Mary (Miner) Sellers was born in 1816 in Perry County, OH, the daughter of Daniel and Margaret (Fluckey) Miner Sr.

As a girl, she would have moved with her parents and siblings to Cardington, Morrow County, OH.

Mary's rare signature

On April 15, 1834, in Perry County, Mary married James S. Sellers (1815- ? ), the son of Isaac and Nancy (Pauley) Sellers, who were Ohio residents, but natives of Virginia. The ceremony was performed by justice of the peace Samuel Currin.

James was a laborer. In 1850, when the federal census was taken, they were living in Scioto Township, Ross County, OH. Residing in their household were Murphy and Margaret Taylor and children Ellenor and Nancy. (The Taylors' relationship to the Sellers is unknown, though Margaret may have been James' sister.)

After Mary's father died, she received a payment of $20.49 as her equal share of his estate. She signed a receipt, dated Nov. 11, 1857, acknowledging the payment. 

Later, the Sellerses apparently moved to Huntington Township, Ross County, just to the southwest of Chillicothe.

Mary may be the same "Mary Sellars" who died at the age of 42 on Nov. 27, 1858. She was laid to rest in the Sheets-Thomas Cemetery in Huntington Township, Ross County, beside four of their infant children. The cemetery is located on the west side of Rinehart Road near the intersection of Baptist Hill Road.

In 1860, 1870 and 1880, James resided in Ross County when the federal census was taken. In 1880, he was enumerated with his second wife Catherine (?) (1809-1886), who was six years older than he.

He is thought to have died of consumption (tuberculosis) in Huntington Township at the age of 67 on March 15, 1883. He was laid to rest in the Bishop Hill Cemetery at the Mt. Olive Church locally. When the cemetery was indexed in the late 1990s, his stone was noted as being "down."

On Aug. 14, 1886, Catherine Sellers died in Huntington Township, at the age of 76. Her burial place is unknown.

Copyright © 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2020 Mark A. Miner