William Henry Shy (1856 - 1937)

Born 6 Oct 1856 in Pike, Ohio, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Nancy Helen (Johnson) Shy — married 16 Dec 1882 in Scioto, Ohio, United States

Descendants

Died 3 Feb 1937 at age 80 in Portsmouth, Scioto, Ohio, United States

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Biography

William Henry Shy was born on 6 October 1856 in Pike County, Ohio. ^[1] His parents are believed to be Carl Ludwig "Louis" Scheu and Emilia (Emily) Canter. Please see the research notes for a discussion of his parentage.

William Henry Shy appears in the 1870 Census with his parents and siblings in Union Township, Pike County, Ohio. ^[2]

The 1880 Census shows William continuing to reside with his parents and siblings in Union Township, Pike County, Ohio. At this time, he was employed on his father's farm. ^[3]

On 16 December 1882, William married Nancy Helen Johnson ^[4]. The couple would have 7 children, though two sons would die in at a young age.

The 1900 Census shows the Shy family residing in Union Township, Pike County, Ohio. ^[5] William was employed as a farmer.

William was widowed after Nancy passed away in 1906.

By 1910, the Shys had moved to Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio. This move was likely due to work opportunities in the city's bustling industry as, in 1910, William was working as a laborer in a stove factory. The 1910 Census shows William living with his daughter Harriet Elizabeth "Betty" Shy and grandson William Minford Shy. ^[6]

The 1920 Census shows William continuing to reside with his unmarried daughter, Betty, in Scioto County, Ohio. ^[7]

In the 1930 Census, William is listed living with his daughter Mary Shy Knost, her husband Philip Knost, and their children. The family resided in Portsmouth. ^[8]

William passed away on 3 February 1937 in Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio. ^[9] He is said to have been buried in the Owl Creek Cemetery in Beaver, Pike County, Ohio. ^[10] However, when descendants traveled there in 2021, they could not identify gravestones for William and Nancy. This could be because the ground is very soft and uneven, with many of the gravestones having sunken into the ground partially or altogether.

Research Notes

Sources give conflicting information when it comes to William Henry Shy's parentage. DNA testing of his descendants as well as primary sources identify him as a definite grandson of Georg Karl Scheu and Katherina Hollstein Scheu (or Shy). The Scheu (pronounced "Shoy") family adopted the surname Shy upon their immigration to the United States from Germany in the mid-18th Century. DNA testing also supports his mother's identity as a member of the Canter family.

In both the 1870 and 1880 Census records, William is listed in the household of his mother Emilia and her husband Louis. This would seem to indicate that he is their child.

However, other sources identify William's father as Louis's brother, William Henry Shy. These include his death record, which still lists his mother as Emilia (Emily) and his obituary with names the elder William Henry Shy and his wife Katherine.

The researcher (a 2x great-granddaughter of William and Nancy Johnson Shy, has elected to attribute Carl Louis Shy and Emilia Jane "Emily" Canter Shy as his parents due to the Census records, the death certificate listing Emily as his mother, and autosomal DNA connections of William's descendants to the Canter family. This does not eliminate the possibility that Emilia Center Shy had a child with her brother-in-law, but the most simple solution seems to be that Louis was the father.

Sources

1. ↑ "Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XZ2Z-5B4 : 8 March 2021), William Henry Shy, 03 Feb 1937; citing Portsmouth, Scioto, Ohio, reference fn 13680; FHL microfilm 2,023,491.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6LN-HTM : Mon Aug 21 23:38:36 UTC 2023), Entry for Louis Shy and Emily J Shy, 1870.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1880", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8SX-HT6 : Thu Aug 03 11:59:28 UTC 2023), Entry for Emila J. Shy and Charles W. Shy, 1880.
4. ↑ "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Z8S3-SDZM : 13 October 2021), William H. Shy and Nancy H. Johnson, 1882.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1900", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MM6K-JBV : Thu Aug 03 18:44:38 UTC 2023), Entry for William H Shy and Nancy H Shy, 1900.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1910", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ML6F-RGJ : Tue Jul 18 22:07:24 UTC 2023), Entry for William H Shy and Harriet Shy, 1910.
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD5V-PH6 : Thu Aug 24 05:10:46 UTC 2023), Entry for Wm A Shy and Bettie Shy, 1920.
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4C6-7P2 : Fri Aug 04 08:03:36 UTC 2023), Entry for Jacob P Knost and Mary L Knost, 1930.
9. ↑ Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XZ2Z-5B4 : 8 March 2021), William Henry Shy, 03 Feb 1937; citing Portsmouth, Scioto, Ohio, reference fn 13680; FHL microfilm 2,023,491.
10. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/103305963/william-henry-shy?_gl=1*1mui3px*_gcl_dc*R0NMLjE2OTI1NTQzMTguNDcxZDQzOGExOTU1MTg3NWRmOTEyNzY4NDg2OGYxNzg.*_gcl_au*OTEyODY1NTM1LjE2OTA2NzUxNDE.*_ga*MjA5NzA0NDcwMi4xNjc0NDMwOTU0*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*MDRmNTk4MDAtOGJhYi00NjczLTk1ZTMtN2ViMzllNjQ4ZGUxLjMuMC4xNjk0MjkxMjEyLjAuMC4w*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MDRmNTk4MDAtOGJhYi00NjczLTk1ZTMtN2ViMzllNjQ4ZGUxLjEwMi4wLjE2OTQyOTEyMTIuNjAuMC4w