The Family History of the Heman N. Sellers family begins on January 12, 1828. Since there were no birth or death records kept in Indiana at that time, much of the information on Heman N. Sellers is not available. In looking at future records, the Indiana census of 1850 has him being born in Indiana, while the 1860 Indiana census has him being born in Ohio.
The first listing of Heman N. Sellers being head of a household occurred in the 1850 census. In an earlier family outline, done by Mary Nixon Sellers, the wife of Charles Heman Sellers, it shows that Heman was married in Clinton County, Indiana. I have a copy of the marriage record that was issued in Decatur County Indiana, on May 2, 1850.
Heman married Phylema Minerva Pickard, the daughter of Albert Pickard and Azubah Hinton Pickard. The former being of New York State, and the latter being of the state of Vermont. Phylema was born in 1833, in Ellery, Chautauqua County, New York. At one time Phylema's parents lived in Adams Township in Decatur County Indiana. Both of her parents are buried in this township. Mrs. Pickard died on September 7, 1843. Azubah is buried in Star, Downeyville, or Little Flatrock cemetery in Adams Township. This cemetery has three names, but it is the same cemetery. Mr. Pickard died on June 14, 1852, and is supposed to be buried in St. Omer Cemetery in Adams Township, but there does not seem to be a record of that. In fact I have been to the cemetery in St. Omer, and could not find a marker for Albert.
The cemetery where Azubah is buried, took the name from the Little Flatrock River that runs to the south of it. In going over the river it is now just a small stream like flow, but the rocks still are of a flat nature. That is how the river got it's name. There was a small community that settled north of the little Flatrock, that was named Downeyville. That is where the second name of the cemetery came from. This helped the people ideintfy this area. The third and last name is the Star Cemetery. This was taken when the Star Baptist Church, that was built in the 1870's. This church is still active today in rural Adams Township of Decatur County.
The migration of the Pickards came from New York state to Decatur County Indiana in the late 1830's. The 1840 Decatur County census has Albert Pickard listed, living there. Many people moved from Chautauqua County New York to Decatur County Indiana. In the late 1830's there was a movement of many of the families that came to Indiana to again move. This time it was from Decatur County Indiana to Clinton County, Indiana. Many if the residents settled in Sugar Creek Township in the southeast part of Clinton County, near the Tipton County line.
The reason of the background of the movement is relative to show some of the questions that have come up in the search of Heman N. Sellers.
In the family history referred to above by Mary Nixon Sellers, there was a reference to Heman having a half-brother. This brother's name was John Kenton, In looking at the 1870 Indiana census for Clinton County, there is a listing for a John Kenton in Sugar Creek Township. The occupation of John was that of a blacksmith. Could this be where Heman received his training as a blacksmith? The birth information of John said he was born in Ohio. Could this relate and could this be possibly a connection? I have yet to find what county in Ohio. Maybe if I could find Kenton's listed in Ohio, this will unravel a clue.
The Pickards that moved from Decatur County to Clinton County settled in an area called Hillsborough. This was changed to Pickard's Mill after the Pickards moved a sawmill from Jefferson, to the area known as Hillsborough. The people changed the name of the vilage to Pickard's Mill for the movement of the Sawmill.
On December 7, 1860, Pickard's Mill dropped Mill from its name. This was a result of a post office being established in the town. Before the operation of a Post Office, there was a rider that delivered mail to the area. There was another name for the community that many of the citizens wanted. It was called
