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- 474 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. now his portion. A due regard for the rights of others and a genuine desire to be of service to those whom fortune has frowned upon, are, in par- secrets of his popularity among his associates. JOHN D. SHELLAND. John D. Shelland, who has been prominently associated with the devel- opment of Newton county, Indiana, has mane his home for many years :- Grant township, where he is held in high regard. He is a grandson of James and Lois (Wright) Shelland, natives of Scotland and England. respectively, Both came to this country with their parents when they were young children, and they were married in Schenectady, New York. Subsequently they SCi:- tIed upon a farm in that vicinity and made a home in the midst of the forest; After clearing and improving that place they became citizens of Wister, Otsego county, New York, where he purchased two farms and where they spent the remainder of their long lives, his death occurring when he was ~ his seventy-ninth year, while she lived to the remarkable age of one hundre years, lacking one month. All of their eleven children are deceased, and their names are as given below: James, Elisha, David, Samuel, John, Isaac, MIS- Mary Bigelow, Mrs. Lois Robinson, Mrs. Grazella Davis, Mrs. Sally Stever and Mrs. Julia Kipple. The three eldest sons were soldiers of the war c= 1812, and never accepted a pension, as they were devoted to their count_ and they gladly gave her their loyal service in her hour of need. Their father was a deacon in the Presbyterian church, and his family was kept nn- der strict discipline, as was customary among the Scotch who adhered to tha; severe creed. Samuel Shelland, the father of our subject. was born in 1800 and lived to reach his seventy-fourth year. After his marriage to Anna, daughter c: Da vid and Bathsheba (Mills) Smith. he began farming in earnest and in time was numbered among the prosperous agriculturists of Otsego, New York, ( native county. He was a Presbyterian of the old school, and in politics ~,= a Democrat, filling a few local offices with zeal and marked ability. His wife was of English descent on her father's side. Mr. Smith was born - Connecticut, in which state his parents had located upon their arrival - America, and when fully grown he was six feet and two inches in heig1::: He served in the colonial army from the age of sixteen, when Washingtor. took command,· until the close of the Revolution, and until Washington isse his farewell address, holding a commission from him for some time. C one occasion he was actively engaged in the capture of a band of Hessiaz soldiers who had been hired by the English and were especially detested _ the Americans, and was the officer who went forward and demanded the::

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Page 1: BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. - INGenWebingenweb.org/innewton/1889 Bios/Shelland, John D..pdfBIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. surrender. At the close of the war he received his pay for the preceding.year's

- 474 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

now his portion. A due regard for the rights of others and a genuine desireto be of service to those whom fortune has frowned upon, are, in par-secrets of his popularity among his associates.

JOHN D. SHELLAND.

John D. Shelland, who has been prominently associated with the devel-opment of Newton county, Indiana, has mane his home for many years :-Grant township, where he is held in high regard. He is a grandson of Jamesand Lois (Wright) Shelland, natives of Scotland and England. respectively,Both came to this country with their parents when they were young children,and they were married in Schenectady, New York. Subsequently they SCi:-

tIed upon a farm in that vicinity and made a home in the midst of the forest;After clearing and improving that place they became citizens of Wister,Otsego county, New York, where he purchased two farms and where theyspent the remainder of their long lives, his death occurring when he was ~his seventy-ninth year, while she lived to the remarkable age of one hundreyears, lacking one month. All of their eleven children are deceased, and theirnames are as given below: James, Elisha, David, Samuel, John, Isaac, MIS-

Mary Bigelow, Mrs. Lois Robinson, Mrs. Grazella Davis, Mrs. Sally Steverand Mrs. Julia Kipple. The three eldest sons were soldiers of the war c=1812, and never accepted a pension, as they were devoted to their count_and they gladly gave her their loyal service in her hour of need. Theirfather was a deacon in the Presbyterian church, and his family was kept nn-der strict discipline, as was customary among the Scotch who adhered to tha;severe creed.

Samuel Shelland, the father of our subject. was born in 1800 and livedto reach his seventy-fourth year. After his marriage to Anna, daughter c:Da vid and Bathsheba (Mills) Smith. he began farming in earnest and in timewas numbered among the prosperous agriculturists of Otsego, New York,

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native county. He was a Presbyterian of the old school, and in politics ~,=a Democrat, filling a few local offices with zeal and marked ability. Hiswife was of English descent on her father's side. Mr. Smith was born -Connecticut, in which state his parents had located upon their arrival -America, and when fully grown he was six feet and two inches in heig1:::He served in the colonial army from the age of sixteen, when Washingtor.took command,· until the close of the Revolution, and until Washington issehis farewell address, holding a commission from him for some time. Cone occasion he was actively engaged in the capture of a band of Hessiazsoldiers who had been hired by the English and were especially detested _the Americans, and was the officer who went forward and demanded the::

Page 2: BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. - INGenWebingenweb.org/innewton/1889 Bios/Shelland, John D..pdfBIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. surrender. At the close of the war he received his pay for the preceding.year's

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

surrender. At the close of the war he received his pay for the preceding. year's service, and gave the entire amount, ninety-six dollars, for one meal!The hardships which he had endured for his country resulted in his life-longdisability, and he thenceforth worked at shoemaking, as he was unable towalk without assistance, and could not engage in farming or more active labor.It is sad to relate that this gallant soldier received no pension, except thepaltry sum of eight dollars a month for the last few years of his life! Amongthe children of his first marriage were Joseph, Joes, Thomas. Rebecca, Annaand David. The second wife was the widow of a Mr. Carpenter, who tradi-tion says was the wealthiest man in Connecticut. He served as tax collectorduring the Revolution, and the last collection, made in the depreciated colo-nial scrip, he had to pay in gold, which ruined him. There were threechildren of their marriage.

The birth of John D. Shelland occurred in Otsego county, New York,December 13. 183I, he being the third of six children. His brother, Isaac,became a successful farmer of the Empire state, and Benjamin. a wagon-maker, doing an extensive business in that iine; and his sisters were Mary,who married C. R. Chamberlin; Augusta, wife of S. Wright ; and Elvira, whofirst married G. Wilsey and later, I. Adkins. Mrs. Adkins, who died about187 I, was one of the first members of the -Presbyterian church at Goodland,Newton county, this state, and was noted for her fine voice and musicalability.

Until he was thirty-six years of age our subject resided at his birthplace,his attention devoted to its cultivation. In r8S8 he became the manager of agrist and sa w mill, a clover mill and a cider mill, the latter making one thousandthree hundred barrels in the first season. For four years he was the ownerof a quarter interest in the plant. Possessing natural mechanical ability, hehad attended to all the repairing of the mill machinery, and when, in r 862,he sold his shares in the property and returned to the old homestead, hehired a man to carryon the farm, while he undertook the sale of a wagon witha patent self-acting brake, and canvassed five counties with excellent results.When the civil war broke cut he desired to enlist, but upon being examinedwas rejected. In r863, however, he was drafted, and it ~ost him three hun-dred dollars to get a release. In r 865 he came west with a view of makinga permanent settlement, and was joined by his family in April of that year,at Goodland, where he rented a house. He bought the land now comprisedwithin his farm, then wild and unbroken prairie, sent to Chicago for lumberwith which to build fences, and finally put up a small house on the place.By degrees he succeeded in reducing the land to cultivation, and made amodel farm of the property, which is situated but one mile west of the vil-lage. In r874, having bought two acres of land in Goodland, he erected

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Page 3: BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. - INGenWebingenweb.org/innewton/1889 Bios/Shelland, John D..pdfBIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. surrender. At the close of the war he received his pay for the preceding.year's

476 BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

two, substantial houses there and occupied one of them for five years. Heoperated the village mill for about eight months, but for the past twen _years has dwelt upon his original homestead in Grant township, retaininone of the houses in Goodland, also. For three years he has served as G.

member of the local school board, and while a resident of his native statewas a justice of the peace for some time. Politically his preference is '--=

Democratic party, and fraternally he has served as noble grand in the orderof Odd Fellows.

In 1857 Mr. Shelland was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Wisley, w==was born in New York state September 6, 1839, a daughter of Joseph ac;Sophronia (Wright) Wisley. The father, who died in 1877, was a contraand builder, aud also followed the occupation of a miller and an undeduring his career. He was a man highly esteemed, an ardent worker in ---Baptist church, and heartily in sympathy with all that tends to uplift h -ity. His elder son, German, aided him in his business, while the other =-Charles, enlisted in the Union army and served through the civil war,wounded, but surviving. The daughters were: Ellen, Mrs. EmilyMrs. Elvira Waterman, Mrs. Elizabeth Boom, and Mary, who first illH. H. Green, and later, H. Murray, The three children of Mr. andSheJland,-Grace, Benjamin and Lola, are unmarried and are lihome.

GEORGE LONG.The family of Longs, which is ably represented in Steuben to...---.~--

Warren county, by the gentleman whose name commences this ske;an old and honored one in Pennsylvania, and from that state driftedgrees, westward. George Long, the paternal grandfather of our ubjeborn in the Keystone state, but, with the other members of his fan early settler of Greene county, Ohio.

Solomon Long, the father of our subject, was born in GreeneOhio, in 1808, and was reared to man's estate there. In 1830, W -

in his twenty-second year, he came to Warren county, Indiana 2.1::: =::::.:~~land in what is now known as Kent township, then a part of Moun -~..•••....:::.....-.About a year subsequently to his arrival here he married Rachel ~--:-father, Daniel Stary, was one of the worthy pioneers of the sam= -~.._~Kent. The property on which Mr. Long took up his residence as =-

timbered tract, and for many years he was kept busily at wor: ...;--=~,.:..land and otherwise improving it. He made a model homestead ~-in 1839 he disposed of the place and removed to Steuben to~s::==-he dwelt until his death, in 1873. His first wife, Rachel, died =--her son and only child, George, was a babe of eighteen mont -