244 THOMAS, SR
The following article about the Sellars Familywas written by Dorothy Sellars Young Brawley. One of my best friends for overtwenty years has been Claiborne Sellars Young, a celebrated travel writer whowrites “Cruising Guides” for power boaters on most of the southern waters ofthe U.S.A. Claiborne is the only son of Claiborne Clark Young and DorothySellars Young (now Brawley).The only correction I have made is concerning thehusband of Eliza Sellars daughter of Thomas Sellars Sr., who was mistakenlylisted as John Harden in the article (probably a typo by the publisher). Inactuality Elizabeth Sellars married Joseph Harder November 18th 1796in Orange County, North Carolina which is substantiated by the record of the marriagebond and by a family chart done by a Sellars relative many years ago. JosephHarder and Elizabeth Sellars were my 5th Great-Grandparents andThomas Sellars Sr. was my 6th Great-Grandfather. I am currently incollaboration with two of my newly discovered 4th cousins, ClaiborneSellars Young and Elizabeth (Betsy) Bailey Farmer on a project to write acomplete history of the Sellars Family which should be most interesting as theyhave 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 firstinformation available is that he came to Philadelphia, Pa. and later moved toNorth Carolina. He was residing in Orange County in that part which is nowAlamance County on the Haw River. In 1765‑68 he signed two petitions toGovernor Tryon, one against taxes, and one against discharging of magistrates.
He married sometime previous to 1782, but it isuncertain whom he married as he referred to her as "my wife" in adeed dated April 5, 1816. It is possible he married a Nellie Holt as there isan 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, ThomasSellars, Jr. (1782‑1865) and Willis Sellars (1788‑1843). It isthought there were two daughters, one named Eliza who married JosephHarder and the other Polly who married Martin Loy. These daughters probablymoved to Sumner County, Tennessee as records appear of Sellars in Tennessee andno records of them in Alamance County.
Thomas Sellars, Jr. (1782 ‑ October 23,1865) married Nancy Rainey (June 6, 1795 ‑ July 22, 1881). Nancy Raineywas the daughter of Nancy Sullinger Rainey and Benjamin Rainey (October 8, 1758‑ May 5, 1811). Benjamin Rainey was a large landowner and also a ministerat Providence Church, Graham, North Carolina. Ile and his wife are buried inthe family cemetery, which is near Burlington Mills plant off of AnthonyStreet. Tombstones still stand. In his will Benjamin Rainey leaves to hisbeloved wife, Nancy, certain cows, horses, furniture, farm equipment andslaves. One of the slaves was named Kizzie. This unusual name appears in thebook "Roots" written by Alex Haley. It is indefinite whatrelationship this might be, if any. Nancy Sullinger and Benjamin Rainey hadeleven 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 inRutherford County, Tennessee.
4. Mary "Polly" Rainey (1784 May 10,1829) married Neal Buchanan Rose (died February 28, 1835).
5. Isaac Rainey ‑ No information probablydied 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) ‑ Secondmarriage 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 whoraised cotton in Orange, later Alamance County, and owned 100 slaves. He gaveland to help get the railroad through here and his slaves helped to grade theroadbed from Company Shops to what is now Glen Raven. Many slaves took theSellars name and there are still descendants in this country.
Thomas Sellars, Jr. and Nancy (Rainey) Sellarshad eleven children listed as follows:
1. William Sellars (1813‑1857) marriedNancy Swift.
2. Willis Rainey Sellars (1815‑1887)married Mary Ellen Ray (1833‑1888).
3. Benjamin Abel Sellars (1816-1896) marriedFrusannah 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) marriedSarah D. Huffman (1824‑1897).
7. Griffin R. Sellars (1823‑1888) marriedPhebe Stanford (1830‑1906).
8. Rebecca Jane Sellars (1827‑1905)married James V. Moore (1828
9. Elizabeth Sellars (1825‑1826) died asan infant.
10. Logan Sellars, Dr. G.L. (1830-1892) Though he had a fine education at theUniversity of Philadelphia School of Medicine, he never practiced and neveramounted to too much.
11. Nancy Elizabeth "Bettie" Sellars(1832‑1917) married John A. Moore, M.D. (1833‑1882).
One oftheir sons, Benjamin Abel (November 16, 1816 ‑ 1896), who was born at theSellars homeplace between Burlington and Hopedale, wanted to be a physician, soThomas Sellars, Jr. sent him to medical school at Pennsylvania University inPhiladelphia. He received his diploma on the fourth day of March 1844. He wentto Randolph County to practice and at the age of 34, he met and marriedFrusannah Elizabeth Kime (August 3, 1833 ‑ October 29, 1922) who was notquite seventeen at the time of her marriage. Dr. Sellars practiced medicine inRandolph and Guilford counties where he was often paid with a chicken, eggs,vegetables and, with luck, a ham.
Benjamin Abel and Elizabeth (Kime) Sellars alsohad eleven children. All were born in Randolph County except Walter, theyoungest 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 ‑ June20, 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) marriedWilliam W. White; died 1887 ‑ Second marriage James R. White; died 1926.
5. Anne Elizabeth (June 6, 1861- 1937) marriedDr. Henry Harrison Jordan (1862‑1931).
6. David Ernest (June 20, 1863- September 2,1944) married Juanita "Nita" Hall (October 2, 1874 ‑ June21,1963).
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) marriedDr. 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 ‑September11, 1954) married Lila Harden Bailey (October 6, 1879- December 26, 1968)/
Between 1872 and 1873 Dr. and Mrs. Sellars movedto Burlington and built a home on the corner of Church and Front Streets. Thechildren attended school at what was later called Union Church on Union Avenue.Most of the boys went to Rutherforton College, except Walter who went toPoughkeepsie, New York, and the girls went to Greensboro Normal School forGirls, which is now Greensboro College.
Dr.Sellars built a large wooden store on Front Street in 1871. It wasapproximately where Pollard Insurance Company is today. It later burned and wasrebuilt. From this store Dr. Sellars dispensed mostly drugs, but later expandedinto piece goods, groceries, seeds, nails and other hardware. He was one of themen who helped to choose the nameBurlington to replace the name Company Shops.
His eldest son, Benjamin Rainey, was the firstto return home from school and took over management of the store. He bought theproperty on Main Street and moved the store to that location. Groceries andhardware 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 ofSellars.
Willis Sellars, was the son of Thomas Sellars,Sr. and a brother of Thomas Sellars, Jr. Willis Sellars lived in the Crossroadsneighborhood of Alamance County on the homeplace called "Quaker RidgeFarm." He is buried in the yard of the homestead. His widow remarried aFaucette.
Willis Sellars (1788‑1843) marriedVirginia Crawford (died 1877).
His children:
1. Eliza Ann Sellars married Dr. John Walker.
a. Katherine Walker married George Long ofGraham.
b. Frank Walker
2. Samuel Sellars (moved to Mineral Wells, Texasafter war).
a. Arthur
b. Lucian
c. Anna married Mr. England
d. Lula married Mr. England (they werebrothers).
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) marriedMaria Bason (1823‑1907).
a. William Baxter Sellars married 1 ‑ EmmaVirginia 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).
Writtenby: Dorothy (Sellars) Brawley
‑ Sources: Personal knowledge & familyBible.