Shoemaker

born 1694 Lancaster, PA

died April 1749

James was a "Cordwainer" (shoemaker). He bought 209 acres of land on Moffett Creek, Augusta Co., Va. in 1746. The following is from THE ANNALS OF AUGUSTA COUNTY, VIRGINIA, 1726-1871, by Joseph Wadell, p.80
"James Shields, who died in 1750, had among other properties a knife and fork, valued at 21 cents".
 

Children
John SHIELDS b: 2 Nov 1740 in Amherst Co., VA
 

source:  Ancestry.com

born 1668 Kent, MD

married 1692 Kent, MD

died 1741 Harrisonburg, VA

Note: He was killed by a falling log as he was helping one of his sons raise a house.

Children
James Shields b: 1694 in Lancaster Co., Pa.
Jane Shields b: 15 JAN 1695/96 in Amhurst Co., Pa.
Thomas Shields b: 1699 in Lancaster, Chester Co., Pa.
Eliza Shields b: 3 JUN 1704 in Lancaster, Chester Co., Pa.
John Shields b: 1709 in Lancaster, Chester Co., Pa.
William Shields b: 14 JUL 1728 in IL.

William Hathaway, a grandson of this William Shields, wrote in his 1790
history of the family: "My grandfather was William Shields. He was born in
Kent County in the year 1668.

My grandmother on my mother's side was Jeanette Parker. Aunt Jane was born
January 15, 1696. She died in Lancaster County in the year 1750.

I had four uncles. One died young. Uncle Tom was born in the year 1699.
Uncle James was born in the year 1694. Uncle John was born in the year
1709.

They lived first in Chester County and then moved to Augusta County,
Virginia.

Mother was born June 3, 1704. She died in Chester County in the year 1742,
being stricken with pneumonia. Grandfather was killed by a falling log
while helping one of my uncles build a house in Virginia in 1741.
Grandmother lived with Aunt Jane until her death.

Uncle James died about the year 1750. His son John was about my own age.
He visited us soon after. I have never seen him since then. He was living
in North Carolina a few years ago. Uncle Tom died about the year 1765,
leaving several children. Uncle John died just before the war.

Several of my cousins were in the Continental Army. Uncle Tom's children
moved away, and I do not know where they are. Some of them went south, I
think. Uncle John's children have scattered. One lived in Pennsylvania.
One went to North Carolina. One went to Boone's settlement in Frankland a
few years ago. Some of them still live in Virginia. My relatives on
Mother's side were all large, strong, long-lived and industrious people."
 

born 1633 Antrim, Ireland

died 1712 New Castle, Delaware

Notes for JAMES SHIELDS: According to Broderbund WFT Vol. 2, Ed. 1, Tree
#5116 (imported 8 March 1997), James and his brother William were
transported to Barbados in 1655 for being loyal to the King. In 1658, they
got on a boat to Williamsburg, Virginia. They subsequently settled in
Maryland. See more complete discussion in notes to William Shields, b.
1600.

According to John A. Shields, James remained in Barbados a short time
before leaving for Maryland, some time before 1660. See discussion under
notes to William Shields b. 1600.

James moved from Williamsburg to Baltimore before 1660 and, after a short
time, moved to Kent County, Maryland. Later, he settled in Newcastle,
Delaware.

William Hathaway, son of George and Eliza Shields Hathaway, wrote in a
family history in 1790: "My great-grandfather on the Shields side was
James Shields. He was born in County Armagh in the year 1635. His father
was born in County Antrim. In about the 20th year of his age, he and his
brother and many others were arrested by the English and deported to the
Barbados Islands. He came to Baltimore before 1660. He settled first in
Kent County and then in Newcastle. His brother John and family came to
America about the year 1738 or 1740. I was a mere child when they arrived.
Cousin William lived with us about two years, his father having died on
the ocean. The family settled in Frederick County. I have not seen any of
them for nearly 50 years. Cousin William has a large family.
Great-grandfather Shields died when my mother was a little girl."

Children
1. John William Shields
2. Matthew Shields
3. William Shields
4. Elizabeth Shields
5. Mary Shields
6. James Shields
 

born 1600 Lough Neagh, Antrim, Northern Ireland

died AFT 1 MAY 1654 in Connaught Exile Reservation, Ireland

Died a victim of "Cromwellian persecution" History of Shields Family by John Edgar Shields

Children
1. John Shields
2. James Shields
3. Daniel Shields
4. William Shields

Notes for WILLIAM SHIELDS: In an address 28 August 1928 at reunion of
Shields-Winslow family, John A. Shields of Seymore, Indiana said "at a
comparatively early date" a branch of the Shields family moved from
Ireland to Northern Ireland, settling in County Tyrone. William Shields
was born in County Antrim.

Oliver Cromwell, fresh from victory in the civil war against King Charles
I, set out to quell the Irish rebellion, which had been dragging on for
more than 10 years. He arrived in Ireland in August 1649 with an army of
17,000. His objective was threefold: Elimination of all military
resistance, removal of all priests and landowners who were in any way
implicated in the rebellion and eradication of Roman Catholicism. Within
eight months, most of the military opposition was crushed, and Cromwell
returned to England to pursue the other two objectives.

In 1653, Parliament passed an act providing that all Irish natives, under
penalty of death, were to move from wherever in Ireland to the wastes of
Connacht. No Irish person was to be found east of the River Shannon after
1 May 1654. The vacated land and properties were assigned to Cromwellian
soldiers and to persons in England who had financed the conquest of
Ireland. Catholic priests were hunted down and killed or imprisoned.

As a provision of the articles of peace, Irish soldiers were allowed to
enter the army of any power friendly to England, and many did. Exceptions
to the resettlement order were allowed for certain artisans and laborers
needed to tend the holdings of the new landowners. Many able-bodied
citizens were deported . During the next several years, more than 30,000
young persons were shipped into slavery in the American colonies and the
West Indies.

William and James Shields, sons of William Shields b. 1600, were
transported to Barbados on charges of loyalty to Charles I. It is not
known if they were sold into slavery or just banished. They arrived in
Barbados about 1655 and in 1658 secured passage on a chattel (slave) ship
bound for Williamsburg, Virginia.

The modern Shields family had its origin in the antiquity of the Emerald Isles
many generations before the existence of William Shields. The surname is an
Anglicized version of Siadhail, a family that was transplanted from the
European mainland perhaps as early as 1000 years before Christ. Members of the
Siadhail sect went northward from Meath into Ulster relatively late in Irish
History. The familiy presence in the Ulster area is evident before the Norman
Conquest of 1066.

Sources: Misty Spinelli 'Kin of my Grandchildren, Vol III', Judge Noble K.
Littell, 1992, p 3, 7. 'Shields Family', Christine B. Brown, 6 February
1980, p 39., Ancestry.com (44 family trees)
 

source:  Ancestry.com

born about 1674 Kent County, MD

died 1750 in PA