James Sellar and his sisters Joan and Barbara emigrated from Scotland to the USA in 1907 to seek their fortunes. The siblings settled in Chicago, Illinois. In the 1910 census James was a plasterer and both sisters were working as quiltmakers.
The USA was a sought-after destination for many hopeful immigrants in the early 20th century. Just a few pages of the 1930 census for Chicago recorded residents and their parents being born in Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, England, Germany, Greece, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Madera Island, Norway, Poland, Scotland and Switzerland.
James returned to Scotland and married his childhood sweetheart Nellie. Their first son James was born in Scotland before the family returned to Chicago on the SS Columbia.
James Junior was joined by sisters Helen and Elspeth; surprisingly, twelve years later, brother George was born.
The Sellar family left Chicago and traveled West to Wenatchee, Chelan County, Washington. The majority of people living in Wenatchee had been born in the USA but not in the state of Washington - Wenatchee was a place people moved to from somewhere else. Three pages of the 1930 census lists 27 different states as birthplace of the individual or their parents.
George Sellar was Nellie's fourth child, born when Nellie was 38. George's arrival may not have been planned but his life was not insignificant; in 1971 he became Senator George Sellar and he served his community well until his death in 2000. The highway bridge between Wenatchee and East Wenatchee was renamed the Senator George Sellar Bridge in his honor.
Nellie would have been very proud.
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