Carroll County IN Archives Biographies.....Shirar, George W. 1825 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 26, 2006, 4:51 am

Author: John C. Odell (1916)

GEORGE W. SHIRAR.

   The greatness of a community or state depends not so much on the machinery of
government or institutions, as upon the sterling qualities of individual
citizens and their capacity for unselfish efforts and devotion to good work. The
venerable George W. Shirar who reached the ripe old age of ninety years on
October 15, 1915, and who may be regarded as one of the pioneers of Carroll
county, Indiana, during his long life has stood steadfastly for the right and
has remained an invincible foe of the wrong. He is now a retired farmer living
on route No. 2 out of Bringhurst, Indiana, and now owns a farm of fifty-four
acres in Burlington township.

   Mr. Shirar was born in Adams township, Muskingum county, Ohio, on October 15,
1825, and is the son of David and Lydia (Gormer) Shirar, both of whom are
natives of the Keystone state. David Shirar came to Ohio when a lad of twelve
years and after his marriage in the Buckeye state emigrated on November 19,
1846, to Carroll county, where he spent the rest of his life. Nine children were
born to David and Lydia (Gormer) Shirar, of whom Levi married Salind Albaugh;
Thomas married Sarah Plank; Elizabeth married Israel Plank; George W. is the
subject of this sketch; Peter married Sarah Lowman; Mary J. married John Q.
Cline, and they live in Carroll county; Charles married Lucinda Barnard; Lewis
gave up his life in defense of his country during the Civil War; Rebecca A.
married Eli Shaffer.

   Twenty years old when he emigrated to Carroll county on October 15, 1845,
George W. Shirar lived in Carroll county until the next spring, when he returned
to Ohio to assist his father on the farm. After his father had held the sale,
the household goods were loaded on a wagon and the trip overland from Ohio to
Indiana was made by wagon. The family arrived in Carroll county on November 19,
1846, when George W. Shirar was twenty-one years old. He remained at home with
his father, having taken a contract to drain the land at forty-five cents per
rod, subsequently cultivating the home place, until the spring of 1847, after
which for some time he worked for a neighboring farmer. Later, he bought forty
acres of land and cleared and improved it.

   On March 21, 1850, George W. Shirar was married to Susanna Craig, a native of
the Old Dominion state, born on September 4, 1829, who at the age of ten years
came with her parents to Carroll county, where she grew up to womanhood. Some
time after his marriage, Mr. Shirar traded his forty acres of land for eighty
acres which .his father had owned. He now has fifty-four acres.

   Mr. and Mrs. George W. Shirar have had ten children, six of whom are now
living, as follow: George F., Lydia, Israel, Mary J., Charles A., and Eli S. All
of the children have been married. George W. is a well-known farmer.

   Mr. Shirar has been a member of the Lutheran church all his life, having
joined the church in Ohio. In 1848 he transferred his membership to Camden,
Indiana, and has been active in church work and has been a liberal supporter of
religious enterprises all his life. He has served as an elder in the church and
is today one of its oldest members. His wife also became a member of the same
church on February 23, 1852, under Rev. McReynolds. Formerly he was a member of
the Grange. Mr. Shirar voted for Abraham Lincoln in 1860, and has voted the
Republican ticket ever since. He is devotedly attached to the party of Lincoln
and to its platforms and candidates.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Biographical Section of
HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY INDIANA

ITS PEOPLE, INDUSTRIES AND INSTITUTIONS
BY
JOHN C ODELL
With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and
Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families

ILLUSTRATED
1916
B. F. BOWEN & COMPANY, Inc.
Indianapolis, Indiana

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