In the 1850 census of Jackson County, Alabama, James, Nancy and Jane Coffey live in Household 251. In Household 252 are William W. Coffey, 21, Ann, 18, and Elizabeth, 2, all born in Alabama. In Household 254 are Absalom Coffey, 44, and his wife Jane, 45, both born in Kentucky. Living with them are children Nancy, 18; Hiram, 17; Sarah, 15; Martisha (?), 12; Eliza, 12; Rutherford, 11; Elizabeth, 10; Jesse, 8; Jacob, 6; John, 5; Absalom, 5, and Jerry (?), 2. All of these households are served by the Coffey Town post office, and there are other Coffey families in the area. Because of proximity and ages, it is likely that James and William are brothers and that Absalom and Jane are their parents.
By the time of the 1860 census, James has disappeared from the scene, and Nancy and the three Coffey children are living in the Jacob Edwards Shields household.
Marriage Notes for James R. Coffey and Nancy A. SHIELDS-86719
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1880 census for Deerfield Township. of Fulton County, Illinois shows in Amos Lawrence household:
Amos Lawrence, 50, farmer, b. Massachusetts; father b. Mass.; mother b. New Hampshire.
Nancy Lawrence, 53, wife, b. Alabama; father b. Tennessee; mother b. Alabama.
Minnie Lawrence, 8, daughter, b. Illinois; father b. Mass.; mother b. Ala.
Jacob Shields, 76, father-in-law, b. Tennessee; father, b. South Carolina; mother b. Virginia.
Ruth Shields, 67, mother-in-law, b. Pennsylvania; parents b. Pa.Amos and Nancy Shields Lawrence are buried in Lot 379, Division A of Greenwood Cemetery at Canton IL.
Amos is shown as a member of Company C, 103d Illinois Infantry . Fulton County History shows Amos enlisted 11 August 1862 and was discharged 21 June 1865.
Marriage Notes for Amos B. Lawrence and Nancy A. SHIELDS-86719
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Marriage Notes for Jonathon Shields and Frances A. ARMBRISTER-89746
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Marriage Notes for Alfred Weaver and Martha Jane SHIELDS-87607
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Marriage Notes for Edward D. Williams and Susan Edwards SHIELDS-86724
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Jesse Harvey Shields' tombstone shows that he was a member of Company A of the 42d Tennessee Infantry (Confederate).
At the time of Joseph Steven Shields' death (13 February 1905), Jesse Shields was living at Keith, Georgia.
Sherman D. Gibbs gives this name as Hannah Frances Logan. Her marriage license showed the name as Frances H. Logan. Her tombstone shows her name as Hannah Frances Logan Shields. Mrs. Emily Ann Compton of Chattanooga, Tennessee reports that Hannah Francis Logan, who was deaf, did not hear a train and was killed at a railroad crossing while en route to visit her daughter Jean.
Marriage Notes for Jesse Harvey Shields and Hannah Frances LOGAN-86742
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Funeral home records indicate he was the last of 21 children.
Murphy-Sedgwick Memorial Home Records Vol. 5 1-Jan 1963-31 Dec 1973 shows Robert was survived by Carl E. Rhodes of Greenwich, Mrs. Carl Ralstin of Peoria, Illinois and Fred Shields of California. This entry says that Robert's father was Jacob Shields and his mother Melita Rhodes. His middle name is likely Rhodes.
Gives Robert's address as 114 Allen Avenue, Galesburg, Illinois.
Marriage Notes for Robert Rhoads Shields and Sarah LEIGH-86867
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Rose Shields Painter shows Joseph's birthdate as 10 March 1854. She says the family moved to Canton, Illinois when Joseph was 10 years old.
A newspaper clipping of Joseph Steven Shields' death indicates his surviving siblings were Mrs. Nancy Lawrence of Canton, Illinois, Mrs. Jane Shoner of Cuba, Illinois, Mrs. Ella (this is the child listed as Ellen in census reports; a marriage license was issued in 1877 for Ellen Shields to marry Thomas C. Whiteley) Whitely of Canton, Robert Shields of Canton, Mrs. Ed Williams (uncertain who this is) of Canton, James Shields of Canton, Jesse Shields of Keith, Georgia and Mrs. Mary Faulkner of Centre Point, Arkansas.
A newspaper obituary says Joseph S. Shields died at his home as a result of "grinder's consumption." He was tax collector of Canton Township, Illinois at the time of his death. The obituary says, "Mr. Shields was born March 16, 1854 near Scottsboro, Alabama and 10 years later he came to Illinois. The family settled on a farm west of Canton. Since that time, he had resided in or near Canton. As soon as he was of sufficient age, he engaged in mining and later was employed in the plow shops in this city."
In addition to the graves of Joseph Steven Shields and Sarah Clara Singleton, there are two unmarked graves in the Shields p;lot at Greenwood Cemetery.
A newspaper obituary on Joseph S. Shields, who died 13 February 1905, shows that his wife died about six years earlier.
The 1900 census of Fulton County shows occupants of the Joseph Shields household as Joseph, b. March 1854, married 23 years, he and both parents born in Alabama, his occupation coal miner, Clara, b. 18 November 1857, age 42, married 23 years. bore three children, two living, Frank b. December 1876, 21, day laborer,a nd Louise M. May, 15, attending school.
Marriage Notes for Joseph Steven Shields and Sarah Clara SINGLETON-93749
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A newspaper obituary on Clara Shields shows that Jessie died about a year before her mother.
Ellen Shields lived at Canton, Illinois at the time of the death of her brother Joseph S. Shields.
Marriage Notes for Thomas C. Whiteley and Ellen SHIELDS-86732
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James Shields lived at Canton, Illinois at the time of the death of his brother, Joseph Steven Shields, who died 13 February 1905.
Marriage Notes for James Monroe Shields and Mary Jane COOKE-86739
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