Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Nathan SELLERS
The family lived at 231 High St. Phila. and later built Millbank, an estate in Upper Darby Twp., in 1817.
Apprenticed as a scrivener, Nathan signed many Continental bills during the Revolution. He was thrown out of the Quaker meeting (later reinstated) for fighting in the Revolution. He had a wire and paper mold making business from 1779-1817 with his brother David; from this he became both wealthy and renowned.
Sellers Letter:
During the Revolution, Nathan Sellers raised a company of rifleman and joined Washington's army in New York. At that time there was a great scarcity of writing paper, Washington having to write his dispatches to Congress on wrapping paper, as the British had destroyed all the writing paper they could find as well as all the paper moulds. It was the general subject of conversation in the camp "what was to be done for the want of paper?"
While conversing with other officers around the camp fire, Nathan Sellers said to those present that he had seen paper moulds and that he could make them, and that he understood the process in a general way of paper making. Some of the officers reported to Washington what had been said, and
Washington wrote a dispatch to Congress reporting what Nathan Sellers had said. Congress at once ordered Washington to send Captain Nathan Sellers and his company to Philadelphia subject to the orders of Congress. On reaching there, Congress supplied him with the materials for making the moulds and sent him and his company to a little paper mill buried in the woods near the Susquehanna River, the company to guard the mill while he was at work. Here Nathan Sellers made the first paper moulds made in America, as previously all had been imported from England.
From that time the making of paper moulds was one branch of the business done by Nathan & David Sellers.
All I can recollect of Uncle David Sellers (brother of Nathan) was that he employed most of his time in reeling wire, which was imported in large diameter skeins, into smaller sizes that would fit in the annealing kettles, annealing the wire and attending to the annealing furnace
After Uncle David Sellers death, his sons, Samuel and James Sellers, took his place in the firm. Nathan Sellers had also transferred his interest in the firm to father, Coleman Sellers. Sometime after this, Grandfather Nathan Sellers retired from the business and built his house at Millbank. Nathan was a
Capt. in the revolutionary army under Washington. Lacking paper imports during the war, he devised a method of making paper and supplied it to the army and the Continental Congress. He helped the army in other ways and was eventually kicked out of the Society of Friends(Quaker) church,because it was strongly pacifist.
In 1772 he entered the law office of Henry Hale Graham Esq., Prothonotary of Chester county, and after completing the term of his indenture was employed by Mr. Graham and also in various law offices in Philadelphia, serving for a time as clerk or recorder for the Supreme Executive Council under Joseph Shippen Esq., at Philadelphia.
SELLERS, NATHAN, Upper Darby.
June 5, 1827 - October 27, 1830.
Wife Elizabeth, children: Ann, Coleman, Nathan and Hannah HILL wife of
Peter HILL, sister in law Margaret COLEMAN - mentions John DAVIS,
George SELLERS, Amos ELLIS, Leonard SHUSTER, Abram JOHNSON, Benjamin
BONSALL and Susan BLANKLEY. Exrs: Nephew Samuel SELLERS, son Coleman
and brother John SELLERS. Wits: George SELLERS and Abraham JOHNSON and
John SELLERS, Jr. #762.
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