Children
1. Charles A. Shirley, never married
2. Fannie, never married
3. Molly, m. Clayton Nolan
4. James Monroe b. April 13,1859, m. Mary Lee Spann
5. Robert Agustus (Augustus?) 11/15/1866 - 4/11/1910
6. Marion, m. Ella Glass
7. Eddie Columbus March 7 - March 16, 1962 m. Nettie Malissie
Lavender on Jan 23, 1906
8. As (?is this Absolom?), never married
John "Shug" Shirley's father John (according
to what was told to me many times by James Alfred) came from
South Carolina (once James Alfred said SC or NC) directly to
Barbour County (near Eufaula, AL) on Henry Co. border.
"After his first wife died he followed a logging crew to
Geneva, AL and married second wife. His father was from
Ireland and his mother was from England. They came by boat
to SC. They had 2 boys. The boys decided to
explore the country and find someplace to settle. They
went in different directions and were to meet back with their
parents in SC, but the parents died and they had no way to find
each other again." About 6 years ago, Grandaddy (James
Alfred) told me that he " met a man from Missouri who lives
in the Dothan area now, somehow connected with Fort Rucker and
his name is Charles and he has a son named Charles."
Grandaddy and Charles compared notes and they have this SAME
story in their family. They compared photos and they think
they have pictures of the same person, or men that favor so much
they have to be kin. I reached by telephone the wife of
that Charles Shirley. She said he had been a civilian worker
at Fort Rucker and died 4 years ago. She remembered going
with him to visit grandaddy, but she didn't know much about it
or his family history. I talked with her daughter-in-law,
too.
Anyway, this John (father of John "shug") is buried
in a graveyard on or near the county line of Henry/Barbour Counties
in AL (near Eufaula). Take the road from Abbeville to Eufaula
(is this a clue that his father may have come from Abbeville
SC? there were several Shirleys there at the right
time) hwy 431. There is a white church across from
a graveyard. Turn left on paved road to Old Barntyne (Barrentine,
I think) Cemetery. He was the first one put there.
He didn't want to be buried (accidently) on someone else's grave.
He didn't go to church much but was the first one to help people
out. He helped dig a grave by a church once and they found
someone else's body there (no headstone) and had to dig another
hole, so he made his own graveyard on his land. It is called
the Barntyne cemetery because so many of the sons married Barntyne
(Barrentine I think, see Henry Co. marriage listing below) girls
(and probably the girls married Barntyne boys, too).
Grandaddy always chuckled telling this one: "It didn't
matter what corn cost, Shug's daddy, John sold his for $1 a bushel.
Except one time he drove his oxen to Eufaula and went to everyone
buying corn. They had made up between themselves to pay
up close but below $1 a bushel. He went about his business
and started home with his corn. They sent a rider on a
horse to get him. He said he had already started home and
to turn back they would have to pay $1.25 a bushel. They
did. "grandaddy first told me this story in 1985, but told
it for years because he knew I loved to hear it.
Info from Virginia Shirley
