Little is known of Charles Sellman apart from
the fact that he did own land in Maryland, a slave state. Southern records
aren’t as meticulous as the ones kept in the Puritan controlled New England
states. Church and state records were kept half hazardly in the South or often
not preserved. Gravesites on farms and plantation weren’t always kept up and
often just disappeared or the stones were damaged beyond repair or just
disappeared. If “Bible” records were
kept, the book itself had to have been preserved over the centuries by the
family and more often than not just disappeared.
Charles
Sellman was born 5 August 1722 in Accomac, Accomack Co., Virginia, the son of
William Sellman and his wife, Ann West
Married
Elizabeth Gassaway the daughter of Nicholas Gassaway and his wife Elizabeth
Hawkins, in 1745 probably in Accomack Co., Virginia
The
children of Charles Sellman and Elizabeth Gassaway were:
1
Margaret Sellman born 1740 in Anne Arundel Co.,
Maryland. She married Joshua Hobbs.
2. Anne
Sellman, born 1741 at Anne Arundel, Maryland.
3. Gassaway
Sellman born about 1745 in Anne Arundel
Co., Maryland and died in Frederick Co., Maryland on 27 May 1823. He married
Francis Davis’ widow, Catherine and they had six children.
4. John
Sellman born about 1748 in Anne Arundel
Co., Maryland. He married Elizabeth (Betsy) Phelps. They had six children. He
died October 1816 in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland.
Charles Sellman died 20 December 1770 in Anne Arundel Co.,
Maryland
Charles Sellman grew up on his father’s plantation in Anne
Arundel County, Maryland. He inherited “residue” of land at “Crosses Forest”
according to his father’s will. “Sheep” were willed to his children, Margaret
and Ann. Gassaway and John must have been born after their grandfather’s 1743
will. Elizabeth Gassaway Sellman inherited “clothing” from the will. He was
also left land from his father-in-law’s will. Slaves were left to Charles’ brother Thomas
and to a sister and brother-in-law in their father’s will but not to Charles so
it is very possible that Charles did not own slaves. But he was a land owner
and he did live in Maryland where the practice of slavery was common among land
owners. However I have not been able to find a will so it’s impossible to know
for sure. Since he was not the elder son, his portion of land holdings was
probably small and he may not have had to buy slaves. I also know little about
Gassaway and John, Charles’ sons so if they didn’t owned slaves then the
practice may have ended with Charles in
that line. Daughter Anne probably [see more on Margaret Sellman] died young and
Daughter Margaret’s family was in Kentucky by the early 1770s. While Kentucky
was a slave state I haven’t found evidence that the Hobbs were slave owners.
***SOURCES***
1. Will of Nicholas Gassaway of Anne Arundel Co.,
dated 18 Feb 1757
2. Will of William Sellamn of Anne Arundel co.,
dated 11 Feb 742/3 / 31st March 1743
3. Early
Families of Southern Maryland, Vol 2,”the Lawrence Family”
1.
Anne Arundel Gentry Vol 1 “The Gassaway Family.”
