Founded 1939
January 2017
VOL. 31 No. 1
Page 1,255
1st Settler
Deed
House
Aurora Inn
Hotel & Event Center
30 Shawnee Trail
Aurora, OH 44202
330-562-0767
Reserve your room by
August 1, 2017, mention SFA
Table of Contents
President’s Letter
1257
Reunion Story
1257
Cevedra Sheldon, The Chair
1259
Headright Grants
1261
Training Videos
1262
Genealogist’s Corner
1263
Question of the Quarter
1264
Sheldon Family Association Membership
1265
Y DNA Test
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The Sheldon Family Association Quarterly
Published quarterly by the Sheldon Family Association, Inc. (hereinafter SFA), and distributed by Sue
Sheldon.
As a general repository for Sheldon Family lineage in the U.S.A., SFA serves as a central source of
information and study for Sheldon lineage researchers. By means of this publication, members are
informed of discoveries in Sheldon lineage research, and dates and locale of the annual reunion and
meeting.
Information in this publication is obtained by research in major libraries and repositories of public
records, by correspondence with Sheldon descendants and members, and independent
researchers’ submissions of articles.
The editor reserves the right to edit or excerpt submitted articles to fit space requirements of each
issue. Articles should be of general interest to members. Pieces too long for the quarterly may be
serialized or considered by the publication sales department to make them available to members.
Since it is not possible for SFA to vouch for the accuracy of the content or opinion, the reader
should understand that SFA in no way implies blanket verification and certification.
Libraries do not have permission to place SFA Quarterlies on the internet without prior approval of
the SFA.
ISSN: 1063-956X
To Submit Articles, or information for an article, Contact:
SFA Quarterly Editor
Michelle Masson
P.O. Box 2102
Cornelius, NC 28031
[email protected]
Interim President
Debra Saucier
[email protected]
Corp. Secretary / Treasurer
Barbara Gomez
[email protected]
Publications
Wayne E. Nelson
[email protected]
Conference Committee
Alberta Dunn
[email protected]
VP
To be announced
Genealogist
Jeanne Jeffries
[email protected]
Database Administrator
Sue Sheldon
[email protected]
DNA Administrator
To be announced
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Interim Secretary
Judy Sheldon
[email protected]
Quarterly Editor
Michelle Masson
[email protected]
Webmaster
Bob Halstead
[email protected]
Social Media Administrator
Dale Sheldon
[email protected]
The Sheldon Family Association Quarterly
President’s Letter
Debra A. Sheldon Saucier, Interim President
I think we can all agree that change is never an easy thing, no matter the reason behind it. We
have had some changes to our Executive Officers since our reunion in August. Frank S. Sheldon
and Linda Williams have stepped down from the offices of President and Vice-President,
respectively in order to dedicate their time in other areas. The Board would like to thank them
for their service to the Sheldon Family Association.
With these positions empty, the Board of Directors elected myself, Debra A. Sheldon Saucier, as
Interim President and Judy Sheldon as Interim Recording Secretary until the next reunion in
August 2017.
I am very grateful for the current Board members who have been so committed to working
together to really improve the organization's infrastructure and help move this organization to
a brighter and more productive tomorrow.
I am not a stranger to the Sheldon Family Association. I was about 10 years old when I
attended my first Sheldon Family Reunion with my parents. I visited places like Oberlin, Ohio,
Saco, Maine and others. I have such fond memories of E. Mark Sheldon, Betty Sheldon and
Hortense. I learned to do gravestone rubbings and how to research my family history at an
early age. I want to instill those memories and passions into my own children, so they may
carry on in the future the traditions of remembering the past. The future may change but
history does not. Only by remembering and learning from our past can we change the future.
2017 Annual Reunion
Aurora First Settlers
Michelle Masson
The location of the annual reunion and meeting this year in Aurora, Ohio, has been chosen for
good reason. During the 2016 annual reunion and meeting we heard from Mr. John Kudley of
the Aurora Historical Society (AHS) regarding the movement and restoration of the Ebenezer
Sheldon (S#0627) deed house. A small structure built circa 1805 to house the office for
Ebenezer to supply land grants to the new settlers of Aurora, OH. Ebenezer was the first settler
in Aurora, OH. This is a fabulous thing that the AHS and the city have done. The newly restored
deed house looks fantastic, and now houses the Aurora Historical Society’s visitor’s center, and
starting point for the city tour. The following is an excerpt from the AHS website:
Aurora, the "Dawning" of a City
The first family to venture into the remote regions of the Western Reserve to the
area that would come to be called Aurora was the family of Ebenezer Sheldon.
The year was 1799. Sheldon and his family came from Westfield, Connecticut.
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Soon other pioneer families made the arduous journey to Ohio, leaving behind
the comforts of New England. By 1807 the settlement of Aurora had grown and
prospered necessitating the need to form a village government. The first elected
officials were Samuel Forward, Phineas Perkins, and Ebenezer Sheldon. As
trustees of the village their primary duties were to provide the upkeep of local
roads and schools, provide for the care of the “poor” and to collect funds for
support of both the county and state. (Aurora - From the Founding to the Flood,
Volume One, 1799-1913, Aurora Historical Society, 1999, pg. 62-63)
Retrieved from: http://www.auroraoh.com/552/History-of-City on 10-20-2016
During the 2017 annual reunion we will have the opportunity to visit the restored deed house,
enjoy the city tour, and visit other interesting sites that Ebenezer Sheldon and his descendants
had a hand in creating for the city of Aurora.
Upon further research I have found three of Ebenezer Sheldon’s sons and their story. The first
born was Ebenezer II who, according to US Gen Web Archives’ The History of Aurora, married
Patty Cochran and had seven children.1 Ebenezer II is known to have worked with a man
named Chauncey Eggleston in taking cheese made in Aurora to Pittsburg, PA. I have found an
interesting quote in the SFA publication Stories of Early Days of the Settlement of Aurora, OH.
“At one time Aurora, OH sent out more cheese than anywhere else in the USA” this was around
the year 1820.”2 Cheese wasn’t the only thing in which Chauncey Eggleston had his hand. He
and Ebenezer Sheldon built the first frame house in Aurora in 1809. Ebenezer started the first
sawmill. He also ran the first Post Office; the US government started a mail run from Warren to
Cleveland, OH.2 Gershom is the next son born to Ebenezer on 4 JAN 1788 and he lived until 11
DEC 1839. These dates found on the US Gen Web archives website. 1 Gershom is said to have
built a frame house on the family farm in 1814. I found on the Find a Grave website that in
1814 he married Roxana Russell and in 1815 they had a son named Albert Russell Sheldon and
three other children followed. Albert married Cornelia Dow and also had four children. 4 Albert
built the house on the farm in 1851 and this house stayed in the family, with no deed changing,
for one hundred years.2 Albert passed on just a short five years later. Another son, Seth was
born in 1791, I haven’t found anything else regarding Seth, so if you have something, let me
know. The family land is now known in Aurora as Spring Hill Farm.
The bulk of the information for this article has been retrieved from:
The Aurora Historical Society’s website: aurorahistorical.org. Please visit the site to see more
information and pictures of the completed Deed house! From the home page of the website
scroll down to the bottom and click on “previous entries,” that will take you directly to the
entry regarding the deed house.
1. http://files.usgwarchives.net/oh/portage/history/Aurora.txt Aurora 1800 - 1850
2. SFA Publication: Stories of Early Days of the Settlement of Aurora, OH found on
sheldonfamily.org
3. Familysearch.org
4. Find a Grave
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The Chair That Made a Fortune
December 20, 2015 Dale Sheldon
When I first began looking into my Sheldon ancestry I came across the book that all Sheldon
researchers eventually stumble upon. The Sheldon Magazine, first published by the Rev. Henry
O. Sheldon in 1855, based on work he began to compile in 1835. This publication, and its later
editions, has been the primary genealogical work of the five colonial Sheldon families in the
United States. Today it is the foundation of the Sheldon Family Association, founded in 1939,
with which I am currently a research genealogist.
In this great work I found reference to my 4th-great-grandfather Gideon Sheldon (born 1804,
S#6003) and his wife Sarah Stafford (1809-1846) of Westport in New York’s upstate Essex
County. The original magazine only listed their first four children – Deborah, Ruth, Nancy and
Joel – although I believe there was an earlier son. I was already very well aware of Gideon and
Sarah as their names had been recorded in my family as the parents of my very well known 3rd
great-grandfather, William Wallace Barbour Sheldon (1836-1915, S#6003x6). Wallace, as he
was commonly known, had arrived in my home city of San Francisco in 1875 from New York.
Here he worked as a respected architectural engineer building massive structures for the
Pacific Improvement Company, owned by the California “Big Four.” Some of his projects
included the original Santa Monica Pier system (with a train), the Del Monte Hotel in Monterey,
the original main railroad station for Sacramento, and the private mansion of Mark Hopkins at
the top of Nob Hill in San Francisco. It is believed that he was also present at the laying of the
Golden Spike at Promontory Point, Utah.
The Mark Hopkins mansion at the top of Nob
Hill in San Francisco, destroyed by the fire
which followed the great earthquake of April
18, 1906 – built by William Wallace Barbour
Sheldon in 1875.
Our family records also noted the other children
of Gideon and Sarah, although we only had first
names and no other information. No dates, not
even genders. They were listed as Deborah,
Ruth, Nancy, Joel, Wallace, Cevedra and Juliet.
Over time I was able to find that Deborah worked as a maid, unmarried, through to at least
1855 when I lose track of her. Ruth Elizabeth Sheldon married Joseph M. Williams and had
three children. They lived out their entire lives in Westport. I’ve found no record of Nancy,
other than the Sheldon Magazine. Joel Stafford Sheldon, named after his maternal uncle,
became a hero during the Civil War and married Elvira Bliss, nurse and niece of Dr. Bliss who
assisted both Presidents Lincoln and Garfield after their assassinations. Juliet died unmarried in
Westport in 1867, but I found no record at all of the final sister Cevedra.
I should say, I found no record of her until a few years ago when the 1855 New York State
Census became available on FamilySearch.org. There I found Gideon living with his daughter
“Elizabeth Williams” and her family. But also in the household, surprisingly was “Sevedra
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Sheldon”, a BOY age 15. For all of those years I had assumed that Cevedra was a girl, but I was
wrong.
Finally realizing that the name “Cevedra Sheldon” would have existed far beyond 1855 (I had
previously assumed that “she” had married and changed surnames), I started looking for any
instance I could find of my new found uncle. And I didn’t have to look far. Like Wallace before
him, Cevedra had moved to Brooklyn, New York to make his fortune as an architect and builder.
Still remembered today for his extraordinary and extensive work in the Park Slope District, he
was probably more successful than his California brother.
Apartment building designed by Cevedra Blake Sheldon,
located at 820 President Street, Park Slope
One of his most prosperous projects was the
construction of “The Sheldon”, built in 1889 at the
corner of President Street and 7th in Park Slope,
pictured above. He sold this a year later to Josiah H.
Smith for a 1,700 acre stock farm in El Paso and Douglas
Counties in Colorado and $20,000 in cash – a little over
half a million today. The Colorado property sat just west
of Monument, Colorado and just north of Colorado
Springs, Colorado. It also included what is now the Fox
Run Regional Park.
But it wasn’t his buildings that made him rich; they were simply an investment from funds
earlier acquired. It was his love of design, specifically, designing chairs. It took some work, not
all of his ideas went over well. One earlier idea was a configuration of rowed seats which he
called “Sheldon’s Auxiliary Car Seat” in 1875, this invention allowed for a second row of seats in
street cars suspended on bars above the primary row. As of yet there is no record of the seats
ever being used in practice. It would have kept people at extremely close quarters and might
have been uncomfortable.
Sheldon’s Auxiliary Car Seat designed by Uncle Cevedra Blake
Sheldon in 1875.
He was more successful the following year. In 1876 he
designed the first commercially mass produced mechanical
reclining chair. This chair, produced by the Marks Adjustable
Folding Chair Company, became popular at hospitals and spas
as well as in private homes. Examples of it can be found at the
Hotel de Paris Museum in Colorado and the Chicago Institute
of Art. But there is one other beautiful example of this fine
chair. It sits in the reading corner of my bedroom.
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The adjustable folding chair designed by Cevedra Blake
Sheldon in 1876, sitting in a reading corner of my bedroom.
Cevedra married Mary Elizabeth (maiden name unknown) in
about 1860 and they had one daughter, Emma, in 1862.
Emma married Levi Chase in about 1885 and had four
children in Montclair, New Jersey. Cevedra ran into some
legal trouble in the 1890’s and moved in with his daughter
and her family. He died in Montclair in 1892. Despite any
small trouble he might have experienced in his later years, he
was still described as “gentleman” under his occupation on
his death certificate.
This article was retrieved, with permission, from Dale
Sheldon’s blog site: https://wanderinggenealogistblog.wordpress.com/2015/12/20/the-chairthat-made-a-fortune/ on January 12, 2017.
Headright Grants
Brian Mulcahy
Headrights were grants of land to settlers and played a significant role in the expansion of the
American colonies in North America prior to the American Revolution. Both the Virginia
Company and Plymouth Company offered headrights to settlers as an incentive to come to the
American colonies. The headright system was used in several colonies, primarily Virginia,
Maryland, North and South Carolina, and Georgia.
Most headright grants were for 1 to 1,000 acres of land, and were given to anyone willing to
cross the Atlantic Ocean and help populate the colonial America. Headrights were granted to
anyone who would pay for the transportation costs of a laborer or indentured servant. These
land grants usually consisted of 50 acres for someone newly moving to the area and 100 acres
for people previously living in the area.
The concept began in Jamestown, Virginia in 1618 to solve labor shortages due to the growth
and economic dependence of tobacco in Virginia as its major source crop. The growth of
tobacco required large plots of land with many workers. The disproportion that existed
between the amount of land available and the population created a situation with a low supply
of labor, resulting in the growth of indentured servitude and slavery.
The headright system attracted many new colonists. Colonists who had already been living in
Virginia were each given two headrights of 50 acres. Those who in turn paid for a newcomer
immigrant to America would subsequently receive one headright each time they paid for the
passage of another individual. Headrights were given to heads-of-households and because 50
acres were accumulated for each member of the household, families had an incentive to make
the passage to the colonies together.
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The headright system directly impacted the growth of indentured servitude where poor
individuals would become workers for a specified number of years and provide labor in order to
repay the landowners who had sponsored their transportation to the colonies. The claimants to
headrights could receive grants for men, women and children since anyone could become an
indentured servant. Early documentation from the Virginia Company seems to suggest that a
landowner could receive a headright even if the indentured servant whose trip they sponsored
did not make it to Virginia alive which was not an uncommon occurrence.
From a genealogical research perspective, many cases where these people passed away had to
be documented in the court of record where the indentured servant was supposed to have
performed their duties before their demise on the trip. While the majority of headrights
distributed were issued under the names of British immigrants, as time went on, indentured
servants who provided the heads-of-households with land came from throughout Europe and
could be used as headrights, as could slaves from Africa.
The headright system also played a significant role in the development of the slave trade.
Plantation owners benefited from the headright system when they paid for the transportation
of imported slaves. This, along with the increase in the amount of money required to bring
indentured servants to the colonies, contributed to the shift towards slavery in the colonies.
Until 1699, a slave was worth a headright of fifty acres. According to records, in the 1670s over
400 slaves were used as headrights in Virginia. This number increased in the 1680s and 1690s.
Many families grew in power in the colonies by receiving large tracts of land when they
imported slaves.
Searching for records related to headright grants can be problematic. Significant discrepancies
exist between the number of headrights issued and the number of new residents in and
throughout the colonies. Even when allowing for the high mortality rates among people during
their journey to the colonies, many historians and genealogists continue to question the high
number of discrepancies. Landowners would receive headrights for the dead and thus, the gap
would widen between confirmed population growth and amount of headrights issued. Another
explanation suggests that the secretary's office that issued the headrights grew more lax over
time due to bribes or political pressure. There were few regulations in place to keep the
headright system in check.
BLM 8/2/2016
This article is reproduced with permission by the author. More information regarding
headrights can be found at: http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1153.html
Training Videos
Sue Sheldon
A YouTube Channel for SFA was created over a year ago to use in training purposes. Sue
Sheldon created 3 videos; Creating a Gedcom from Family Tree Maker, Creating a Gedcom from
RootsMagic and Creating a Google Account. There have been 24 views on the RootsMagic
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training video and 32 views on the GoogleAccount video. As we grow and progress in our use of
technology, I think that using YouTube will become increasingly beneficial to SFA. Members can
"subscribe" to our site and have it readily accessible. To see our channel: you can either - get
into YouTube and search for Sheldon Family Association (we should be the first to come up) or
you can follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDWfzHJg9cPUaQbDKYSDAA
So, here is a step in the direction of getting more people to know about the Sheldon Family
Association. If anyone has any ideas for future training videos, please contact the editor.
Genealogist's Corner
Jeanne A. Jeffries
As the Sheldon Family Association Genealogist, I would like some help in solving some of the
Sheldon genealogy puzzles ("brick walls"). The Genealogist's Corner is the place to submit
articles regarding information that has been found but cannot be connected. It is also the place
to inquire about information that cannot be located, and to share dilemmas that may be
causing Sheldon family genealogy problems.
The Genealogist's Corner is for SFA members to submit information and for members to
respond to with solutions or possible scenarios that could lead to a solution.
Send all articles to Jeanne Jeffries, SFA Genealogist. [email protected]
Can you solve this first mystery?
A descendant has a dead end or brick wall and asks for help with James Sheldon and his wife
Mary Schenick. It seems that James is seen in Sanilac, MI on the 1850 census. He is listed as 70
suggesting a birth date of 1780. His place of birth is Connecticut and wife Mary is 60 and listed
as born in New York. The researcher knows of a son Charles Duncan Sheldon born in Lexington,
Ontario, Canada. With much research in deeds and town records she has found that the other
children were also born in Canada. Other researchers had found the children Henry, Ebenezer,
John, George, Mary Jane, Lydia, and Mahala.
The researcher states: Actually, the 1850 census for James Sheldon in Sanilac County is pretty
much truthful assuming he was born in Connecticut. Every census as long as his wife was living
stated she was born in New York. In 1811, James is in Westminster, Middlesex Co., Ontario,
Canada. I have his land patent application which only states he came from the United States
and that he arrived in the above province in 1811 to settle under Simon Z. Watson who placed
him on Lot 35 in the 1st Concession. Although I have no birth records for James & Mary's 6
children, when matching them to census records & death records which state they were all born
in Canada I'm willing to bet they were born in Westminster. I have the 1840 Census for the
family but that doesn't say where anyone was born.
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The problem I have with the time line in trees on Ancestry is: the 1790 census lists a James
Sheldon in Hartford, CN. Now - tell me please if I am wrong, but this James would have only
been 10 or there about and I don't think he would have been the head of the house. In the 1800
census for Stamford, CN. this James would have been about 20 - so the ages on that census just
do not match. In the 1810 Census for Hartford, CN. - the children’s ages don't match. In the
1820 Census - James, Mary and 3 sons would be living in Westminster not New York. In the
1830 Census - James, Mary and 5 sons would still be in Westminster not West Hartford. In the
1840 Census James & family are in Lexington, St. Clair County, at that time, Michigan not
Hartford, CN. I have his land purchase of 80 acres on 2 Nov 1837 Michigan-Toledo Strip, St Clair,
now Sanilac Co., Michigan.
Comment from Jeanne: It is logical that a New Englander left home in 1810 or so since the post
Revolution economy was very poor and trade with Europe was suspended by the British
blockade. Disillusionment and lack of good farmland led to migration. A direct route north of
the Great Lakes led to Ontario. Then in the 1830’s & 1840’s these pioneers migrated to
Michigan for land when Canada was less welcoming. I recommend a study of town and county
histories for possible clues. The researcher has cemetery information; perhaps a reader will
have a clue.
Question of the Quarter
Michelle Masson
The Sheldon Family Association Quarterly (SFAQ) would like to ask for your help in creating
articles for all of us to enjoy. We need information to build upon, so we came up with an idea
to pose a question in each issue for you all to answer by sending an email to the editor. Each
quarterly issue will have an interesting question relating to our Sheldon, or other, ancestry. We
would like to see if we can get most of the answers about Sheldons or relations of Sheldons, but
if you have a great story about another family member or ancestor then feel free to send. We
will review all of the answers, research any details, and then print the answers in the form of an
article in the SFAQ newsletter. All sources will be given the proper citation; you will be
mentioned in the article as the descendant who supplied the information. We would like to
extend a sincere thank you to all of you who are thinking of stories to tell! The Quarterly is
always looking for information to publish, so even if you have a story that is not related to the
“Question of the Quarter” then feel free to send that as well. If you need to send paper copies
through the mail, send to the PO Box listed for the editor on the front of this issue.
Question of the Quarter:
Our first question comes from Alberta Dunn, "Do you have an ancestor who held an elected
office either local, county, state or beyond?" Please tell us about his/her experience.
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Sheldon Family Association Membership
Debra A. Sheldon Saucier
In the past, the Sheldon Family Association has centered around five known colonial Sheldons:
Godfrey of Bakewell, England and Saco, Maine; Isaac of Windsor, Connecticut and
Northampton, Massachusetts; John of Providence, Rhode Island; John of South Kingstown,
Rhode Island; and Richard. Membership in the Association is reserved for those who can
document family descendance from a Sheldon or Shelden family who came to New England
prior to 1660 or have come into these families through marriage or adoption.
For many years, we have received feedback regarding the exclusiveness of our membership.
Many interested in Sheldon genealogy have requested more inclusion. We always discuss how
we have only reached the tip of the iceberg in our search for Sheldon cousins. DNA testing has
shown us that there may be so many more connections that we don't yet know between what
we thought were unrelated colonial Sheldons. We may learn even more by opening up
membership to those who have a "non-progenitor" Sheldon connection and ensure the security
of our future membership base. The Board of Directors has voted on a proposal to open
membership into the Sheldon Family Association to any interested party.
Details of this proposal are still being prepared for our annual meeting in August.
A Y-Elite DNA Test in our Future
Michelle Masson
As editor, I am thrilled to share with you the research from member Kelly Wheaton. Kelly has
been doing extensive DNA testing with her Wheaton surname connection. She has given us the
breakdown of what it would cost in order to test some of our members with the BIG test…Y
Elite! The Y Elite DNA test gives the most thorough information available. It is a costly test
($795.00); however, once done on an individual, smaller, not as expensive testing can be done
on others to connect. The SFA will be watching for when this test has another promotional
sale. The smaller, less expensive test is a panel test and would be performed on one of the
most distant matches to the Y Elite test results-SNPs (Single nucleotide polymorphisms).
The SFA is most curious in learning which descendants would be interested in DNA testing and
ideas for funding significant tests that would benefit a group line. We would publish
information gained and give credit to those who wish to be recognized. Please send
information and/or inquiries to the editor. There will be more information regarding this
endeavor posted on the SFA website.
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Sheldon Family Association, Inc.
Distributor: Sue Sheldon
P.O. Box 1575
Shelton, WA 98584
Please Check Address Label
If dues are not current
Please mail dues
to the Membership Chair
Celebrating 78 Years!
Sheldon Family Association
Five Colonial Sheldons
Dues Renewal/Membership Form
Indicate Category:
____Annual Membership $15.00
____Life Membership $300.00 once
Sheldon No.: (if known) S# ______________
Email______________________________
Name ______________________________
Street_______________________________
City_______________State____Zip_______
S0004 Godfrey Sheldon
Scarborough, ME
S0005 Isaac Sheldon
Windsor, CT
S0008 John Sheldon
Providence, RI
S0013 John Sheldon
South Kingstown, RI
Wish to receive SFA Newsletter by Email? YES or NO
Membership term renews on your anniversary date
Send Dues and Address Changes to:
Jeanne Jeffries, Membership Committee
4 Wentworth Road, Walpole, NH 03608
New Members please access Sheldon Family
Association at:
http://sheldonfamily.org/membership.htm
S0022 Richard Sheldon,
NJ & NY City
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