As part of Salt Lake City’s Memorial Day observance, the Spirit of Liberty Chapter, NSDAR, dedicated the grave of Mrs. Elijah Sells (Harriet Jacques Wetmore Sells) on May 10, 1936.
The re-dedication of Mrs. Sells Grave Marker and Headstone took place on May 10, 2018 under the direction of USSDAR State Regent Brenda Reeder.
Harriet Jacques Wetmore Sells was a Real Daughter. A Real Daughter is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution who is also a daughter of a Patriot who fought or assisted the American Revolution.
Her father was Bela Wetmore, a soldier in the Revolutionary War, who served as a sixteen-year-old volunteer. He was a Private in the Third Massachusetts Regiment that served until the end of the war in 1783.
Harriet Jacques Wetmore Sells had a very eventful life. She had a vivid recollection of the Mexican War. As a young woman, Mrs. Sells attended Ford’s Theater in Washington when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
She married Elijah B. Sells, the former Iowa Secretary of State from 1857-1863 and Superintendent of Indian Affairs in Indian Territory, on May 24, 1875, at Salt Lake City.
Mrs. Sells was known for her energy, ability, high ideals, loyalty, and love. She was the Organizing Regent of the Spirit of Liberty Chapter, Utah’s original DAR Chapter. At the age of 79, Mrs. Sells was one of forty remaining first-generation Daughters of a Patriot of the American Revolution.
Mrs. Sells had a deep interest in the Daughters of the American Revolution. The Marker is overseen by the Princess Timpanogos Chapter in Salt Lake City, Utah.
