MISC INFORMATION FOR JOHN SHIRLEY BRANCH #26

About the year 1731, there came three brothers from England; William, John and Peter. William settled in Boston, Peter in also settled in Massachusetts. His descendants became the Shirley "Suspender" kings.

John settled in Pennsylvania, afterwards came to Virginia, where they became large land owners and planters. Someway in PA. we became mixed up with the Dutch and traces of German blood still flows in our veins.

Several generations passed and finally came to my great grandfather who married a Miss Youngblood. That had three children---Peter, John and Mary. Mary married Adam Stinebaude. Peter--I have forgotten.

John Shirley m. Chritiana Youst. Five sons and two daughters were born to my grandparents. Peter, Henry, John, Daniel, Elijah (Aley), Lydia and Bettie. They all married into VA families and settled close to grandfather Shirley.

Grandfather Shirley and his wife came I believe, from the vicinity of York PA. about 1822-26. He bought a large amount of land near Siler VA known as Timber Ridge district about 14 miles south of Berkeley Springs Morgan Co., then Virginia. He died in 1855, leaving a large estate for those days, and along with his wife, who died shortly afterward, are buried in the Shirley cemetery on the homeplace. I think all my aunts and uncles were married by 1845.

A family by the name of Finch lived about ten miles away from grandfather Shirley. The way we children figured it was that grandfather Finch was looking for a wealthy man for his daughter. I do not think my father (Henry) knew of their scheme. One day, John Finch and his daughter, Hester Ann, later to be my fathers wife, called and paid grandfather Shirley a visit. They stayed all night. When they arrived, my father was out hunting. He came home with rabbit hairs all over his clothes. After he had cleaned up, he and my mother (after the old folks had gone to bed), stayed up and had a talk. They called it sparking. He said that as soon as he saw Miss Finch, he knew that he wanted her for his wife.  When they left it was agreed between them that he would call on her in two weeks.

The courtship ran smoothly. My father thought that all was fair in love and war and he was determined to have her at any cost. My grandfather was anxious for the wedding but, as time drew near (it was set for May 1844), he was in New York. You had to be twenty-one years old to get married without the consent of your father. since that was impossible, they decided to go over to PA.

In the evening before the wedding, my father sent three riding horses for my mother, her sister and brother to fetch them to grandfather Shirley's to join the rest of the wedding party for the trip over to Yeridetown, PA where there was no marriage license required.

They left Grandfather Shirley's in the evening; riding horseback. There were eight men and two women. Grandfather Shirley and my mother rode in front, Uncle Jesse and Aunt Nancy Finch came next and the Shirley men and in-laws brought up the rear. The rode all night and upon arrival, went to the hotel to change into their wedding clothes. My mother's gown was white goods made very long with ruffles from the bottom of the skirt up to the neck. The veil was green; draped over her head and it hung down her shoulders and fastened with the comb. My father was dressed in a black suit, low cut with one or two buttons at the bottom, (velvet or plush), along with a Prince Albert coat and a tall stove pipe hat. They sent for the minister and were married at the hotel, then started on the long rip back home to VA.

For the "infair" at Grandfather Shirley's, the guests came from far and near. Two long tables were set up in the dining room. My aunts and grandmother Shirley did the honors. The guests stayed all night, departing the next day. It was considered a very brilliant affair for those days. They had decided before the wedding to make their home with Grandfather Shirley.

My father was what is known today as grandfather's private secretary. After Grandfather Shirley died in 1855, my aunts and uncles divided the large estate among themselves, selling what they did not want. My father, Henry, inherited the homeplace.

Grandfather did very suddenly but, two days before he died he had a gallon bucket filled with silver and gold coins. This was never found, but we children always suspected that he had buried it.

In the year 1859, father was called to help capture John Brown. Father was not at the capture when John Brown was taken at Harpers Ferry but was stationed at Sir John's Run, several miles in distance. (This is very near Berkeley Springs West Virginia).

Rumors of war were being circulated and the South was making great preparations to break away from the Union. Grandfather Shirley, before his death, had set all his slaves free and my mother made my father promise that he would never own a slave or play a violin before she married him.

From 1855 to 1861 they followed their usual vocations. Early in 1861 the South began to call for volunteers.Father went to Winchester Virginia and enlisted in the 89th regiment of the Confederate State Militia. The breast works and trances which he helped to throw up can be viewed today in Winchester. He hired a substitute for two months in  later 1861 so he could come home and look after mother and the children. He sold off all the livestock except my mother's riding horse and one cow which. he kept in the cellar of our home. 

One day he went over to a place about a mile from our house called Phillip Boarden's and the Yankee soldiers took him prisoner to Camp Chase, Sandusky Ohio. His grandson, Gerald, had the distinction of camping on the same site during World War I. I don't know how long he was a prisoner at Camp Chase but he was transferred to Johnson's Island in Lake Erie, near the Canadian border.

Mother sent a man to Sandusky Ohio but, father had already been transferred before he got there. He, being over the age of forty-five, mother thought he would be released. In the meantime, General Stonewall Jackson was camped within a mile of our house with an army of over one thousand men. General Jackson boarded at a neighbor's house--Mr. Squire Unger. Squires in those days were under the impression that they were just about as high as the president, so-- one morning at breakfast Squire Unger asked General Stonewall Jackson, "General, I understand you are soon breaking camp". "yes"   replied the General. "May I inquire where you are going?"  "Can you keep a secret?" asked the General. "Yes" said the Squire. "then so can I" replied Gen. Jackson.

Mother obtained an interview with General Jackson through the Squire. this talk concerned the release of my father and the General told her that General Robert E.Lee was in a better position to help her than he was and he gave her the necessary papers to take her to his headquarters in the Shenandoah Valley. She and father's brother, Aley (Elijah), arrived there and were conducted to General Lee's. Uncle Aley was not allowed to pass the outer sentry. She delivered a sealed document to General  Lee and he asked her name along with other questions pertaining to her family and where she lived. She ate breakfast with General Lee and he promised to do all he could to obtain father's release. My mother often spoke of General Lee with the greatest respect as to his being such a mild, kind southern gentleman. He gave her passes to take them back through the sentry lines to travel the long way back to their home. On arrival home, she settled down to watchful waiting.

She had to go to PA to buy coffee at $1.00 per pound, calico yardage at $1.00 per yard and everything else in proportion.  The south raising nothing, suffered  more than  history has ever told. No crop planted or nothing raised. Soldiers of both armies took whatever they found and the residents were left with nothing. 

Time went by and mother went to visit my grandmother Finch at Fredericktown VA, about ten miles away. During the time father was imprisoned, mother kept a housekeeper and her four children. She took two of them with her and left two with the housekeeper. She and these two children contracted scarlet fever on this trip.  No doctors or medical treatment within miles, the youngest, a boy, died. His father never saw him.

Father traveled by foot, train, and boat to Vicksburg, Mississippi where he was to be exchanged for five northern prisoners. He then traveled to General Jackson's headquarters where he was given an honorable discharge written on parchment pager with a goose quill pen. When he went before the General, he was asked his age, where lived and other questions to ascertain he had the right man. The General said, "soldier, I was camped within a mile of your house. You are free to go home now". Give me a pass and I will do so" said father. Along with this the General handed him a five dollar bill. "How will I return this to you"?   General Jackson replied, "If you ever see me again, you can pay me back and if you don't"--he waved his hand.

Father then started on the long journey home. While he was on the boat to Vicksburg, a soldier pointed to a house saying, "See that house over there? My family lives there". When the guard was at the other end of the boat, the soldier slipped over the side. Father could just see his head above the water. Another incident occurred while father was on picket (guard) duty. He had sat down by a tree and fallen asleep with his gun resting between his knees. He awoke to find a Yankee soldier taking his gun. He was badly scared and cried "Oh, Oh, whet do you want/". Give me a plug of tobacco, soldier". Father handed him a plug and said "keep it all". The Yankee broke off a piece and handed it back to him along with his gun and disappeared.

After father returned home from the camp where he was discharged, the old south disappeared and things were changed. He was very discouraged and then decided to go to Illinois, where the money would be on the trees. This was in 1872. He rented out his land in VA and he, mother and six children ended up in Greenfield Illinois about Sept 1, 1872. He went to farming immediately but, all to soon got homesick for Virginia.

After two years, he decided to return home. Father had some nice horses which he wanted to keep and he decided to return by wagon train. All thought this would be great sport, which it was. They had two covered wagons, a spring wagon and a lumber wagon. They traveled slowly and visited many places of interest on the way. When they stopped in or near a town, father would go to the authorities and explain so that we would not be taken for gypsies or horse thieves. The journey was happy with nothing happening to mar the pleasure. They encountered several aqueducts, toll gates and canals.The arrived home sagely in VA Sept 1874. They found the south in about the same condition so, in 1880 father sold his land and the family returned to Greenfield Illinois where he took up farming along with school teaching.

In 1884, he moved to the city of Carrollton Illinois. He then went to the Dave Wright farm north of the city and resumed farming until 1893, when he retired and moved back to Carrollton.

Between 1855 and 1877 there were ten children born to mother and father. All were born in Virginia. Two died, girls 4 and a boy 1. They were buried in Virginia. The other eight lived to maturity.

William never married.

Henry Alexander Wise m. Clara Garner (Kane, Ill).

Lydia m. Ananias Spiker (Virginia)

Catherine m. John Dawson (Virginia)

Betty m. William H. Cross (Virginia)

Jesse m. Wade Purcell of St. Louis MO

Zonie m. Charles C. Capps of Greenfield Ill.

Virginia,  never married.