Cumberland County PA Archives Biographies.....Shields, John April 21, 1779 - September 10, 1860 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Larry Shields the_shields@comcast.net December 1, 2022, 10:33 pm Author: Larry Shields As documented in John Shields’ personal family Bible, he was born in Pennsylvania on April 21, 1779. Census records reveal that both of his parents were also born in Pennsylvania, however we have not been able to determine their names and consequentially where they were born. A history of the Shields Family in America records the very first Shields settler’s to be of Scots-Irish descent, generally emigrating from the northern England, southern Scotland and Northern Ireland area. We believe from all of our research that John was probably born in Central Pennsylvania in Dauphin, Cumberland or Franklin County and this area was predominately Scots-Irish and German. Census, bible, and church records through 1830 reflect that most of his life was spent in the North Middleton Township area of Cumberland County. The township borders the town of Carlisle on the south and Cumberland’s boundary with Perry County on the north. After 1830 they moved to Southampton Township between Shippensburg and Chambersburg. John Shields married Mary Margaret Honecker, his first wife, on May 17, 1803. They had 5 daughters and 3 sons together: George, Susannah, Mary, Eleanor, Elizabeth, John Jr., William, and Barbara. Mary and Eleanor both died around 18 months of age and their son William in 1828 at 13 years of age. After 15 years of marriage Mary died on November 17, 1818. The following obituary appeared in the November 19,1818 edition of the Carlisle American Volunteer. “Died Saturday November 17 at 1:00 AM after a severe sickness of 4 weeks duration, Mrs. Mary M. Shields, wife of Mr. John Shields of North Middleton Township, in her 36th year of age, leaving her husband and 6 children” John Shields then married Elizabeth Spiese on March 16, 1820. Mary was the daughter of John and Ema Spiese of Newtown. The following marriage announcement appeared in the Carlisle American Volunteer on March 23, 1820. “Married on March 16 by Rev. Benjamin Keller, Mr. John Shields to Miss Elizabeth Spiese, both of North Middleton Township” John and Elizabeth had 4 daughters and 2 sons together: Mary Margaret, Isabella, Rebecca Ann, Eleanor, Benjamin and our descendant William Rankin Shields, who was born on Sep 4, 1830. It’s assumed that he was named after his older brother William from John’s first marriage that died two years prior in 1828. Additional research done for Norman Shields by a professional genealogist at the Cumberland County Historical Society-Hamilton Library found Baptismal records from the First Lutheran Church in Carlisle for children born to both Mary and Elizabeth and a record of John and Elizabeth’s marriage in 1820. William born January 15, 1815, baptized August 19, 1815. (Died 1828) Barbara born April 21, 1817, baptized July 5, 1817 Marie (Mary) Margaret born January 26, 1821, baptized February 16, 1821. Isabella born March 6, 1822, baptized April 1, 1822. Ellen E. (Eleanor) born March 14, 1825, baptized April 15, 1825. From the 1810 Census Record we know that John and Mary lived in Middleton Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. This township split into North Middleton and South Middleton townships later in 1810. The 1820 census revealed that John, Elizabeth and 6 children resided in the North Middleton Township section. The 1830 Census reflects that John, Elizabeth and family were no longer living in Cumberland County but appeared on the 1830 Franklin County census in Southampton Township, the area southwest of present-day Shippensburg. A handwritten document within John’s bible dated March 6, 1839, was authored by John N. Hoffman, the Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chambersburg. The document identified John and Elizabeth as members in good standing in the church. We believe that this document was the precursor to the family’s move to Allegheny County and would serve as their future introduction to the Western Pennsylvania church community. Chambersburg was one of the most flourishing inland towns in the state around 1840. Their travel westward would have been via the Harrisburg and Pittsburgh turnpike, a stone constructed road that passed through the town. The 1840 Census revealed that the family had relocated to Findley Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. North Fayette Township was carved out of Findley Township in 1846 and the 1850 and 1860 census’ has them residing at Shireland Post Office in North Fayette Township. This area is east of present- day Imperial and Noblestown, both of which are in the general vicinity south of the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport. The 1850 and 1860 Census’ shows that our William Rankin and his brother Benjamin lived at home with John and Rebecca. It reflected that John was blind, his occupation was that as a Weaver and his real and personal property value was $250.00 and $50.00 respectively. Both William and Benjamin were listed as Day Laborer’s. The census also showed a 16-year-old Elizabeth Shields and William and George M. Dunlevy, ages 12 and 9, also residing with them. From information recently gleaned online from the Charles Edwin Dunlevy family tree, it appears Elizabeth may be the daughter of William’s sister Elizabeth who became the wife of a George Dunlevy. Elizabeth and the two Dunlevy children would be the grandchildren of John and Rebecca. No information has been found as to the marriage of Elizabeth and George, nor of his birth, death, etc. John died on September 10,1860 at 80 years of age and after 40 years of marriage to Elizabeth in what we believe to be North Fayette Township, however we have not been able to uncover cemetery or death records through personal inquiries and web searches. Elizabeth died 5 years after John on September 15,1865 and we assume is interred beside John somewhere in North Fayette County. US Pension records reflect that Elizabeth received a pension of $30.00 annually as of February 3,1853 for John’s service as a Private. Based on his age we speculate it was for his service in the War of 1812 when he would have been 33 years of age. Census records of 1860 and 1870 place John’s first son George and his family residing in Gettysburg, Adams County, Pennsylvania. That would indicate that George’s family lived in the area during the Battle of Gettysburg. Additional Comments: https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui- viewer/collection/1030/tree/12752902/person/-190005982/media/e7b095a0-4eab-43e2- 9ed2-abc6ed1bc848?_phsrc=RqN444&usePUBJs=true&galleryindex=1&sort=-created File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/cumberland/bios/shields769gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/pafiles/ File size: 7.1 Kb