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About James Shields
Burial record:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86906809/james-shields
James Shields was born on the shores of Lough Neagh, County Antrim, Ireland; he's the son of William Shields. James Shields along with his brother William were exiled in their early twenties to Barbados in the West Indies. Less than two years they managed to take passage via a slave ship to Virginia arriving around 1655 at Middle Plantation, the site of present-day Williamsburg. James was probably responsible for a greater portion of the Shields family in America. James married Jane Prather.
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James Shields was born 1633 (or 1635) in County Armagh, Ireland.
He died 1712 in Newcastle, Delaware.
Married to ? 1654 - 1686
James Shields was probably responsible for a greater portion of the Shields family in America than any other member of an immigrant generation.
James and his older brother William were deported by Cromwell to Barbados in 1655 (they may have been conscripted to serve in the invasion of Spanish America â€" the "Western Design" that collapsed at Hispaniola in that year). Both relocated to Middle Plantation (now Williamsburg, Virginia) in 1658 as indentured servants.
James and his descendents became tavern-keepers. Shields Tavern is a restored public house in colonial Williamsburg.
James and his older brother William seem to have been involved in the roundups and deportation of young Irish men during the Commonwealth Period (1653-1659) under Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. Their principal offense was the fact that they were Irish. Accounts report the family was greatly harassed, and younger sons (Daniel and John) were kept in concealment for much of their youth. (Their 2 younger brothers were younger born in the 1640s.) This harrassment suggests that, for whatever reasons, the Shields' were in particular disfavor with Cromwell and the "Roundheads." Family histories and tradition hold that William and James were both exiled/deported while in their early twenties to Barbados in the West Indies. At this time, during the middle 17th century, Barbados was an important British trading center and had a greater European population than the entire North American mainland. How they survived their exile we do not know, but family history is agreed that within less than two years they managed to take passage via a slave ship to Virginia, arriving around 1655 at Middle Plantation, the site of present-day Williamsburg. William became a tavern keeper.
A few years after the arrival of the two Shields brothers to Middle Plantation, James migrated northward to the port of Baltimore before 1660. He subsequently located in Kent County, Maryland, and later moved his family to New Castle County, Delaware. It was there that James married Jeanette Parker. Three years later, Thomas Parker, Jeanette's father, who died in 1695, left property to James.
The subsequent histories of the two older Shields brothers is extensively chronicled, chiefly in books by the late John Arthur Shields, the late John Edgar Shields, and other descendant members of the resultant family lines. Other accounts exist which connect these two Shields immigrants with the two younger sons of William 1600, the youngest of whom, John Shields (ca. 1640), was the progenitor of the line.
Additionally:
James married WFT Est 1654-1686.
According to Broderbund WFT Vol. 2, Ed. 1, Tree #5116 (imported 8 March 1997), James and his brother William were transported to Barbados in 1655 for being loyal to the King. In 1658, they got on a boat to Williamsburg, Virginia. They subsequently settled in Maryland. See more complete discussion in notes to William Shields, b. 1600.
According to John A. Shields, James remained in Barbados a short time before leaving for Maryland, some time before 1660. See discussion under notes to William Shields b.1600.
James moved from Williamsburg to Baltimore before 1660 and, after a short time, moved to Kent County, Maryland. Later, he settled in Newcastle, Delaware.
William Hathaway, son of George and Eliza Shields Hathaway, wrote in a family history in 1790: "My great-grandfather on the Shields side was James Shields. He was born in County Armagh in the year 1635. His father was born in County Antrim. In about the 20th year of his age, he and his brother and many others were arrested by the English and deported to the Barbados Islands. He came to Baltimore before 1660. He settled first in Kent County and then in Newcastle. His brother John and family came to America about the year 1738 or 1740. I was a mere child when they arrived. Cousin William lived with us about two years, his father (John) having died on the ocean. The family settled in Frederick County. I have not seen any of them for nearly 50 years. Cousin William has a large family. Great-grandfather Shields died when my mother was a little girl."
James was deported to Barbodoes about 1654, then went to Baltimore, Maryland about 1660, then to Kent County, then Newcastle, died in Maryland.
James died in Delaware or Maryland?
James Shields operated Shield's Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia with his wife, Anne Marot. The tavern began as Marot's Ordinary, owned and operated by her father, John Marot.
Sources:
- Official Guidebook & Map of Colonial Williamsburg, copyright 1972, p. 8
- http://research.history.org/DigitalLibrary/View/index.cfm?doc=Resea...\RR1138.xml
GEDCOM Source
MH:S322 <i>Addendum to a History of the Shields Family by John Edgar Shields</i> @R1@ MH:SC5245 0
GEDCOM Source
MH:S323 <i>Addendum to a History of the Shields Family by John Edgar Shields; Irish Origins of the Shiel ds Family by John Edgar @R1@ MH:SC5246 0
GEDCOM Source
MH:S37 <i>v28t2460.FTW</i> @R1@ MH:SC5247 Date of Import: Jun 13, 2001 0
GEDCOM Source
MH:S322 <i>Addendum to a History of the Shields Family by John Edgar Shields</i> @R1@ MH:SC5248 0
GEDCOM Source
MH:S37 <i>v28t2460.FTW</i> @R1@ MH:SC5249 Date of Import: Jun 13, 2001 0
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James Shields's Timeline
| 1633 |
1633
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Armagh, Antrim, Ireland
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| 1666 |
1666
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Williamsburg, VA
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| 1668 |
1668
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Kent County, Maryland
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| 1670 |
1670
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| 1727 |
June 2, 1727
Age 94
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New Castle, New Castle, Delaware, United States
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