Isaiah Sellers was a person of real importance in the life of pre-Civil War St. Louis and the lower Mississippi River. He lived and died on the Mississippi River. He was one of the greatest pilots the Father of Waters ever knew.
Capt. Sellers contributed river news to the New Orleans Picayune and he would sign "Mark Twain". Mark Twain was an old river term used by leadsmen to signify 2 fathoms, 12 feet, which meant safe water. Samuel Clemens took over the pen name of "Mark Twain" after the death of Capt. Isaiah Sellers.
Capt. Sellers introduced bell-tapping as the signal to take soundings. He devised many rules for river navigation.
1864 Mar 06 - Capt. Isaiah Sellers died at Memphis, TN; senior of the lower Mississippi pilots, age 61; funeral at home of his nephew, Isaiah W. Hood. [1]
A photograph of Isaiah Sellers' distinctive monument in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis appears in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat 25 Jul 1935.
Additional photographs of his monument are available on his Find A Grave memorial and can be seen here: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=9336&PIpi=87173
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