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WHO WAS WHO in PLUM TOWNSHIP
~ Titusville Herald ~
~ July 11, 1962
By H. W. Strawbridge

Joseph Shields

Joseph Shields was born in Butler County on Jan. 18, 1804. His father was apparently James Shields who is listed in early census records as a resident of northwestern Butler County. The Shields family came from north of Ireland, family tradition states, but was mostly of Scots descent. Joseph was reared on a farm and received a common school education.

In January, 1827, Joseph was married to Miss Catherine Pizer of Butler County. She was born about 1810. The Pizers are thought to have been of German descent. There is an old story carried down that Catherine's mother heard a noise one night outside their house. She looked and was sure she saw a bear. She grabbed her broom and bravely slammed it on the bear. She then discovered that the "bear" was her old stone churn which she had forgotton was sitting out there. Incidentally the broom wallop broke her churn, too.

Joseph and Catherine lived their first few years of married life in Butler County. Catherine used to go to a nearby creek and scoop up white sand which she used in scrubbing her floors. One time while she was scooping some sand out of the creek, a catamount jumped out of a tree towards her but missed her. It then ran away.

Joseph Shields arrived in Plum Township around 1832 on 250 acres formerly owned by a Roger family of Connecticut. This land was west and northwest of Bradleytown. By 1842 his acreage was down to 125 acres which it remained for years. Descendents claim the old Shields farm is hilly and stoney. The Ralph Karns family presently live on this place.

When Joseph came to Plum he brought besides his family a gun, a horse and a dog. He built a log house near a spring which came out of a hillside. Two of Joseph's brothers came up too and helped him to build his house and get started. One, William, owned land near Bradleytown too, but he never lived on it.

Joseph's wife, Catherine, died in 1857, cause of her death now unknown. In fact no records about her size, characteristics, etc. have been carried down. She and Joseph had the following 13 children: James Shields, 1828; Jacob Shields, 1829; John Shields, 1831; Rebecca Shields, 1833; Catherine A. Shields, 1836; Joseph Shields, Jr., 1838; Samuel S. Shields, 1840; Levi Shields, 1842; Eliza Ellen Shields, 1844; Cynthia A. Shields, 1847; William Wilson Shields, 1848; Judson Shields, 1850; and Bethia Shields, 1852.

James was married to Miss Amanda Smith, a native of Nova Scotia, then later New York state. James moved on his uncle Fredrick Pizer's farm near Jacksonville, Butler County, when a young man and remained there the rest of his life. He was a successful farmer and also raised berries and kept bees on the sideline. They had nine children: Miss Mary Jane Shields of Milton-Freewater, Ore., James Madison Shields of Mt. Vernon, Wash., little Lizzie Shields, Mrs. Ellen Vosler of Jacksville, John Shields of Milton-Freewater, Ore., Harrison Shields, Joseph Shields and Albert Shields, all of Jacksville. All are deceased. A son of the above Mrs. Vosler, James L. Vosler, of Ellwood City, furnished a complete record of this particular branch of the family. James Shields died Aug. 25, 1908 and Mrs. Shields in 1911. They are buried in the Wolf Creek Cemetery.

Jacob was married in 1857 to Miss Euphenia Hockenberry of Worth Township, Butler County. Jacob, too, moved to Butler County when a young man. His farm was near Mt. Chestnut - a few miles outside Butler. He was a farmer. They had 13 children: Little Eliza Katherine Shields, Jefferson Shields of Butler, RD 7, Mrs. Ester Ann Lepley of Prospect, Mrs. Mary Amelda Christley of Euclid, James Shields, William Shields, Mrs. Jane Stephenson, all of Butler, RD 7, Mrs. Ida Elizabeth Wick of Butler, Mrs. Rosa Bell Dunbar of Pittsburgh, Mrs. Sarah Minerva Thompson of Butler, Mrs. Effie P. Francis of Butler, RD 1, little Lulu May Shields and Mrs. Margaret E. Miller of Butler, RD 7. Three are living, Sarah, Effie and Margaret. Jacob died June 19, 1892 and Mrs. Shields in 1932 at the age of 94.

John was married to Miss Minerva Ann Rhodes of near Centerville. They lived on 40 acres on top of the hill west of his father's old home. John was primarily a farmer. They had the following children: A girl who died in infancy, George Willis Shields of Bradleytown, Samuel Hosea Shields of Cleveland, Frank (Wheat) Shields of Franklin, and Washington Shields of New Castle. All are deceased. Mrs. Minerva Shields died at Bradleytown on Nov. 28, 1915, and John died in Oil City on Feb. 29, 1916. They are buried at Sunville.

Rebecca was married on Feb. 12, 1852 to Robert Armstrong. They lived in Plum Township where he farmed. They had two children: Mrs. Rosanah Rieb of Bradleytown and little Esther A. Armstrong who died at the age of five in 1861. Rebecca died April 16, 1861 - just two months prior to Esther's death. Rosanah was then reared by the Armstrong family. She died rather young of a relapse of diphtheria in 1884. Her only surviving child, Orrie Rieb, 89, of Troy Township, is undoubtedly the oldest surviving great-grandchild of pioneer Joseph Shields. Robert Armstrong remarried and had a second family. He died in May 1895.

Catherine died when a young lady. The 1850 census listed her as having been 15 years old. She is not listed under the 1860 census. No facts about her seem know now.

Joseph Jr. married Miss Mary Johnson on Dec. 30, 1862. They resided on the north side of the old Shields homestead where he farmed on a small scale. He also did custom butchering and was an oil driller. He used to drill in the Titusville and Pithole regions. They had the following children: Mrs. Kate Hasson, Mrs. Edith Ribb of near Bradleytown, Dennie Shields of Tulsa, Okla, Mrs. Effie Wheeling of Troy Township and Mrs. Grace Cramer of Struthers, O. All are deceased. Joseph Jr., died Feb. 28, 1891 and his wife remarried. She died in Nov. 1929 and they are buried at Sunville.

Samuel never married. He enlisted in the 57th Pennsylvania Infantry on Oct. 16, 1861. He was in Capt. Strohecker's company. He was promoted to sergeant on Nov. 1, 1862. He was captured at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. He was first confined in Richmond, then transferred to Belle Island. He died of starvation and pleurisy in a Richmond Military hospital on Nov. 28, 1863, just two days after being admitted. A grand nephew, Howard White, of Franklin, possesses a war letter of Samuel which was written at Fair Oaks, Va., in June, 1862. Mr. White also has one of pioneer Joseph’s old converted flintlock guns, as well as loose family Bible pages naming the family members.

Levi was married on Dec. 24, 1868, to Miss Kittie Smith of Erie County. She died of typhoid in October, 1880. They had three children: Mrs. Eva Pettibone of Elyria, O., Mrs. Lydia Ann Ross of Bradleytown and little Jennie Shields, all of whom are deceased. Levi again married on May 10, 1883 to Miss Melissa Whitman of Utica. They lived near the old Shields home at Bradleytown. He gardened and worked as a laborer. His second marriage produced three children: Mrs. Ethel White, William L. Shields and Mrs. Laura Autner, all of Franklin. Only Ethel is living. Levi also was a Civil War veteran. He was wounded at the Battle of Spottsylvania Court House, and also helped capture the rebel, Gen. John Morgan, in Ohio. Levi died March 4, 1913 and Melissa in 1943. He is buried at Chapmanville.

Ellen was married to Edward Bower and they first lived at Bradleytown where he farmed. They later moved to a farm between Plum Center and Sunville where they lived the remainder of their lives. Incidentally Ellen mainly took over the housework after her mother’s death in 1857. She was extremely busy washing and ironing all the clothes of the family, which was of course before her marriage. She and Ed had two children, Lewis A. Bower of near Sunville and Mrs. Emma E. Shorts of Bradleytown, both of whom are deceased. Ellen died in May 1926, the last survivor of her brothers and sisters, and her husband preceded her in death in 1920. They are buried at Sunville.

Cynthia was married to George Jones and they lived at Bradleytown on less than an acre. Mr. Jones worked out some for other farmers and did some carpenter work besides. He also did some preaching. They had three children, Mrs. Luda Williams of Titusville, Mrs. Alice Colllins of near Bradleytown and Clyde Jones of Erie. All are deceased. Cynthia died of a stroke in 1909 at the home of her sister, Mrs. Bower. Mr. Jones preceded her in death by a few years. They are buried at Sunville.

Wilson was married to Miss Lou Bumpus of Jackson Township. They lived on his father’s old homestead. He farmed and was also a driller. He did some trapping too. They had one son, Samuel Shields, of Titusville who died last year. Mrs. Shields still lives there. Wilson died in January 1906, and she in 1931. They are buried in the Plum Cemetery, Jackson Township.

Judson died when a youngster. It is said he died of diphtheria. The 1860 census lists him as having been ten. He apparently died during the decade of the late 1860s.

Bethia, or "Betty" was married to Peter Cramer. They lived in Bradleytown on one and one-half acres. He first farmed for Charles Shaffer in Cherrytree Township, then farmed for Charles Bower at Sunville. He then worked in the Ohio oil fields. Around 1898 he took a part in the Lake Creek oil boom. He and Philo Williams drilled the opening well there. Cramers had five children: Kenneth Cramer of Bradleytown, Herman Cramer of Brookfield, O., Lewis Cramer of Franklin, Ray Cramer of Titusville and Lloyd Cramer of Bradleytown. Herman and Lloyd are the only two living. Bethia died Oct. 24, 1908, of a stroke and Mr. Cramer died Sept. 20, 1937. They are buried at Sunville.

Of the above 13 children Rebecca was the first to be married. He wedding reception took place in the Shields home. It was an old custom that when a younger brother or sister married first, the older ones, particularly boys, were required to dance in the hog trough. James and Jacob, being good sports, went out to the pig pen, carried the trough right into the house and danced in it, much to the delight of the guests. One time the brothers were lying on the bank where the present Grange hall stands. Soon a stray coon dog came along. The brothers decided to see which one would get the dog, so it was agreed the “laziest” one would get it. All were still with their eyes closed except Jacob. When one discovered it and inquired about it, Jacob replied: "If they're too darn lazy to close themselves, I'm not going to close them!" He got the dog.

Pioneer Joseph Shields was an enthusiastic hunter. He began one winter season with six deer hanging in his woodshed for meat. It is said that the loft over the old smokehouse was filled with old deer antler that he got through the years. He was such an expert shot that he could shoot a grouse taking off, then swing around and shoot another taking on the other side. His great-granddaughter, Mrs. Beatrice Strauss, of Bradleytown has an old powderhorn that was made by Joseph for her father, George Willis Shields, on his 12th birthday in 1875.

Another Bradleytown resident, Leo S. Bumpus, recalls interesting stories about old Joseph. Late one night his two oldest boys, James and Jacob, returned home after telling him they had a coon treed, and wanted him to shoot it. He refused, saying he was going back to sleep. But they said they had to go back because John, then only three or four, and still wearing a dress, was asleep at the foot of the tree where the coon was corned. Reluctantly Joseph went with them and shot the coon.

Bears were common in the Bradleytown region the. One night a bear came down the hill and stole one of Joseph's small pigs. His dog took after it and it went up a tree on the present Frank Jennings place with the dog holding onto its hind quarters. It isn’t remembered whether Joseph shot the bear, but he probably did. One other night Joseph was visiting at the Moses Collins place. While walking back home in the dark he saw a figure in the road, thinking it was a man. It turned out to be a bear reared up on its hind feet. Undoubtedly Joseph made way for the animal.

One person can still remember of once seeing the old pioneer. She is Mrs. Gertrude Jennings of Jackson Township. She states he was a short, rather stocky man with a smooth round face, and white hair. This appears to be accurate according to his photograph. Nearly everybody knew him as "Pap" Shields. His by-word was "Thunder." He and a neighbor, Nickolas Ribb, used to kid each other. More than once Ribb stopped in front of Pap's place in the evening and called him out for a joke. On one occasion after calling, Pap shouted: "Thunder, what do you want?" Ribb asked, "How did buckwheat make its appearance in America?" Pap didn't know. Ribb said, "Three-cornered, like it still is!" Pap retorted, "Oh, thunder!" and went back into the house.

It is said he believed in witchcraft, which was then a common belief. He seemed to have illusions that a certain lady of the area, who was known as a witchwoman, had such power that at nights she would come, convert him into some kind of animal and ride him bareback miles over the neighborhood! Such was the pioneer way and thoughts of life.

The old gent was quite a chess player. He and a neighbor, William Minnigh, played one game all winter. It seems that each time one would meet the other, they would make the move. To show how honest they were, Minnigh made a wrong move and wouldn’t take it back. This caused him to lose the game.

Old Joseph and his wife were charter members of the Sunville Presbyterian Church which was organized June 12, 1839. Joseph was a staunch member until his death. Often Joseph and his family went to the home of John Davison, a neighbor, and both families would go to church at Sunville on Sundays. One Saturday the Shields family caught a large quantity of black suckers at the bridge in Bradleytown. Then they went to the Davisons and worked into the night getting the fish cleaned and salted away before Sunday dawned. They didn’t believe in working on Sundays. The Shields stayed overnight at the Davison home, then all went to church the next day.

A great-great granddaughter, Mrs. Marian McPheters, of Chapmanville has a book entitled, "Confession of Faith," which Joseph bought in Franklin in 1853 for 75 cents. It contains the constitution of the Presbyterian Church, confession of faith, the catechism and directory for the worship of God.

Sometime through the years Joseph built a new frame house which had vertical boards on the exterior. It is the present east part of the Karns house and of course, it has been remodeled through the years. The kitchen part was built by Fred Bumpus in the fall of 1905 for Wilson Shields. An old half-bank barn stood on Joseph's place. The last time Joseph shingled the barn roof he took a draw-shave and made his own shingles off a block of wood and shingled his own structure. The old barn fell down years later.

Joseph had fine health down through the years. The April 24, 1886 news of Bradleytown stated as follows: "Joseph Shields Sr., a resident of the town and among our oldest settlers, is still hearty, and his general health seems to be as good as ever. He is now in his 83rd year, and has resided where he now lives for 53 years." This fine state of condition was not to last long though. Shortly after the first of July he took sick with abdominal trouble and worsened until his death on Thursday, July 22. Services were conducted the next day by Rev. J.L. Robertson, Presbyterian pastor of Sunville, and Rev. O.C. Sherman, Baptist pastor of Chapmanville. The old gentleman was buried in a now unmarked grave in the Sunville Cemetery.

Transcribed by Penny Kulbacki Minnick
minnick862@verizon.net

Disclaimer:there may be errors due to transcription of information from both early and late (current contributors) work.