This group consists of four items descended from Private Christopher Selsor, who served in Company B of the 4^th Ohio Cavalry from 1861 to 1864, a very active unit in the western theatre. These are his G.A.R. medal, along with his wartime soldier’s sewing kit or “housewife,” a cased unidentified 1/16 plate tintype of a young woman, and his1861 pocket copy of the New Testament printed by the American Bible Society in New York in 1861, bearing his name in the back in pencil, “Christopher Selsor / So. Solon / Madison Co. / Ohio,” and inscription in the front, also in pencil, “Mary Curry / So Solon / Ohio / July 18 1861.”

Selsor was born 26 January 1833 in Madison County, Ohio. His father died about 1836 and in 1850 he is listed in the 1850 census along with his mother, older sister and younger brother in Range, Madison County, OH, apparently running the family farm with his younger brother. We don’t find the family in the 1860 census, but they are likely there and just incorrectly transcribed in the records- Selsor seems to have spent his entire life, aside from his military service, in Madison County. We do find Mary in the 1860 census as 19 years-old living in Stokes, Ohio, with a post office address of South Solon.

It does not take too much imagination to think the photograph, New Testament, and sewing kit were all gifts from her to the departing soldier. The kit is a rather simple, homemade affair. The exterior is made of a waterproof tarred canvas with a light blue binding around the edge. The interior is a thin, brown fabric made with several pockets, large and small, edged with a narrow, curving red cord border, and some overlapping flaps of brown and white fabric to act as a pincushion, with one pin still in them. The interior also held a light blue rosette or bow with ribbon, on which his name is written on old brown ink. The ribbon is detached from the rosette and broken, but much of his first name is clearly visible. Some small sections of the red binding are missing, but most of it is there and in place. There is a small rectangular wear spot with staining to the brown fabric, but it is intact. The young woman is shown in a bust view showing a rounded, white collar on a dark dress, with her hair pulled back in the contemporary fashion. There is some spotting to image and fading to what was likely tinting of her cheeks and lips. The case is typical leatherette case with red embossed velvet facing pad. The pocket testament is in good condition, solid, showing some wear to the covers, corners, and spine, but just enough to show it was carried.

Selsor’s G.A.R. medal is complete with upper pin back top bar, U.S. flag ribbon and G.A.R. star planchet with one edge numbered “B 79236.” The numbers are, unfortunately, not listed anywhere, but the “B” prefix likely indicates it was issued during the tenure of Robert Beath, Commander in Chief of the G.A.R. 1883-1884, or Samuel S. Burdett, 1885-1886. This corresponds with the design of the badge, which seems to be “Type IVa.” The badge is in good condition, solid, with pin in place on the top bar, medium age tones to the bronze and the flag ribbon complete, showing soiling, but no tears.

Selsor enlisted at age 27 on Sept. 17, 1861, and mustered in as a private in Co. B 4^th Ohio Cavalry on November 23, 1861. He survived to muster out at the expiration of his term of service at Columbia, TN, October 31,1864. During his service with the unit it was part of the Army of the Ohio to November 1862 and then with the Army of the Cumberland. Dyer’s Compendium gives the following detailed summary of its extensive service, during which it lost 5 officers and 50 enlisted men in killed or mortally wounded, which is pretty high for a cavalry unit since non-fatal wounds might total five times that. The listing is lengthy, but we include the whole thing, ending it at the point where Selsor left the unit. We recommend checking for the unit online at OhioCivilWarCentral for a more readable, overall view of the regiment’s service.

Dyer’s Compendium:

Moved to Camp Dennison, Ohio, November 23, thence to Jeffersonville, Ind., December 5, and to Bacon Creek, Ky., December 27. Action at Roan's Tan Yard, Silver Creek, Mo., January 8, 1862. Advance on Bowling Green, Ky., February 10–15, 1862. Occupation of Bowling Green February 15. Occupation of Nashville, Tenn., February 23. Action near Nashville March 8–9. Camp Jackson March 24. Reconnaissance to Shelbyville, Tullahoma and McMinnville March 25–28. Capture of Huntsville, Ala., April 11. Bridgeport, Ala., April 23. West Bridge, near Bridgeport, April 29. Shelbyville Road April 24. Tuscumbia April 25. Bolivar April 28. Pulaski May 11. Watkins' Ferry May 2. Athens May 8. Fayetteville May 14. Elk River May 20. Fayetteville May 26. Whitesburg, Ala., May 29. Huntsville June 4–5. Winchester, Tenn., June 10. Battle Creek June 21. Huntsville July 2. Stevenson, Ala., July 28. Bridgeport August 27 (detachment). Fort McCook, Battle Creek, August 27 (detachment). March to Louisville in pursuit of Bragg August 28-September 26. Huntsville September 1. Tyree Springs September 13. Glasgow, Ky., September 18. Pursuit of Bragg into Kentucky October 1–10. Bardstown Pike, near Mt. Washington, October 1. Frankfort October 9. Pursuit of Bragg from Perryville to London October 10–22. Lexington October 17–18. Bardstown and Pittman's Cross Roads October 19. Lawrenceburg October 25. Sandersville, Tenn., November 6. Reconnaissance from Rural Hill December 20. Near Nashville, Tenn., December 24. Advance on Murfreesboro December 26–30. Franklin December 26. Wilkinson's Cross Roads December 29. Near Murfreesboro December 29–30. Battle of Stones River December 30–31, 1862 and January 1–3, 1863. Overall's Creek December 31, 1862. Insane Asylum January 3, 1863. Shelbyville Pike January 5. Expedition to Auburn, Liberty and Alexandria February 3–5. Bradysville March 1. Expedition toward Columbia March 4–14. Rutherford Creek March 10–11. Expedition from Murfreesboro to Auburn, Liberty, Snow Hill, etc., April 2–6. Smith's Ford April 2. Snow Hill, Woodbury and Liberty April 3. Franklin April 10. Expedition to McMinnville April 20–30. Reconnaissance to Lavergne May 12. Expedition to Middleton and skirmishes May 21–22. Near Murfreesboro June 3. Expedition to Smithville June 4–5. Snow Hill June 4. Smithville June 5. Tullahoma Campaign June 23-July 7. Morris Ford, Elk River, July 2. Kelly's Ford July 2. Expedition to Huntsville July 13–22. Occupation of middle Tennessee until August 16. Passage of Cumberland Mountains and Tennessee River, and Chickamauga Campaign August 16-September 22. Reconnaissance from Stevenson, Ala., to Trenton, Ga., August 28–31. Alpine, Ga., September 3 and 8. Reconnaissance from Alpine toward Lafayette September 10. Battle of Chickamauga, September 19–21. Operations against Wheeler and Roddy September 30-October 17. McMinnville October 4. Farmington October 7. Sim's Farm, near Shelbyville, October 7. Farmington October 9. Maysville, Ala., November 4. Winchester November 22. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23–27. Raid on East Tennessee & Georgia Railroad November 24–27. Charleston November 26. Cleveland November 27. March to relief of Knoxville, Tenn., November 28-December 8. Charleston, Tenn., December 28 (detachment). Expedition to Murphey, N. C., December 6–11. Expedition from Scottsboro, Ala., toward Rome, Ga., January 25-February 5, 1864. Ringgold, Ga., February 8. Demonstration on Dalton, Ga., February 22–27. Near Dalton February 23–24. Tunnel Hill, Buzzard's Roost Gap and Rocky Faced Ridge February 24–25. Scout to Dedmon's Trace April 10. Atlanta Campaign May 1-September 8, 1864. Courtland Road, Ala., May 26. Pond Springs, near Courtland, May 27. Moulton May 28–29. Operations about Marietta and against Kennesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. McAffee's Cross Roads June 11. Noonday Creek June 15–19 and 27. Near Marietta June 23. Assault on Kennesaw June 27. Nickajack Creek July 2–5. Rottenwood Creek July 4. Chattahoochie River July 5–17. Alpharetta July 10. Garrard's Raid to Covington July 22–24. Siege of Atlanta July 24-August 15. Garrard's Raid to South River July 27–31. Flat Rock Bridge and Lithonia July 28. Kilpatrick's Raid around Atlanta August 18–22. Red Oak and Flint River August 19. Jonesborough August 19. Lovejoy's Station August 20. Operations at Chattahoochie River Bridge August 26-September 2. Sandtown September 1. Ordered to Nashville, Tenn., September 21, 1864  . . .

Selsor returned to Madison County after his army service. We find him married to a woman named Leah by 1870, with one child, and two more by 1880. If Mary Curry had, indeed, been a serious romantic interest, it had not lasted long: we find her marrying a Robert Hill in March 1862. Selsor is noted as receiving a pension in 1891. He passed away March 29, 1892, and is buried in the South Solon, Cemetery.

In 1870 he is married with one child and working a farm in Stokes. By 1880 there were two more children. Wife named Leah.

The testament is inscribed in pencil in the front, “Mary Curry / So Solon / Ohio / July 18 1861.” The back of the book is inscribed in pencil in a different hand, “Christopher Selsor / So. Solon / Madison Co. / Ohio.”  We find Mary in the 1860 census as 19 years-old living in Stokes, Ohio, with a post office address of South Solon.  [sr][ph:L]

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