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Sellman Family papers

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1903.1/1770

Abstract

Title:
Sellman Family papers
Author/Creator:
Sellman Family
Collection number:
2007-15
Size:
1.50 linear feet
Bulk dates:
1850-1865
Inclusive dates:
1828-1908
Collection Area:
State of Maryland and Historical Collections
Repository:
Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries, Hornbake Library, College Park, MD 20742. Tel: 301-405-9212, Fax: 301-314-2709, Email: askhornbake@umd.edu
Abstract:

The Sellman Family Papers span the years 1828 through 1908 with the bulk of the material dating between 1850 and 1865 and document the lives of a landowning family in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The collection contains family and business correspondence; bills and receipts; guardianship documents; handwriting exercises; and household and farm account books and diaries. Subjects covered include daily life; farm management; the cholera epidemic in Grand Gulf, Mississippi; treatment of slaves; sale of crops in Baltimore; and the education of the Sellman children at home and at St. John's College in Annapolis.

Important Information for Users of the Collection

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Preferred citation:

Sellman Family papers, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries.

Publication rights:

Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials policy for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.

Status:

This collection is PROCESSED.

Historical Note

John Henry Sellman was born in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, on June 27, 1806, and died on July 11, 1851. He was the son of Anne Elizabeth Harwood (1768-1824) and Jonathan Sellman (1753-1810), an officer in the Maryland Militia during the Revolutionary War. John Henry was a physician and farmer who married his first cousin, Lucinda Margaret Harwood (I) (1812-1866) on November 8, 1836. Lucinda was the daughter of Benjamin Harwood (1783-1835) and Henrietta Maria Battee (1787-1819).

John Henry Sellman (I) and Lucinda Harwood had eight children: John Henry "Henry"(II)(1837-1892), Anne Elizabeth "Nannie" (1841-1879), Lucinda Margaret (1843-1891), twins Alice (1845-1920) and Lydia (1845-1924), Ellen (1847-1929), Francis "Frank" (b.1849), and Richard Battee (1851-1912). The family home, Clifton, in Davidsonville, Maryland, consisted of more than 200 acres planted with corn, wheat, and tobacco. Most of the crops were harvested and sent to Baltimore for sale to brokers. Following John Henry's death, his wife, Lucinda (I), took over management of Clifton. Her nephew, Frank H. Stockett (1821- ?) helped to manage the business accounts. Upon her death in 1866, her son, Henry, assumed control of the farm. Henry married Sophia Stockett (1839-1888), and they had five children. At his death in 1892, his daughter, Lucinda Margaret Sellman (II) (1866-1951), became responsible for the property. Many members of the family are buried in the cemetery at All Hallows' Parish Church (Episcopal) near Davidsonville, Maryland.

First cousins John Henry Sellman and Lucinda Harwood Sellman (I) were members of large and extended families long resident in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Intermarriage between the Harwood and Sellman families was common. Anne Elizabeth Harwood Sellman and Benjamin Harwood were the children of Richard Harwood (1738-1826), whose second wife was Lucinda "Lucy" Harwood Battee (1767-September 5, 1835), a cousin. Prior to her marriage to Richard in 1806, Lucy was married to John Battee (1767-1803) whose aunt, Elizabeth Battee, was married to Jonathan Sellman, John Henry's grandfather. At her death Lucy was living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of Richard's and Lucy's daughters was Lucretia Margaret (1807-1863) who married Edward Wellmore in 1834. Please see the family tree for more information.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Sellman Family Papers span the years 1828 through 1908 with the bulk of the material dating between 1850 and 1865. The collection contains family and business correspondence; bills and receipts; guardianship documents; handwriting exercises; and household and farm account books and diaries. Subjects covered include daily life; farm management; the cholera epidemic in Grand Gulf, Mississippi; treatment of slaves; sale of crops in Baltimore; and the education of the Sellman children at home and at St. John's College in Annapolis.

Custodial History and Acquisition Information

The University of Maryland Libraries purchased the Sellman Family Papers from Carmen D. Valentino, a rare books and manuscripts dealer, in 2006.

Processing Information

Processed by:

Processed by Terry Ann Sayler, July 2007

Processing note:

The materials have been placed in acid-free folders and stored in acid-free boxes.

Encoded by:

EAD markup created using EAD database in Microsoft Access. Markup completed by Jennie A. Levine.

Arrangement of Collection

Organized as three series.

Detailed Description of the Collection

Series 1: Correspondence, 1833-1863 (42 items)

The bulk of Series I consists of correspondence to Lucinda Harwood Sellman (I) from various members of her family, dating between 1849 and 1863. The topics covered include the births, deaths and marriages of family members and friends; weather conditions; and schooling for her children. Her nephew, Frank H. Stockett, managed her financial affairs and his letters describe some of the accounts, including the excess expenses of her son, Henry. In 1863, Mr. Stockett advised her to take care of her children financially, particularly the girls so that they are not dependant on their brothers.

Lucinda's brother, Benjamin, became a doctor and practiced medicine in Grand Gulf, Mississippi. He studied medicine in Baltimore and in 1842 wrote to her about a paper mache model that was so complete it "answers every purpose of dissecting". In 1849 he wrote to her about the cholera epidemic in Grand Gulf, Mississippi.

Correspondence from merchants with whom she did business in Baltimore is appended to many of the documents in Series II.

Arrangement is alphabetical by correspondent and then chronological.

DescriptionSeriesBox / ReelFolder / Frame
To Alice Grey from unknown, 1835 series 1box 1folder 1
To Haddie from Lucinda Sellman (I), 1858 series 1box 1folder 2
To Benjamin Harrison from Benjamin Harwood (Online), 1853 series 1box 1folder 3
To Miss Parker from Ellen Sellman, 1858 series 1box 1folder 4
To John H. Sellman (I) from Hector Humphreys, 1850 series 1box 1folder 5
To Lucinda Harwood Sellman (I) -- From Sophia G. Battee, 1835 series 1box 1folder 6
To Lucinda Harwood Sellman (I) -- From Benjamin Harwood (Online), 1842, 1849, 1853 series 1box 1folder 7
To Lucinda Harwood Sellman (I) -- From Lucinda Harwood Battee Harwood, 1833-1834 series 1box 1folder 8
To Lucinda Harwood Sellman (I) -- From James H. Iglehart, 1834 series 1box 1folder 9
To Lucinda Harwood Sellman (I) -- From Ann E. Sellman, undated series 1box 1folder 10
To Lucinda Harwood Sellman (I) -- From John H. Sellman (I), 1835 series 1box 1folder 11
To Lucinda Harwood Sellman (I) -- From John H. Sellman (II), 185? series 1box 1folder 12
To Lucinda Harwood Sellman (I) -- From Nannie Sellman (Online), 1862 series 1box 1folder 13
To Lucinda Harwood Sellman (I) -- From "sister", 1846 series 1box 1folder 14
To Lucinda Harwood Sellman (I) -- From E. K. Smith, 1862 series 1box 1folder 15
To Lucinda Harwood Sellman (I) -- From Frank H. Stockett, 1852-1854, 1856-1859, 1863 series 1box 1folder 16
To Lucinda Harwood Sellman (I) -- From unknown, undated series 1box 1folder 17
To Eliza H. Watkins from unknown, undated series 1box 1folder 18

Series 2: Business and Legal Documents, 1828-1908 (860 items)

The bulk of Series II consists of bills and receipts for crops sold by Lucinda Harwood Sellman to merchants in Baltimore and household goods and products purchased for use on the farm between 1850 and 1859. The companies with whom she did business include N. E. Berry, Boswell and Dorsett, Thomas I. Hall, and E. C. Mills. There are also receipts for room, board and lessons at St. John's College, Annapolis, for her son, Henry, and for private tutors for her children.

Four account books and a diary of work on Clifton provide further details of the business activities of Lucinda Harwood Sellman (I); her son, Henry; and her granddaughter, Lucinda Margaret Sellman (II) between 1851 and 1908. The care and treatment of the Clifton slaves is represented by receipts for visits by physicians.

Arrangement is alphabetical by type of record and then chronological.

DescriptionSeriesBox / ReelFolder / Frame
Bills and Receipts -- John H. Sellman, 1828-1848,1882 series 2box 1folder 19
Bills and Receipts -- Lucinda Sellman (I), 1850-1859 series 2box 1folder 20
Bills and Receipts -- Lucinda Sellman (I) (Online), 1860-1861 series 2box 2folder 1
Bills and Receipts -- Lucinda Sellman (I) (Online), 1862-1865 series 2box 2folder 2
Bills and Receipts -- Lucinda Sellman (I) (Online), undated series 2box 2folder 3
Estate Records -- Account Book, John H. Sellman, Annapolis, MD, 1857-1858, 1861 series 2box 2folder 4
Estate Records -- Account Book, Mrs. L. M. Sellman, 1851-1853 series 2box 2folder 5
Estate Records -- Account with Clifton, J. Henry Sellman, 1865-1879 series 2box 2folder 6
Estate Records -- Accounts with Commission Merchants, J. Henry Sellman pages 2-39, 1868-1883 series 2box 2folder 7
Estate Records -- Farm Accounts of Clifton pages 38-140, 1893-1908 series 2box 2folder 8
Estate Records -- Diary of Farm Work on Clifton Farm Commencing 1st January 1877 and ending in 1892, including expenses of Sellman children and Mrs.L. M. Sellman recorded by her, 1859-1862 series 2box 3folder 1
Estate Records -- Notes, 1881-1882, 1885-1886, 1888-1889, 1891 series 2box 3folder 2
Guardianship Accounts of Lucinda M. Sellman (I) -- Alice Sellman -- Accounts 1-7, 1855-1861 series 2box 3folder 3
Guardianship Accounts of Lucinda M. Sellman (I) -- Ann E. Sellman -- Accounts 1-2, 4-5, 1855-1856, 1858-1859 series 2box 3folder 4
Guardianship Accounts of Lucinda M. Sellman (I) -- Ellen H. Sellman -- Accounts 1-7, 1855-1861 series 2box 3folder 5
Guardianship Accounts of Lucinda M. Sellman (I) -- Francis H. Sellman -- Accounts 1-7, 1855-1861 series 2box 3folder 6
Guardianship Accounts of Lucinda M. Sellman (I) -- John H. Sellman -- Accounts 1-2, 4-5, 1855-1856, 1858-1859 series 2box 3folder 7
Guardianship Accounts of Lucinda M. Sellman (I) -- Lucinda Sellman -- Accounts 1-7, 1855-1861 series 2box 3folder 8
Guardianship Accounts of Lucinda M. Sellman (I) -- Lydia Sellman -- Accounts 1-7, 1855-1861 series 2box 3folder 9
Guardianship Accounts of Lucinda M. Sellman (I) -- Richard B. Sellman -- Accounts 1-7, 1855-1861 series 2box 3folder 10

Series 3: Personal, 1852-1864 (90 items)

Series III includes calling cards; newspaper clippings; envelopes, many of which contained the bills and receipts from the Baltimore merchants; handwriting exercises produced by the Sellman children between 1857 and 1859; genealogy notes of the Harwood and Stockett families; and assorted writings that include copies of song lyrics and poetry.

Arrangement is alphabetical by document type and then chronologic.

DescriptionSeriesBox / ReelFolder / Frame
Calling Cards, undated series 3box 3folder 11
Clippings, undated series 3box 3folder 12
Constitution of the "Female Benevolent Association of All Hallows Parish", undated series 3box 3folder 13
Envelopes, 1852-1857, 1860-1861, 1863-1864 and undated series 3box 3folder 14
Handwriting Exercises, 1857-1859 series 3box 3folder 15
Genealogy Notes -- Harwood Family, undated series 3box 3folder 16
Genealogy Notes -- Stockett Family, undated series 3box 3folder 17
Notes by Lucinda Sellman (I), 1856, 1859 series 3box 3folder 18
Register of Families of All Hallows' Parish, Anne Arundel County, Maryland -- [blank form], undated series 3box 3folder 19
Silhouette, undated series 3box 3folder 20
Writings, undated series 3box 3folder 21

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