Richard Shirley
of Laurens Co South Carolina
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This Lineage Page Last Reviewed and Updated April 2019
1(i). Robert Shirley
born about 1736, eldest son of Richard Shirley of Laurens Co SC and his wife Mary. He was enumerated in the 1790 census for Fairfield County SC, with only his wife and 2 sons in the household; Robert Shirley was granted and had surveyed 13 acres, 153 acres, and 520 acres in Fairfield County in 1792 with partner Lewis Harding; He was enumerated again in Faifield Co SC in the 1800 census. However, both his sons were at that point leading their own census households; Robert sold much of his tract of 520 acres to various purchasers in 1804; Robert was likely alive in 1810 Fairfield SC census but living and enumerated in the household of son Elijah Shirley; On 20 November 1811, Robert sold the final portion of his original 520 acre tract to Thomas Briggs. Robert's wife Genny relinquished her dower claim in the land on 5 December 1811. Son Elijah Shirley witnessed the deed along with a person named Elizabeth Shirley. Robert likely died sometime shortly thereafter.

1775 DB F: 212 1/10/1775 - 7/17/1797. Robt Shirley planter and wife Jane and his mother Mary Shirley of Craven Co to Andrew Cunnningham of same for L450 cur. 350 acres where we now live, part of 500 acres granted by Montagure 2/15/1769 to Richard Shirley dec'd father of Robert Shirley and husband of Mary Shirley. on Raburns Creek of Reedy River. Wit: David Cuningham, Godfrey Isbell, Joseph Pinson. Wm Moore, J.P Abbeville Co.

married Genny_______. Various deeds up through 1811 list her name as Jennie or Genny. She was alive in December 1811 when she relinquished her claim of dower rights upon her husband's sale of land in that year.

children: (census indicates Robert Shirley had only 2 sons and no daughters)

2(i). Elijah Shirley born about 1768, son of Robert and Genny Shirley. Occupation: blacksmith; He was enumerated in the 1800 census for Fairfield Co SC with a wife and 4 daughters; In 1810, his census household consisted of him and his wife, his 4 daughters and 1 young son under the age of 10 years; In 1810 his father in law John Gwin Sr gave him 94 acres of land on Beaver Creek. His brother John Shirley who also married a daughter of Gwin witnessed the deed; Both Shirley boys witnessed the will of Gwin that same year; Elijah then still living in Fairfield County sold some of Gwin's land in 1813 then Chester Co SC thereafter. Elijah "of Fairfield District" later sold more of this land in 1830; In 1812, Elijah purchased 106 acres from Thomas Gwin, but Elijah and his wife Nancy later sold the same land [date?]. They had moved from Fairfield County to next door Chester County by that time; Elijah was enumerated in the 1820 census for Chester county with 5 children in the household; He apparently returned to Fairfield County where in 1830, he and his wife Nancy sold more of the land originally owned by her father John Gwin; Elijah was apparently still alive in 1833

married Nancy Gwin; She was the daughter of John Gwin Sr of Fairfield Co SC

2(ii). John Shirley born 10 January 1776, son of Robert and Genny Shirley. Married with young family in the 1800 Fairfield Co SC census; He lived adjacent to his father-in-law John Gwin in the Fairfield Co 1810 census, wife and 1 young daughter, 1 teenage son and 2 young sons in the family at that time. John was given 87 acres in Fairfield Co SC by his father-in-law in 1810. Gwin died that same year. John Shirley was enumerated in the 1820 census of Fairfield Count with an expanding family of children, 5 sons and 2 daughters remaining unmarried and living in the household; He purchased 295 accres of land in Fairfield County from John McWeir/Weir in 1831 and purchased and sold land in Fairfield County several times in the 1830s, the last being 1838. The elder John Shirley does not appear in federal census records in 1840, thus indicating he may have died by that date.

married Mary Gwin on 16 February 1797; She was the daughter of John Gwin Sr of Fairfield Co SC

   


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