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Francis Sellers (?-1804), merchant; (first name
unknown) (?-by 1816), who married Henry Nich-
ols (?-1831); possibly other children; probably no
surviving children at the time of his death. PRI-
VATE CAREER. EDUCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS
AFFILIATION: Methodist Episcopal, 1797. SOCIAL
STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: trustee for William
Hopper(by 1747-1806) and James Kent(ca. 1738-
1805), insolvent debtors; his will mentioned "my
old respectable master," Richard Tilghman Earle
(1728/29-1788). OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE, planter,
1774; farmer, 1779. PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE
SERVICE: Lower House, Caroline County, 1777,
1777-1778 (elected, but did not attend; resigned
on March 3, 1778 to "attend to private affairs" ),
1784, 1785, 1787-1788, 1790. LOCAL OFFICES.
justice, Caroline County, commissioned 1777,
1778, 1783 ("will not qualify" ), 1785, and 1786,
in office 1791, 1797, 1801-1806; sheriff, Caroline
County, in office 1778, elected 1779; purchasing
agent, Caroline County, 1779; subscription officer,
Continental Loan Office, Caroline County, ap-
pointed 1779; justice, Orphans' Court, Caroline
County, commissioned 1783 ("will not qualify" )
and 1785 ("did not qualify" ); commissioner of
tax, Caroline County, appointed 1783; judge,
Court of Appeals for Tax Assessment, Caroline
County, appointed 1786; associate justice, Fourth
District, Caroline County, commissioned 1791,
1793; president, Hillsborough School, Caroline
County, at his death, a post that then passed to
his grandson Henry Downes Sellers. MILITARY
SERVICE: 2nd major, Twenty-eighth Battalion,
commissioned January 1776; resigned commission
to become adjutant under Col. Federman, April
1776. STANDS ON PUBLIC/PRIVATE ISSUES: manu-
mitted three slaves, 1803; inventory mentioned
freeing some additional slaves after a period of
years, 1816. WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. PER-
SONAL PROPERTY: assessed value £283.0.0, includ-
ing 5 slaves, 1783; 5 slaves, 1790; 13 slaves, 1798.
LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: 253 acres in Caroline
County (137 acres through his marriage, 116 acres
by purchase). SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND
BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: a further
partition of his first wife's inherited land brought
the total acreage he acquired through marriage to
214 acres, 1784; 200 acres of first wife's land were
given by deed of gift to their daughter, 1784; pur-
chased at least 1,614 acres in Caroline, Queen An-
ne's, and Talbot counties between 1792 and 1814;
sold at least 205 acres in Caroline County between
1808 and 1813. WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: on De-
cember 4, 1816, in Hillsborough, Caroline County.
PERSONAL PROPERTY: TEV, $5,611.78 (including
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11 slaves, 1 servant, books, and 2 shares of Bank
of Baltimore stock); FB, $2,946.40. LAND at least
1,394 acres in Talbot, Caroline, and Queen Anne's
counties, plus houses and lots in Hillsborough,
Caroline County, and Centreville, Queen Anne's
County.
DOWNES (DOWNS), PHILEMON (ca. 1741-
ca. 1796). BORN: ca. 1741, probably in Queen An-
ne's County; elder son. NATIVE: at least third gen-
eration. RESIDED, in Queen Anne's County; in
Baltimore County, 1778-1779; in Caroline
County, ca. 1780. FAMILY BACKGROUND. FATHER:
Henry Downes (1707-by 1772), of Queen Anne's
County, son of John Downes (?-1707), of Talbot
County. MOTHER: Frances Noble (?-by 1775).
BROTHER: Henry Downes (ca. 1748-1816). FIRST
COUSIN: Henrietta Downes (1739-1812), who mar-
ried Thomas Hardcastle (ca. 1737-1808). MARRIED
first, by 1776 Mary (?-by 1779), widow of Jacob
Seth (?-1773), of Queen Anne's County. MARRIED
second, in August 1780 Elizabeth (1748-1809),
widow of John Tillotson, Jr. (?-by 1777), of Caro-
line County; daughter of Thomas Baynard (?-
1753), of Talbot County, a planter who died a mi-
nor under 21-years of age, and wife Hannah
Clarke; stepdaughter of Henry Thompson; niece of
both Joshua Clarke (?-1781) and Margaret Bay-
nard (?-by 1777), who married second, Matthew
Driver( 1740- 1798). Her sisters were Lydia (1750-
by 1769); Margaret (1752-by 1788), who married
Henry Downes (ca. 1748-1816). Her first cousin
was Elizabeth Driver (by 1777-?), who married
Peter Edmondson (ca. 1753-1819). ' CHILDREN.
SONS. Philemon; Henry. STEPSONS Thomas Bay-
nard Tillotson; John Tillotson. DAUGHTER Mary.
PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCATION: literate. OCCUPA-
TIONAL PROFILE farmer. PUBLIC CAREER. LEGIS-
LATIVE SERVICE: Lower House, Caroline County,
1782 (elected, but did not attend; resigned on No-
vember 13, 1782), 1795. LOCAL OFFICES: sheriff,
Queen Anne's County, 1773-1775; justice, Queen
Anne's County, commissioned 1778 (moved to
Baltimore County), 1779 (moved to Baltimore
County), Caroline County, 1781-at least 1795;
subscription officer, Continental Loan Office,
Queen Anne's County, appointed 1779; justice,
Orphans' Court, Caroline County, 1782-at least
1792. JURY SERVICE: foreman, grand jury, Eastern
Shore, 1792. WEALTH DURINC LIFETIME. PER-
SONAL PROPERTY: assessed value £671.0.0, includ-
ing 14 slaves and 32 oz. plate, 1783; 6 slaves,
1790. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: 394 acres in
Caroline County (all acquired through his mar-
riage to his second wife). SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
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