MISC INFORMATION FOR JAMES SHIRLEY BRANCH 8

I suppose you will be a little astonished at receiving a letter from me it is most likely that you do not no that there is such a being in existince as I am.

I am the youngest son of Caleb Shirley your father's brother. I have often heard him speak of you. He thought a great deal of you so he named me James and has often told me that he wished that I would only make a good a man as you. So I thought I would write to you once for I would like to hear from some of my relation back there in Indiana and have been thinking some of coming out there on a visit and spend a few months with you. I met a man by the name of Evans that said that he was well acquainted with you and he told me that you was living in a town called Brownsburg.

I will tell you something about the relation. Sister Malinda died March the 30, 1873, sister Jane and her family are living in Oregon, and Daniel and Henry and Marion and Luke and Davey are living in this county and are all in good health. They are all farmers. For my part I don't like farming very well. I am clerking in Dry Goods and Clothing Store in this town.

The people in this county had the finest crops this year that ever was known. The average corn crop was 65 bushels to the acre. I expect that will look large to you but it is so. Corn is worth twenty cents a bushel and sells at that price.

Cousin, my brothers and sisters are all married and I am single with but little prospect of its being any other way.

(letter sent by Walt and Marion Shirley and appeared in the July 1981 Shirley NEWS on page 4).

I am Related to Shirley Line No. 8. My great great great grandfather was Caleb Shirley. His son Francis Marion was my great great grandfather;his son Caleb was my great grandfather.

On Sun, 7 Apr 2002 13:03:51 -0500 Pam Kudla <pjkudla@juno.com> writes:

Here's a problem for great minds......

I was surname searching thru the VA GenWeb last nite for some of my other Virginia families & happend to type in "McMekin" for a surname search. I came back with two hits, both in Fauquier County VA.

#1 was the will of Moses Johnston, dated 6.16.1803 & proved 7.25.1803, names among 13 kids - Margaret McMekin. (Four of the six of Moses' daughters were listed with married names.)

#2 was the early marriage bonds of Fauquier County, VA, dating between 18 June 1759 & 31 December 1786. What was listed is as follows:

Robert McMekin & Patty Russell, 16 May 1781

James Shirley & Mary McMekin, 9 October 1781

John Hopper & Jane McMekin, 12 February 1782

There were no other Shirley marriages listed in this online document.

I then went to assign a source in FTM for James Shirley & Mary McMekin's marriage & said - what?...

We've all got Ezekiel's birth year as around 1775/1776 (both Ezekiel & Dolly were consistent in giving their ages to the census taker in 1850 (age 74) & 1860 (age 85) [their birthdates are probably in the summer months]). I've seen James' birth as listed in the 1730's on the Shirley Association website. James & Mary's marriage is 1781 - 5 or so years after Ezekiel listed birth. The math isn't right. This would make James age 43-53 at this marriage; 36-46 at Ezekiel's birth & 61-71 at Jesse's birth (using 1739 as a baseline number for James birth).

In the Portrait & Biographical Record of Boone & Clinton County, Indiana, the history of James W. Shirley states "James W. Shirley is descended, paternally, from English ancestry, and traces his ancestry back to his great-great-grandfather, James Shirley, who came to the United States in ante-revolutionalry times, and settled in Virginia, where he reared a family & became a planter of large means... He died in the state of his adoption, and subsequently his son, Ezekiel, great-grandfather of the subject of this skech, with other members of the family emigrated to Scott County, Ky, locating not far from Georgetown......."

I know anything's possible & some of the stuff in those biographical sketches are lofty & glorified, but I think we're either 1) missing another marriage for James, or 2) missing a generation between Ezekiel & James/Mary McMekin, 3) got the wrong James, 4) Ezekiel erred on his birthdate & both the 1850 & 60 census. The Margaret Johnston McMekin looks to be a good lead for Mary's mother.

What do you think?

pam

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Mary and Mattie Jane Shirley

Mattie Jane Shirley (on the right) was born 1868 d. age 21 on the day she was to be married.

Mary Shirley on the left was born in 1818 on the Shirley farm in Kentucky and died there about 1900. She was highly respected and loved by all the family.

The story about the picture is, Mattie Jane wouldn't have her picture taken unless Mary sat with her. Mary wouldn't have her picture taken unless she wore the plumed hat Mattie's mother had given her.

Photo from James Young ______________________________________________________________________________