b. 1798 in North Carolina
d. bef 1870 in Washington County, Tennessee

I'm a bit confused with this John Sells/Salts man. I first found his marriage to Rhoda Scalf in Washington County, TN, then did a back track to Rowan county, TN. So here's the information I have on him in order.

Overview - He can be found on the 1850 census in Rowan Co., NC as John Sells. Then he was in the 1860 census of Washington Co., TN under the same name -age and all matched. Also on the 1860 census was Rhoda Sells, who was listed after his name on the census, in a way, that would make one assume that she was his wife. However, John Salts married Rhoda Scalf on the 17th of July 1866 in Washington County, Tennessee six years later. His marriage document recorded his name John Salts. John then seemed to die sometime before the 1870 census was taken. And, then on the 1870 cenuses, Rhoda Salts is found as head of the household with three people named Jones.

When you look at the entry for John Sells in the 1850 census in Rowan County, N.C., you can find a large number of Jones families on the pages before and after his entry. I'm now thinking that Rhoda may have been a Jones, then first married a man named Scalf, and later the John Salts.

Something I find very interesting about all this is, that the family name of Sells is a commonly evolved name down from Zoll / Solt / Salts, etc. I have seen this evolution of the name over and over when looking at the desendents of the different Zoll / Solt lines. I also find it interesting that this John starts off in Rowan County, NC as Sells, then turns up in Washington County, TN and switches his name to Salts. It pretty obvious that he couldn't read or write from the censuses. So I'm wondering, did he move to Washington County, TN to be closer to his family - the Salts?

1850 - Golden Hill, Rowan County, North Carolina census123
FETTS, Anna 34 NC
STIKEBATHER, Susanna 72 NC
SELLS, John 52 laborer NC he could not read or write
PENDERGRAFS, Caleb 35 miner NC

1860 - Boones Creek, Washington County, Tennessee124
SELLS, John 62 blacksmith NC
SELLS, Rhoda 48 domestic TN
EVANS, William 25
[under the section for color (white, black or mulato) an "mf" has been placed in the box for William Evans]

1870 - Washington County, TN Census125
SALTS, Rhoda 70 TN keeping house
JONES, Benjamin 65 TN Works on farm
JONES, Margaret 50 TN
JONES, Caroline 4 TN

1880 - Washington County, TN Census
SELLS, Rhoda 68 TN TN TN

1850 -
1860 - 48 b. 1812
1870 - 70 b. 1800
1880 - 68 b. 1812