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1. John Pinkney Shirley born May 19, 1827 Alabama; He
is living in Lauderdale Co MS in the 1850 and 1860 census; He
died July 11, 1894, buried at Martin Cemetery, Causeyville, Lauderdale
Co MS
He befriended the Mormon missionaries,
protecting them from the mobs on several occasions, but he never
joined the church.
According to Charles A. Shirley,
a grandson, and Joy Ham Montgomery, a great granddaughter, John
Pinkney Shirley had two brothers. One was William
Washington Shirley who married Mary Bucklew and James B.
Shirley. In the 1860 Lauderdale Co. MS census, J.B. Shirley was
living in the household with John Pinkney and, William Washington
Shirley was living next door. Brothers and sisters: John
Pinkney Shirley, J. B. Shirley, William Washington Shirley
(branch #57), Catherine Shirley Turner,
Nancy Griffis 1831 and Benjamin Richard Shirley, b 1835.
In 1862, he joined the Confederate Army. He was captured at
the Battle of Vicksburg and pardoned on July 9, 1863. At the
time he was a private in Company C, 5th regiment of the Mississippi
State Troops. In 1868 Pinkney was listed as a member of the Buckatunna
Baptist Church along with his wife Sarah and brother William
Washington Shirley. He was later a member of Bethany Baptist
Church and in 1872 served as a delegate to the Liberty Baptist
Association. John Pinkney Shirley was a charter member of Center
Grove Baptist Church which was founded in mid 1800’s. John
Pinkney Shirley died on July 11, 1894 and his death is recorded
in the Liberty Baptist Association minutes. He is believed to
be buried in an unmarked grave in the Martin Family cemetery
which is located on the Lauderdale/ Clarke county line between
Causeyville and Energy. Per family history, Pinkney stopped while
walking to one of his son’s house and sat down beneath a
tree and simply died.
All three brothers served in
the Conferdate Army. J.B. Shirley was captured when Vicksburg
fell.
married 1st Sarah Ann Martin
on Sept 10, 1846. She was the daughter of John Martin. She was
born March 25, 1829 Meridian MS and she died July 5, 1883.
Buried at Martin Cemetery, Causeyville, Lauderdale Co MS
married 2nd Mrs. Martha J. Smith on April 13, 1887. This marriage
was witnessed by one of his sons, James Norman Shirley. She was
the daughter of Irby Reynolds and is listed next to Pinkney in
the 1880 census.
children
2(i). John Martin Shirley April 9, 1849 MS , died 1919 Shephard,
San Jacinto Co. Texas.
m. Elizabeth Chatham
children:
3(i). William F. Shirley 1871
MS
3(ii). Norman M. Shirley 1873
MS
3(iii). Margaret Shirley 1876 Texas
3(iv). Benjamin F. Shirley 1878 Texas
3(v). Nellie Shirley
1880 Texas
2(ii). Sarah Celita Shirley March 15, 1852 MS, died 1932 Walker
Co. Texas, m. J. W. "Wes" Hayman
2(iii). William Washington Shirley Feb 14, 1855 died Oct 14, 1909.
Buried at Martin Cemetery, Causeyville, Lauderdale Co MS
William Washington Shirley and Family
m. Martha Jane Henderson b. Apr.
2, 1855 d. Aug. 22, 1915 buried at Martin Cemetery, Causeyville,
Lauderdale Co MS
children (shown in 1880 and 1900 census)
3(i). John R. Shirley 1877 MS
3(ii). May Belle Shirley 1879
MS
3(iii). Willie Belle Shirley April 1882 MS m. John Sire Booker
3(iv). Ownie Shirley
March 1885 MS
3(v). Lillian L. Shirley Sept 10, 1887 MS
3(vi). Joseph M. Shirley Oct 1888 MS
m. Nannie Reynolds
children:
4(i). Joe Lee Shirley
4(ii). Roy Shirley
4(iii). Harold Shirley
4(iv). Hilda Shirley
3(vii). William Grady Shirley April 1892 MS m. Audrey Jay
3(viii). Fanny E. Shirley Sept 1895 MS
2(iv). James Norman Shirley
born April 25, 1858 at
Lauderdale Co. MS,
James Norman Shirley, Sr Family
BACK ROW: Raymond Octavius Shirley, Ora Estelle (Shirley)
Fleming, J. Howell (husband of Tolitha), Arabella Shirley, Justin
Shirley, Winnie Martin Shirley (wife of Justin), James
Norman Shirley, Jr., Tolitha Shirley, William Arthur Shirley,
Julian Shirley. MIDDLE ROW: Leon Shirley, Gracie Weems,
boy name unknown, Albert Weems, boy name unknown, Nancy Catherine
Dunham Shirley, James Norman Shirley, boy name unknown, Lydia
Adams Shirley (wife of William Adams), Mary Camp Shirley
(wife of Julian Shirley). BOTTOM ROW: Lita Howell, her sister,
Bernadine Shirley, baby, Judy Bell Shirley.
J. N. Shirley
was born in Lauderdale county, Miss in Apr 1858 the fourth in
a family of eight children born to J. P. and Sarah (Martin) Shirley,
the former of whom was born in North Carolina and the latter
in Greene county Miss. The father was taken by his parents to
Alabama when a small boy and there resided until he was seventeen
years of age, when he came to Mississippi and located in Lauderdale
county where he still lives. Here he was married and on the plantation
on which he is now living he reared his family. He has made planting
his chief occupation throughout life never caring to enter politcal
life or to hold public office. J. N. Shirley began the battle
of life for himself when sixteen years of age and when only eighteen
years of age was married to Miss Nancy Dunham of this county
and to them four sons and three daughters have been born: Arabella,
Tolitha, Charles (deceased), Arthur, Julian and Justin (twins)
and Ora. Although Mr Shirley commenced to make his own way in
the world without a dollar he has by energy and strict attention
to busienss succeeded in getting a fair start in the world. In
1881 he opened a mercantile establishment and to this calling
has given the most of his attention since that time, but has
also farmed more or less and has been engaged in milling a part
of the time. He began business in the southeastern part of Lauderdale
county where he remained until 1889 at which time he sold out
and moved to his present location thirteen and a half miles north
of Meridian wher ehe had purchased a plantation of one hundred
and twenty acres. On this plantation he opened his store, his
stock of goods being worth at least $3000 from which he derives
an annual income of $15000. he is a young man of excellent busienss
qualifications and thus far has made a success of the enterprises
in which he has engaged when many others would have failed. He
is progressive public spirited and intellegent and makes a point
of keeping well posted on the general topics of the day and up
with the times in the business affairs of life. By his honorable
methods of doing business and his many amiable and worthy traits
of character he has won the respect and esteem of all who know
him and he and his wife are glaly welcomed in the highest social
circles. He and Mrs Shirley are members of the Baptist church
and he has been liberal in his support of this as well as other
churches. he is a patron of education; in fact all worthy enterprises
receive his hearty support. - Biographical and Historical
Memoirs of Mississippi, Part 2 By Firebird Press page 761
m. Nancy Catherine Durham
children
3(i). Charles
Shirley
3(ii). Arabella
Shirley
3(iii). Tolitha
Shirley
3(iv). Ora
Estelle Shirley
3(v). William
Arthur Shirley
3(vi). Raymond
Octavis Shirley
3(vii). Justin
Shirley
3(viii). Julian
Shirley
3(ix). James
Norman Shirley Jr. -
He graduated from the University of Alabama pharmacy school,
class of 1912
3(x). Leon
Shirley
2(v). Susan
Ellen Shirley
Feb 1, 1861 MS m. J. W. "Wade" Hughes
2(vi). Margaret Emeline Shirley March 25, 1864 MS, m. E.W. "Eli"
Dunham
2(vii). Benjamin Pinkney Shirley
April 9, 1867 Meridian, Lauderdale Co. MS, died Oct 18, 1923
Sheppard, San Jacinto Co. Texas.
Benjamin Pinkney was a very jolly and an even tempered
man. His wife, Ella, was serious minded and didn't believe in
sparing the rod and spoiling the child. They were farmers and
believed that hard work was good for everyone.
In 1889, they were converted to the Mormon religion. Because
of so much ridicule against the Mormons in that part of the country,
they sold everything they had and moved to Shepherd, San Jacinta,
Texas to be near Benjamin's brother, John Martin Shirley.
In 1901, Benjamin said he was going to move where they did
not have chills and fevers, so he got a map and picked out Durango,
Colorado. They left Shepherd with $15, a wagon and a pair of
ponies. They packed their children and belongings into the wagon
like sardines and traveled as far as they could before they ran
low on food and feed for their ponies. They would then
stop and work until they replenished their supply and would continue
on their way for Durango. They repeated this process several
times before they arrived at their destination. It took them
six months to get from Shepard TX to Durango, CO. When they arrived,
they rented a pasture for the ponies for $1 per pony per month.
One day Ella sent her son, Charles, to the store for a spool
of thread. He noticed how white and soft the clerks hands were.
He asked his mother what he could do to get his hands soft and
white like that. She told him by doing the dishes. He did this
and his hands did get better, and he never minded doing
dishes the rest of his life.
Charles went to school for two nine month terms in Durango,
Colorado. He was eager top learn and an avid reader. When he
was twelve years of age, his father, Benjamin, decided to move
back to Texas. The same ponies pulled the wagon back to Texas.
They again stopped and worked long enough to replenish their
supplies to get them back to Texas. On that trip, Benjamin
and Ella's son, Benneti Reno Shirley, was born on
Aug 20, 1903 in the state of New Mexico. Soon after they were
on their way again for Texas.
They rented a farm off Huffman Creek six miles from Shepherd
and farmed and worked by the day. Benjamin and Charles sawed
logs from their excellent pine. They both hauled barrel staves
and made whiskey barrels out of them. He bought two more wagons,
and teams and Benjamin, Charles, Johnnie and Homer hauled staves.
By 1912, they moved to Oklahoma with three wagons, taking
three cows along. When they got to McAlester, there was a big
snow storm. Since all the best places were leased for two to
three years, they had to live in a tent. They planted their crops.
Charles had 13 acres of cotton, and his portion was 6 bales of
cotton. In those days, you rented land on a share basis. For
corn, you gave the landowner one third of what you harvested.
For cotton, you gave him one fourth. If you chose to go on the
half, the land owner furnished the horses and feed. While there,
he heard of Kelsey, a Mormon community in Northeast Texas. Charles
went there in 1913 to finish school.
Although they made many moves, Benjamin was always able to
provide a good living for his family. He was a hard worker as
well as a good manager. At the time of his death, he owned a
large, fertile farm.
Married Ella Cornelia White May
1, 1890
children
3(i). Charles Andy Shirley Feb 24, 1891 MS d. July 2, 1965, m.
Mary Pamplin Nov 1, 1920
3(ii). Sarah Ann Shirley
May 9, 1893 MS
3(iii). John Pinkney Shirley Mar
2, 1895 San Jacinto Co. Texas d Dec 30, 1961, m. Laurena Adcock
Dec 7, 1930
3(iv). Ella May Shirley May 13, 1895 Texas d. Dec 27, 1947 m.
Albert Smith Nov 16, 1916
3(v). William Homer Shirley Aug 5, 1899 Texas
3(vi). Benneti Reno Shirley Aug
20, 1903 New Mexico
2(viii). Hulda McGuire Shirley March 28, 1870, d. 1872
2(ix). Infant Shirley, died
young
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John Pinkney Shirley