1. Origins and Era

George SELVAGE lived in the Deep South in the generations
immediately following slavery and Jim Crow. Like many Black men of his era:

• He came out of a plantation world where families were mixed, split, and remade.
• Marriage, land, and a steady household were forms of survival and dignity.
• Legal paperwork was limited, but family memory and physical resemblance carried the truth.

One strong marker that ties him to his descendants is a hereditary health trait:
asthma. Asthma appears in George, in his son
Asthma skipedFranklin Roosevelt SELVAGE and all of his children with Rosie James, in
Franklin Fitzgerald SELVAGE but. skipped his older brother Everette O’Neal Selvage and younger sister Charlene Patrice Selvage. Now Mickles, and in several grandchildren
and great-grandchildren. This is recognized in the family as a clear
SELVAGE biological marker.

2. Life Before Rosie (James) Selvage

By the time George and Rosie James came together, Rosie
already had multiple units of children from earlier relationships:

• The Palmer children
• The Stills children

This means George did not enter her life as a young, untried
man. He was already a grown, seasoned man, with years of life behind him
before he ever met Rosie. In the culture and time he lived in, it is
highly likely that George:

• Had romantic relationships before Rosie.
• May have fathered children with women from his own plantation community.
• Had responsibilities, bonds, and history that did not all carry the SELVAGE surname.

In that era, “the children go with their mothers.” When a
man fathered a child before a formal marriage, the child usually carried
the mother’s last name and stayed in the mother’s family circle, even if
the father was known in the community. Because of this, any children
George may have had before Rosie:

• Might not carry the SELVAGE surname.
• May appear in records as Johnson, or any of the names of the families that were on or around Woodstock Plantation in Picneyville Ms.
• Could still be biologically SELVAGE through George.

At this time, no specific pre-Rosie children of George are confirmed by
name, but family observation notes that some relatives in other surname
lines share:

• The distinct SELVAGE facial features.
• The same asthma pattern.
• A close, “like family” relationship to George’s household.

These patterns strongly suggest that George’s story likely includes one or
more earlier children whose surnames followed their mothers, not the
SELVAGE name.

3. Marriage to Rosie (James) Selvage and the Four Family Units

When George joined his life to Rosie James, he stepped into
a complicated, already-formed family structure. Rosie’s life brought
together four main “units” of children:

1. Palmer Unit – Children by a Palmer father, carrying the Palmer name.
2. Stills Unit – Children by a Stills father, carrying the Stills name.
3. SELVAGE Unit – Children that George and Rosie had together.
4. Minor Unit – John Matthews (socially called SELVAGE, biologically from the Minor line).

Within this structure, George did two things at the same time:

• He became the stabilizing man in a house full of children from different fathers.
• He fathered his own biological SELVAGE children with Rosie.

4. Confirmed SELVAGE Children with Rosie

The confirmed biological children of George SELVAGE and
Rosie (James) Selvage include:

• Annie Lee SELVAGE
  Married Walter Gregory; became Annie Lee Gregory.
  Mother of Anita, Wanda, and Walthena Gregory.
• James SELVAGE
  Father of at least one older daughter (name not recalled) and
  James SELVAGE Jr.
• Franklin Roosevelt SELVAGE
  Born February 6 or 11, 1945; died in 2005 at age 64.
  Married Mamie Lee (Washington) SELVAGE.
  Father of Everett O’Neill, Franklin Fitzgerald, and Charlene Patrice.
• Josh SELVAGE
  Youngest known SELVAGE child of George and Rosie; known to have at least
  one daughter (name not recalled).

These children and their descendants are the core of the
SELVAGE-named line that continues into the present. They
carry the name exactly as spelled:
S E L V A G E.
If the name is not spelled that way, it is not formally recorded here as
part of the named SELVAGE branch, even if there may be shared blood through
earlier, undocumented connections.

5. Possible Earlier Children of George SELVAGE

Based on age, culture, and the pattern of family relationships, it is
considered very likely that George SELVAGE had children
before he and Rosie formally formed their household. Because
“the children go with their mothers” in that era:

• Any such children would follow their mothers’ surnames.
• They may appear in family history as Palmer, Hill, Minor, or other names.
• They may be remembered as “looking just like a SELVAGE” without carrying the SELVAGE name.

At this time, those earlier children are acknowledged as a
strong possibility but remain unnamed in this record until
more specific oral history or documentation confirms who they are.

6. Legacy of George SELVAGE

The legacy of George SELVAGE is carried most clearly
through:

• The SELVAGE-named children he had with Rosie.
• The strong physical resemblance across generations.
• The hereditary asthma pattern.
• The presence of a clear, steady, “SELVAGE mind” in descendants such as
  Franklin Fitzgerald SELVAGE and his children.

This genealogy page is written so that future SELVAGE descendants can know:
where they come from, whose blood they carry, and how their
grandfather George stood at the center of a complex, four-unit family
structure while still passing down a clear, recognizable line.

Root Generation

• Rosie James
  • Later known as Rosie Selvage after marriage to George Selvage.
  • Had children in four main family units:
    1. Palmer Unit (before marriage to George)
    2. Stills Unit
    3. Selvage Unit (with George Selvage)
    4. Minor Unit (John Matthews, known socially as Selvage)
  • Also known family story: one unnamed infant who died in infancy, reportedly connected to a berry/food incident.

Unit 1 – Palmer Line (Children of Rosie James and Mr. Palmer)

• Unnamed Palmer Son #1 (deceased; son of Rosie James and a Palmer man)
  • Died before or around the time of Hurricane Camille era (exact details unknown).
  • Children:
    • Wilbur “Spider” Palmer
      • Grandson of Rosie James via the Palmer line.
    • Unnamed Brother of Wilbur (Spider) Palmer
      • Biological brother of Spider.
      • Lives/lived in California (name unknown).
• Unnamed Palmer Son #2 (son of Rosie James and a Palmer man)
  • Referred to as a “bank robber” who robbed jewelry stores.
  • Children: names and details unknown.

Unit 2 – Stills Line (Children of Rosie James and Mr. Stills)

• Richard Stills (deceased)
  • Spouse: Goldie Stills (deceased; maiden name unknown).
  • Children:
    • Richard Stills Jr. (deceased)
    • Yolanda Colette Stills
      • Known as “Colette”.
      • Granddaughter of Rosie via Richard Stills.
• William Stills (deceased)
  • Spouse: Mrs. Stills (name unknown; deceased).
  • Children:
    • William Stills Jr.
    • Jackie Stills
• Annette Stills (deceased)
  • Spouse: “Sweetie” Hill (formal name unknown).
  • Children:
    • Geraldine Hill
      • Later known as Geraldine Davis after marriage to Mr. Davis.
    • Cheryl (last name unknown)
      • Daughter of Annette Stills; resembles the Palmer/SELVAGE side in features.
    • Elijah Hill
    • Joseph Hill
    • Aubrey Hill

Unit 3 – Selvage Line (Children of Rosie and George Selvage)

• George Selvage (deceased; died in 1979)
  • Spouse: Rosie (James) Selvage.
  • Known health trait: asthma (passed down through the Selvage line to multiple descendants).
  • Children with Rosie:
    • Annie Lee Selvage (alive; eldest Selvage child)
      • Spouse: Walter Gregory.
      • Took married name: Annie Lee Gregory.
      • Children:
        • Anita Gregory
        • Wanda Gregory
        • Walthena Gregory
          • Youngest daughter; named in connection with her father Walter.
    • James Selvage (alive; has Alzheimer’s; former schoolteacher and business owner)
      • Daughter from a relationship before his later marriage:
        • Unnamed Daughter (name not recalled; recognized as his child).
      • Later spouse: name not recalled.
        • James Selvage Jr.
    • Franklin Roosevelt Selvage
      • Born: February 6 or 11, 1945 (two birth certificates with different dates).
      • Died: 2005, age 64.
      • Spouse: Mamie Lee Washington of Prichard, Alabama., who became Mamie Lee Selvage. (deceased)
        • Died in 2025 in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
        • Children:
          • Everett O’Neal Selvage (deceased)
            • Died in 1984 while working at Buckhannon Lumber Company in Mobile, Alabama.
            • Spouse: Sharane Mickles , who became Sharane Selvage. Who is the older sister of John Mickles. Charlene Mickles husband .
            • Children:
              • Yvette (Evette/Yvette) Selvage
                • Only known biological daughter of Everett.
                • Children: three (two sons and one daughter; names not recalled).
              • Paul
                • Sharane’s older son, treated and regarded as Everett’s son (not biological but raised as his child).

          • Franklin Fitzgerald Selvage
            • Child of Franklin Roosevelt Selvage and Mamie Lee Selvage.
            • Partners and children:
              • With Latrina Denise Austin (previously Franklin by marriage, maiden name Austin):
                • Jeremy Christian Selvage
                  • Born as Jeremy Christian Franklin; later legally established and named Jeremy Christian Selvage.
              • Additional daughters of Franklin Fitzgerald Selvage:
                • Katlyn Asondra Selvage (spelling per father’s memory).
                • Vanessa Renee Selvage.
                • Faith Francesca Selvage.
            • Health note: asthma present in Franklin Fitzgerald and his children (continuing the Selvage asthma line from George).
          • Charlene Patrice Selvage
            • Known as “Tracy”.
            • Married name: Charlene Patrice Selvage Mickles (also connected with Nichols spelling in family usage).
            • Spouse: John Mickles/Nichols (surname noted in two spellings in family memory).
            • Children:
              • Brandon Edward Nichols
                • Has asthma.
              • Amber Nichols Mickles
                • Has at least one son (name not recalled) who also has asthma.
            • Health note: Charlene’s descendants also show the inherited asthma trait from the Selvage line.
        • Health note: Franklin Roosevelt Selvage also had asthma, linking George’s asthma down through Franklin, Franklin Fitzgerald, and their descendants.

Unit 4 – Minor Line (John Matthews, known as a Selvage socially)

• John Matthews “Matt” Selvage
  • Biological father believed to be from the Minor family line (not George Selvage).
  • Socially carried the Selvage surname but is biologically Minor via Rosie’s relationship with a Minor man (likely connected to her original plantation community).
  • Children:
    • Cynthia Newman
      • Mother’s surname: Newman.
      • Carries her mother’s name; physically resembles her father John Matthews.
    • John Selvage
      • Son of John Matthews.
      • Resembles his mother more than his father.
    • George Selvage
      • Named after George Selvage.
      • Biologically a Minor through John Matthews; carries the Selvage surname socially.