The following article about the Sellars Family was written by Dorothy Sellars Young Brawley. One of my best friends for over twenty years has been Claiborne Sellars Young, a celebrated travel writer who writes “Cruising Guides” for power boaters on most of the southern waters of the U.S.A. Claiborne is the only son of Claiborne Clark Young and Dorothy Sellars Young (now Brawley).The only correction I have made is concerning the husband of Eliza Sellars daughter of Thomas Sellars Sr., who was mistakenly listed as John Harden in the article (probably a typo by the publisher). In actuality Elizabeth Sellars married Joseph Harder November 18th 1796 in Orange County, North Carolina which is substantiated by the record of the marriage bond and by a family chart done by a Sellars relative many years ago. Joseph Harder and Elizabeth Sellars were my 5th Great-Grandparents and Thomas Sellars Sr. was my 6th Great-Grandfather. I am currently in collaboration with two of my newly discovered 4th cousins, Claiborne Sellars Young and Elizabeth (Betsy) Bailey Farmer on a project to write a complete history of the Sellars Family which should be most interesting as they have left quite a legacy from Colonial times to present day.

 

Latham Mark Phelps- May 1st 2004

 

 

 

 

Alamance County Heritage Book

Page 386—Story Number 244

 

THOMAS, SR. AND NELLIE (HOLT) SELLARS, FAMILY

 

Little is known where or when Thomas Sellars, Sr. was born. It is thought he was born in England between 1740 and 1745. The first information available is that he came to Philadelphia, Pa. and later moved to North Carolina. He was residing in Orange County in that part which is now Alamance County on the Haw River. In 1765‑68 he signed two petitions to Governor Tryon, one against taxes, and one against discharging of magistrates.

 

He married sometime previous to 1782, but it is uncertain whom he married as he referred to her as "my wife" in a deed dated April 5, 1816. It is possible he married a Nellie Holt as there is an entry in the old Sellars Bible with her name and birth date February 18, 1756. That is the only explanation why the name would be in the Sellars Bible

 

Thomas Sellars, Sr. had two sons, Thomas Sellars, Jr. (1782‑1865) and Willis Sellars (1788‑1843). It is thought there were two daughters, one named Eliza who married Joseph Harder and the other Polly who married Martin Loy. These daughters probably moved to Sumner County, Tennessee as records appear of Sellars in Tennessee and no records of them in Alamance County.

 

Thomas Sellars, Jr. (1782 ‑ October 23, 1865) married Nancy Rainey (June 6, 1795 ‑ July 22, 1881). Nancy Rainey was the daughter of Nancy Sullinger Rainey and Benjamin Rainey (October 8, 1758 ‑ May 5, 1811). Benjamin Rainey was a large landowner and also a minister at Providence Church, Graham, North Carolina. Ile and his wife are buried in the family cemetery, which is near Burlington Mills plant off of Anthony Street. Tombstones still stand. In his will Benjamin Rainey leaves to his beloved wife, Nancy, certain cows, horses, furniture, farm equipment and slaves. One of the slaves was named Kizzie. This unusual name appears in the book "Roots" written by Alex Haley. It is indefinite what relationship this might be, if any. Nancy Sullinger and Benjamin Rainey had eleven children.

 

1. Rachel Rainey (March 6, 1778 October 30, 1839) married Michael Holt (July 11, 1778 ‑ April 21, 1842).

 

2. Rebecca Rainey (April 10, 1780 March 1876) married first Richard Mabin (1762‑1804) ‑ Second marriage John King (1780‑1834)

 

3. William Rainey (February 25, 1782‑1838) married Sarah "Sally" (last name unknown) 1834 ‑ Buried in Rutherford County, Tennessee.

 

4. Mary "Polly" Rainey (1784 May 10, 1829) married Neal Buchanan Rose (died February 28, 1835).

 

5. Isaac Rainey ‑ No information probably died as an infant.

 

6. Benjamin Abel Rainey (June 13, 1788‑1862) married Nancy Cannon (died about 1852 in Savannah, Mo.).

 

7. Elizabeth "Betsy" Rainey (May 10, 1791 ‑ November 6, 1821) married William Holt (August 7, 1785 August 5, 1866).

 

8. Nancy Rainey (June 16, 1795 August 22, 1881) married Thomas Sellars, Jr. (1782 ‑ October 23, 1865).

 

9. John Sullinger Rainey (June 20, 1797 ‑ June 10, 1883) married Helen Warren (died January 2, 1825) ‑ Second marriage Elizabeth Swinney (April 7, 1815 ‑May 1, 1903).

 

10. Sarah "Sally" Rainey (February 8, 1799 ‑ July 6, 1884) married Nashville Malone (January 2, 1800 July 1, 1875).

 

11. Emily Mildred "Milly" Rainey (February 4, 1800 ‑ September 11, 1829) married George Jordan (July 26, 1796 ‑ August 21, 1855).

 

Thomas Sellars, Jr. was a wealthy landowner who raised cotton in Orange, later Alamance County, and owned 100 slaves. He gave land to help get the railroad through here and his slaves helped to grade the roadbed from Company Shops to what is now Glen Raven. Many slaves took the Sellars name and there are still descendants in this country.

 

Thomas Sellars, Jr. and Nancy (Rainey) Sellars had eleven children listed as follows:

 

1. William Sellars (1813‑1857) married Nancy Swift.

 

2. Willis Rainey Sellars (1815‑1887) married Mary Ellen Ray (1833‑1888).

 

3. Benjamin Abel Sellars (1816-1896) married Frusannah Elizabeth Kime (1833‑1922).

 

4. Thomas Sellars (1818‑     ) married first Adeline Cummins ‑ Second marriage Margaret Ann Faucette.

 

5. Mary "Polly" Sellars married Rev. George Garrison Walker (1816‑1865)

 

6. Lemuel Sellars (1821‑1885) married Sarah D. Huffman (1824‑1897).

 

7. Griffin R. Sellars (1823‑1888) married Phebe Stanford (1830‑1906).

 

8. Rebecca Jane Sellars (1827‑1905) married James V. Moore (1828

 

9. Elizabeth Sellars (1825‑1826) died as an infant.

 

10. Logan Sellars, Dr. G.L. (1830-1892)  Though he had a fine education at the University of Philadelphia School of Medicine, he never practiced and never amounted to too much.

 

11. Nancy Elizabeth "Bettie" Sellars (1832‑1917) married John A. Moore, M.D. (1833‑1882).

 

 One of their sons, Benjamin Abel (November 16, 1816 ‑ 1896), who was born at the Sellars homeplace between Burlington and Hopedale, wanted to be a physician, so Thomas Sellars, Jr. sent him to medical school at Pennsylvania University in Philadelphia. He received his diploma on the fourth day of March 1844. He went to Randolph County to practice and at the age of 34, he met and married Frusannah Elizabeth Kime (August 3, 1833 ‑ October 29, 1922) who was not quite seventeen at the time of her marriage. Dr. Sellars practiced medicine in Randolph and Guilford counties where he was often paid with a chicken, eggs, vegetables and, with luck, a ham.

 

Benjamin Abel and Elizabeth (Kime) Sellars also had eleven children. All were born in Randolph County except Walter, the youngest son, who was born in Company Shops.

 

1. Mary Augusta (May 18, 1853- April 1, 1945) married Isaac Newton Walker (April 23, 1852 ‑ November 24, 1909).

 

2. Benjamin Rainey (March 28, 1855 ‑ June 20, 1916) married Fannie Oldham Cheek (September 18, 1874 February 4, 1956).

 

3. Thomas Leonides (January 25, 1857 ‑ April 5, 1940) married Lila Graves (June 20, 1871 ‑ September 29, 1955).

 

4. Liza Ann (July 2, 1859 ‑ 1937) married William W. White; died 1887 ‑ Second marriage James R. White; died 1926.

 

5. Anne Elizabeth (June 6, 1861- 1937) married Dr. Henry Harrison Jordan (1862‑1931).

 

6. David Ernest (June 20, 1863- September 2, 1944) married Juanita "Nita" Hall (October 2, 1874 ‑ June 21,1963).

 

7. Charles Victor (July 21, 1865- September 20, 1941) married Annie Morrow (February 13, 1870 ‑ October 27, 1943).

 

8. Flora Lucina (April 25, 1867- 1935) married Dr. John H. Brooks (1865‑1932).

 

9. Frederick William (April 13, 1870 ‑ August 25, 1954) married Lula Planz (November 1, 1872 ‑ May 31, , 1960).

 

10. John Earl (March 14, 1872 August 25, 1940) never married.

 

11. Walter Raleigh (November 29, 1873 ‑September 11, 1954) married Lila Harden Bailey (October 6, 1879- December 26, 1968)/

 

Between 1872 and 1873 Dr. and Mrs. Sellars moved to Burlington and built a home on the corner of Church and Front Streets. The children attended school at what was later called Union Church on Union Avenue. Most of the boys went to Rutherforton College, except Walter who went to Poughkeepsie, New York, and the girls went to Greensboro Normal School for Girls, which is now Greensboro College.

 

  Dr. Sellars built a large wooden store on Front Street in 1871. It was approximately where Pollard Insurance Company is today. It later burned and was rebuilt. From this store Dr. Sellars dispensed mostly drugs, but later expanded into piece goods, groceries, seeds, nails and other hardware. He was one of the men who helped to  choose the name Burlington to replace the name Company Shops.

 

His eldest son, Benjamin Rainey, was the first to return home from school and took over management of the store. He bought the property on Main Street and moved the store to that location. Groceries and hardware were dropped and it became a department store, as it still is today. After 113 years of business, it is carried on by the fourth generation of Sellars.

 

Willis Sellars, was the son of Thomas Sellars, Sr. and a brother of Thomas Sellars, Jr. Willis Sellars lived in the Crossroads neighborhood of Alamance County on the homeplace called "Quaker Ridge Farm." He is buried in the yard of the homestead. His widow remarried a Faucette.

 

Willis Sellars (1788‑1843) married Virginia Crawford (died 1877).

 

His children:

 

1. Eliza Ann Sellars married Dr. John Walker.

 

a. Katherine Walker married George Long of Graham.

 

b. Frank Walker

 

 

2. Samuel Sellars (moved to Mineral Wells, Texas after war).

 

a. Arthur

 

b. Lucian

 

c. Anna married Mr. England

 

d. Lula married Mr. England (they were brothers).

 

e. Laura married Mr. Russell

 

 

3. Mary C. Sellars (1823‑1891) married Dr. Bedford B. Walker (brother of John).

 

a. Laura Walker married Mr. Long.

 

b. Willis Walker married.

 

c. Jim Walker never married.

 

d. Lenora Walker never married.

 

e. Robert Lee Walker

 

f. Child unnamed

 

 

4. Constantine Sellars (1824‑1906) married Maria Bason (1823‑1907).

 

a. William Baxter Sellars married 1 ‑ Emma Virginia Murray. 2 - Emma Elizabeth Crisp.

 

b. Barbara Rose Sellars married Rudolph G. Lea.

 

c. Mary Etta Sellars married Joseph A. Tate.

 

d. Charles Perry Sellars married Vivian Shaber.

 

e. Joseph Bason Sellars married Adeline Berlin (or Burling).

 

 

 

 

 

 Written by: Dorothy (Sellars) Brawley

 

‑ Sources: Personal knowledge & family Bible.