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Provincial Archives of New Brunswick

Fort Havoc (Wallace Hale)

Info The language of the text is the original used by Wallace Hale. Records acquired by the Provincial Archives are not translated from the language in which they originate.

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The Shea Family

 

A Preliminary Study

of

the descendants

of

William Elihu SHEA

of

Carrick-on-Suir, Ireland

and the

Parish of Northampton, Carleton County,

New Brunswick

 

 
NOTE: The information that forms the basis of this document was collected in the course of investigating other Carleton County families, particularly those in the Parish of Northampton. The document was written originally at the request of some of the Shea descendants as a preliminary outline of the first few generations of the family. It is included here because of links between the Shea families and the Sharp, Dickinson, Baker and Campbell families. — RWH
 
 

 
The Shea Family of Northampton - First Generation

 

William Elihu Shea was born in Carrick-on-Suir, County Waterford, Ireland. No record of his birth has been located, nor has any record of his marriage to Lydia Spera or Sperah been found.

In the brief information contained in D. R. Jack's "Loyalist Families of New Brunswick" (see 'Acadiensis'), William Elihu Shea told his son John that his family came from Scotland, that they were Presbyterians, and were driven from there, along with many others, by religious persecution.

According to Mr. Jack, William Elihu Shea came to America about 1770, reputedly as a mate on a Man of War, which he left at New York City, and from there went to Jersey City, New Jersey, where he was a clerk in a store operated by Jeremiah Connell.

After Jeremiah Connell died, William Elihu Shea married the widow, Lydia (Spera) Connell, and the marriage license used to be in the possession of their son, John Shea.

At the close of the American Revolution, William Elihu Shea emigrated, with his family, to the British Provinces, first settling at Fredericton, where he kept a boot and shoe store. Later, he moved to the Parish of Northampton, Carleton County, where he died and was buried, allegedly at Pembroke.

In a letter to D. R. Jack, dated 30 December 1907, Isabella McGee Smith, then residing in Hamilton, Ontario, stated that Lydia (Spera) (Connell) Shea sold her property in New York for 500 guineas and she and William Elihu Shea came to New Brunswick, along with their daughter Lydia Shea (Isabella McGee Smith's grandmother), then five years old, and Jeremiah Connell, her son by her first marriage, then a lad 14 years of age.

The Smith letter states that the family stayed in Fredericton over a year, then moved to Northampton, taking up 3,000 acres of land.

William Elihu Shea's will, dated 18 February 1829, was signed in his own hand, witnessed by Patrick Sheals, Richard Gilbert, and Denes Sheals, and named Denis Sheals and Richard Gilbert as executors.

The will was probated on 7 June 1829, but it is probable that William Shea died not long after signing the document.

In his will, William Elihu Shea left all his land and buildings to son Elihu, providing for the maintenance of his wife, Lydia, and directing that son Elihu pay 5 shillings each to son John, daughter Hannah Dickerson (Dickinson), daughter Lydia Bannen, and daughter Amelia Thompkins (Tompkins). Other children are not mentioned.

Dr. Alfred D. Shea (born c1864, son of George Elihu and Harriet S. (Drake) Shea, in a letter to D. R. Jack dated 1907, listed the children of William and Lydia Shea:

John Shea, married Mary Hester Dickinson, born 2 Feb. 1792, died 20 September 1875 - 8 children.
Elihu Shea, married Rosanna Dickinson - 8 children
Lydia Shea, married George McGee
Hannah Shea, married Peter Dickinson - 15 children
Ruth Shea, married George Baker
Amelia Shea, married George Tompkins - 6 children.

Ruth Shea is also mentioned in the Isabella McGee Smith letter, but no mention of her is made in her father's will.

Vital data for the children of William Elihu and Lydia (Sperah) Shea is mostly lacking. The records of the Wilmot United Church in Fredericton, New Brunswick, show the baptism on 26 January 1795 of Amelia, daughter of William and Lydia Shea, born 23 December 1794.

The Anglican Church records for the Parish of Woodstock, Carleton County, New Brunswick, contain the baptism on 3 June 1800 of Elihu Spera Shea, born 13 April 1800, son of "Mr and Mrs Shea." If other baptismal records exist, they have not yet been located.

The marriage records of the Anglican Church for the Parish of Woodstock include the following Shea marriages:

28 Sept. 1797 Lydia Shea and George McGee Jr.
11 Nov. 1802 Hannah Shea and Peter Dickinson
30 Nov. 1804 Elisabeth Shea and Tammerlane Campbell
17 Apr. 1815 Amelia Shea and George Tompkins
22 Nov. 1815 John Shea and Mary Dickerson
14 Nov. 1816 Ruth Shea and George Baker
30 Mar. 1818 Elihu Shea and Rosanna Dickerson
24 Oct. 1825 Lydia Shea and Patrick Bannen

The York County marriage records include the marriages of Amelia Shea, John Shea, Ruth Shea, Elihu Shea, and Lydia's second marriage. Those records also include the marriage of George Baker, Fredericton, and Mary Ann VanHorne, also of Fredericton, on 22 October 1825, indicating that Ruth Shea was deceased by 1825, thus explaining why she was not mentioned in her father's will.

Similarly, Tamberlane Campbell Jr. married, second, in January 1816, Elizabeth Snow. Tamberlane Campbell had two daughters, Lydia and Eliza, born respectively about 1809 and 1810, and had no children by his second wife. Obviously, Elizabeth Shea died some time between 1810 and 1816, thirteen to nineteen years before her father executed his will.

While there may have been other children who died in infancy, or at least very young, the known children of William Elihu Shea and Lydia Spera are:

1. Lydia Shea, born 14 September 1782 in New York or New Jersey, married first George McGee Jr. on 28 September 1797, secondly, Patrick Bannen on 24 October 1825, named in father's will.

2. Hannah Shea, probably born not later than 1786, probably in Fredericton, N.B., married Peter Dickinson on 11 November 1802, named in father's will.

3. Elizabeth Shea, probably born not later than 1788, married Tamberlane Campbell Jr. on 30 November 1804, deceased after 1810 but before 1816.

4. John Shea, born 2 February 1792 in Fredericton, N.B., married Mary H. Dickinson on 22 November 1815, died at Northampton on 20 September 1875.

5. Amelia Shea, born 23 December 1794, married George Tompkins on 17 April 1815, named in father's will.

6. Ruth Shea, born before 1800, probably c1798, married George Baker on 14 November 1816. Deceased prior to 1825.

7. Elihu Spera Shea, born 13 April 1800, married Rosanna Westwater Dickinson on 30 March 1818, named in father's will.

 

 

Second Generation of the Shea Family

 

Lydia Shea, born 14 September 1782, married George McGee Jr. on 28 September 1797. Lieut. Arthur Nicholson's "Report on the State of the Population in the District next above the Parishes of Woodstock and Northampton" dated 19 May 1803, lists the George McGee household as containing 1 man, 2 women, and two children under ten years of age. The second woman was his widowed mother, Phebe, and the two children were sons James, born 21 June 1800, and William, born 31 January 1802. Possibly there were other children of this marriage, but the McGee family notes are presently not available.

Lydia married second Patrick Bannen on 24 October 1825. The Bannen family does not appear in the 1851 Census for either Carleton or York counties and no record of issue of the latter union has been located.

 

Hannah Shea, probably born not later than 1786, perhaps while the family resided in Fredericton, N.B., married Peter Dickinson on 11 November 1802. Peter Dickinson's will, dated 23 March 1839 and probated 14 May 1839, names sons William and Peter, daughters Mary Ann, Harriet, and Hannah, and makes reference to "all the rest of my children" who are not named. Dr. Alfred D. Shea stated that Hannah had 15 children, but does not provide names.

After Peter Dickinson's death, Hannah Shea apparently married Elisha Hatfield, who appeared in the 1851 Census of the Parish of Wakefield, with stepdaughter Hannah Dickinson, step-grandson Samuel Dickinson, step-granddaughter Mary Cunningham, and nephew Charles Shaw. Elisha's age is stated in the Census as 36, while wife Hannah's age is given as 64. If Elisha's age is not a transcription error, it gives meaning to a "May and December marriage."

 

Elizabeth Shea, probably born not later than 1788, married Tamberlane Campbell Jr. on 30 November 1804. Elizabeth died somewhere during or after 1810 and before 1816. Tamberlane and Elizabeth Campbell had two daughters:

Lydia Campbell, born c1809, married first James Shaw, secondly Oliver Sherwood.

Eliza Campbell, born c1810, married on 17 September 1827 John Shaw.

 

John Shea, born 2 February 1792 in Fredericton, N.B., married Mary Hester Dickinson on 22 November 1815. She was the daughter of Arden Dickinson and his wife, Sarah Campbell. Arden Dickinson, son of Amos Dickinson, was a Loyalist from New York State who came to New Brunswick after the close of the American Revolution. Arden's wife was born about 1776, probably in Falmouth, Hants County, Nova Scotia, the daughter of Tamberlin Campbell and his wife Hester Cunnabell. Sarah (Campbell) Dickinson died at Lower Brighton, Carleton County, New Brunswick on 3 February 1867, leaving 11 children surviving her.

John and Mary Hester Shea had eight children:

William Sperry Shea, born 10 December 1818, baptized in the Anglican Church 9 July 1823.

Sarah Ann Shea, born 18 May 1820, baptized 9 July 1823. She married on 6 January 1842 William T. Baird and died at Northampton on 13 September 1900.

Charles Shea, born 20 February 1823, baptized 9 July 1823.

John Arden Shea, born 10 May 1825, baptized 24 August 1826.

Mary Jane Shea, born 1827, married on 12 July 1849 Eli Sharp. She died at Northampton on 15 July 1903.

Lydia Hester Shea, born 13 December 1829, baptized 25 September 1830, married on 18 December 1850 James Rankin. She died at Northampton on 5 August 1867.

George Elihu Shea, born about 1831-1833.

Adam Henry Shea, born about 1836.

John Shea died at Northampton on 20 September 1875.

 

Amelia Shea, born 23 December 1794, married George Tompkins on 17 April 1815. Dr. Alfred D. Shea indicates Amelia had six children. The 1851 Census of the Parish of Northampton, Carleton County, New Brunswick, lists George Tompkins, age 62, his wife Amelia, age 55, son John, age 33, son William, age 26, son Spearah, age 24, son Hiram, age 22, and son Frederick, age 19.

 

Ruth Shea, born before 1800, probably about 1798, married George Baker on 14 November 1816. Ruth Shea was not named in her father's will, indicating she was deceased before 1829, and her date of death is obviously at least four years earlier. George Baker married, second, 22 October 1825 Mary Ann Van Horne at Fredericton. There seems to have been one, or possibly two, children of Ruth's marriage.

 

Elihu Spera Shea, born 13 April 1800, married Rosanna Westwater Dickinson on 30 March 1818. Rosanna, born 30 April 1801, was the daughter of Arden and Sarah (Campbell) Dickinson and was named for her grandmother's sister, Rosanna Cunnabell who had married a Westwater.

According to Dr. Alfred D. Shea, Elihu and Rosanna had eight children, but records of only seven have been found:

William Shea, born about 1821.

James Shea, born about 1824.

Arden Shea, born about 1829.

Charles Connell Shea, born 26 June 1831.

Jeremiah Shea, born about 1834.

Eliza Ann Shea, born about 1836. She may have been the Eliza Shea who married on 20 December 1862 James W. Sutherland, as recorded in Book B, Page 2, of the Carleton County Marriage Records.

The 1861 Census of the Parish of Northampton, Carleton County, New Brunswick, lists the household:

Elihu, age 61, but ruled out. Possibly just deceased.
Roseanah, age 60, wife
James, age 37, son
Eliza Ann, age 24
Mary Roseanah, age 21, grand-daughter
Mona Spearah, age 18, grand-daughter
Elihu Samuel, age 9, grand-son
George Arden, age 7, grand-son

Elihu Samuel and George Arden Shea were the sons of William and Margaret Shea, and it would seem that Mary Roseanah was their daughter. With the two brothers and a sister in the dwelling, it would seem reasonable to assume that Mona Spearah was also a daughter of William and Margaret, but there is no evidence to support that assumption.

 

 

Third Generation of the Shea Family
 

William Sperry Shea, son of John and Mary Hester (Dickinson) Shea, was born 10 December 1818 and baptized in the Anglican Church on 9 July 1823. He married on 14 June 1853 Isabel Sharp, the daughter of Adam Boyle Sharp and Elizabeth Peabody, whose ancestry is documented in "The Sharp Family" by E. Tappan Adney.

William Sperry Shea and his wife Isabel are buried in the old Woodstock Methodist Cemetery, the gravestone indicating that William Sperry Shea died on 22 March 1876 and Isabel died on 20 August 1872. Both dates are in error.

E. Tappan Adney states that Isabel Sharp was born 31 August 1818, died on 20 August 1870, and had no children. No record of a subsequent marriage has been found, but Adney also states that William Sperry Shea married 14 January 1874 Isabel Smith, born 4 October 1850, daughter of William Dibblee Smith and his wife Jane Sharp. By this second marriage, William Sperry Shea had one child:

1. Jane Shea, born 13 December 1875, died 12 February 1877, named in father's will.

William Sperry Shea's will was dated 6 February 1876 and probated on 30 March 1876. Court records show he died on 21 March 1876. The will was witnessed by John A. Shea and George E. Shea, and names wife Isabel and brothers George E. and John A. Shea as executors. The will stipulates that the income from his real estate be divided between his wife Isabel and child Jane. Brother John A. Shea was to receive $500. per year to manage the nursery, and brother G. Elihu Shea "to have a chance to canvass at the rate of $500. a year." He bequeathed $200. to brother Adam H. Shea, and $500. to wife Isabel to "assist in keeping my mother." He bequeathed his interest in mining leases in New Brunswick to John A. Shea, George H. Connell and F. P. Sharp, and his mineral collection to his wife. The widow Isabel was still living on 27 October 1879 when the estate inventory was filed.

 

Charles Shea, son of John and Mary Hester (Dickinson) Shea, was born 20 February 1823 and baptized in the Anglican Church on 9 July 1823. He married on 2 January 1850 Maria Tompkins, born about 1832.

The known children of Charles and Maria Shea:

Frederick Wallace Shea, born about 1851.

Alice Mary Shea, born about 1853.

John Sperah Shea, born about 1855.

Helen Mariah Shea, born about 1857.

Smith Shea, born about 1859.

Charles Ernest Shea, born about 1861.

 

John Arden Shea, son of John and Mary Hester (Dickinson) Shea, was born 10 May 1825 and baptized in the Anglican Church on 24 August 1825. He married on 6 July 1862 at Litchfield, Maine, Aurilla H. Barrows, who was born 29 November 1836, the daughter of the Rev. Allen and Sarah C. Barrows.

The known children of John Arden and Aurilla H. Shea:

Clara I. Shea, born 26 July 1863, married first on 11 July 1886 Alder B. Boyer of Saint John, New Brunswick. Clara married secondly Lt. Col. Charles Edward Sunder. She died at Woodstock on 17 October 1939.

Aurilla T. Shea, born about 1866. She may have been the un-named wife of Louis E. Young who died at Grafton in late August 1898 at the age of 33, according to the Woodstock 'Dispatch' of 31 August 1898.

Greely A. Shea, born 31 October 1868, died at Grafton on 13 February 1936.

Unknown child born in September 1871.

Emma Harris Shea, died 2 April 1878, evidently at a young age.

John Arden Shea died 16 April 1904 and his wife, Aurilla, died 24 April 1921.

 

George Elihu Shea, son of John and Mary Hester (Dickinson) Shea, was born between 1831 and 1833. He married on 17 November 1853, according to the Carleton County Marriage Records, Book A, page 406, Harriet S. Drake. The marriage was witnessed by W. Henry Baird and Helen Rankin.

In the 1881 Census of the Parish of Northampton, G. Elihu Shea is listed, age 48, with wife Harriet S., age 47, and children Annie M., 25; Alfred H. (Alfred D.), 17; Sperry L, 14; Frank E., 12; Edward H., 8, and Helen M., aged 23. At this time, the parentage of Harriet Drake has not been established. The 1851 Census of the Parish of Wakefield, Carleton County, New Brunswick, lists one Joseph Drake, age 63, with wife Susan, 54, and children Francis, 26; Joseph, 28; Harriet, 22; Mary Anne, 18, and James, 12 years of age. While it is tempting to assume this was the Harriet Drake who married Elihu Shea, the age is wrong, if the later census data are to be believed.

In addition, the 1851 Census of the Parish of Woodstock, lists a Miss Drake, age 29, school mistress, with her sister, also listed as Miss Drake, age 16. This sister is of the correct age, and it may be significant that the marriage records indicate Harriet Drake was a resident of Woodstock, not Wakefield.

The elder Miss Drake, school mistress, may have been the Eliza A. Drake who married Charles L. Smith on 5 September 1853, but that is speculation. Charles Lewis Smith, born 26 August 1809, was the son of the Loyalist Michael Smith and his wife, Phoebe Ketchum. The wedding of Charles Lewis Smith and Eliza Ann Drake was witnessed by George Ketchum and C. [M.] Drake, as recorded in Book A, Page 406, of the Carleton County Marriage Records. Charles L. Smith and E. Ann Drake were witnesses at the wedding of William Sperry Shea and Isabel Sharp on 14 June 1853, recorded on page 405 of the Marriage Records.

The Drake families appear to have removed from York County prior to 1851, some moving to Carleton County while others settled in Saint John. A James Drake in Fredericton married Harriet Harris, also of Fredericton, on 13 February 1828. James Drake has not been located in any of the 1851 Census records and may have died prior to that year. The age of the school mistress at Woodstock precludes her being issue of that marriage, but it is entirely possible that her sixteen-year old sister was a half sister and may have been the daughter of James and Harriet.

Exploring the ancestry of Harriet S. Drake must be left to other researchers.

The documented children of George Elihu and Harriet S. (Drake) Shea:

Judson A. Shea, born about 1854.

Harriet Augusta Shea, born February 1856, died 30 July 1856.

Anna Mary Shea, born 14 May 1857, died 30 September 1917 and is buried in the Woodstock Methodist Cemetery. She appears to have died single.

Ida Shea, died 12 August 1862, apparently in childhood.

Alfred D. Shea, born abour 1864, probably died in Boston, Mass.

Sperry L. Shea, born 10 November 1866, died by drowning 31 March 1896. His will, dated 25 August 1894, probated 17 April 1896, bequeathed his entire estate to his mother and appointed her sole executrix.

Frank E. Shea, born about 1869. A news item in the Woodstock 'Dispatch' dated 6 March 1895 states that Frank Shea, who had been a clerk in Charles Connell's drug store for some years, left for Boston on Monday "where he has been offered a lucrative position."
Evidently he returned to New Brunswick, as the Woodstock 'Dispatch' on 27 April 1898 carried the announcement that "Frank E. Shea of the CPR train dispatchers staff here will be married to Miss Alice J. Smith" at the Salvation Army Barracks "to-morrow."

Warren Shea (?) A news item in the Woodstock 'Dispatch' dated 22 January 1902 states "Warren Shea of Dawson City is in town, the guest of his brother, Frank E. Shea, of the C.P.R. dispatching office. Mr. Shea went into the Klondike region in the spring of 1897, before the big rush, and he assisted in loading the gold that was carried to Seattle on the historic steamer 'Portland', whose arrival was in a great measure the cause of the Klondike Stampede. There were only 25 people at Dawson when Mr. Shea got there and in a year the population was 25,000. He has several rich claims near Dawson and he will return in a few weeks to look after his interests there." This is the only reference to Warren Shea, and his inclusion here is based solely on that newspaper account.

Edward H. Shea, born about 1873.

George Elihu Shea died on 11 July 1909 and his wife died on 10 August 1915. Both are buried in the old Woodstock Methodist Cemetery.

 

 

Adam Henry Shea, son of John and Mary Hester (Dickinson) Shea, was born about 1836. He married on 15 March 1859 Caroline Phillips of the Parish of Woodstock, as recorded in the Carleton County Marriages, Book A, page 500. The marriage was witnessed by David Phillips and Margaret Wires. Caroline Phillips, born about 1839, was the daughter of Jesse Phillips.

The 1861 Census of the Parish of Northampton, Carleton County, New Brunswick lists Adam Shea, age 24, with his wife Caroline, age 23, and daughter Caroline, 11 months of age.

 

 

William Shea, son of Elihu Spera and Rosanna Westwater (Dickinson) Shea, was born about 1821. No record of his marriage has been found, but he is listed in the 1851 Census for the parish of Northampton, Carleton County, New Brunswick:

William, age 32
Margaret, age 34, wife
Mary, age 11, daughter
Amelia, age 10, daughter
Margaret, age 7, daughter
Mariah, age 5, daughter
Eli, age 4, son
Eliza, age 1, daughter

The 1871 Census finds William and Margaret in the Parish of Woodstock. During the intervening twenty years, William seems to have aged only 18 years, since the family is listed:

William, age 50, Lumberman, Church of England
Margaret, age 53, wife
Eli, age 23, son
Elihu, age 19, son
George, age 17, son
John, age 9, son

The 1881 Census of the Parish of Woodstock lists the family:

William, age 59
Margaret, age 62
Elihu [Samuel], age 28
George [Arden], age 26
Norman, age 22
John, age 19

For reasons unknown, Norman was omitted from the 1871 Census.

 

 

James Shea, son of Elihu Spera and Rosanna Westwater (Dickinson) Shea, was born about 1824. He appears in the 1861 Census of the Parish of Northampton, age 37, in his parents home, along with his sister, Eliza Ann, age 24. Apparently both were still single.

 

 

Arden Shea, son of Elihu Spera and Rosanna Westwater (Dickinson) Shea, was born about 1829. No further information.

 

 

Charles Connell Shea, son of Elihu Spera and Rosanna Westwater (Dickinson) Shea, was born 26 June 1831. No further information.

 

 

Jeremiah Shea, son of Elihu Spera and Rosanna Westwater (Dickinson) Shea, was born about 1834. No further information.

 

 

 

Fourth Generation of the Shea Family

 

Frederick Wallace Shea, son of Charles and Maria (Tompkins) Shea, was born about 1851. No other information.

 

 

John Sperah Shea, son of Charles and Maria (Tompkins) Shea, was born about 1855. No other information.

 

 

Smith Shea, son of Charles and Maria (Tompkins) Shea, was born about 1859. The January 5th 1898 issue of the Woodstock 'Dispatch' carried a news item that Smith S. Shea of New Whatcom, Washington, formerly of Grafton, and Miss Agnes Clift of Philadelphia were married at New Whatcom on December 23rd. The item mentions that Smith Shea was the local manager of the Pacific Postal Telegraph Co. at New Whatcom.

 

 

Charles Ernest Shea, son of Charles and Maria (Tompkins) Shea, was born about 1861. No other information.

 

 

Greely A. Shea, son of John Arden and Aruilla (Barrows) Shea, was born 31 October 1868. Greely resided at Grafton and married at Houlton, Maine, 3 August 1921, Pearl L. Campbell, also of Grafton.

 

 

Judson A. Shea, son of George Elihu and Harriet S. (Drake) Shea, was born about 1854. He married on 27 September 1877 Damaris Hartley of Peel, as recorded in Book B, Page 469, Carleton County Marriage Records. He appears in the 1881 Census of the Parish of Northampton, Carleton County, New Brunswick, age 26, with his wife Damaris, age 24 or 27 (the record is difficult to read), and daughter Hattie, age cited as "6/12" followed by "October".

 

 

Alfred D. Shea, son of George Elihu and Harriet S. (Drake) Shea, was born about 1864. He was living in Boston, Massachusetts in 1907, evidently a doctor, and was compiling a Shea genealogy. Nothing more is known of either Dr. Shea or his work on the Shea ancestry.

 

 

Sperry L. Shea, son of George Elihu and Harriet S. (Drake) Shea, was born 10 November 1866 and died single on 31 March 1896, by drowning.

 

 

Frank E. Shea, son of George Elihu and Harriet S. (Drake) Shea, was born about 1869. He married on 28 April 1898 Alice J. Smith, if the newspaper announcement of that time is correct. No other information.

 

 

Warren Shea seems to have been another son of George Elihu and Harriet S. (Drake) Shea, but this assumption is based solely on the newspaper account mentioned previously. The 1881 Census of the Parish of Northampton, Carleton County, New Brunswick, lists a Warren Shea, age 12, and Charles Shea, age 20, in the residence of Eli and Sarah Shea. No relationship to the head of the household is stated. If the Census data are correct, Warren would have been born about 1869. While this seemingly conflicts with the possibility of Warren being a brother of Frank Shea, actual birth dates are lacking for both men; there could well have been a year between them, or they may have been twins. Warren Shea's parentage deserves further research.

 

 

Edward H. Shea, son of George Elihu and Harriet S. (Drake) Shea, was born about 1873. He apparently moved to Boston, Massachusetts some time prior to 1894, as the Woodstock 'Dispatch' carried a news item on 12 December 1894, in the Personals column, that "Ed. H. Shea, of Boston, is visiting his old home Woodstock."

 

 

Eli Shea, son of William and Margaret Shea, was born about 1847. An Eli Shea appears in the 1881 Census of the Parish of Northampton, Carleton County, New Brunswick, age 32, with wife Sarah, age 27, and daughter Bernice, age 2. In the same household Charles Shea, age 20, and Warren Shea, age 12, are listed. No other information.

 

 

Elihu Samuel Shea, son of William and Margaret Shea, was born about 1852. No other information.

 

 

George Arden Shea, son of William and Margaret Shea, was born about 1854. No other information.

 

 

Norman Shea, son of William and Margaret Shea, was born about 1859. No other information.

 

 

John Shea, son of William and Margaret Shea, was born about 1862. He may be the John Shea referred to in a news item in the Woodstock 'Dispatch' of 15 January 1902 which mentions that Miss Edith Shea of Woodstock received 16 gold nuggets from her uncle, Mr. John Shea, of Nome, Alaska, formerly of Woodstock.

 

 

 

Compiler's Note:

This preliminary study of the Shea family in Carleton County is a compilation of material accumulated in the course of investigating other early settlers in the area, particularly the Dickinson, Sharp, McIlroy/McElroy, Baker, Smith, and Hale families. It is not a definitive report of the descendants of William Elihu Shea, nor should it be considered as such.

Some errors by other researchers have been brought to light and some potential problems have been outlined. There are serious gaps in the material presented here and much more research is required, particularly insofar as connecting families are concerned.

While this document is protected by copyright, free distribution is encouraged on the condition that any errors and additional information be made available to this compiler. Any subsequent revisions of the document will be made available via e-mail to contributors, if desired.

 

17 November 1996

 


4.11.1