mesa, Arizona.
|
1827
|
On September 1, 1827, James Rodman Sellers was born, the second son of Robert, Jr., and Nancy (Rodman) Sellers, in Washington County, Indiana, near Salem, where his father owned land andwas a farmer. |
|
1827 1831 |
Before he was four years old, James moved with his parents and older brother, John, from Washington County, Indiana to Shelby County, Illinois. The 1850 census of Shelby County, Illinois lists a brother, William, as having been born in that county and was 19 years old when the cenus was taken. It was in Shelby County, Illinois, that James Rodman Sellers received his education and grew to manhood and was married in Shelbyville. During his youth he helped his father, Robert, Jr., on the farm and later became a farmer himself. |
|
1846 1849 |
Inserted as part of the James and Mary Seller~s record is a copy of records from the office of the Shelby County Clerk's in Shelbyville, Illinois. They show the sale of properties in Illinois from Thomas and Sarah Headen to John G. and James R. Sellers on 13 Dec. 1846, Subsequently, John G. (a brother to James), sold his interest in the property to James on 6 February, 1849. The land consisted of 120 acres for which James paid his brother the sum of $250. The documenta were filed for record on 1 Oct. 1851. Witness to the sale from John to James was William McCartney, brother of Mary Ann McCartney, wife of James. |
|
1849 |
A copy of a marriage license obtained frnm Delores Bruns, Countv Clerk of Shelby County, Illinois, was forwarded to the researcher 10 Novemher 1972, indicating that James Sellers obtained a license to marry Mary McCartney on 6 January 1849. |
|
1850 |
The fiiurst child of James and Mary, Elizabeth, was born on 3 May, 1850 in Shelbyville, Illinois. James was listed as a farmer in the 1850 census when he was 23 years old and had married and was the father of a daughter, Elizabeth, at census time. |
|
1851 1852 |
Between 5 September 1851, when James and Mary sold their properties in Shelby County, Illinois, and 6 October 1852, when they purchased property in Story County, Iowa, there seemed to be little rest for the young Sellers family. They settled in Indian Creek Township, Story County, where their first son, John Robert was born according to the 1860 census of that county. James was a farmer and the census record shows he had real estate valued at $6,980 and personal property of $1,000. |
|
1852 |
On 26 October 1852 James R. Sellers purchased a 40 acre tract from Geo. N. and Della Kirkman in Section 34, T 82, R 22. It was filed on 7 October 1854 and recorded in Deed book A, Page 125, Story County, Iowa. |
|
1852 |
On 6 October 1852, James R. Sellers sold to John Blanchard, the 40 acre farm above. The sale was filed on 13 November 1854 in Deed Book A, Page 25, Story County records. |
|
1853 |
On 3 October 1853, James R. Sellers purchased a 20 acre tract from James T. Kirkman on Section 34, T 82, R 22. The sale was recorded in Deed Book A, Page 25, Story County records. |
|
1853 |
On 2 September 1853, James R. Sellers sold to William W. Utterback an area of 160 acres at SE1/2 Section 13, T 83, R 22. The sale was filed on 12 September 1853 in Deed Book A, Page 18, Story County records. ( William Utterback was James Rodman's brother-in-law, having married Margaret McCartney, sister of Mary Ann McCartney, James' wife. Margaret and Mary Ann were both born in New York state). |
|
1854 |
On 27 Janurry 1854, James R. Sellers sold to Joseph Bunbaker 40 acres at the NW1/4 NW1/4 Section 34, T 82, R 22. It is recorded in Story County records in Deed Book A, Page 90. |
|
1854 |
The second child, and first son, John Robert, was born in Story County, Iowa, to Mr. and Mrs. James Sellers on the 15 of May. |
|
1854 |
On September 25, 1854, James R. Sellers purchased 40 acres from John Blanchard At SWl/4 SW1/4 Section 26, T 82, R22. It was filed on 26 Octoher 1854 in Deed book A, Page 122, Story County, Iowa. |
|
1855 |
On 23 Septembcr 1855, James R . Sellers purchased from J. G. Mop, a city lot in Nevada, County Seat of Story County, Iowa, described as the E half, Lot No. 8, Block 31, Town of Nevada. It was filed 6 Novemher 1855 and recorded 25 March 1855. (J. C. Mop was the Recorder of Story County). (Note: Block 31 of Nevada is just three blocks south of the new modern county courthouse block and the researcher took a picture of the modern day block in 1975. It is a part of this record on a following page. It is presumed, perhaps that thiswas their home while living in the Nevada area). On 10 November, 1855, James Sellers bought from John Sellers (his brother) several parcels of land recorded in Deed Book B, Page 193, Story County , Iowa totalling 120 acres. |
|
1855 |
On 24 January 1855 James R. Sellers so1d to John Elliott 40 acres at the NE1/4NW1/4 Section 34, T 82, R 22. It was recorded in Storv County records, 23 June 1855, in Deed Book A, page 386. Also on 5 March 1855 James R. Sellers sold to James Mitchell l20 acres at the W1/2NW1/4NE1/4, Section 34, T 82, R 22. It was filed 5 March 1855 in the Story County records in Deed Book A, Page 280. Again in 1855 James R. Sellers so1d to A.B.Martin on 8 December the SE corner SW1/4 Section 27, T 82, R22, consisting of 60 acres. It was filed 5 March 1855 in the Story County records in Deed Book B, Page 200. |
|
1856 |
On 9 October 1856, James R. Sellersn sold to Charles Wells a 10 acre tract at SW1/4NW1/4NE1/4 Section 34, T 84, R 22, It was filed in the Story County record books on 30 December 1856, in Deed Book C, page 456. |
|
1856 |
A third child, Martha, was born 16 October 1856 in Story County, Iowa. |
|
1857 |
On 16 January 1857, James R. Sellers sold to J. F. Huger 20 acres at SE1/4SW1/4 (no section listed). It was filed 9 July, 1857 in Deed Book D, Page 361, Story County, Iowa. |
|
1859 |
On 5 March 1859, James R. Sellers purchased from Alexander McConnell a corner described as NE cor. SW1/4SE1/4 (no section listed). The transaction was filed 27 June, 1859 in Deed Boolc F, Page 79, Story County, Iowa records. |
|
1860 |
A fourth child, James Douglas, was born on 29 May 1860 in Story County, Iowa. It would seem that James R. Sellers farmed in Story Countv for approximatelv ten years, since the 1870 census records show that their next chiltl was born in California in 1864. |
|
1861 |
On 13 June 1861, J. R. Sellers (it was spelled "-ars") bought two tracts of land from S.H. Dye. 0ne was a seven- acre tract and the other tract was 20 Acres.Both were filed 15June, l86l in Deed Book G, Page 262, Story County, Iowa records. |
|
1862 |
On 5 July 1862, James R. Sellers sold to Malissa Sellers a total of l00 acres in three different tracts. The sale was filed on 5 July 1862 in Deed Boolc G, Page 573, Story County, Iowa. (Malissa (sometimes Melissa) - was the wife of John G., James ' older brother who was born in 1825. Records show that John was listed in the Shelby County, Illinois census in 1860 even though he had purchased land in Story County, Ia. as early as 22 Janunry 1855. Records also show that on 29 December 1855 he had purchased aaditional land in Cold Spring township in Shelby County, Illinois. It would seem that he divided his time between Illinois and Iowa for a period of several years. The above transaction from James to Malissa in 1862 likely indicates that by this date the entire family had moved from Shelby County, Ill., and made permanent residence in Story County, Iowa). (Note There were likely other transactions made in the name of Sellers in Story County, Iowa, since they seemed to be wheelers and dealera in land wherever they went. Lack of time prevented further study by the researcher), |
|
1862
1864 |
Between 5 July 1862 when James Rodman sold his properties in Story County, Iowa to his brother John G. and his wife Malissa and the next son was born the familv migrated farther west to California. On l0 December 1864, William Thomas, father of the researcher, was born at Ukiah, California. No record is available of how the trip west across the plains was made, but it is to be presumed that they must have come across with other wagon trains since rail was not yet available completely across country in the early 60s. The Golden Spike was driven in Utah on 5 May 1869, although comleleted tracks on both ends of the line were in use prior to this so that rail could be used by transorting between the ends of the lines. The Nahum King Family and the Chambers family (both related to the researcher on the maternal side) were among the early caravans which crossed in 1845 and suffered many hardships. They're descrihed in a book authored by Keith Clark and Lowell Tiller titled "Terrible Trail: the Meek Cutoff, 1845." The Hemon Halleck family, progenitors of the researcher's mother, came during the crossing in 1853. So when James and Mary Sellers got the fever to come West, considerably fewer problems existed than in earlier crossings. By then trails were well-marked and many guides were available to assist. |
|
1864 |
A fifth child, William Thomas, was born to James nnd Mary in Ukiah, California where the family had migrated. William Thomas is the father of the reseacher and was born 10 December 1864 in Mendocino County at Ukiah which is forty miles across the county line from the home farm establ ished by James in Big Valley , Unc1e Sam Postoffice, Lake County, CA . The 1870 census records show that J. R. Sellers and his wife, Mary, owned a farm and that their real estate value was placed at, $3,000 and that their personal property was also valued at $3,000. This indicated that he was succesful in transorting a great, many of his world1y goods across the Oregon and California Trails, or was able to accumulate his eqipment and animals after arrving in the West. |
|
1868 |
Their sixth and last child, Charles Henry, was born on 10 July 1868 in Ukiah, California. The 1870 census of Lake County, Ca., listed the parents and all of the children, the last census to register the entire family living together. |
|
1871 |
"The Centennial Story of Oregon, 1811-1912" authored bv Joseph Gaston and printed in 1912 gave the actual year of crossing the plains from Story County, Iowa to Lake County, Ca., as 1863. In the above publication the record shows that, James bought one hundred and sixty acres of land which he cultivated for eight years, at, the expiration of which time he continued his journey westward, locating in Oregon in the fa11 of 1871. (It should be pointed out that the information printed in "The Centennial Story of Oregon, 1811-1912" isn't entirely accurate since it lits the father of James Rodman Sellers also as James Rodman Sellers. His father was Robert, Junior, and his grandfather was Robert, Senior. This error could have resulted from a misunderstanding by the interviewer or it could have been the wrong information given to the interviewer by John Robert Sellers, oldest son of James Rodman Sellers. |
|
1872 |
In the spring of 1872 James purchased four hundred and fifty acres of land about five miles from Creswell, Oregon in Lane County. This acreage remained the nucleus of his large ranch. Three hundred and eighty acres of this land was alredy cleared andl under cultivation, and as he was able he extended his holdings until his home ranch embraced eight hundred and six acres. He susequently purchased one hundred and sixty acres located in the same vicinity and seven hundred acres ahout four miles west of Creswell, making his holdings in Lane County aggregate sixteen hundred acres - ten hundred and fifty of which was tillable. |
|
1887 |
Mary Ann McCartney Sellers, wife of James Rodman passed away in the city of Eugene, Oregon, a few mils north of the farm holdings. She was buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Pleasant Hill, Oregon. Death was on 12 Dec. 1887 at the age of 58 years and nine months. |
|
1897 |
James retired from active farming and moved to Eugene where he lived with his daughter Martha (Sellers) Mathews who had been left a widow by the death of her husband, Ganey Matthews. Martha was known as "Mat" or "Aunt Mat" and was operating a boarding and rooming house in Eugene. Upon retirement James left the operation and management of the sixeen hundred acres of land to his oldest son, John Robert. |
|
1898 |
James' son, William Thomas and wife, Lavina Ellen (Halleck) Sellers, and their three children at that time, traveled from Umatilla County, Oregon to visit with James in Eugene. When he retired from farming he kept a pacer and trotting horse. He would take the three grandchildren, William, Dwight, Olive Faye and James Amos, out for drives around Eugene to proudly show off the young Sellerses. |
|
1909 |
On 15 October 1909 James deeded his entire land holdings to his oldest son John Robert for a consideration of $18,000. |
|
1911 |
On 3 February 1911, James passed away in Eugene at the age of 80 years, 5 months and 2 days. On 10 October 1911 the heirs of James deeded all their interests over to John Robert for certain considerations. Two sons, John Robert and William Thomas were executors of the estate. Other heirs included his dauhters Mary E. Hunter and Martha A.Matthews; another aon, Charles Henry; dughter-in-law, Lavina Ellen, wife of son William Thomas; and son-in-law John Hunter, husband of daughter Mary Elizabeth. |
|
| |
|
1829 |
Mary Ann McCartney, wife of James Rodman Sellers, was born in Michigan on 24 April 1829, the fourth child of Robert and Jean (sometimes Johanna) McCartney. Robert McCartney's progenltors were early residents of New York State and Robert moved into Michigan and Indina with the 1840 census showing him a resident of Sullivan County, Indiana. Thence to Illinois and Iowa, paralleling to a certain degree the path set by the James Rodman Sellers' family. |
|
1849 |
Mary Ann was married to James Rodman Sellers in Shelbyville, Shelby County, Illininois on 6 June l849. Their first child, Mary Elizabeth, was born there on 3 May 1850. She showed her pioneer qualities in following her husband throughout his trek west in search of better land to farm. |
|
1887 |
She died when she was in her 58th year but saw all her children live to maturity. The youngest, Chalrles was 19 at the time of her death. Mary Ann died in Eugene, Oregon 12 December 1887 and was buried in the Sellers family plot at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Pleasant Hill, Oregon. (A complete sequence of census records is made a part of this research and shows that Mary Ann's pnrents had eight children and shows the early McCartneys from 1790 in New York State down through the 1870 census in New Albnny, Story County, Iowa where her father was still living in 1870. Robert, the father, died in 1878 at the age of 81. Mary Ann's mother, Joan, died at the age of 64 years in 1867 in Iowa. She was born in Vermont in 1803. No record is available of the mother's parents' names.) |
