Notes:
Data source is Christy Kay Sellers Kleitz, e-mail sissyck2000@yahoo.com
Elijah was the son of Elijah W. Sellers, Sr. and Dora Ellen (McGraw) Sellers.
He married Gertrude Mumaw on Jan. 2, 1922.
Children of Elijah and Gertrude include:
James D. Sellers (2/21/1923 - 2/4/2010)
Douglas T. Sellers (1/17/925-unk)
Shirley R. Sellers (8/11/34 - 2/15/2011)
Elijah W. Sellers of 333 West Lawrence st., died at the age of 43 in the St Joseph Hospital after being ill for two weeks with Bronchial Pneumonia.
Surviving Elijah are; his wife Gertrude, his mother Dora Sellers in Sebree Kty, two sons James D. and Douglas T. Sellers, and one daughter Shirley R. Sellers; one brother Everett Sellers of Sebree Kty, and four sisters, Mrs Minnie Gibson, Mrs Mae B. Smith and Mrs Lina Carter of Mishawaka, and Mrs Lucy Walker of Sebree Kty.
Elijah's funeral service will be at the Sprague Chapel in the St Joseph Valley Memorial Park cemetery. Officiating the service wil be Rev. K. F. Dodson, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Mishawaka.
Elijah was born in Seebre Ky, and moved to Mishawaka at the age of 20.
Elijah, (Pete) worked nights at the Ball Band factory in Mishawaka, IN. during the early 1930's. While working nights he learned how to become a barber and worked for several barber shops. One shop he worked at was located in the 100 block of north Main street, and another shop was located in the basement of a Hooks Drug store at Lincolnway and Main streets on the south side of Mishawaka. Later he was able to have his own shop in an adjoining apartment to where the family lived, (333 East Lawerence st, Mishawaka, IN.. This building has since been torn down.). His barber shop needed hot water to operate, so his family was able to benefit from that by getting hot water into their own apartment. He then installed a shower in the family apartment, so the family no longer needed to warm water on the stove to take a bath in a tub.
Pete found time to sharpen knives and shears for the doctors at St. Joseph Hospital in South Bend.
Pete made fishing flies and fly rods to sell. He and his boys would go to South Bend and find items dumped by the South Bend Bait and Tackle Company that they disposed of each night. They picked out the good items to be used in the construction of flies and tackle.
Pete was also a good carpenter and used his talent to construct several boats with Burrel Galbreath to sell to people. While working as a barber, Pete took night classes at a trade school to get a job as an inspector at Bendix Aviation Corp. in South Bend IN.. He worked only one year there before his death. For pleasure Pete enjoyed fishing, playing the fiddle and other musical instruments, and (thankfully from my historical perspective) he also appreciated photography.
~ David Lee