by Sarah Wade

Left to right: Jonathan Sellman, an officer in the Revolutionary War (Portrait by Jonathan Beale Bordley, courtesy of the Sellman family); John Poole Sellman, a Civil War soldier who fought for the Confederacy; Thomas M. Sellman, a Civil War soldier who fought for the Union. (Public domain photos)

The exhibits within the Woodlawn History Center were made possible by several generous donors, including three descendants of the Sellman family who built the house in 1735: Steven DeVience, Sally Sellman and Jean Sellman Graf.  We reached out to them to learn more about their ties to the property.

Learn more about visiting the Woodlawn History Center

What is your connection to Woodlawn?

“My 8x great-grandfather was William Sellman, who built the original house,” said Sally Sellman. She helped SERC go through Woodlawn artifacts when the renovation began. "My cousin told me that she and her husband were working at the center, going through the 'Sellman trash' and asked if we wanted to join them. My sister and I did, and spent some time cleaning and separating the pieces of artifacts."

Jean Sellman Graf is a 10th-generation Sellman descendant. She and her husband, Bernard Graf, have studied Sellman history for decades. 

“We were shocked when we learned we lived only a few miles from Jean's ancestors' home,” said Bernard. When SERC acquired the property, they jumped in to provide genealogy records.

What inspired you to contribute to Woodlawn?

“It is really a microcosm of American history: colonization, piracy, slavery, the American Revolution and the Civil War," said Steven DeVience, a descendant of a Sellman branch that went west. He added that family history and a desire to preserve the home inspired him.

What did you like most about the exhibit?

"There was a wonderful crowd of Sellmans on the ribbon cutting day!" said Sally Sellman. "Meeting and talking with 'family members' previously unknown took some time away from seeing everything….I do plan on going back and am hoping to take my granddaughters."

Bernard and Jean Graf were glad to see the artifacts on display, which they helped collect with SERC's Environmental Archaeology Lab. DeVience is interested in how the house and land use transformed over the centuries.

Do you have a connection with someone who lived at Woodlawn, or on the neighboring Java/Contee Farm? We would love to hear from you! Please reach out to Christine Dunham (DunhamC@si.edu) with your stories.