Marion Abraham Sells is my second great-grandfather, he was born on July 10, 1842, in Hancock County, Illinois. His parents are Elijah Sells 1816-1896 and Phebe Walker 1820-1845. He has three siblings, Sarah Elizabeth 1841-1857, Susannah 1843-1923, and Gideon Phillip Sells 1845-1927.
Phebe Walker Sells died in 1845 and Elijah remarried Frances Cox on March 16, 1848, and to this union, four children were born, (Marion’s half brothers and sisters), Rachel 1849-1915, Lucinda Jane 1854-1935, Thomas Jefferson 1857-1882 and George Washington Sells 1860-1883.
He married Samaria Alice Thompson Traister on May 30, 1863, in Clark County, Missouri. The marriage record says May 30, 1869, but the 1900 Census states closer to 1863. Her first marriage was to Clark John Traister on July 3, 1859, and one child was born to this union. Sarah Maria Traister was born on July 10, 1863, in Chambersburg, Clark, Missouri. At this time, I have not discovered her marriage or death date. I have not found anything on Clark John Traister either except birth and death dates.
Marion Abraham Sells in June of 1863 enlisted in the U.S. Civil War for Iowa. The U.S. Civil War Draft Registration said he was twenty-one years old, a farmer, and was married.
Marion took in Samaria Thompson Traister’s daughter Sarah. They began their own family in Chambersburg, Clark, Missouri. Marion Emanuel 1865-1928, Dorcas Anna 1867-1923, Columbus (my great-grandfather) 1869-1932, Elijah 1873-1936, Samaria Alice Mary 1874-?, Amos 1876-1877, Lieu Edith 1878-1949, Dollie 1881-1881, Lottie 1882-1883, Grover Cleveland 1884-1943, John Wesley Sells, Sr. 1889-1911.
Clark County, Missouri was where they settled in to raise their children and farm the land. They did not move around a lot they just liked that corner of the state to call home. Amos, Dollie, and Lottie Sells died as small children. Diphtheria hit the area hard, and several people died including children during that time. Amos, Dollie, and Lottie are buried in Chambersburg Cemetery in Clark County.
Marion Emanuel Sells, my mother called him Uncle Manny was born March 21, 1865. He married Julie Alice Rathburn (Aunt Julie) on February 19, 1885, in Memphis, Scott, Missouri. To this union six children were born, William Emanuel “Billy” 1886-1965, Anna Gertrude 1888-1982, Marion Hampton 1890-1970, Mabel Alice 1892-1993, Earnest Dolphy 1909-1972,
Marion Emanuel Sells died on July 28, 1928, in Eldon, Miller, Missouri, and Julia Alice died on December 17, 1958, in Versailles, Morgan, Missouri. He was sixty-three years old, and she was ninety-one years old. They are buried in Dooley Cemetery in Eldon, Miller, Missouri.
Anna Gertrude Sells was born on July 5, 1888, in Chambersburg. Clark, Missouri. Anna was twenty years old when she married her first husband Robert Bert Martin on May 26, 1909, in Green City, Hickory, Missouri. There were four children born to this couple, Anna Mabel 1910-1989, Robert D 1914-1920, Irene Julia 1917-2001, and Leonard E Martin 1922-2003. Robert died on January 11, 1932, in Eldon, Miller, Missouri. He was fifty-three years old and buried in Eldon.
Anna married a second time to William Everett Morgan in 1940. To this union, there were four children, Beulah Faye 1910-1975, Lloyd E 1912-1985, Miles Emery 1914-1992, and Henry Lee Morgan 1923-1996. Anna died on May 18, 1982, in Eldon, Miller, Missouri. She is buried in the Dooley Cemetery in Eldon.
Miles Emery Sells was born on July 16, 1914, in Missouri. He married Katherine Elizabeth Lutz on November 15, 1937, in Maysville, DeKalb, Missouri. They had two children, Ada Louise 1938-2016, and Joseph Dudley Morgan 1941-2020. Miles died on June 10, 1992, and is buried in Fairfax, Atchison, Missouri he was seventy-seven years old. Katherine died March 9, 1997, and is also buried in Fairfax, she was eight-two years old.
Henry Lee Morgan was born on April 23, 1923, in Helena, DeKalb, Missouri. He married Mildred Lorene Chowning on December 14, 1944, in Missouri. I do not think they had any children or at least at this writing I have found none. Henry died on August 6, 1996, in Meadville, Linn, Missouri, and is buried in Wheeling, Livingston, Missouri he was seventy-three years old. Mildred died on August 15, 2016, in Meadville and is also buried in Wheeling, she was eighty-nine years old.
Marion Hampton Sells was born on September 24, 1890, in Chambersburg, Missouri. He married Dimple Celestial Clopp on July 3, 1911, in Lebanon, Laclede, Missouri. To this union, there were three daughters born Etolia Praclla 1917-2012, Sadie Marie 1920-2012, and Evelyn Louise Sells 1930-2015. Marion Hampton died on July 31, 1970, in Kansas City, Kansas at seventy-nine and Dimple died on January 17, 1975, in Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri she was eighty-four. Both are buried in the Chapel Hill Cemetery in Kansas City, Kansas.
Mabel Alice Sells was born on May 10, 1892, in Missouri. She married Harry Irving Doyle on May 1, 1912, in Springfield, Greene, Missouri. The couple had two girls Alfreda 1913-1995 and Gertrude Mabel Doyle 1921-1996, Mabel and Harry divorced on July 11, 1945, in Wayne, Michigan. Mabel died on December 15, 1993, in Booneville, Cooper, Missouri, she was one hundred and one years old.
Ernest Dolphy Sells was born on January 14, 1909, in Springfield, Greene, Missouri. He married Josephine Margaret Sells and they had three daughters were born, Joan Sells 1933-1990, Delores Marie 1934-2004, and Rosamond Sells 1938-?. Josephine died at the age of twenty-four years old on April 17, 1938. Ernest remarried about 1939 to Georgia Ruth Roberts and they had one son William Sells born April 6, 1939, in Kansas, I did not find a death date for him.
Dorcas Anna Sells was born on October 4, 1867, in Chambersburg, Clark, Missouri. She married Henry Grosenkemper 1861-1938 in about 1886. Two children were born to this couple John Henry 1889-1958 and Mamie Grosenkemper 1882-1955. Dorcas’ second marriage was to Isaac Newton Palmerton on December 10, 1891, in Clark County, Missouri. Two children were born to this marriage, Auton Marion 1894-1939 and Lottie A Palmerton 1894-1968. Dorcas died in October 1945 and Isaac Palmerton died on March 2, 1922.
Columbus Sells (my great-grandfather) was born October 30, 1869, in Kahoka, Clark, Missouri. He married my great-grandmother Gertrude W Nichols on November 14, 1894, in Kahoka. They had five children Wilburn 1894-1899, John Wesley 1896-1962, Nellie Opal (my grandmother) 1900-1965, Slyvia Pearl 1902-1952, and Gertrude Sells 1905-1905. Gertrude died of pneumonia on November 6, 1919, in Springfield, Greene, Missouri, and is buried at Hazelwood Cemetery in Springfield. Columbus died on May 16, 1932, in St. Joseph, Buchanan, Missouri, and was buried in St. Joseph.
Elijah Edward Sells was born in March 1873 in Chambersburg, Clark, Missouri. He married Lottie Bell Miller on October 6, 1899, in Keokuk, Lee, Iowa. They had three children Linnie Ethel 1900-1910, Walter Rae 1907-1990, and Naomi Marie 1910-1919. Lottie died at thirty-six years old on June 11, 1918, in Ray County, Missouri, and is buried in Cravens Cemetery in Camden, Missouri.
Elijah Edward Sells married a second time to Lily May Hyning on August 2, 1920, in Burlington, DesMoines, Iowa. They had two sons Raymond Edward 1923-1980 and Frank Albert Sells 1925-1996, Elijah died on February 9, 1936, in Hamilton, Hancock, Illinois, and Lily died in March 1970 in Keokuk. They are both buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Hamilton, Hancock, Illinois.
Samaria Alice Mary Sells was born on May 7, 1874, in Chambersburg, Missouri. She married William Henry Elden on April 5, 1895, in Chambersburg. They had three children Iva Marcial 1896-1919, William Duff 1903-1976, and Veva Sylva Elden. I do not have a death date on William. Samaria married a second time to Frank Festus DeWitt on August 23, 1923, in Ft. Madison, Lee, Iowa.
Amos Sells was born on April 30, 1876, and died on January 1, 1877. Dollie Sells was born and died in 1881. Lottie B Sells was born on October 25, 1882. All were born in or around Chambersburg and all are buried in the Chambersburg Cemetery.
Lieu Edith Sells was born on January 3, 1878, in Chambersburg, Missouri. She married Oscar Charles Hopp on April 12, 1900, in Kahoka, Clark, Missouri. They had four children Vergil Otto 1903-1998, Harold Grover 1913-1966, Ruby Edith 1915-1995, and Hilbert Eston Hopp 1920-1972. Oscar born March 28, 1875, in Germany died December 27, 1934. Lieu Edith died on July 1, 1949. Both died in Ft. Worth, Tarrant, Texas, and they are buried in Greenwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Ft. Worth.
Grover Cleveland Sells was born November 3, 1884, in Chambersburg, Missouri. He married Susie Pearl Marsh on May 3, 1903, in Clark County, Missouri. This couple had five children Myrtle Pearl 1904-1911, Zella Edith 1906-1901, Dorothy 1913-1999, Floyd Russell 1914-1977, and Leila Irene Sells 1920-1990. Grover died on December 20, 1943, and Susie died in August 1961, both are buried in Hillcrest Memorial Park in Ft. Madison, Lee, Iowa.
John Wesley Sells was born on August 22, 1889, in Chambersburg, Missouri. He married Cora Belle Elder on May 21, 1911, in Carrollton, Carroll, Missouri. John was a track walker for the Santa Fe Railroad. He had been sitting on or near the track at the cattle guards asleep and was struct by a train, he died sometime that night on October 15, 1911. He was newly married and only twenty-one years old. The family was devastated.
Samaria lived to be fifty-nine years old and died on February 25, 1902, and Marion lived to be eighty-two and died on December 22, 1924, both in Chambersburg. They are buried in the Chambersburg Cemetery.
This completes the family of Marion and Samaria Sells my great-great grandparents. If anyone has additional information please contact me I would be happy to hear from you.
Thank you.
Brumley Family Branches 