Meedy White Shields

Regarding Meedy's burial: Meedy White Shields burial 16 Febuary 1892, moved from City Cemetery to Riverview Cemetery.

Meedy White Shields was an early Indiana pioneer, the Founder of Seymour, Indiana, a successful capitalist and Indiana politician, He was a first cousin to General John Tipton and a distant cousin of Robert Shields the dairiest.

Shields was born in Sevier County, Tennessee at Shields Mountian, near the site of Fort Shields(aka Shields Fort)built by his grandfather, Robert Shields. His father James was one of the "10 Shields Brothers" of the Irish Shields family who left Tennessee for the Indiana Territory.

At the age of 7, Shields moved to Harrison County, Indiana. In 1816 his father aquired about 1,200 acres of land to the north, in Jackson County, Indiana. At the age of about 16, he manned flatboats on the Ohio River carrying goods to New Orleans returning via the Natchez Trace. He eventually owned several flatboats of his own

In 1827 he was sued for Malicious Tresspass by his neighbor to the north James Reno, father of the nortorious Reno Gang. This was part of a long standing fued between the Shields and Reno families who had settled in Jackson County, 3 years prior to Shields.

Shields then joined the Indiana Militia in 1832 to fight in the Black Hawk War, and by the fall of that year aquired the rank of Captian. His only brother William a member of the Indiana Legislature, died while in office in 1848. Shields recieved a sizable inheritance by this time. He opened a gristmill in nearby Rockford, Jackson County, Indiana, which was the largest commercial center in Jacksin County at the time.

He was on the Board of Directors fot the new Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, Eastern Div. and successfully pursuaded Railroad Engineer John Seymour, to bypass Rockford, Indiana on the White River and cross his land. In honor a new town would be built and named Seymour, Indiana.

The new East-West rail line would intersect the established north-south Jefferson, Madison, & Indianapolis Railroad. To assure that both trains would stop, he joined the Indiana Legislature and authored a Bill requiring them to do so for safety purposes. This assured the demise of nearby Rockford, Indiana.

Shields sold lots to speculators for the formation of the new town, and built a personal fortune valued at over 2 million according to the United States Census Records of 1860. He died from a stomach ailment in 1866 a wealthy and respected citizen by many, except the Reno Gang.

Meedy White Shields son of James and Penelope (White)Shields, was united in marriage in 1833(Don't have mo. and day) to Eliza P Ewing, daughter of William H. and Lucenda (Crenshaw)Ewing. To this union the following children were born:

1. Lycurgus Livington Shields

2. Sarah Shields

3. J. Ewing Shields

4. T. Bruce Shields

5. William H. Shields

6. Meedy White Shields, 2nd

7. Tipton Shields

8. Infant

9. Eliza P. Shields

• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Oct 31 2016, 16:49:02 UTC