Susan Edwards Shields died when Jacob was a small boy, and he went to live with his sisters Jane and Phoebe in Belmont, Alabama.
Jacob Edwards Shields married at least six times, and I am inclined to believe that he probably had another wife or two prior to the six that we have identified. He had 21 children, and we have not been able to identify all of them.
One of his wives (the mother of Mary Ann and Sarah and perhaps of other children) was a Cherokee. We do not know if it is one of the six identified so far or if it was an earlier wife. He married Margaret Shields and Ruth after he went to Fulton County, Illinois, so it was neither of them. Nancy Yates and Melita Rhodes came along too late to be the mother of Mary Ann and Sarah, so it was neither of them. That leaves McClatchey and Elizabeth as the only possibilities--if indeed it was one of these six. I think perhaps there were earlier wives and that one of them was the Cherokee.
The only child we can link for certain with a mother is Robert. Funeral home records show his mother was Melita Rhodes. I have assigned other children to mothers by comparing their birthdate with the approximate date that wife would have been in the household. Elizabeth is listed in the 1850 census, but Robert was born in May 1852, and Melita Rhodes is his mother. Nancy Yates is in the 1860 census. Jacob married Margaret Shields and Ruth in Illinois, and we are not aware of any of Jacob's children born by them.
A genealogy filed with the LDS Library shows that Jacob Edwards Shields married Nancy Yates about 1825 and Unknown McClatchey about 1829, both marriages occurring in Sevier County, Tennessee. This marriage date for Nancy Yates is impossible. She is listed in the 1860 census, at which time she was 33 years old. I do not know about the date of the McClatchey marriage. I really doubt that either of them occurred in Sevier County.
In March 1865, a license was issued for Jacob to marry Mrs. Margaret Shields. Records of the C. D. Taylor Funeral Home at Cuba, Illinois show that a William Shields died 19 January 1931 at Cuba at the age of 70 years 5 months and 25 days. It shows that William Shields was born in England, as were both his parents. His father was named William and his mother Margaret. It is quite possible that this is the Mrs. Margaret Shields Jacob married
1830 Census for Jackson County, Alabama shows a Jacob Shields.
1840 Census for Jackson County, Alabama lists in Jacob Shields household:
three males 5-10 years old, (This would be Jonathan, William and ?)
one male 30-40, (This would be Jacob)
two females under 5, (This would be Sally and Susan)
one female 5-10, (This would be Mary)
two females 10-15, (This would be Elizabeth and Nancy)
one female 20-30; (This would be Jacob's wife)
total of 10 household members, two employed in agriculture.1850 Census for Jackson County, Alabama lists:
Jacob Shields, 47, male, farmer, birthplace unknown;
Elizabeth Shields, 37, female, birthplace unknown;
Jonathan Shields, 21, male, farmer, b. Alabama;
Elizabeth Shields, 19, female, b. Alabama;
William Shields, 17, male, farmer, b. Alabama;
Mary Shields, 15, female, b. Alabama;
Sally Shields, 13, female; b. Alabama;
Susan Shields, 11, female, b. Alabama;
Susanah (?) Shields, 9, female, b. Alabama;
Jesse (?) Shields, 7, male, b. Alabama;
Feby Shields, 5, female, b. Alabama; (Originally, I read this name as Felix, but later study has convinced me it is Feby. The child is female, making Felix an unlikely name. One of the sisters who reared Jacob was named Phoebe.)
Matilda Shields, 3, female, b. Alabama;
Jacob Shields, 3 months, male, b. Alabama;
Alexander Reynols (sic), 18, male, laborer, b. Alabama.1860 Census for Jackson County, Alabama, shows these residents of Jacob Shields household:
Jacob Shields, 56, male, farmer, b. Tennessee;
Nancy Shields, 33, female, b. Georgia;
Nancy Shields, 30, female, b. Alabama;
David Shields, 19, male, laborer, b. Alabama;
Susan Shields, 17, female, b. Alabama;
Jesse Shields, 15, male, laborer, b. Alabama;
Feby A. Shields, female, b. Alabama;
Matilda (this name appears almost certain to be Meletia) Shields, 12, female, b. Alabama;
Jacob W. Shields, 9, male, b. Alabama;
Robert R. Shields, 8, male, b. Alabama;
Joseph Shields, 6, male, b. Alabama;
Ellen Shields, 4, female, b. Alabama;
James M. Shields, 3, male, b. Alabama;
Louis R. Shields, 1, male, b. Alabama;
Nancy J. Yates, 10, female, b. Alabama;
Elizabeth J. Coffee, 12, female, b. Alabama;
Martha Coffee, 9, female, b. Alabama;
Mary Coffee, 9, female, b. Alabama.Illinois Census for 1870 shows in Banner Township of Fulton County:
Jesse Shields, 26, farm laborer, b. Alabama;
Hannah Shields, 22, keeps house, b. Alabama;
William Shields, 5, b. Illinois;
Fanny Shields, 3, b. Alabama.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of Amos Lawrence household in Deerfield Township, Fulton County:
Amos Lawrence, 50, farmer, b. Massachusetts, father b. Massachusetts, mother b. New Hampshire;
Nancy Lawrence, 53, wife, b. Alabama; father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
Minnie Lawrence, 8, daughter, b. Illinois, father b. Massachusetts, mother b. Alabama;
Jacob Shields, 76, father-in-law, b. Tennessee, father b. South Carolina, mother b. Virginia;
Ruth Shields, 67, mother-in-law, b. Pennsylvania, father b. Pennsylvania, mother b. Pennsylvania.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of James M. Shields household in Buckhart Township, Fulton County:
James M. Shields, 23, farm laborer, b. Alabama, father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
Mary J. Shields, 19, wife, b. Illinois, father b. England, mother b. Virginia;
Edith A. Shields, 1, daughter, b. Illinois, father b. Alabama, mother b. Illinois.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of Joseph Shields household in Canton Township, Fulton County:
Joseph Shields, 27, farmer, b. Alabama, father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
wife;
Frank Shields, 1, son.Bureau of Land Management Records indicate Jacob Shields, through patents issued 5 August 1837 and 10 September 1838, acquired some 80 acres described as W SW 14-5S-5E in Jackson County, Alabama. This land is south of Scottsboro and, today, is on Highway 79, near its junction with Highway 279. The land is on the Marshall-Jackson county line.
Jackson County, Alabama records, quoted in "Valley Leaves," show Jesse Shields' family listed three times for receipt of food for destitute and indigent families of Alabama Confederate volunteer soldiers. On one of these occasions (1862), they shared in distribution of 50 sacks of salt. On one occasion, Jesse had a father and five minor brothers and sisters, The 1861 entry shows father, mother and six children. Entry for 1862 shows "Father, moth & ch," but only shows two residents of household.
Jackson County probate records 1856-57, p. 116 show that 13 December 1856 Jacob Shields bought two bee stands from estate of John Guinn.
Jacob Shields acquired in Jackson County NW SW 5S 5E 87.75 acres 8 October 1835 and SW SW 5S 5E, also 87.75 acres, 21 September 1836.
"Valley Leaves" (Vol. 3, pp. 81-82) shows that 14 July 1871 John Shields, 96, of Madison County, Alabama applied for pension as veteran of War of 1812. Said he married Betsy Curtis near Nashville, Tennessee 15 August 1796. Enlisted in Capt. John B. Long's Company of Colonel Thomas H. Benton's Regiment 10 March 1813 and was discharged as a private at Fort Hawkins, Georgia in March 1815. Said he fought in several battles, including New Orleans. (Captain Long's company records show Shields served 7 October 1813 to 6 October 1814.) On 22 June 1878, Elizabeth Shields, 80, resident of Madison County Poor House, applied for widow's pension. Said she married John Shields near Nashville in 1814 and that they moved to Madison County in the same year. Her maiden name was Elizabeth Curtis. Says John Shields died at Madison County Poor House 14 November 1872. In a statement apparently signed some time after 22 June 1878, Elizabeth said she was 85 or 86. Repeats that John died 14 November 1872. Said she was married in a house of worship by a minister named, as she recalled, Whiteside. Elizabeth's name is on 1883 pension list. The 1850 census of Dallas County lists John Shields, 65, b. Tennessee; Elizabeth, 55, b. North Carolina; Monica, 20, b. Alabama, and Sarah, 19, b. Alabama. (I have no idea who these people are and entered this information here only for safekeeping.}
Acklen's "Bible Records and Marriage Bonds" shows a John Shields married a Hannah Evans 10 July 1797 in Knox County, Tennessee.
From Fulton County Ledger, 6 October 1887: Died: . . . At Breed, October 3, 1887, of old age, Mr. Jacob Shields, aged 85 years. Mr. Shields was for a long time a resident of Fulton County and for several years lived in Canton. Father of Robert Shields of this city.
Murphy-Sedgewick Memorial Home, Canton Illinois, Vol. 1 (19 July 1885 to 31 December 1917) shows Jacob Shields d. 3 October 1887 at age 85; buried 4 October 1887 at Orendorff Cemetery. Residence was at Breeds, Illinois. Service was charged to Robert Shields.
Jackson County, Alabama marriage records prior to 1851 were destroyed by fire. It is doubtful there would be a marriage license for Jacob and the Cherokee anyway because clerks in that area at that time usually would not issue a license for a mixed marriage, and the couples would establish a common-law relationship and start living together.
Marriage Notes for Jacob Edwards Shields and Elizabeth CARR-86695
Line in Record @F0021@ (MRIN 30185) from GEDCOM file not recognized:
Moved to Alma, Arkansas.
From Mary Lee Chapter #87, United Daughters of the Confederacy:
W. M. Shields entered service of Confederate States of America 10 October 1862 as a private in Co. C of Cabell's Regiment of Arkansas Volunteers. Was at that time a resident of Crawford County, Arkansas. Was discharged in June 1865. Received UDC Cross of Honor at Van Buren April 27, 1901.In May 1979, Loe Teague, 89, of Alma, Arkansas (formerly of Mountainburg, Arkansas) said he remembered that many years earlier a man named Shields lived at Mountainburg and had a daughter who married a Dave Barron, who operated a country store at Chester, Arkansas. He said Dave Barron's son still operated a store at Chester. A 1997 letter to Barron's store at Chester was returned as undeliverable.
A William Shields (probably not this one) was a private in Russell's Fourth Alabama Cavalry. Other names on Confederate rolls:
John G. Shields, private, Co. C, 8th Alabama Infantry
G. B. Shield, private, Co. F, 10th Alabama Infantry
W. W. Shields, sergeant, Co. F, 10th Alabama Infantry
David served in the 15th Tennessee Infantry (Confederate) in the Civil War.
In the 1860 census of Jackson County, Alabama, this name appears more likely to be Tebia A. After closer examination, I have determined it is Feby.
In the 1860 census of Jackson County, Alabama, this name appears to be Meletia.
Susan Edwards Shields died when Jacob was a small boy, and he went to live with his sisters Jane and Phoebe in Belmont, Alabama.
Jacob Edwards Shields married at least six times, and I am inclined to believe that he probably had another wife or two prior to the six that we have identified. He had 21 children, and we have not been able to identify all of them.
One of his wives (the mother of Mary Ann and Sarah and perhaps of other children) was a Cherokee. We do not know if it is one of the six identified so far or if it was an earlier wife. He married Margaret Shields and Ruth after he went to Fulton County, Illinois, so it was neither of them. Nancy Yates and Melita Rhodes came along too late to be the mother of Mary Ann and Sarah, so it was neither of them. That leaves McClatchey and Elizabeth as the only possibilities--if indeed it was one of these six. I think perhaps there were earlier wives and that one of them was the Cherokee.
The only child we can link for certain with a mother is Robert. Funeral home records show his mother was Melita Rhodes. I have assigned other children to mothers by comparing their birthdate with the approximate date that wife would have been in the household. Elizabeth is listed in the 1850 census, but Robert was born in May 1852, and Melita Rhodes is his mother. Nancy Yates is in the 1860 census. Jacob married Margaret Shields and Ruth in Illinois, and we are not aware of any of Jacob's children born by them.
A genealogy filed with the LDS Library shows that Jacob Edwards Shields married Nancy Yates about 1825 and Unknown McClatchey about 1829, both marriages occurring in Sevier County, Tennessee. This marriage date for Nancy Yates is impossible. She is listed in the 1860 census, at which time she was 33 years old. I do not know about the date of the McClatchey marriage. I really doubt that either of them occurred in Sevier County.
In March 1865, a license was issued for Jacob to marry Mrs. Margaret Shields. Records of the C. D. Taylor Funeral Home at Cuba, Illinois show that a William Shields died 19 January 1931 at Cuba at the age of 70 years 5 months and 25 days. It shows that William Shields was born in England, as were both his parents. His father was named William and his mother Margaret. It is quite possible that this is the Mrs. Margaret Shields Jacob married
1830 Census for Jackson County, Alabama shows a Jacob Shields.
1840 Census for Jackson County, Alabama lists in Jacob Shields household:
three males 5-10 years old, (This would be Jonathan, William and ?)
one male 30-40, (This would be Jacob)
two females under 5, (This would be Sally and Susan)
one female 5-10, (This would be Mary)
two females 10-15, (This would be Elizabeth and Nancy)
one female 20-30; (This would be Jacob's wife)
total of 10 household members, two employed in agriculture.1850 Census for Jackson County, Alabama lists:
Jacob Shields, 47, male, farmer, birthplace unknown;
Elizabeth Shields, 37, female, birthplace unknown;
Jonathan Shields, 21, male, farmer, b. Alabama;
Elizabeth Shields, 19, female, b. Alabama;
William Shields, 17, male, farmer, b. Alabama;
Mary Shields, 15, female, b. Alabama;
Sally Shields, 13, female; b. Alabama;
Susan Shields, 11, female, b. Alabama;
Susanah (?) Shields, 9, female, b. Alabama;
Jesse (?) Shields, 7, male, b. Alabama;
Feby Shields, 5, female, b. Alabama; (Originally, I read this name as Felix, but later study has convinced me it is Feby. The child is female, making Felix an unlikely name. One of the sisters who reared Jacob was named Phoebe.)
Matilda Shields, 3, female, b. Alabama;
Jacob Shields, 3 months, male, b. Alabama;
Alexander Reynols (sic), 18, male, laborer, b. Alabama.1860 Census for Jackson County, Alabama, shows these residents of Jacob Shields household:
Jacob Shields, 56, male, farmer, b. Tennessee;
Nancy Shields, 33, female, b. Georgia;
Nancy Shields, 30, female, b. Alabama;
David Shields, 19, male, laborer, b. Alabama;
Susan Shields, 17, female, b. Alabama;
Jesse Shields, 15, male, laborer, b. Alabama;
Feby A. Shields, female, b. Alabama;
Matilda (this name appears almost certain to be Meletia) Shields, 12, female, b. Alabama;
Jacob W. Shields, 9, male, b. Alabama;
Robert R. Shields, 8, male, b. Alabama;
Joseph Shields, 6, male, b. Alabama;
Ellen Shields, 4, female, b. Alabama;
James M. Shields, 3, male, b. Alabama;
Louis R. Shields, 1, male, b. Alabama;
Nancy J. Yates, 10, female, b. Alabama;
Elizabeth J. Coffee, 12, female, b. Alabama;
Martha Coffee, 9, female, b. Alabama;
Mary Coffee, 9, female, b. Alabama.Illinois Census for 1870 shows in Banner Township of Fulton County:
Jesse Shields, 26, farm laborer, b. Alabama;
Hannah Shields, 22, keeps house, b. Alabama;
William Shields, 5, b. Illinois;
Fanny Shields, 3, b. Alabama.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of Amos Lawrence household in Deerfield Township, Fulton County:
Amos Lawrence, 50, farmer, b. Massachusetts, father b. Massachusetts, mother b. New Hampshire;
Nancy Lawrence, 53, wife, b. Alabama; father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
Minnie Lawrence, 8, daughter, b. Illinois, father b. Massachusetts, mother b. Alabama;
Jacob Shields, 76, father-in-law, b. Tennessee, father b. South Carolina, mother b. Virginia;
Ruth Shields, 67, mother-in-law, b. Pennsylvania, father b. Pennsylvania, mother b. Pennsylvania.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of James M. Shields household in Buckhart Township, Fulton County:
James M. Shields, 23, farm laborer, b. Alabama, father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
Mary J. Shields, 19, wife, b. Illinois, father b. England, mother b. Virginia;
Edith A. Shields, 1, daughter, b. Illinois, father b. Alabama, mother b. Illinois.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of Joseph Shields household in Canton Township, Fulton County:
Joseph Shields, 27, farmer, b. Alabama, father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
wife;
Frank Shields, 1, son.Bureau of Land Management Records indicate Jacob Shields, through patents issued 5 August 1837 and 10 September 1838, acquired some 80 acres described as W SW 14-5S-5E in Jackson County, Alabama. This land is south of Scottsboro and, today, is on Highway 79, near its junction with Highway 279. The land is on the Marshall-Jackson county line.
Jackson County, Alabama records, quoted in "Valley Leaves," show Jesse Shields' family listed three times for receipt of food for destitute and indigent families of Alabama Confederate volunteer soldiers. On one of these occasions (1862), they shared in distribution of 50 sacks of salt. On one occasion, Jesse had a father and five minor brothers and sisters, The 1861 entry shows father, mother and six children. Entry for 1862 shows "Father, moth & ch," but only shows two residents of household.
Jackson County probate records 1856-57, p. 116 show that 13 December 1856 Jacob Shields bought two bee stands from estate of John Guinn.
Jacob Shields acquired in Jackson County NW SW 5S 5E 87.75 acres 8 October 1835 and SW SW 5S 5E, also 87.75 acres, 21 September 1836.
"Valley Leaves" (Vol. 3, pp. 81-82) shows that 14 July 1871 John Shields, 96, of Madison County, Alabama applied for pension as veteran of War of 1812. Said he married Betsy Curtis near Nashville, Tennessee 15 August 1796. Enlisted in Capt. John B. Long's Company of Colonel Thomas H. Benton's Regiment 10 March 1813 and was discharged as a private at Fort Hawkins, Georgia in March 1815. Said he fought in several battles, including New Orleans. (Captain Long's company records show Shields served 7 October 1813 to 6 October 1814.) On 22 June 1878, Elizabeth Shields, 80, resident of Madison County Poor House, applied for widow's pension. Said she married John Shields near Nashville in 1814 and that they moved to Madison County in the same year. Her maiden name was Elizabeth Curtis. Says John Shields died at Madison County Poor House 14 November 1872. In a statement apparently signed some time after 22 June 1878, Elizabeth said she was 85 or 86. Repeats that John died 14 November 1872. Said she was married in a house of worship by a minister named, as she recalled, Whiteside. Elizabeth's name is on 1883 pension list. The 1850 census of Dallas County lists John Shields, 65, b. Tennessee; Elizabeth, 55, b. North Carolina; Monica, 20, b. Alabama, and Sarah, 19, b. Alabama. (I have no idea who these people are and entered this information here only for safekeeping.}
Acklen's "Bible Records and Marriage Bonds" shows a John Shields married a Hannah Evans 10 July 1797 in Knox County, Tennessee.
From Fulton County Ledger, 6 October 1887: Died: . . . At Breed, October 3, 1887, of old age, Mr. Jacob Shields, aged 85 years. Mr. Shields was for a long time a resident of Fulton County and for several years lived in Canton. Father of Robert Shields of this city.
Murphy-Sedgewick Memorial Home, Canton Illinois, Vol. 1 (19 July 1885 to 31 December 1917) shows Jacob Shields d. 3 October 1887 at age 85; buried 4 October 1887 at Orendorff Cemetery. Residence was at Breeds, Illinois. Service was charged to Robert Shields.
Jackson County, Alabama marriage records prior to 1851 were destroyed by fire. It is doubtful there would be a marriage license for Jacob and the Cherokee anyway because clerks in that area at that time usually would not issue a license for a mixed marriage, and the couples would establish a common-law relationship and start living together.
Marriage Notes for Jacob Edwards Shields and Unknown MCCLATCHEY-87596
Line in Record @F0326@ (MRIN 30186) from GEDCOM file not recognized:
Susan Edwards Shields died when Jacob was a small boy, and he went to live with his sisters Jane and Phoebe in Belmont, Alabama.
Jacob Edwards Shields married at least six times, and I am inclined to believe that he probably had another wife or two prior to the six that we have identified. He had 21 children, and we have not been able to identify all of them.
One of his wives (the mother of Mary Ann and Sarah and perhaps of other children) was a Cherokee. We do not know if it is one of the six identified so far or if it was an earlier wife. He married Margaret Shields and Ruth after he went to Fulton County, Illinois, so it was neither of them. Nancy Yates and Melita Rhodes came along too late to be the mother of Mary Ann and Sarah, so it was neither of them. That leaves McClatchey and Elizabeth as the only possibilities--if indeed it was one of these six. I think perhaps there were earlier wives and that one of them was the Cherokee.
The only child we can link for certain with a mother is Robert. Funeral home records show his mother was Melita Rhodes. I have assigned other children to mothers by comparing their birthdate with the approximate date that wife would have been in the household. Elizabeth is listed in the 1850 census, but Robert was born in May 1852, and Melita Rhodes is his mother. Nancy Yates is in the 1860 census. Jacob married Margaret Shields and Ruth in Illinois, and we are not aware of any of Jacob's children born by them.
A genealogy filed with the LDS Library shows that Jacob Edwards Shields married Nancy Yates about 1825 and Unknown McClatchey about 1829, both marriages occurring in Sevier County, Tennessee. This marriage date for Nancy Yates is impossible. She is listed in the 1860 census, at which time she was 33 years old. I do not know about the date of the McClatchey marriage. I really doubt that either of them occurred in Sevier County.
In March 1865, a license was issued for Jacob to marry Mrs. Margaret Shields. Records of the C. D. Taylor Funeral Home at Cuba, Illinois show that a William Shields died 19 January 1931 at Cuba at the age of 70 years 5 months and 25 days. It shows that William Shields was born in England, as were both his parents. His father was named William and his mother Margaret. It is quite possible that this is the Mrs. Margaret Shields Jacob married
1830 Census for Jackson County, Alabama shows a Jacob Shields.
1840 Census for Jackson County, Alabama lists in Jacob Shields household:
three males 5-10 years old, (This would be Jonathan, William and ?)
one male 30-40, (This would be Jacob)
two females under 5, (This would be Sally and Susan)
one female 5-10, (This would be Mary)
two females 10-15, (This would be Elizabeth and Nancy)
one female 20-30; (This would be Jacob's wife)
total of 10 household members, two employed in agriculture.1850 Census for Jackson County, Alabama lists:
Jacob Shields, 47, male, farmer, birthplace unknown;
Elizabeth Shields, 37, female, birthplace unknown;
Jonathan Shields, 21, male, farmer, b. Alabama;
Elizabeth Shields, 19, female, b. Alabama;
William Shields, 17, male, farmer, b. Alabama;
Mary Shields, 15, female, b. Alabama;
Sally Shields, 13, female; b. Alabama;
Susan Shields, 11, female, b. Alabama;
Susanah (?) Shields, 9, female, b. Alabama;
Jesse (?) Shields, 7, male, b. Alabama;
Feby Shields, 5, female, b. Alabama; (Originally, I read this name as Felix, but later study has convinced me it is Feby. The child is female, making Felix an unlikely name. One of the sisters who reared Jacob was named Phoebe.)
Matilda Shields, 3, female, b. Alabama;
Jacob Shields, 3 months, male, b. Alabama;
Alexander Reynols (sic), 18, male, laborer, b. Alabama.1860 Census for Jackson County, Alabama, shows these residents of Jacob Shields household:
Jacob Shields, 56, male, farmer, b. Tennessee;
Nancy Shields, 33, female, b. Georgia;
Nancy Shields, 30, female, b. Alabama;
David Shields, 19, male, laborer, b. Alabama;
Susan Shields, 17, female, b. Alabama;
Jesse Shields, 15, male, laborer, b. Alabama;
Feby A. Shields, female, b. Alabama;
Matilda (this name appears almost certain to be Meletia) Shields, 12, female, b. Alabama;
Jacob W. Shields, 9, male, b. Alabama;
Robert R. Shields, 8, male, b. Alabama;
Joseph Shields, 6, male, b. Alabama;
Ellen Shields, 4, female, b. Alabama;
James M. Shields, 3, male, b. Alabama;
Louis R. Shields, 1, male, b. Alabama;
Nancy J. Yates, 10, female, b. Alabama;
Elizabeth J. Coffee, 12, female, b. Alabama;
Martha Coffee, 9, female, b. Alabama;
Mary Coffee, 9, female, b. Alabama.Illinois Census for 1870 shows in Banner Township of Fulton County:
Jesse Shields, 26, farm laborer, b. Alabama;
Hannah Shields, 22, keeps house, b. Alabama;
William Shields, 5, b. Illinois;
Fanny Shields, 3, b. Alabama.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of Amos Lawrence household in Deerfield Township, Fulton County:
Amos Lawrence, 50, farmer, b. Massachusetts, father b. Massachusetts, mother b. New Hampshire;
Nancy Lawrence, 53, wife, b. Alabama; father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
Minnie Lawrence, 8, daughter, b. Illinois, father b. Massachusetts, mother b. Alabama;
Jacob Shields, 76, father-in-law, b. Tennessee, father b. South Carolina, mother b. Virginia;
Ruth Shields, 67, mother-in-law, b. Pennsylvania, father b. Pennsylvania, mother b. Pennsylvania.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of James M. Shields household in Buckhart Township, Fulton County:
James M. Shields, 23, farm laborer, b. Alabama, father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
Mary J. Shields, 19, wife, b. Illinois, father b. England, mother b. Virginia;
Edith A. Shields, 1, daughter, b. Illinois, father b. Alabama, mother b. Illinois.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of Joseph Shields household in Canton Township, Fulton County:
Joseph Shields, 27, farmer, b. Alabama, father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
wife;
Frank Shields, 1, son.Bureau of Land Management Records indicate Jacob Shields, through patents issued 5 August 1837 and 10 September 1838, acquired some 80 acres described as W SW 14-5S-5E in Jackson County, Alabama. This land is south of Scottsboro and, today, is on Highway 79, near its junction with Highway 279. The land is on the Marshall-Jackson county line.
Jackson County, Alabama records, quoted in "Valley Leaves," show Jesse Shields' family listed three times for receipt of food for destitute and indigent families of Alabama Confederate volunteer soldiers. On one of these occasions (1862), they shared in distribution of 50 sacks of salt. On one occasion, Jesse had a father and five minor brothers and sisters, The 1861 entry shows father, mother and six children. Entry for 1862 shows "Father, moth & ch," but only shows two residents of household.
Jackson County probate records 1856-57, p. 116 show that 13 December 1856 Jacob Shields bought two bee stands from estate of John Guinn.
Jacob Shields acquired in Jackson County NW SW 5S 5E 87.75 acres 8 October 1835 and SW SW 5S 5E, also 87.75 acres, 21 September 1836.
"Valley Leaves" (Vol. 3, pp. 81-82) shows that 14 July 1871 John Shields, 96, of Madison County, Alabama applied for pension as veteran of War of 1812. Said he married Betsy Curtis near Nashville, Tennessee 15 August 1796. Enlisted in Capt. John B. Long's Company of Colonel Thomas H. Benton's Regiment 10 March 1813 and was discharged as a private at Fort Hawkins, Georgia in March 1815. Said he fought in several battles, including New Orleans. (Captain Long's company records show Shields served 7 October 1813 to 6 October 1814.) On 22 June 1878, Elizabeth Shields, 80, resident of Madison County Poor House, applied for widow's pension. Said she married John Shields near Nashville in 1814 and that they moved to Madison County in the same year. Her maiden name was Elizabeth Curtis. Says John Shields died at Madison County Poor House 14 November 1872. In a statement apparently signed some time after 22 June 1878, Elizabeth said she was 85 or 86. Repeats that John died 14 November 1872. Said she was married in a house of worship by a minister named, as she recalled, Whiteside. Elizabeth's name is on 1883 pension list. The 1850 census of Dallas County lists John Shields, 65, b. Tennessee; Elizabeth, 55, b. North Carolina; Monica, 20, b. Alabama, and Sarah, 19, b. Alabama. (I have no idea who these people are and entered this information here only for safekeeping.}
Acklen's "Bible Records and Marriage Bonds" shows a John Shields married a Hannah Evans 10 July 1797 in Knox County, Tennessee.
From Fulton County Ledger, 6 October 1887: Died: . . . At Breed, October 3, 1887, of old age, Mr. Jacob Shields, aged 85 years. Mr. Shields was for a long time a resident of Fulton County and for several years lived in Canton. Father of Robert Shields of this city.
Murphy-Sedgewick Memorial Home, Canton Illinois, Vol. 1 (19 July 1885 to 31 December 1917) shows Jacob Shields d. 3 October 1887 at age 85; buried 4 October 1887 at Orendorff Cemetery. Residence was at Breeds, Illinois. Service was charged to Robert Shields.
Jackson County, Alabama marriage records prior to 1851 were destroyed by fire. It is doubtful there would be a marriage license for Jacob and the Cherokee anyway because clerks in that area at that time usually would not issue a license for a mixed marriage, and the couples would establish a common-law relationship and start living together.
Marriage Notes for Jacob Edwards Shields and Melita RHODES-86868
Line in Record @F0091@ (MRIN 30187) from GEDCOM file not recognized:
Susan Edwards Shields died when Jacob was a small boy, and he went to live with his sisters Jane and Phoebe in Belmont, Alabama.
Jacob Edwards Shields married at least six times, and I am inclined to believe that he probably had another wife or two prior to the six that we have identified. He had 21 children, and we have not been able to identify all of them.
One of his wives (the mother of Mary Ann and Sarah and perhaps of other children) was a Cherokee. We do not know if it is one of the six identified so far or if it was an earlier wife. He married Margaret Shields and Ruth after he went to Fulton County, Illinois, so it was neither of them. Nancy Yates and Melita Rhodes came along too late to be the mother of Mary Ann and Sarah, so it was neither of them. That leaves McClatchey and Elizabeth as the only possibilities--if indeed it was one of these six. I think perhaps there were earlier wives and that one of them was the Cherokee.
The only child we can link for certain with a mother is Robert. Funeral home records show his mother was Melita Rhodes. I have assigned other children to mothers by comparing their birthdate with the approximate date that wife would have been in the household. Elizabeth is listed in the 1850 census, but Robert was born in May 1852, and Melita Rhodes is his mother. Nancy Yates is in the 1860 census. Jacob married Margaret Shields and Ruth in Illinois, and we are not aware of any of Jacob's children born by them.
A genealogy filed with the LDS Library shows that Jacob Edwards Shields married Nancy Yates about 1825 and Unknown McClatchey about 1829, both marriages occurring in Sevier County, Tennessee. This marriage date for Nancy Yates is impossible. She is listed in the 1860 census, at which time she was 33 years old. I do not know about the date of the McClatchey marriage. I really doubt that either of them occurred in Sevier County.
In March 1865, a license was issued for Jacob to marry Mrs. Margaret Shields. Records of the C. D. Taylor Funeral Home at Cuba, Illinois show that a William Shields died 19 January 1931 at Cuba at the age of 70 years 5 months and 25 days. It shows that William Shields was born in England, as were both his parents. His father was named William and his mother Margaret. It is quite possible that this is the Mrs. Margaret Shields Jacob married
1830 Census for Jackson County, Alabama shows a Jacob Shields.
1840 Census for Jackson County, Alabama lists in Jacob Shields household:
three males 5-10 years old, (This would be Jonathan, William and ?)
one male 30-40, (This would be Jacob)
two females under 5, (This would be Sally and Susan)
one female 5-10, (This would be Mary)
two females 10-15, (This would be Elizabeth and Nancy)
one female 20-30; (This would be Jacob's wife)
total of 10 household members, two employed in agriculture.1850 Census for Jackson County, Alabama lists:
Jacob Shields, 47, male, farmer, birthplace unknown;
Elizabeth Shields, 37, female, birthplace unknown;
Jonathan Shields, 21, male, farmer, b. Alabama;
Elizabeth Shields, 19, female, b. Alabama;
William Shields, 17, male, farmer, b. Alabama;
Mary Shields, 15, female, b. Alabama;
Sally Shields, 13, female; b. Alabama;
Susan Shields, 11, female, b. Alabama;
Susanah (?) Shields, 9, female, b. Alabama;
Jesse (?) Shields, 7, male, b. Alabama;
Feby Shields, 5, female, b. Alabama; (Originally, I read this name as Felix, but later study has convinced me it is Feby. The child is female, making Felix an unlikely name. One of the sisters who reared Jacob was named Phoebe.)
Matilda Shields, 3, female, b. Alabama;
Jacob Shields, 3 months, male, b. Alabama;
Alexander Reynols (sic), 18, male, laborer, b. Alabama.1860 Census for Jackson County, Alabama, shows these residents of Jacob Shields household:
Jacob Shields, 56, male, farmer, b. Tennessee;
Nancy Shields, 33, female, b. Georgia;
Nancy Shields, 30, female, b. Alabama;
David Shields, 19, male, laborer, b. Alabama;
Susan Shields, 17, female, b. Alabama;
Jesse Shields, 15, male, laborer, b. Alabama;
Feby A. Shields, female, b. Alabama;
Matilda (this name appears almost certain to be Meletia) Shields, 12, female, b. Alabama;
Jacob W. Shields, 9, male, b. Alabama;
Robert R. Shields, 8, male, b. Alabama;
Joseph Shields, 6, male, b. Alabama;
Ellen Shields, 4, female, b. Alabama;
James M. Shields, 3, male, b. Alabama;
Louis R. Shields, 1, male, b. Alabama;
Nancy J. Yates, 10, female, b. Alabama;
Elizabeth J. Coffee, 12, female, b. Alabama;
Martha Coffee, 9, female, b. Alabama;
Mary Coffee, 9, female, b. Alabama.Illinois Census for 1870 shows in Banner Township of Fulton County:
Jesse Shields, 26, farm laborer, b. Alabama;
Hannah Shields, 22, keeps house, b. Alabama;
William Shields, 5, b. Illinois;
Fanny Shields, 3, b. Alabama.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of Amos Lawrence household in Deerfield Township, Fulton County:
Amos Lawrence, 50, farmer, b. Massachusetts, father b. Massachusetts, mother b. New Hampshire;
Nancy Lawrence, 53, wife, b. Alabama; father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
Minnie Lawrence, 8, daughter, b. Illinois, father b. Massachusetts, mother b. Alabama;
Jacob Shields, 76, father-in-law, b. Tennessee, father b. South Carolina, mother b. Virginia;
Ruth Shields, 67, mother-in-law, b. Pennsylvania, father b. Pennsylvania, mother b. Pennsylvania.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of James M. Shields household in Buckhart Township, Fulton County:
James M. Shields, 23, farm laborer, b. Alabama, father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
Mary J. Shields, 19, wife, b. Illinois, father b. England, mother b. Virginia;
Edith A. Shields, 1, daughter, b. Illinois, father b. Alabama, mother b. Illinois.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of Joseph Shields household in Canton Township, Fulton County:
Joseph Shields, 27, farmer, b. Alabama, father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
wife;
Frank Shields, 1, son.Bureau of Land Management Records indicate Jacob Shields, through patents issued 5 August 1837 and 10 September 1838, acquired some 80 acres described as W SW 14-5S-5E in Jackson County, Alabama. This land is south of Scottsboro and, today, is on Highway 79, near its junction with Highway 279. The land is on the Marshall-Jackson county line.
Jackson County, Alabama records, quoted in "Valley Leaves," show Jesse Shields' family listed three times for receipt of food for destitute and indigent families of Alabama Confederate volunteer soldiers. On one of these occasions (1862), they shared in distribution of 50 sacks of salt. On one occasion, Jesse had a father and five minor brothers and sisters, The 1861 entry shows father, mother and six children. Entry for 1862 shows "Father, moth & ch," but only shows two residents of household.
Jackson County probate records 1856-57, p. 116 show that 13 December 1856 Jacob Shields bought two bee stands from estate of John Guinn.
Jacob Shields acquired in Jackson County NW SW 5S 5E 87.75 acres 8 October 1835 and SW SW 5S 5E, also 87.75 acres, 21 September 1836.
"Valley Leaves" (Vol. 3, pp. 81-82) shows that 14 July 1871 John Shields, 96, of Madison County, Alabama applied for pension as veteran of War of 1812. Said he married Betsy Curtis near Nashville, Tennessee 15 August 1796. Enlisted in Capt. John B. Long's Company of Colonel Thomas H. Benton's Regiment 10 March 1813 and was discharged as a private at Fort Hawkins, Georgia in March 1815. Said he fought in several battles, including New Orleans. (Captain Long's company records show Shields served 7 October 1813 to 6 October 1814.) On 22 June 1878, Elizabeth Shields, 80, resident of Madison County Poor House, applied for widow's pension. Said she married John Shields near Nashville in 1814 and that they moved to Madison County in the same year. Her maiden name was Elizabeth Curtis. Says John Shields died at Madison County Poor House 14 November 1872. In a statement apparently signed some time after 22 June 1878, Elizabeth said she was 85 or 86. Repeats that John died 14 November 1872. Said she was married in a house of worship by a minister named, as she recalled, Whiteside. Elizabeth's name is on 1883 pension list. The 1850 census of Dallas County lists John Shields, 65, b. Tennessee; Elizabeth, 55, b. North Carolina; Monica, 20, b. Alabama, and Sarah, 19, b. Alabama. (I have no idea who these people are and entered this information here only for safekeeping.}
Acklen's "Bible Records and Marriage Bonds" shows a John Shields married a Hannah Evans 10 July 1797 in Knox County, Tennessee.
From Fulton County Ledger, 6 October 1887: Died: . . . At Breed, October 3, 1887, of old age, Mr. Jacob Shields, aged 85 years. Mr. Shields was for a long time a resident of Fulton County and for several years lived in Canton. Father of Robert Shields of this city.
Murphy-Sedgewick Memorial Home, Canton Illinois, Vol. 1 (19 July 1885 to 31 December 1917) shows Jacob Shields d. 3 October 1887 at age 85; buried 4 October 1887 at Orendorff Cemetery. Residence was at Breeds, Illinois. Service was charged to Robert Shields.
Jackson County, Alabama marriage records prior to 1851 were destroyed by fire. It is doubtful there would be a marriage license for Jacob and the Cherokee anyway because clerks in that area at that time usually would not issue a license for a mixed marriage, and the couples would establish a common-law relationship and start living together.
Marriage Notes for Jacob Edwards Shields and Nancy SMITH-86752
Line in Record @F0037@ (MRIN 30188) from GEDCOM file not recognized:
Susan Edwards Shields died when Jacob was a small boy, and he went to live with his sisters Jane and Phoebe in Belmont, Alabama.
Jacob Edwards Shields married at least six times, and I am inclined to believe that he probably had another wife or two prior to the six that we have identified. He had 21 children, and we have not been able to identify all of them.
One of his wives (the mother of Mary Ann and Sarah and perhaps of other children) was a Cherokee. We do not know if it is one of the six identified so far or if it was an earlier wife. He married Margaret Shields and Ruth after he went to Fulton County, Illinois, so it was neither of them. Nancy Yates and Melita Rhodes came along too late to be the mother of Mary Ann and Sarah, so it was neither of them. That leaves McClatchey and Elizabeth as the only possibilities--if indeed it was one of these six. I think perhaps there were earlier wives and that one of them was the Cherokee.
The only child we can link for certain with a mother is Robert. Funeral home records show his mother was Melita Rhodes. I have assigned other children to mothers by comparing their birthdate with the approximate date that wife would have been in the household. Elizabeth is listed in the 1850 census, but Robert was born in May 1852, and Melita Rhodes is his mother. Nancy Yates is in the 1860 census. Jacob married Margaret Shields and Ruth in Illinois, and we are not aware of any of Jacob's children born by them.
A genealogy filed with the LDS Library shows that Jacob Edwards Shields married Nancy Yates about 1825 and Unknown McClatchey about 1829, both marriages occurring in Sevier County, Tennessee. This marriage date for Nancy Yates is impossible. She is listed in the 1860 census, at which time she was 33 years old. I do not know about the date of the McClatchey marriage. I really doubt that either of them occurred in Sevier County.
In March 1865, a license was issued for Jacob to marry Mrs. Margaret Shields. Records of the C. D. Taylor Funeral Home at Cuba, Illinois show that a William Shields died 19 January 1931 at Cuba at the age of 70 years 5 months and 25 days. It shows that William Shields was born in England, as were both his parents. His father was named William and his mother Margaret. It is quite possible that this is the Mrs. Margaret Shields Jacob married
1830 Census for Jackson County, Alabama shows a Jacob Shields.
1840 Census for Jackson County, Alabama lists in Jacob Shields household:
three males 5-10 years old, (This would be Jonathan, William and ?)
one male 30-40, (This would be Jacob)
two females under 5, (This would be Sally and Susan)
one female 5-10, (This would be Mary)
two females 10-15, (This would be Elizabeth and Nancy)
one female 20-30; (This would be Jacob's wife)
total of 10 household members, two employed in agriculture.1850 Census for Jackson County, Alabama lists:
Jacob Shields, 47, male, farmer, birthplace unknown;
Elizabeth Shields, 37, female, birthplace unknown;
Jonathan Shields, 21, male, farmer, b. Alabama;
Elizabeth Shields, 19, female, b. Alabama;
William Shields, 17, male, farmer, b. Alabama;
Mary Shields, 15, female, b. Alabama;
Sally Shields, 13, female; b. Alabama;
Susan Shields, 11, female, b. Alabama;
Susanah (?) Shields, 9, female, b. Alabama;
Jesse (?) Shields, 7, male, b. Alabama;
Feby Shields, 5, female, b. Alabama; (Originally, I read this name as Felix, but later study has convinced me it is Feby. The child is female, making Felix an unlikely name. One of the sisters who reared Jacob was named Phoebe.)
Matilda Shields, 3, female, b. Alabama;
Jacob Shields, 3 months, male, b. Alabama;
Alexander Reynols (sic), 18, male, laborer, b. Alabama.1860 Census for Jackson County, Alabama, shows these residents of Jacob Shields household:
Jacob Shields, 56, male, farmer, b. Tennessee;
Nancy Shields, 33, female, b. Georgia;
Nancy Shields, 30, female, b. Alabama;
David Shields, 19, male, laborer, b. Alabama;
Susan Shields, 17, female, b. Alabama;
Jesse Shields, 15, male, laborer, b. Alabama;
Feby A. Shields, female, b. Alabama;
Matilda (this name appears almost certain to be Meletia) Shields, 12, female, b. Alabama;
Jacob W. Shields, 9, male, b. Alabama;
Robert R. Shields, 8, male, b. Alabama;
Joseph Shields, 6, male, b. Alabama;
Ellen Shields, 4, female, b. Alabama;
James M. Shields, 3, male, b. Alabama;
Louis R. Shields, 1, male, b. Alabama;
Nancy J. Yates, 10, female, b. Alabama;
Elizabeth J. Coffee, 12, female, b. Alabama;
Martha Coffee, 9, female, b. Alabama;
Mary Coffee, 9, female, b. Alabama.Illinois Census for 1870 shows in Banner Township of Fulton County:
Jesse Shields, 26, farm laborer, b. Alabama;
Hannah Shields, 22, keeps house, b. Alabama;
William Shields, 5, b. Illinois;
Fanny Shields, 3, b. Alabama.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of Amos Lawrence household in Deerfield Township, Fulton County:
Amos Lawrence, 50, farmer, b. Massachusetts, father b. Massachusetts, mother b. New Hampshire;
Nancy Lawrence, 53, wife, b. Alabama; father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
Minnie Lawrence, 8, daughter, b. Illinois, father b. Massachusetts, mother b. Alabama;
Jacob Shields, 76, father-in-law, b. Tennessee, father b. South Carolina, mother b. Virginia;
Ruth Shields, 67, mother-in-law, b. Pennsylvania, father b. Pennsylvania, mother b. Pennsylvania.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of James M. Shields household in Buckhart Township, Fulton County:
James M. Shields, 23, farm laborer, b. Alabama, father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
Mary J. Shields, 19, wife, b. Illinois, father b. England, mother b. Virginia;
Edith A. Shields, 1, daughter, b. Illinois, father b. Alabama, mother b. Illinois.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of Joseph Shields household in Canton Township, Fulton County:
Joseph Shields, 27, farmer, b. Alabama, father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
wife;
Frank Shields, 1, son.Bureau of Land Management Records indicate Jacob Shields, through patents issued 5 August 1837 and 10 September 1838, acquired some 80 acres described as W SW 14-5S-5E in Jackson County, Alabama. This land is south of Scottsboro and, today, is on Highway 79, near its junction with Highway 279. The land is on the Marshall-Jackson county line.
Jackson County, Alabama records, quoted in "Valley Leaves," show Jesse Shields' family listed three times for receipt of food for destitute and indigent families of Alabama Confederate volunteer soldiers. On one of these occasions (1862), they shared in distribution of 50 sacks of salt. On one occasion, Jesse had a father and five minor brothers and sisters, The 1861 entry shows father, mother and six children. Entry for 1862 shows "Father, moth & ch," but only shows two residents of household.
Jackson County probate records 1856-57, p. 116 show that 13 December 1856 Jacob Shields bought two bee stands from estate of John Guinn.
Jacob Shields acquired in Jackson County NW SW 5S 5E 87.75 acres 8 October 1835 and SW SW 5S 5E, also 87.75 acres, 21 September 1836.
"Valley Leaves" (Vol. 3, pp. 81-82) shows that 14 July 1871 John Shields, 96, of Madison County, Alabama applied for pension as veteran of War of 1812. Said he married Betsy Curtis near Nashville, Tennessee 15 August 1796. Enlisted in Capt. John B. Long's Company of Colonel Thomas H. Benton's Regiment 10 March 1813 and was discharged as a private at Fort Hawkins, Georgia in March 1815. Said he fought in several battles, including New Orleans. (Captain Long's company records show Shields served 7 October 1813 to 6 October 1814.) On 22 June 1878, Elizabeth Shields, 80, resident of Madison County Poor House, applied for widow's pension. Said she married John Shields near Nashville in 1814 and that they moved to Madison County in the same year. Her maiden name was Elizabeth Curtis. Says John Shields died at Madison County Poor House 14 November 1872. In a statement apparently signed some time after 22 June 1878, Elizabeth said she was 85 or 86. Repeats that John died 14 November 1872. Said she was married in a house of worship by a minister named, as she recalled, Whiteside. Elizabeth's name is on 1883 pension list. The 1850 census of Dallas County lists John Shields, 65, b. Tennessee; Elizabeth, 55, b. North Carolina; Monica, 20, b. Alabama, and Sarah, 19, b. Alabama. (I have no idea who these people are and entered this information here only for safekeeping.}
Acklen's "Bible Records and Marriage Bonds" shows a John Shields married a Hannah Evans 10 July 1797 in Knox County, Tennessee.
From Fulton County Ledger, 6 October 1887: Died: . . . At Breed, October 3, 1887, of old age, Mr. Jacob Shields, aged 85 years. Mr. Shields was for a long time a resident of Fulton County and for several years lived in Canton. Father of Robert Shields of this city.
Murphy-Sedgewick Memorial Home, Canton Illinois, Vol. 1 (19 July 1885 to 31 December 1917) shows Jacob Shields d. 3 October 1887 at age 85; buried 4 October 1887 at Orendorff Cemetery. Residence was at Breeds, Illinois. Service was charged to Robert Shields.
Jackson County, Alabama marriage records prior to 1851 were destroyed by fire. It is doubtful there would be a marriage license for Jacob and the Cherokee anyway because clerks in that area at that time usually would not issue a license for a mixed marriage, and the couples would establish a common-law relationship and start living together.
Marriage Notes for Jacob Edwards Shields and Margaret SHIELDS-86798
Line in Record @F0067@ (MRIN 30189) from GEDCOM file not recognized:
Marriage license shows bride's name as Mrs. Margaret Shields.
Susan Edwards Shields died when Jacob was a small boy, and he went to live with his sisters Jane and Phoebe in Belmont, Alabama.
Jacob Edwards Shields married at least six times, and I am inclined to believe that he probably had another wife or two prior to the six that we have identified. He had 21 children, and we have not been able to identify all of them.
One of his wives (the mother of Mary Ann and Sarah and perhaps of other children) was a Cherokee. We do not know if it is one of the six identified so far or if it was an earlier wife. He married Margaret Shields and Ruth after he went to Fulton County, Illinois, so it was neither of them. Nancy Yates and Melita Rhodes came along too late to be the mother of Mary Ann and Sarah, so it was neither of them. That leaves McClatchey and Elizabeth as the only possibilities--if indeed it was one of these six. I think perhaps there were earlier wives and that one of them was the Cherokee.
The only child we can link for certain with a mother is Robert. Funeral home records show his mother was Melita Rhodes. I have assigned other children to mothers by comparing their birthdate with the approximate date that wife would have been in the household. Elizabeth is listed in the 1850 census, but Robert was born in May 1852, and Melita Rhodes is his mother. Nancy Yates is in the 1860 census. Jacob married Margaret Shields and Ruth in Illinois, and we are not aware of any of Jacob's children born by them.
A genealogy filed with the LDS Library shows that Jacob Edwards Shields married Nancy Yates about 1825 and Unknown McClatchey about 1829, both marriages occurring in Sevier County, Tennessee. This marriage date for Nancy Yates is impossible. She is listed in the 1860 census, at which time she was 33 years old. I do not know about the date of the McClatchey marriage. I really doubt that either of them occurred in Sevier County.
In March 1865, a license was issued for Jacob to marry Mrs. Margaret Shields. Records of the C. D. Taylor Funeral Home at Cuba, Illinois show that a William Shields died 19 January 1931 at Cuba at the age of 70 years 5 months and 25 days. It shows that William Shields was born in England, as were both his parents. His father was named William and his mother Margaret. It is quite possible that this is the Mrs. Margaret Shields Jacob married
1830 Census for Jackson County, Alabama shows a Jacob Shields.
1840 Census for Jackson County, Alabama lists in Jacob Shields household:
three males 5-10 years old, (This would be Jonathan, William and ?)
one male 30-40, (This would be Jacob)
two females under 5, (This would be Sally and Susan)
one female 5-10, (This would be Mary)
two females 10-15, (This would be Elizabeth and Nancy)
one female 20-30; (This would be Jacob's wife)
total of 10 household members, two employed in agriculture.1850 Census for Jackson County, Alabama lists:
Jacob Shields, 47, male, farmer, birthplace unknown;
Elizabeth Shields, 37, female, birthplace unknown;
Jonathan Shields, 21, male, farmer, b. Alabama;
Elizabeth Shields, 19, female, b. Alabama;
William Shields, 17, male, farmer, b. Alabama;
Mary Shields, 15, female, b. Alabama;
Sally Shields, 13, female; b. Alabama;
Susan Shields, 11, female, b. Alabama;
Susanah (?) Shields, 9, female, b. Alabama;
Jesse (?) Shields, 7, male, b. Alabama;
Feby Shields, 5, female, b. Alabama; (Originally, I read this name as Felix, but later study has convinced me it is Feby. The child is female, making Felix an unlikely name. One of the sisters who reared Jacob was named Phoebe.)
Matilda Shields, 3, female, b. Alabama;
Jacob Shields, 3 months, male, b. Alabama;
Alexander Reynols (sic), 18, male, laborer, b. Alabama.1860 Census for Jackson County, Alabama, shows these residents of Jacob Shields household:
Jacob Shields, 56, male, farmer, b. Tennessee;
Nancy Shields, 33, female, b. Georgia;
Nancy Shields, 30, female, b. Alabama;
David Shields, 19, male, laborer, b. Alabama;
Susan Shields, 17, female, b. Alabama;
Jesse Shields, 15, male, laborer, b. Alabama;
Feby A. Shields, female, b. Alabama;
Matilda (this name appears almost certain to be Meletia) Shields, 12, female, b. Alabama;
Jacob W. Shields, 9, male, b. Alabama;
Robert R. Shields, 8, male, b. Alabama;
Joseph Shields, 6, male, b. Alabama;
Ellen Shields, 4, female, b. Alabama;
James M. Shields, 3, male, b. Alabama;
Louis R. Shields, 1, male, b. Alabama;
Nancy J. Yates, 10, female, b. Alabama;
Elizabeth J. Coffee, 12, female, b. Alabama;
Martha Coffee, 9, female, b. Alabama;
Mary Coffee, 9, female, b. Alabama.Illinois Census for 1870 shows in Banner Township of Fulton County:
Jesse Shields, 26, farm laborer, b. Alabama;
Hannah Shields, 22, keeps house, b. Alabama;
William Shields, 5, b. Illinois;
Fanny Shields, 3, b. Alabama.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of Amos Lawrence household in Deerfield Township, Fulton County:
Amos Lawrence, 50, farmer, b. Massachusetts, father b. Massachusetts, mother b. New Hampshire;
Nancy Lawrence, 53, wife, b. Alabama; father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
Minnie Lawrence, 8, daughter, b. Illinois, father b. Massachusetts, mother b. Alabama;
Jacob Shields, 76, father-in-law, b. Tennessee, father b. South Carolina, mother b. Virginia;
Ruth Shields, 67, mother-in-law, b. Pennsylvania, father b. Pennsylvania, mother b. Pennsylvania.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of James M. Shields household in Buckhart Township, Fulton County:
James M. Shields, 23, farm laborer, b. Alabama, father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
Mary J. Shields, 19, wife, b. Illinois, father b. England, mother b. Virginia;
Edith A. Shields, 1, daughter, b. Illinois, father b. Alabama, mother b. Illinois.Illinois census for 1880 shows following residents of Joseph Shields household in Canton Township, Fulton County:
Joseph Shields, 27, farmer, b. Alabama, father b. Tennessee, mother b. Alabama;
wife;
Frank Shields, 1, son.Bureau of Land Management Records indicate Jacob Shields, through patents issued 5 August 1837 and 10 September 1838, acquired some 80 acres described as W SW 14-5S-5E in Jackson County, Alabama. This land is south of Scottsboro and, today, is on Highway 79, near its junction with Highway 279. The land is on the Marshall-Jackson county line.
Jackson County, Alabama records, quoted in "Valley Leaves," show Jesse Shields' family listed three times for receipt of food for destitute and indigent families of Alabama Confederate volunteer soldiers. On one of these occasions (1862), they shared in distribution of 50 sacks of salt. On one occasion, Jesse had a father and five minor brothers and sisters, The 1861 entry shows father, mother and six children. Entry for 1862 shows "Father, moth & ch," but only shows two residents of household.
Jackson County probate records 1856-57, p. 116 show that 13 December 1856 Jacob Shields bought two bee stands from estate of John Guinn.
Jacob Shields acquired in Jackson County NW SW 5S 5E 87.75 acres 8 October 1835 and SW SW 5S 5E, also 87.75 acres, 21 September 1836.
"Valley Leaves" (Vol. 3, pp. 81-82) shows that 14 July 1871 John Shields, 96, of Madison County, Alabama applied for pension as veteran of War of 1812. Said he married Betsy Curtis near Nashville, Tennessee 15 August 1796. Enlisted in Capt. John B. Long's Company of Colonel Thomas H. Benton's Regiment 10 March 1813 and was discharged as a private at Fort Hawkins, Georgia in March 1815. Said he fought in several battles, including New Orleans. (Captain Long's company records show Shields served 7 October 1813 to 6 October 1814.) On 22 June 1878, Elizabeth Shields, 80, resident of Madison County Poor House, applied for widow's pension. Said she married John Shields near Nashville in 1814 and that they moved to Madison County in the same year. Her maiden name was Elizabeth Curtis. Says John Shields died at Madison County Poor House 14 November 1872. In a statement apparently signed some time after 22 June 1878, Elizabeth said she was 85 or 86. Repeats that John died 14 November 1872. Said she was married in a house of worship by a minister named, as she recalled, Whiteside. Elizabeth's name is on 1883 pension list. The 1850 census of Dallas County lists John Shields, 65, b. Tennessee; Elizabeth, 55, b. North Carolina; Monica, 20, b. Alabama, and Sarah, 19, b. Alabama. (I have no idea who these people are and entered this information here only for safekeeping.}
Acklen's "Bible Records and Marriage Bonds" shows a John Shields married a Hannah Evans 10 July 1797 in Knox County, Tennessee.
From Fulton County Ledger, 6 October 1887: Died: . . . At Breed, October 3, 1887, of old age, Mr. Jacob Shields, aged 85 years. Mr. Shields was for a long time a resident of Fulton County and for several years lived in Canton. Father of Robert Shields of this city.
Murphy-Sedgewick Memorial Home, Canton Illinois, Vol. 1 (19 July 1885 to 31 December 1917) shows Jacob Shields d. 3 October 1887 at age 85; buried 4 October 1887 at Orendorff Cemetery. Residence was at Breeds, Illinois. Service was charged to Robert Shields.
Jackson County, Alabama marriage records prior to 1851 were destroyed by fire. It is doubtful there would be a marriage license for Jacob and the Cherokee anyway because clerks in that area at that time usually would not issue a license for a mixed marriage, and the couples would establish a common-law relationship and start living together.
Marriage Notes for Jacob Edwards Shields and Ruth CARR-86753
Line in Record @F0041@ (MRIN 30190) from GEDCOM file not recognized:
"Biographical & Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas," Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1890, p. 264:
George W. Faulkner is at present postmaster at Bates in Clay Township and has at different periods of his life given his attention to agriculture, politics, teaching and mercantile business, meeting always with marked success. A Royal Arch Mason, an ardent Democrat and a justice of the peace, he is a prominent man in the district where he resides. Born in Whitley, Kentucky October 12, 1830, he passed his youth in Alabama, where his parents moved in about 1832, and continued to live until 1869. In that year, the family moved to Howard County, Arkansas. His father, Hiram J. Faulkner, and his mother, Miss Lavina Still, were both of Kentucky, being married about 1828 and having 10 children. Of these, George W., Daniel P., Thomas P., Susan, William and Franklin are now living. Mr. Faulkner married Miss Sarah M. Shields of Jackson County, Ala. on September 21, 1856, and they have four children, Moses, Josephine, Cicero and Theodore. In 1867, he married Miss Eliza Killian, daughter of Daniel Killian of Alabama. They have no children. Mr. Faulkner enlisted in 1862 in the Fourth Alabama Battalion. In 1863, the Fourth and Sixth Battalions were consolidated, making the Fifty-sixth Alabama Regiment. The subject of our sketch started as orderly sergeant, was later made first lieutenant of his company and again brigade inspector. He was in the Battles of Baton Rouge, Baker's Creek, Jackson, Franklin, Nashville and Kingston and surrendered at Goldsborough, N. C. in 1865.
1870 census of Sulphur Springs Township of Polk County, Arkansas shows in the George W. Faulkner household: George W., 37, farmer, b. Kentucky; Eliza, 34, b. Tennessee; Moses, 15, b. Alabama; Cissero [sic], 12, b. Alabama; Theodore, 12, b. Alabama; and Sarah Jackson, 13, b. Arkansas.
On 17 September 1853, George W. Faulkner and Jacob Shields signed a bond for the marriage of George W. Faulkner and Sarah M. Shields.
We are assuming Sarah is the Sallie listed in the 1850 census. Sarah does not appear in 1850 and neither Sarah nor Sallie is listed in 1860. Sarah and George W. Faulkner married in 1837.
Marriage Notes for George Washington Faulkner and Sarah M. SHIELDS-86745
Line in Record @F0035@ (MRIN 30193) from GEDCOM file not recognized:
Grave marker has his name as Mose J. Faulkner.