James Shields (1708 - 1768)

Born 1708 in Belfast, Ireland

Husband of Mary (Chalfant) Shields — married 25 May 1733 (to 25 May 1733) in Brandywine Baptist Church, Chadds Ford Township, Delaware, Pennsylvania

Descendants

Died 14 Oct 1768 at about age 60 in Newlin Township, Chester, Pennsylvania

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Biography

Born: James Shields was born about 1708 reportedly in Belfast, Ireland.^[1]

Marriage: James married Mary Chalfant in 1733.^[2]

Early Member of Brandywine Baptist Church: James was one of the earliest members of the Brandywine Baptist Church in Newlin Township, Pennsylvania.^[3]

Death and Burial: James died October 14,1768 in Chester County, Pennsylvania.^[2][4]

Probate: On March 20, 1770, Mary Shields, the widow and relict of James Shields, late of the Newlinton, Chester, Pennsylvania, Yeoman, who died intestate; James, Robert, David Thomas and Caleb, sons of the deceased; Mary and Martha Shields, daughters of the deceased, by their guardians James and Thomas Shields; and Ruth Shields, a daughter of the deceased, by her guardian James Shields; and Mary Powell, daughter of Agnes Powell, deceased, a daughter of James Shields, deceased, by her guardian John Powell, petitioned the Court for valuation and division of two tracts of land consisting of 200 acres and 77 acres in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The Court issued a Writ of Inquisition which was executed on May 16, 1770 finding that the partition of the two tracts could not be accomplished without spoiling the tracts; that a fair valuation of both tracts was £650, the widow's right of setoff was £13, and that each beneficiary was entitled to the sum of £86.14.4.^[5]

Minor Guardianship were requested for Mary and Martha Shields (under 21 years of age) and for Ruth Shields (under 14 years of age), all children of James Shields, deceased.^[6] James Shields and Thomas Shields were appointed Minor Guardians for Mary and Martha and James Shields for Ruth Shields.

Children:

Children with Martha Chalfant (in order found in the Petition for Intestate Succession):

1. James Shields.
2. Robert Shields.
3. David Shields.
4. Thomas Shields
5. Caleb Shields.
6. Mary (Shields) Liggett.
7. Martha (Shields) Young, b. May 12, 1754, d. February 13, 1837. ^[7]
8. Ruth (Shields) Strode.
9. Agnes (Shields) Powell.

In addition, James and Mary had a son named John who died October 6, 1732 at age 9.^{[8] [9]}

Reference Notes

Date of birth based on inscription on grave marker "In memory of James Shields, who departed October 14, 1768. Aged 60 years." Two books, Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania" and "History of Allegheny County", state James Shields was a native of (North) Ireland.

From Genealogical and Personal History of Western Pennsylvania:^[10]

James Shields, descendant of an English family, a native of Ireland, who settled in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in the latter part of the seventeenth century.

From History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania:^[11]

James Shields, of English descent and Quaker proclivities, native of Ireland, who settled in Chester county. Pa., at the latter part of the seventeenth century.

Sources

1. ↑ "The Strode and Stroud Families in America" by James Strode Elsten
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Find A Grave: Memorial #15864010
3. ↑ Furman, Rev. A.J.,The History of the Brandywine Baptist Church, Wagenseller, Philadelphia, PA (1895) [1]
4. ↑ Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1669-2013, W.P.A. Project\Gravestone Inscriptions, Brandywine Baptist Church Cemetery, Chadds Ford, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA, Grave 79
5. ↑ Penn. Wills and Probate, Chester County, Partition Action,1770.Ancestry Record 8802 #1474353 (Available with Subscription)
6. ↑ Chester County, Pennsylvania, Estate Papers, 1770, Orphan´s Court Minors R-T Ancestry Record 5327 #10606 (Available with Subscription)
7. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #52664716
8. ↑ Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1669-2013, W.P.A. Project\Gravestone Inscriptions, Brandywine Baptist Church Cemetery, Chadds Ford, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA, Grave 79.
9. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #187990558
10. ↑ Jordan, John W. Genealogical and Personal History of Western Pennsylvania, Vol. 2 (Lewis Historical Pub. Co., New York, 1915, p. 953-55)
11. ↑ Cushing, Thomas. History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (A. Warner & Co., Chicago, 1889, Part 2, p. 507-508)
    • Jordan, John W. Genealogical and Personal History of Western Pennsylvania, Vol. 2 (Lewis Historical Pub. Co., New York, 1915, p. 953-55)