Biographical and historical memoirs of Mississippi, embracing an authentic and comprehensive account of the chief events in the history of the state and a record of the lives of many of the most worthy and illustrious families and individuals, Vol. II, Part 118

Author: Goodspeed Brothers
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, Goodspeed
Number of Pages: 1314

USA > Mississippi > Biographical and historical memoirs of Mississippi, embracing an authentic and comprehensive account of the chief events in the history of the state and a record of the lives of many of the most worthy and illustrious families and individuals, Vol. II > Part 118

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MEMOIRS OF MISSISSIPPI.

her family of four sons and four daughters she is a most devoted and faithful mother. Mr. Shaw was a planter and merchant in this county until his death, which occurred in 1882. He was a member of the board of police, now called supervisors, for some time and held a number of other local positions of trust and honor, discharging his duties in a manner highly accept- able to his constituents. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity, and was of that moral and personal integrity, and clear, well-balanced, active intelligence, that adorns the private and public station. His third son, E. E. Shaw, is a merchant and planter at the old home- stead; S. L. is also a merchant; William, the eldest, is a planter of Texas; one daughter is deceased; and the others are: Maggie A., Kate C. and Lelia. Thompson A. Shaw was given the advantages of the school of Zion Hill, and after he had obtained a good practical English education, he gave his attention to farming for several years. In 1885 he began merchandis- ing at McNair, in a very small way, his stock of goods being quite small but well chosen, and his store building his own. He has since added to both his store and stock, and his present stock of general merchandise is of goodly proportions and exceptionally well chosen. He is a model business man, for he is methodical, punctual and energetic, and he at all times shows the utmost courtesy to his patrons, and endeavors to meet their wants and wishes. He is the soul of honor, and is now one of the substantial merchants of the town. He was mar- ried in Franklin county, Miss., on the 17th of November, 1872, to Miss E. J. Newman, daugh- ter of J. P. Newman, and to them the following children were born: Sidney T., Vernon W., Leta L., Alma C., S. Pervis and Annie E. Mrs. Shaw is a member of the Methodist Episco- pal church, and socially Mr. Shaw is a member of the Knights and Ladies of Honor.

George B. Shelby is an energetic tiller of the soil of Bolivar county, Miss., and although he was born in Madison, Miss., on the 6th of October, 1844, he has resided here the greater part of his life. He was the eleventh of thirteen children born to Marcus L. and Sarah (Barnes) Shelby, the former of whom was born in Kentucky, and the latter in South Caro- lina. Marcus D. Shelby came to this state about 1810, and died in 1852, at the age of forty- nine years. He was the second of four children born to Moses and Martha Shelby. George B. Shelby is a lineal descendant of ex-Gov. Isaac Shelby, who was the first governor of the state of Kentucky. In 1865 he began to make his own way in the world, and that, too, under adverse circumstances, but by closely applying himself to business, he bent the force of circumstances to his will and has accumulated a fortune. He is a very extensive planter, and is the owner of one thousand acres of land valued at $25 per acre. He is one of the oldest settlers of the county, and by all who know him is regarded as a very worthy citizen, and a safe business man. His handsome and imposing residence is situated on Holmes Lake bayou, two and one-half miles west of Shelby, which is a wideawake and enterprising town named in honor of the Shelby family, and here he and his intelligent and amiable wife, who was Janie Poilevent, of Grenada, Miss., dispense the unbounded yet unostentatious hospitality for which the Southern people have so justly become famous. Mr. Shelby is a cultured and intelligent gentleman, and the education which he received in Madison college, at Sharon, Madison county, Miss., has been broadened and strengthened by a business life, and by con- tact with the world. At the opening of the late war he joined Gen. Wirt Adams' regiment, but at the end of six months was detached as a scout, in which capacity he served through- out the remainder of the war, rendering valuable aid to the Confederate cause. No braver or more faithful soldier ever served in the same capacity, and he was trusted and respected by his superior officers as well as being admired and liked by his brother soldiers. He is essentially a selfmade man, has always lived an active life, and has always believed that everybody should have something to do and should endeavor to do it well. He has a

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brother, Marcus D. Shelby, who is now sheriff of Conway county, Ark., where he has figured prominently in politics and has held the office of sheriff for several years.

Hon. Oscar L. Shelby, merchant and planter, Huntington, Miss., was born in Hender- son county, Tenn., in 1843, and inherits Welsh blood from his paternal and Scotch-Irish blood from his maternal ancestors. The grandfather, Evan Shelby, was an early settler of North Carolina and the short-lived state of Franklin. He was a planter by occupation. The maternal grandfather, Isaac McCallum, was also a native of the Old North state and a planter by pursuit. He left the state of his nativity and moved to Tennessee as early as 1818, there passing the closing scenes of his life. Wade Hampton and Judith (McCallum) Shelby, the parents of Oscar L. Shelby, were natives of North Carolina, but the father moved to Tennessee at an early period. He was a planter by occupation, but also a physician of considerable prominence. He was an earnest advocate of the whig party, a leading local politician, and served as sheriff of Henderson couuty for some time. His death occurred in 1854, and his wife followed him to the grave two years later. Both were devotees in the Christian church. Oscar L. Shelby grew to manhood in his native state, received his edu- cation in the common schools, and then entered upon the railroad of life as a schoolteacher. In 1858 he came to Mississippi, clerked at Bolivar Landing until 1861, and then returned to Tennessee, where he continued his former occupation. The same year he entered the com- pany of Henderson sharpshooters, afterward attached to the Twenty-seventh Tennessee infantry, and was a participant of the desperate battles of Shiloh and Corinth. After the last-named struggle he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, and served in that capacity for some time. He was in the battles of Murfreesboro, Atlanta, Lovejoy Station, Franklin, and Nashville, where he was captured. At that time he was first lieutenant and was acting captain. He was retained until June 25, 1865, at Fort Delaware and then came to Mis- sissippi, locating in Bolivar county, where he was soon appointed county assessor under Davidson. He then clerked for one year, and in 1870 was married to Mrs. Wilkerson, nee Cornelius, a native of Alabama. Later still he embarked in merchandising at Wilkerson (now Huntington), under the firm name of Shelby & Co., but carries a small stock of goods, mainly to furnish his hands. He is also interested in planting and has control of one thou- sand acres, with six hundred acres under cultivation. The town of Huntington has been built on the estate. He was justice in the seventies, then supervisor, and in 1889 he was elected a member of the lower house of the state legislature. He is active for general improve- ment but an opponent of rings and cliques. Although not perhaps a brilliant man in any respect, Mr. Shelby is exemplary in his conduct and example, and is most highly esteemed by the people of his county. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, the Knights of Pythias and the Knights of Honor. The Shelby family is a very old and prominent one, and has produced many men of note and distinction, after whom towns and counties in both Ten- nessee and Kentucky are named.

Pettus W. Shell is a representative merchant of Houston, Miss., who, by his untiring indus- try and exceptionally fine business qualifications, has built up a large and paying patronage. He was born in Newberry district, S. C., April 13, 1841, a son of Francis A. and Mary J. (Dugan) Shell, also natives of that state and county, the birth of the former occurring Jan- uary 6, 1796, and that of the latter September 19, 1803. The paternal grandfather was Stephen Shell, a Virginian, of Scotch-Irish descent, who was married to a Miss Jane Ellis, also of that state, and with her removed to South Carolina, probably about the year 1760. He was a minister of the Methodist church, devoting a considerable portion of his time to his ministerial duties, but also followed the calling of a planter, at which he became moderately

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well to do. He reared a large family of children, to each of whom he gave the advantages of a practical education. His son, Francis A., spent his boyhood and early manhood in the state of his birth and his marriage with Miss Dugan took place about 1822, she being a daughter of John and Nancy (Shell) Dugan. At the time of his leaving Newberry district, in 1845, he had accumulated a moderate competency at planting, and this occupation continued to receive his attention after locating in Chickasaw county, or what is now a portion of Clay county, Miss. In 1846, soon after coming to Mississippi, his wife died, having borne him ten children: John and Henry (twins), Robert L .. Elizabeth, Edward C., Morgan C., Will- iam W., Margaret C., Pettus W., and Mary W. The mother of these children was an ear- nest Christian, and had been a worthy member of the Methodist church the greater part of her life. In 1852 Mr. Shell was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Harrell, by whom he became the father of one child that died in infancy, the mother's death occurring a few days after the birth of her child, about one year after her marriage. After the death of his second wife Mr. Shell remained a widower until his death in October, 1868, at the age of sixty-nine years. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, in which he was class leader and steward. Pettus W. Shell was attending the common schools when the war broke ont in 1861, but he immediately dropped his books and enlisted in the Confederate service, becoming a member of company A (Buena Vista rifles), Seventeenth Mississippi infantry, May 3, 1861, with which he served in the army of northern Virginia until the close of the war, most of the time a non-commissioned officer. He was in the battles of first Manassas, Ball's bluff, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, charge of Fort Sanders, Knoxville, Tenn .; Wilderness (where he was wounded in the left leg), Spottsylvania courthouse, Cold Harbor, the engagements around Petersburg, the battle of Perryville, in valley of Virginia and others. In the last named conflict he was severely wounded in the right leg, which ter- minated his active service. He was paroled at Columbus, Miss., at the close of the war, and soon after began planting on rented land, but made such a success of this business that at the end of three years he was enabled to purchase two hundred and eighty acres of land, which he tilled until the close of 1871. January, 1872, he and his brother, M. C. Shell, and brother-in-law, J. H. Smith, engaged in merchandising under the firm name of Shell, Smith & Shell, at Houston, Miss., but in 1874 Mr. Smith sold his interest to Col. J. L. S. Hill, and the firm name was changed to Hill, Shell & Brother. At the close of the year 1879 Colonel Hill withdrew, selling his interest to his partners, M. C. and P. W. Shell, and the firm has since been Shell Brothers. Mr. Shell was married January 31, 1866, to Miss Elmina West- brook, a native of Monroe county, Miss., where she was born in 1845, a daughter of James

and Elmina (Glasgow) Westbrook. Mrs. Shell died August 11, 1875, leaving one child, Maggie L., now the wife of J. M. Walker, of Oxford, Ala. Mr. Shell's second wife was for- merly Miss Susie E. Matthews, who was born in Williamson county, Tenn., April 12, 1850, their marriage being celebrated on the 28th day of November, 1878. It resulted in the birth of three children: Frank A. S., Mary Matthews and Thomas Elkin. Mrs. Shell's parents, Thomas and Mary Matthews, were Tennesseeans by birth, but about 1857 became residents of Monroe county, Miss. Mr. Matthews was instantly killed by the lever of a cottonpress, October 13, 1875, in Monroe county, Miss. Mr. Shell is a democrat in politics, has been a member of the board of selectmen of Houston two terms, is a charter member of the Knights of the Golden Rule, and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, in which he is a steward. Of the children born to Francis A. Shell, only three are now living: M. C., Margaret C. (wife of Dr. James R. Ford, of McCondey, Miss.) and Pettus W. Six sons were in the Confederate army, of whom only one returned unhurt: William

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W. died of fever at Richmond, Robert L. sickened and died at Lynchburg, Henry was killed at Petersburg, while retiring from picket duty, and John was the only one unhurt. After the war he engaged in milling at Aberdeen, Miss., near which place he died in 1888, leaving a wife and three children, who are still living and reside in Clay county, Miss. Morgan C., was a clerk in and near West Point for a few years after becoming grown. He was married to Miss Sallie R. Huff, a uative of Mississippi and a daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (McCullon) Huff, who were born near Pulaski, Tenn. He was called upon to mourn the death of his wife in 1870, she having borne him two daughters and a son: Daniel H .; Mary E., wife of Rev. J. C. Park, of Strong station, Miss .; and Clemmie, wife of Dr. J. A. Evans, of Houston. Morgan C. Shell entered the Confederate army in 1862, and belonged to the Thirty-first Mississippi infantry, army of the Tennessee, with which he took part in the various campaigns and battles until the engagement at Franklin, when he was wounded in the ankle by a ball, which resulted in the loss of his leg. After the war he followed the calling of a clerk until he was elected to the office of county and probate clerk, in 1866, serving until the spring of 1869, when he re-engaged in clerking. This calling occupied his time and attention until 1872, when he and his brother and Mr. Smith, P. W. Shell's brother-in-law, opened a mercantile establishment in Houston, Miss. He was married in 1872, to Mrs. Sally M. Wilcox, widow of M. Wilcox, a lawyer of Okolona. The various mem- bers of the Shell family have been strict adherents of the principles of democracy and he is a member of the Masonic fraternity and served for a number of years as master of the lodge of Houston. He is a charter member of the Knights of the Golden Rule, and he, as well as the other members of his family, is a member of the Methodist Church South.

David Shelton, one of the oldest residents of Jackson, and a prominent member of the bar, was born February 22, 1813, in Smith county, Tenn. His parents were James and Nancy (Marshall) Shelton, the latter being a distant relative of John Marshall. Both were born in Virginia, where they were married about the year 1809. The father of James, Will- iam Shelton, was a Virginian, and was a colonel in the Revolutionary war. Both families were of English ancestry. There were two children besides David, who is the eldest, who grew to maturity: William, who is a minister of the Baptist church, at present residing near Nashville, Tenn., and Henry, who resides in California. James Shelton was a planter by occupation, and passed from life in Tennessee in 1844, his widow surviving him about twenty years. The early life of David Shelton was spent on the plantation, attending the academy near home, until 1831, when he entered the University of Nashville, from which he was grad- uated in 1833. He then returned home, and for a year devoted himself to reading history. He then went to Nashville and became a law student in the office of Bux & Meigs. He was admitted to the bar at Nashville in the fall of 1835, and after taking part in a few law cases in Tennessee he removed to Mississippi, locating at Jackson in the fall of 1836, where he opened an office and began practicing his profession. He soon built up a large practice and was very successful at the bar. In politics he was a whig, and like the majority of that party was opposed to secession. In the fall of 1868 he was a candidate for the state senate, run- ning under the new reconstruction measures against James R. Lynch. He was elected by the popular vote of the state, but the state rejected the constitution under which the legislat- ure was to be held. This was the only occasion of his being a candidate for any official posi- tion, preferring always to give his attention to his profession. He was married at Jackson in April, 1845, to Lavinia, daughter of Prior Lee. The issue of this union was eight children: James, Prior L., Maria, David, Lavinia, William, Lucy and Henry, all living but James and Henry. Of the members of the bar that were in Jackson when Mr. Shelton came, none are

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now living. He had accumulated a good property when the war broke out, but during that long struggle he lost the greater part of it. His residence, which was in the suburbs of Jackson, was between the two lines, and the emergencies of war caused it to be laid in ashes. It was burned by order of the Confederate authorities, as it was affording a convenient protection to the Federal sharpshooters. For this loss he received no compensation from the Confederate government.

S. M. Shelton is a lawyer of the firm of Birchett & Shelton, and was born in Hanover county, Va., on August 3, 1837, being the eldest of eight children born to W. C. and Ella (Masey) Shelton, the former of whom was a successful planter and a prominent citizen of his native state, Virginia. He is still living, but his wife died in 1870, she as well as Mr. Shelton, having belonged to old and prominent Virginia families. The paternal ancestors were of English origin and the maternal ancestors of Welsh descent .. S. M. Shelton was educated in Hampton and Sidney college, Virginia, and in September, 1859, came to Missis- sippi to seek his fortune. He soon after began the study of law with an uncle at Raymond, Miss., but upon the bursting of the war cloud which so long hovered over the country, he laid aside his books, and on April 29, 1861, enlisted in company A, Twelfth Mississippi regi- ment of infantry, with which he served until 1863, when he was transferred to company B, Forty-fourth Virginia regiment, and served until the battle of Spottsylvania courthouse on May, 1864, at which time he was captured and held as a prisoner of war until March, 1865, being near Appomattox courthouse at the time of Lee's surrender. In 1866 Mr. Shelton returned to Mississippi and in January of the same year was admitted to the bar at Raymond. Since 1877 he has been a legal practitioner of Vicksburg, and was first associated in his practice with a Mr. Lee, the firm being Shelton & Lee, for two years, and from that time until 1889 was associated with Mr. Crutche, the present firm being organized in 1890. This firm are the attorneys for the Alabama & Virginia railroad, the Merchants' National bank, Sengers Manufacturing company, and the Stower's Furniture company. Mr. Shelton has been mar- ried twice, first to Miss Z. Imogene Gray, daughter of Joseph Gray, Esq., of Raymond, Miss. Mrs. Shelton died in April, 1885, leaving a son and daughter: Annie E. and Samuel Percy. His second union was to the sister of his first wife, Miss Annie Gray, in 1887. Mr. Shelton and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church, in which he is an elder, and has been superintendent of the Sunday-school since January, 1878. He is the owner of a fine residence in South Vicksburg and is in good circumstances financially. Mr. Shelton is thoroughly posted in his profession, is a fluent and eloquent orator, and that his ability is known and recognized, is shown by his large clientage.

Richard Butler Hooke Shepherd (deceased) was born in Virginia while his parents were visiting there and is the son of Charles Moses Shepherd, of Shepherdstown, Va., which place was named in honor of the Shepherd of this family who first settled there. Moses Shepherd came to Louisiana at the age of seventeen years and engaged in sugar planting. He was born in 1801 and was married March 11, 1829, to Margaret Ann Hooke, of Wilkin- son county, who was the daughter of Captain Moses and Harriet (Butler) Hooke, the first settlers of this county and natives of Augusta, Me., and Carlisle, Penn., respectively. Har- riet was the sister of Col. Richard Butler (of whom further notice is made in this sketch), one of this county's early settlers and prominent citizens. He entered the tract comprising the Woodstock plantation from the Spanish government, and married but died in middle life and left no children. He was colonel in Gen. James Wilkinson's army, stationed at Fort Adams. His father, William Butler, was the third son of the Duke of Ormond, of Ireland. He came to Pennsylvania when a young man, where he married and reared a large family.

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Capt. Moses Hooke settled the place now known as the Salisbury plantation, adjoining the Woodstock plantation, both of which belonged to R. B. H. Shepherd. Moses Hooke was a captain in Wilkinson's army, and was a man of prominence and was intimately connected with the early history of this county. He died August 9, 1821, aged forty-four years. His wife was first married to a very old gentleman, who died within a month, and she was then married to Captain Hooke, by which union were born sons and daughters as follows: Moses J. (who died January 2, 1834, aged thirty-three years), Richard B. (who died November 2, 1812, aged seven years); Sarah J. (who died September 5, 1819, aged nine years); William B. (who died September 26, 1837, aged twenty-three years); Richard B. (who died Septem- ber 1, 1837, aged nineteen years); Margaret Ann Hooke, who married C. M. Shepherd, father of R. B. H .; Harriet, who first married a man named Tutle, and after his death a Mr. Bennett. She died leaving no children. Moses Hooke died at Salisbury plantation and was buried with his sons and daughters. His widow was afterward married to a Mr. Brow- der, of Natchez, by whom was born one daughter, Jane, who married Pierre Buller Mccutcheon, of Pass Christian, Miss. Mr. Browder was supposed to have been killed by the John H. Murrell pirates. Mrs. Browder died July 16, 1830, aged forty-three years. To Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Shepherd were born four sons and one daughter, who lived to be grown and one who died young: Charles Moses, Abram, Harriet H., Henry and Richard B. H. Francis died November 28, 1837, aged seven years. Charles Moses was a captain in the Confederate army from Louisiana, Abram was an invalid, Harriet first married Dr. Follen, of Mobile, and second Mr. McClelland, of New Orleans, and lived at Pass Christian, Miss .; Richard Butler Hooke Shepherd, the subject of this memoir, entered his first school at Pass Christian, Miss., and from there to the grammar school near Philadelphia, Penn., thence to the University of Virginia and from there to Dresden, the capital of Saxony, Germany, where he attended school for several years and completed his education.

He returned to the United States during the late war, coming through the North, making his way to New Orleans, and joining the Confederate army at that place. He entered the cavalry service, and at one time was a member of General Briggs' staff. He was also com- missioned second lieutenant. His brother Henry served in the same regiment, and with these two young men were the servants who went with them to serve their wants. These servants are now in the service of Mrs. K. B. Shepherd; they have always lived with the family. Mr. Shepherd served until the close of the war, and during this bloody period his uncle died, leaving him this fine plantation, where he resided until his death. He was married June 21, 1871, to Miss Kate B. Morson, a beautiful and highly accomplished lady, a native of Vir- ginia, and daughter of Alexander and Maria (Berry) Morson, natives of Virginia, and prom- inent citizens on the Rappahannock, near Fredricksburg. Both of the parents are deceased; they had five children: Alexander, deceased; John Andrew, who is living in Mississippi, and is a retired planter; Arthur A, who lives near Jackson, Miss. ; Susan S., who died, aged fifteen years, then Mrs. Shepherd. Her parents having died when she was an infant, she was reared by her uncle James Morson, and educated by private tutors, and at the Southern Female college. She is a lady of fine attainments, and very high accomplishments, loved by all, and one of this county's most charming women. She is the mother of four lovely chil- dren, one of whoni is deceased. Arthur M., the eldest, is a student at the Episcopal school, Sewanee, Tenn., and is very bright and promising; Kate B. and Margaret H., beautiful girls, are at Pass Christian, Miss., and Richard B. died at the age of eighteen months. Mr. and Mrs. Shepherd, with their family, were members of the Episcopal church. Mr. Shepherd, at his death, owned a fine estate. He was one of the county's most active and successful

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Biographical and historical memoirs of Mississippi, embracing an authentic and comprehensive account of the chief events in the history of the state and a record of the lives of many of the most worthy and illustrious families and individuals, Vol. II, Part 118

Author: Goodspeed Brothers Publication date: 1891 Publisher: Chicago, Goodspeed Number of Pages: 1314

Author: Goodspeed Brothers
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago, Goodspeed
Number of Pages: 1314