Perry County PA Archives Biographies.....SHATTO, William November 17, 1815 - May 17, 1891 ************************************************ 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: Barry Michie michie@flinthills.com June 10, 2006, 10:51 am Author: Chapman Bros., 1890 Vanity Biography >From vanity volume "Portrait and Biographical Album of Washington, Clay and Riley Counties, Kansas" Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1890, pps. 627-629 " William Shatto, one of the most honored pioneers of Washington County, settled in Linn Township at a very early date, and when few white men had ventured into this region. He took up a tract of land and for a few years labored early and late in its cultivation and improvement and practised the most rigid economy in order to make both ends meet. He erected buildings, planted fruit and shade trees, and gradually gathered around himself and family all the comforts of life. Now sitting under his own vine and fig tree, he can look over the past with a measure of satisfaction, feeling that he has not lived in vain. He has watched the growth and development of Northwest Kansas, with that warm interest only felt by her adopted sons, having contributed his full quota to the prosperity and well-being of the commonwealth which struggled up through many difficulties to its present position. A native of Perry County, Pa., our subject was born Nov. 17, 1814, and is the son of David Shatto, a native of York County, that State, and who died in 1843. The paternal grandfather was Nicholas Shatto, who was born in France, and was the son of a French Hugenot. Grandfather Shatto crossed the ocean with his father when a lad of six years and later served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, being one of the body-guard of Gen. Washington from the beginning to the end of that great struggle. After the independence of the colonies had been established, he settled in Perry County, Pa., where he spent the remainder of his life, dying at the advanced age of ninety-six years. He married a lady who was of Swiss and Holland-Dutch extraction, and she also is supposed to have spent her last days in the Keystone State, dying at the age of ninety-four years. David Shatto, the father of our subject, was a wood-mechanic, and farmer combined -- in fact, followed various vocations, being possessed of uncommon genius and able to turn his hand to almost anything in his line. When establishing a home of his own, he was married to Miss Julia Ann Gardner, and was the daughter of William Gardner, whose family consisted of twelve daughters and two sons. To David and Julia Ann Shatto were born eight children, five sons and three daughters, four of whom are living: William, of this sketch, was the eldest of the family, and the other survivors are: John, Rebecca, (Mrs. Clem) and Sarah (Mrs. Howell). David, deceased, was a resident of Davis County, Mo. John is a traveling dentist, operating in Pennsylvania. Rebecca and Sarah live in the vicinity of Green Springs, Ohio. The subject of this notice spent his boyhood and youth at the old homestead in his native county and there also became the head of a household of his own. He was married March 1, 1838, to Miss Rebecca Boyd, daughter of Thomas Boyd, who is now deceased. Mrs. Shatto is likewise a native of Perry County, Pa., and was born Oct. 2, 1818. Her union with our subject resulted in the birth of ten children, seven of whom are living: Jeremiah J. married Miss Josephine Daugherty; they live in Emmett County, Mich., and have five children - Jay, May, Sylvia, Alonzo and Emma. Margaret E. is the wife of Abraham Hanselman of Kimeo Township, Kan., and they have four children - Junia, Mary, George and William Garfield. Isaac N. married Miss Rachael Kelley; they live in Sherman Township and have seven children - David L., Hollis, Easton, Louverne, Uba J., Lois and Freby. Harriet S. is the wife of John Morgan of Northwest Township, Williams Co., Ohio; their only child is deceased. William L. married Miss Jane Patterson, and lives in Tustin, Los Angeles Co., Cal; they have two children - Edith M. and Ethel R. Emma A. is the wife of Zibeon Field of Santa Clara, Cal., and they have four children - Clara, Gertrude, Alma and Bernice. Harvey L. married Miss Sarah Boyer; they have two children - Jennie and Florence and live at the home farm. Mr. Shatto, in 1850, left Pennsylvania and removed to Crawford County, Ohio, where he sojourned until 1854. That year he pushed on further westward into Steuben County, Ind., and from there in 1870 crossed the Mississippi and took up his abode in Davis Co., Mo. He only staid there until the fall of 1871, coming thence to Kansas and settling on his present farm of 160 acres. Upon this there were no improvements, with the exception of a small shanty, no fences, and not a tree upon the place. The original claimant had broken fourteen and one-half acres, then left discouraged, for parts unknown. Mr. Shatto, however, had come to stay and was prepared for every emergency. He experienced the usual hardships and privations of pioneer life, but in due time met with his reward. While a resident of Indiana, Mr. Shatto cleared 260 acres of land, much of which was covered with heavy timber - this work being done for other people. He had full experience of the labor of hewing, timber, rolling logs, grubbing out the stumps, pulling dogwood, and worked so hard during the day and read so much at night that he came very near losing the use of his eyes. He partially recovered his sight through treatment at Dr. Ebert's Infirmary, at Cleveland, Ohio. The family lived in Indiana during the progress of the Civil War, and the two sons, Jeremiah and Newton, served four and two years respectively, in the Union army. Both of them participated in many hard fought battles but came out without a scratch. The company of which Jeremiah was a member went into the battle of Shiloh, eighty-six strong and came out with but eighteen men left. Newton was at Franklin and Nashville, Tenn., also at Lookout Mountain and in other minor engagements. Politically, Mr. Shatto uniformly supports the principles of the Republican party. He voted for William Henry Harrison in 1840, and with equal enthusiasm for his grandson Benjamin Harrison in 1888. He is a member of the Washington County Association, composed of men who voted for the two Harrisons, nearly fifty in number in this county alone. The old veterans a short time since were photographed by a local artist, forming an interesting group. Mr. Shatto has never pined for the responsibilities of office, but keeps himself well- posted upon matters of general interest. He finds his religious home in the Methodist Episcopal Church, to which all his family belong, except the two children in California who are Adventists." This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/pafiles/ File size: 7.1 Kb