Gordon
Gordon
Jaggers Selsor
My Grandfather, Gordon J. Selsor, was born May 18, 1899
in Philadelphia.
His Mother, Emma Jaggers, born August 1872 in Germantown, Pa.
His Father, George Edward Selsor, born October 1869 in Pennsylvania
His Grandparents, John Lorenzo (Alonzo) Selsor, born October 1845 in Pa. and Elizabeth Cope born about March 1843 in England
Great Grandparents, George Washington Selsor/Selser, born 3/15/1821 in Germantown, Pa. and Suzanne Shingle/Shinkle, born 3/28/1824 in Pa.
While I may not have enough proof to satisfy hard core genealogists, I believe George W. Selsor's father was Henry Seltzer, Jr. born 10/19/1792. and died 6/26/1831. He married Mary Ann Stout on 2/1/1818 according to the records of the Boeme Reformed German Church, Whitpain, Montgomery Co. Mary Ann Stout was born 3/18/1801. There is conflicting information about the date of death for Henry Selzer/Selsor, Jr., but it is beleived he died between 6/26/1831 and 4/25/1839. Either way, George W. Selsor lost his father at a fairly young age.
There is a record of at least one other child that Henry Jr. had, but there were probably others. William Selzer, born 10/16/1818, was George's older brother.
Henry Seltzer, Jr's father was Henry Seltzer born about 1760 and married to Laetitia Thomas on 4/17/1784 in Indian Creek Reformed Church, Franconia Twp., Montgomery Co., PA. It is beleived Henry's wife Laetitia died either during child birth or within a year of giving birth to Henry Jr.
At the time of Henry Seltzer's death in 1815, his wife is listed as Elizabeth and his son Henry is listed as an executor of his will.
Henry Selzer's father was the first in our line of Seltzers to come to this country, he was Nicklaus Seltzer, born about 1724. He arrived in America in 1749, with his wife Mary. He died about 4/1/1795 and is buried, along with his wife, in Boehm Reformed Church, Boehms Church Cemetery, Blue Bell, Montgomery Co. In his will he lists his son Henry and his son-in-law, Casper Schlater, as executors of his will.
In addition to Henry, I know of three other children that Nicklaus Seltzer had, they are Susanna, Mary and John. Mary Seltzer was married to Casper Schlater in about 1782. Susanna Seltzer was married to Bernhardt BIEBER in about 1771. I have no additional information on John Seltzer.
I am sure you have noticed the many different spellings I have used above for Seltzer, Selzer, Selser or Selsor, this represents the many different spellings my ancestors used and the different spellings you will find in various documents. It would appear that the ancestor who first came to this country, originally spelled his surname SELTZER, but I have seen it spelled other ways in church documents and other items, even when referring to this first ancestor, Nicklaus Seltzer. I have seen Nicklaus' son and grandson both use Seltzer, as well as Selzer and Selser. By the time George W. Selsor is born, SELTZER is rarely used. However, Selsor does not seem to become the preferred spelling of the surname until after George W. Selsor's son, and my direct ancestor, John Selsor, is born.
My grandfather, Gordon J. Selsor, joined the Navy during World War I, apparently
without his parents blessing. He did not have a lot of contact
with his family in Pennsylvania by the time he met and married my
grandmother, about 1928, in California.
As a child, my grandfather told me many times that if not for chance, he would have disappeared along with his Navy ship mates, in the Bermuda Triangle.
He was assigned to the USS Cyclops, a ship that disappeared during WW I in the
Bermuda Triangle, a disappearance that has never been explained.
My grandfather escaped Cyclop's fate as he was called home on
emergency leave due to his mother's illness.
The Cyclops, a collier,
was launched 7 May 1910 by William Cramp and
Sons, Philadelphia, Pa., and placed in service 7 November
1910, G. W. Worley, Master, Navy Auxiliary Service, in charge.
Operating with the Naval Auxiliary Service, Atlantic Fleet, the
collier voyaged in the Baltic during May to July 1911 to supply
2d Division ships. Returning to Norfolk, she operated on the east
coast from Newport to the Caribbean servicing the fleet. During
the troubled conditions in Mexico in 1914 and 1915, she coaled
ships on patrol there and received the thanks of the State
Department for cooperation in bringing refugees from Tampico to
New Orleans.
With American entry into World War I, Cyclops was commissioned 1
May l917, Lieutenant Commander G. W. Worley in command. She
joined a convoy for St. Nazaire, France, in June 1917, returning
to the east coast in July. Except for a voyage to Halifax, Nova
Scotia, she served along the east coast until 9 January 1918 when
she was assigned to Naval Overseas Transportation Service. She
then sailed to Brazilian waters to fuel British ships in the
south Atlantic, receiving the thanks of the State Department and
Commander-in-Chief, Pacific. She put to sea from Rio de Janeiro
16 February 1918 and after touching at Barbados on 3 and 4 March,
was never heard from again. Her loss with all 306 crew and
passengers, without a trace, is one of the sea's unsolved
mysteries.
The photograph above is my GGreat Grandfather, John A. Selsor, who served in the Civil War, with my grandfather seated next to him in his Navy uniform. The gentleman standing is a cousin who's name I don't know.
This is my Grandfather and his sister.
My grandfather was born and raised in Philadelphia, but by the
time I was born he had lived in California over 40 years. I will
always remember him, not just as my favorite, but as a die hard
Angels baseball fan. My grandfather and I had a special bond and
a friendly rivalry in our choice of baseball clubs. I was born in
northern California and was just hitting my teens during the
early to mid '70's, when my favorite team, Oakland Athletics,
were riding high. Of course, as a kid, I reveled in the fact that
the Angels couldn't hold a candle to my A's. It was not until
many years later that I came to realize my grandfather would
always have a soft spot for the under dog in life. Thankfully, he
did get to see his Angels ride a wave on top shortly before he
died. I believe it was poetic justice that, at the same time, my
A's were in the cellar.
He was the most loyal person I knew, I love you grandpa.
My grandfather came from a line of inventors and machinists. He worked as a machinist after he got out of the Navy, down at the Long Beach Shipyard in California. His father, grandfather and great grandfather were all machinists. I have located patents on file for tools, improvements to tools and coffee grinders, with my ancestors names on them.
View patent of George W. Selsor from 1867
A little on my grandmother, whom my grandfather loved more than
his Angels