Sellers History Explained

How did the history of the Nortons of Marion, SC and the Nortons of Bourbon, Kentucky get mixed up?

It took DNA sampling to sort it all out, but we have the facts straight now.

According to the Lewis family history, the source of the Sellers Norton history is John W. Norton, a grandson of William Norton that married the widow Miller. In addition Sellers daughter was married to a son of John W. Norton, the Hon. James Norton, a US Congressman.

The source of the Bourbon, KY Norton history is Nimrod Norton. A son of Hiram Norton of Nicolas, KY and grandson of Christopher Norton that came with his sons to Bourbon , KY in 1784.

It turns out these two were in the same vicinity of Richmond during the Civil War for 10 months in 1864-1865.

When war broke out John W. Norton and his three sons joined up in August of 1861 and were immediately shipped to The Army of Northern Virginia. They were in every campaign. In addition John W Norton had served with Robert E. Lee and many other Confederate officers in the War with Mexico as a Quartermaster and was familiar with them. John and his sons were defending Richmond during the seige of 1864-1865.

Nimrod Norton was the son of a wealthy family in Kentucky. He was trained in military academys in New York and Kentucky. When the Civil War broke out he was in Missouri and was the first to raise a Confederate regiment in that state. He was elected to the last Confederate Legislature that met in Richmond from May 1864 to March 1865.

This is apparently where these two men met and compared family history.

A History of Marion County,
South Carolina
"A History of Marion County, South Carolina From the earliest times to the present", 1901. By W.W. Sellers, Esq. of the Marion Bar. Pages 475-477

Norton. - The first of this family came from England to New England, at a very remote period in the past, about the first of the seventeenth century; that his name was John (1); that he or one of his descendants, named John, afterwards came down to Virginia and settled near what is now Alexandria, Va.(2)

This Virginia John had five sons (3), all of whom were soldiers in the Revolutionary War; one of them, James, served in Washington's guard as a Sergeant(4); another one of then was taken prisoner and died in a prison ship, in Charleston harbor(5), in 1780 or 1781.

Their names were William, James, John, David and Solomon (3).

After the Revolution, the old man and two of his Sons James and John went to Kentucky; two others of then came to South Carolina. William went to Georgetown, and the other went to Beaufort. (6)

Notes
(Nortons of Marion, SC in Black)
(Nortons of Bourbon, KY in Blue)

(1) This is John Norton, born 1613 in Yorkshire, England. He emigrated to Virginia at age 22 on the ship "Plain Jane" on 15 May, 1635 and aquired large tracts of land at James Cittie (Jamestown) and Nansimond county, VA. This John Norton and his son John II and grandson John III aquired large tracts of land from James citie (Jamestown)VA to Ablemarle Sound, NC. The Nortons of Bourbon, KY originate from Christopher Norden who settled at Jamestown area about 1750.

(2) "settled near what is now Alexandria, VA." While several of John Norton's brothers and relatives settled in the northern VA counties, John himself settled at James Citie. The Nortons of Bourbon, KY settled at Jamestown 1750.

(3) "5 sons, all of whom served in the Revolution" Both families had 5 sons who served in the Revolution. William, James, Jacob, Daniel and Samuel. Thomas, William, John, James, David

(4) "James, served in Washington's guard as a Sergeant" This refers to James Norton of the Bourbon, KY Nortons. James Norton (a son of William, was with Francis Marion's regiment.)

(5) " taken prisoner and died in a prison ship, in Charleston harbor" Both families seem to have had a son who died in the Revolution. The Bourbon, KY Nortons had Thomas Norton die just after the Yorktown. There is no evidence that he was captured at SC and was active in Rockingham, VA after 1780 until 1781. It is unclear which of the Horry Nortons died in the Revolution.

(6) "After the Revolution, the old man and two of his Sons James and John went to Kentucky; two others of then came to South Carolina. William went to Georgetown, and the other went to Beaufort."
After the Revolution, Christopher Norton and his two sons John and James emigrated to Bourbon, KY. Another son, David went to Sevier, TN until 1791 when he rejoined the family in Bourbon, KY. A final son, William may have moved to SC. The Horry Nortons were principally in SC, however we have only tracked William Norton b. 1739. The other brothers need more research.

William, the Georgetown one, went from Georgetown up into what was then called Kingston, now Horry, and took up large bodies of land. One grant that the writer has seen for 3,3oo acres, below what is now called Green Sea, on the Iron Springs Swamp, just above its confluence with Lake Swamp. (7)

William Norton married a widow Miller, maiden name not known (8), and

she had at the time of their marriage four children - two sons, Nathaniel and Elias Miller,

and two daughters, Rebecca and Martha. (9)

Nathaniel Miller gave the land to and was one of the founders of the present Miller Church. The deed for it was made to Bishop Asbury, and is said to be now in the possession of Rev. Simeon Campbell.

The two Millers lived and died near by, and are buried near where Valentine Martin lives.

Of the two Miller sisters, one, Martha, married old Moses Wise the other, Rebecca, married old William Bryant.

(7) This is William Norton b,1755 who married the Patience Harrelson. William Norton of Bladen, NC had aquired large tracts of land that spanned the border of NC and SC in the counties of Horry, Marion and Dillion before 1790. This included the tract that Sellers noticed for 3,300 acres below Green Sea. This land was inherited by his grandson, William who married the widow Miller (Faramiah Atkinson) and a 2nd marriage to Patience Harrelson. After this William died the land was sold in Horry and the children of William/Patience removed to Barbour, AL around 1826. The children of William/Atkinson remained in Marion, SC.

(8) We learn that the maiden name of the widow Miller is Faramiah Atkinson from the Lewis Family History.

(9) The details of the widow Millers children have all proven out.

William, Jr., married and settled where Green Sea, in Horry, now is, and was a prominent man down there, and built and was one of the chief founders of a Methodist church there, then called Norton's Cross Roads, and it was then known as Norton's Church. This was about the first of 1800.

William Norton had two sons, John W. and James, and several daughters. (11)

One of the daughters, Ruth, married Benj. I Sellers, who moved to Mississippi.

John W. and James both joined the South Conference. John W. located, and his family are in Georgia. (12)

James was quite prominent as a preacher; he died in 1825, and is buried in Columbia, Washington Street Church. (13)

(11) "William Norton had two sons, John W. and James, and several daughters."
William and Patience had:
Wiliiam Jr b.1784 and married Lucrecia Harrelson. (Moved to Barbour, AL)
John Wesley Norton b.1794 m. Nancy Phillips (Moved to Barbour, AL)
Lewis Norton b.1780
James Norton b. 1788
Mary Norton b.1778

(12) Actually John W. moved with the family to Barbour, AL.

(13) This James is a brother of the above William and John W. .

James Norton, the other brother, settled in Marion District, near his half-brothers, the two Millers, on Maiden Down. (14)

This James Norton was the grand-father of the present Hon. James Norton, of Mullins; (15)

he had two daughters, one of whom, Martha, married John Roberts; the other, Mary, married Gadi Cambell. James, Sr., had three sisters. Ruth, Martha and Mary. Ruth married Joel Lewis; Martha married Norton Roberts, grand-father of the late Colonel John Roberts; and Mary married a Flood.

James Norton,' Sr.(16), married, first, Jerusha Reaves, and had one son, William, and three daughters, Sarah, Nancy and Martha;

his second wife was a Honeycutt and he had by her Mary, Solomon and John. Solomon married, had one son, named John, and died, and his widow married Jack Woods, who overseed for General Evans back in the 40's or 50's for several years.

(14) This refers to James Norton b.1760 to William Norton and the Widow Miller. He is a brother of William Norton who married Patience Harrelson.

(15) The Hon. James Norton is married to the daughter of the author W.W. Sellers.

(16) This refers to James Norton b.1760 to William Norton and the Widow Miller. He is a brother of William Norton who married Patience Harrelson.

John Norton married twice; first, Nancy Huggins, daughter of Wills Huggins; by this marriage he had John W., Mary Elisabeth and Caroline; he married, second time, the widow of Angus Carmichael, whose maiden name was Pensy Lewis; by this marriage he had Evan, James, Eliza, Martha and Margaret.

His son, John W., married, first, Susannah Carmichael daughter of his second wife, Pensy, by her first husband, Angus, Carmichael; his wife died, leaving one child a daughter, named Ires, who, when seven or eight years of age, war killed in a cotton gin; John W. Norton married a second time, the Widow Carmichael, nee Jordan; by this marriage he had only one child, a daughter, Minnie, who died when about grown-her mother having died before she did; John W. married, a third wife, Sarah Ivey, and by her he had four children, two sons and two daughters (small); he is now seventy years of age or more; he was always a modest and retiring sort of man. Away back in the 50's, he went to Mississippi and enlisted in the regular army of the United States, Second United States Cavalry Regiment, of which Algernon Sydney Johnston was Colonel; Robert E. Lee, lieutenant Colonel; E. Kirby Smith, Major; and Earle Van Dorn, Senior Captain. J. W. Norton was in Van Dorn's company, and was promoted to the rank of Quartermaster Sergeant. All these officers became, in the Confederate army, distinguished and highly distinguished Generals. J, W. Norton served five years in this regiment, and at the end of his service he was given a three months furlough to visit his home; at the end of which he went to his regiment, with a view to re-enlist; but just at this time Secession occurred; his Second Regiment of Cavalry was broken up - its officers being all Southern men and he came back to South Carolina.