FRANCES SELLERS: (Unproven daughter of Gurley & Delila)
Born 1827 in N.C.; Died sometime before the 1870 census. Married William Bird, born about 1823 in SC. William and Frances appear in the 1860 Jefferson Co. AL census. They are one census position removed from Gurley and Delila. Since William was born in SC. there may have been a connection between the Bird family, the Sellers family and the Lawson & Richardson families who also lived in Anderson Co., SC at the time of his birth and moved to AL about the same time.
William and Frances are not found in the next census in 1870. However, their children are found living with Gurley or other of his sons in the area. L.C. Bird, female age 12 & C.M. Bird male age 4 are living with Gurley. Son William is living with Simon Sellers and is age 15. Younger son John is not found. L.C. is Lucinda Bird and C.M. is Clayton Mack. It is believed that William Bird died in the Civil War and that Frances and the younger son, John, also died before the 1870 census.
In the next census in 1880, only Clayton Mack remains and is now called McDaniel, age 13 and is listed as “Grandson”. If this is Frances’ son and if he is truly Gurley’s grandson, then the conclusion is that Frances must be the daughter of Gurley and Delila. None of the family records that have been passed down or narrated have ever mentioned her as a child, however. My Aunt Mildred’s Bible lists the names of all the documented children and further notes that “…2 died in infancy” but she does not include Frances. Perhaps because Frances was older, changed her name by marriage, and that she died at an early age, she was simply overlooked as a Sellers daughter.
Other supportive data includes that Frances was born in N.C. Even though Gurley and Delila were married in Jan, 1826, their first reported child is Hartney Sellers, born 1831 in N.C. It would seem unusual that a couple would go childless for 5 years in those days so Frances could easily fit into being born to them prior to Hartney along with two infant deaths. She also has a daughter named Delila (see below).
CHILDREN:
CLAYTON MACK (BIRD) SELLERS: Changed his name from Bird to Sellers. Census records vary in recording his birth. The 1870/1880 census ages would suggest that he was born between June & Sep, 1866. His 1910 Titus Co., Texas census says he was born Feb,1866. The next two census in 1920 and 1930 lists his age such that he would have been born in 1862.
He died 1 Jan 1928 in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. He moved to Texas from AL sometime after 1895 according to his children’s places of birth. He owned a saddle shop in Mt. Pleasant and was a businessman there the balance of his life. He married Mary Melissa Fleming in AL. She was born 11 Jul 1866 and married 1 Dec 1882. She died 5 Jan 1944.
DELILA BIRD: We believe this Delila may have married a Sellers (unknown) and appears as a widow in the 1880 Dale Co., AL census [Delila F. Sellers] with several children including an Isaac G. Sellers age 9 (possibly Isaac Gurley and named for Isaac Gurley, Jr. or Gurley himself. Also a son, William H like her brother, a daughter Miranda (close to her sister-in-law Amanda and another son Richard J.D.. They are just up the road from a W.J. Byrd age 38 with his family. This W.J. Byrd is of the age that he could be their older brother although he was not enumerated in the Bird household in the 1860 census. I don't find Delila in later censuses but did find a Delila F. Haynes in 1900 Calhoun Co. AL with a son William H. and a daughter Anna J (Miranda J.??) similar in ages to those reported in 1880. Also for what it's worth, I found a marriage record for a Rilah Sellers and E.W. Byrd in Clarke Co. AL but the date is 18 Dec 1856 which is later than several of the children's births - but if Rilah is really Delila, then the year could have been mistaken as well but probably stretching a bit on this one. Just don't want to leave any stone unturned.
WILLIAM H. BIRD: Appears in 1880 Jefferson Co. census with wife Manda and daughter Amanda. I also found a marriage record for W.E. Bird to Amanda Heith on 23 May 1875 in Jefferson Co. I haven't found William in later censuses. I did find A. Bird in 1900 Jefferson census as a boarder about the same age as daughter Amanda.
CLARINDA BIRD: There is a Clarinda Edwards in Jefferson Co.1880 census married to John Edwards that is the right age but not sure if this is the same person.
LUCINDA BIRD: No further records.
