Surely You Should Know about the Shirleys by Shirley Janice Bower Tompkins There’s a reason my first name is Shirley. Yes, I’m from the Shirley Temple era, but that’s not the reason. I’m Shirley Janice because my great-grandmother was Nancy Jane Shirley. The Shirleys had southern roots— Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky— and they were farmers. Moses Shirley, the earliest Shirley ancestor we’re sure of, was born about 1780 in Abbeville, South or North Carolina. December 3, 1798, in Warren County, Kentucky, Moses married Nancy Dale, daughter of a respected southern family with roots going all the way back to Jamestown. He had a land grant in Barren County, Kentucky, in 1799. Moses and Nancy had 10 children, most of them born in Kentucky. After the Shirleys left Barren County, they are recorded as buying land in Hamilton County, Illinois, as early as 1818. They were charter members of the Ten Mile Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Hamilton County, IL. Primitive Baptists are sometimes known as “hardshell Baptists,” because they opposed Sunday schools as interfering between parents and their duty to teach their children. They sing hymns a capella because they only allow musical instruments mentioned in the Bible. An 1827 listing of pastors for the denomination shows Moses Shirley as an ordained pastor at Ten Mile Creek, Hamilton County. During the year, the report says, Ten Mile Creek lost two members to death, received seven members by letter, excluded two members but restored one. When Moses died in 1861, he was buried at Ten Mile Cemetery at McLeansboro, as was Nancy when she died a year later. Of their 10 children, the one we’re most interested in is Isaac Shirley, the second son, born in 1805 in Barren County, Kentucky. He married Elizabeth Cox in 1828, likely in Kentucky. Apparently the younger Shirleys moved from Hamilton County to Shelby County, Illinois. Records of land transfers for Shelby County (from Illinois Land Purchase Records 1813-1909) show Isaac Shirley buying 80 acres of ground on March 20, 1830, for $1.25 per acre, or a total price of $100.00. On April 14, 1836, he bought another 40 acres at $1.25 an acre, and on November 14, 1836, he bought 80 acres at $1.25 per acre. Isaac was one of the purchasers at an estate sale in 1842 in Shelby County, Illinois. Then Isaac heard of “cheap land in Missouri,” around Linn County and moved his family there sometime after 1842. More children joined their family in Missouri. (Moses Jr, Isaac’s brother, was one of the early settlers at Eagleville, Harrison County, Missouri. Most of the other family members apparently stayed in Illinois.) In the 1850 census records, Isaac’s family is in Linn County, Missouri. Isaac is 45, born Kentucky, a farmer, and his net worth is $1500, the highest net worth figure on that page. Elizabeth is 42, born Kentucky. “ William” is 21 and a farmer, born in Illinois. Martha A. Is 17, and Hannah E is 14, both born in Illinois. John W is 12, Nancy J (my great-grandmother) is 9, George W is 5, and Mary E is 1; all these children were born in Missouri. There’s also a William Dawers, 63, born Pennsylvania, living with the family; he is described as having “no occupation.” [Is he a relative?] The census listing for “William Shirley” presents a puzzle. Is this merely a misunderstanding of Wilburn’s name? Or is there really a William, one year younger than Wilburn? For that matter would Wilburn be living with the family in 1850 in Missouri? Or had he already joined the California gold rush? Says the Lecompton Bald Eagle (summer 1991) about Wilburn: “[In 1849] he became interested in the discovery of gold in the west, and joined a train with his ox team and went to California. There he mined gold for two years, and was successful. He decided to return home with his gleanings....” In 1852, the Bald Eagle says Wilburn came to eastern Kansas on horseback and did some prospecting: “...being favorably impressed with the country, he went back to Missouri, sold his real estate and moved his family to a place west of Lecompton...” Isaac Shirley followed his son to the Lecompton area. Isaac built an impressive two-story rock house (the ruins of which still stand) for his family a few miles from town. These were the days of Bleeding Kansas, when pro-slavery Missouri militants were harassing anti-slavery folks before the official beginning of the Civil War. Anti-slavery Kansans led by Jim Lane were shooting back at the Missourians. Even the county sheriff—a Democrat partisan—was making war on our Free Staters. The Shirleys were on the abolitionist, anti-slavery side. Says the Lecompton Bald Eagle: “Isaac was an avid Free State proponent, so when trouble loomed between the North and South, they sold their farm and went to Kansas Territory, where they pre-empted 160 acres near the Kansas River, about 2 ½ miles west of the present town of Lecompton. As he was an outspoken abolitionist, on numerous occasions, for his personal safety , he was compelled to hide in brush heaps to avoid ill treatment by the border ruffians. One of our family’s favorite stories comes from the Bald Eagle: “...Alex Glenn was working at the Isaac Shirley farm cutting wood near the river, when Isaac’s little son and his dog came to the timber to play near where [Alex] was working. The boy had a little tin whistle. While he was busy and the boy nearby, he heard what he thought to be Missourian raiders coming up the river bank. Alex’s first concern was for the boy, who suddenly blew his whistle. One of the raiders, upon hearing the whistle, yelled ‘Let’s get out of here—that’s Jim Lane and his men!’ They left, and Alex was saved by a boy and his whistle.” At the time, Lecompton was expected to be the capital of a slave-state Kansas. Congress itself allocated $50,000 to build a capitol building there, and construction of the foundation was actually begun, then abandoned. One history of Lane University (named presumably for Jim Lane) says: “It was also from here that the 13 stone masons who were working on the building picked up their guns and headed south on the Lecompton road to meet Col. Shombre and Captain Walker [Free Staters], in their projected attack on Lecompton. This was to be known as the Battle of Fort Titus.” Located about two miles south of Lecompton on the east bank of Coon Creek, Fort Titus wasn’t really a fort. It was the heavily fortified cabin of pro-slaver Col. Henry T. Titus, who had actively participated in the sacking of nearby Lawrence, KS, on May 21, 1856. His cabin is described by the Civil War Muse as a rendezvous point for pro-slavery ruffians. The battle at Col. Titus’ cabin, which occurred August 16, 1856, may have been either a retaliatory or a preventative measure. After the Free Staters’ “advance guard” was fired upon by a company of Pro-Slavery men led by Col. Titus on the California road, Wikipedia says: “Early in the morning, a party of Free-State cavalry made a charge upon some tents near the cabin, the inmates of which ran for the cabin, and were followed by the horsemen, who went too near the cabin, when they were fired upon by those inside...” The battle was brief, the Civil War Muse tells us, because the Free Staters brought in their cannon and fired it. “Ft. Titus and its 34 defenders, including Colonel Henry Titus, surrendered. Also surrendered were 400 muskets, a large number of knives, 13 horses, several wagons, a large stock of household provisions, farm equipment and $10,000 in gold and bank drafts. Slaves and servants owned by Titus were set free and instructed to go to Topeka....” Still, my Shirley family stayed on and prospered. At the height of its prosperity, according to one Town of Lecompton history, “Lecompton was quite a flourishing town (1857-1858) . It was the Seat of [Kansas] Territorial Government. It had several large hotels, four church groups, the United States Court and Land Office and was headquarters for seven stage lines to Kansas City, Leavenworth, and St. Joseph, Missouri. At this time the population was over 1,000.” Isaac Shirley died April 27, 1858, at the age of 53, before the Civil War officially began. (Anything that doesn’t happen on the East Coast, doesn’ t count.) His wife and family stayed on. During the Civil War, the town of Lawrence was sacked again, on August 21, 1863. According to the Lecompton Bald Eagle (Summer 1991): “In 1863 when Quantrill and his men sacked Lawrence, the people near the Shirley farm were warned as to what was happening and rushed to the Glenn farm to ask for help, as at that time nearly every able-bodied man and boy were away from home, fighting in the campaign against General Price’s confederate raiders in the Battle of the Blue. Old Mr. Glenn had them taken his best team of horses to the nearby creek, and hide them in the brush. The cows were then driven to the woods and scattered. He suggested that all the people go to the corn field and brush to hide. “They spent the entire day there, singing hymns and conjecturing what they ’d do if Quantrill came. One woman brought her valuables with her in an old copper pot; this she buried in the presence of others, so that if she were killed others would know its location. They stayed hidden until eleven o’clock that night, with the little ones hungry and crying and everyone miserable. Finally it was suggested that they go back to the house as they did not think Quantrill would kill them all. The next morning a man rode out from Lecompton and told them Quantrill had left. That same day, some of the men who had been fighting Price, returned home.” Shirley men and their neighbors were part of the Kansas State Militia. The militia was separate from regular army units from Kansas. The Kansas State Historical Society tells me that the KSM “...was primarily used in emergencies and the periods of service were usually very short. Therefore there was no need for extensive records and paperwork, and no pensions resulted...” KSM records show: “Shirley, W 4"Sgt, Co G, 4th Regiment, KSM Enlisted September, 1863, in Jefferson Co. Mustered in October 8 , 1864, in Jefferson Co. Mustered out October 24, 1864 Period of actual service: 15 days” “Shirley, John Private, Co A, 9th Regt KSM Mustered in October 11, 1864 Mustered out October 29, 1864 Period of actual service - 19 days” and their brother-in-law, married to Mary Elizabeth Shirley, Isaac’s daughter: “Brown, Wm R Priv. Co A, Second Regiment, KSM Enlisted May 10, 1864, at Topeka Mustered out October 30, 1864 Period of actual service: 20 days” Wilburn Shirley didn’t stay in Douglas County forever. According to the Bald Eagle: “...He had a very successful farming operation going, but his cattle would frequently swim the Kansas River, to pasture on the north side [in Jefferson County] and eat the grass there. As a result, he sold his 160 acres he had pre-empted and located in Jefferson County across the river from the previous farm. There he prospered in his farm operation and lived on that farm the rest of his life, rearing ten children.” Now, how does my great-grandmother, Nancy Jane Shirley, fit into all this? Nancy Jane was Wilburn Shirley’s little sister. She was born May 14, 1843, in Shelby County, Illinois, the sixth child of Isaac and Elizabeth Shirley. When she was nine, she moved with them to Linn County, MO, and then to Douglas County KS. She may be the grandma who told stories to my mom about hiding under the bed during Quantrill’s raid, though by that time she would have been a married woman. Nancy Jane married Smith Champion at Lecompton on January 12, 1862; they had six children, one of whom, Frederick Champion, was my grandfather. Mom remembered Nancy Jane as the great-grandma who always had peppermints in her apron pocket to share with the little folks. She died January 24, 1916. And she’s the reason my first name is Shirley. ---Jan Tompkins 10/21/15