William Shaw Family

Reverend William SHAW, Sr., was an Allegany County pioneer. He fought in the Revolutionary War. Two years after his discharge in 1783, William (1757-1815) married Charlotte TRIMBLE (1765-1844). They settled along George's Creek in Allegany County. They had eight children live to adulthood, five sons and three daughters.

George SHAW, born 24 Dec 1785, married Ruth HAWKINS, buried in Ohio

John SHAW, born 08 Aug 1787, married Charity RICKETTS, died 28 Aug 1842, buried in Workman Cemetery near Danville, Knox County, Ohio

Margaret SHAW, born 28 Oct 1788, married Arthur MORRISON, died 13 Oct 1868, buried in Sarahville Old Cemetery, Noble County, Ohio

Henry N. SHAW, born May 1792, married Sidney THOMPSON, died Apr 1862, buried in Evansville Cemetery, Evansville, Preston County, West Virginia

William SHAW, Jr., born 02 Dec 1794, married Patsy E. BURNS, died 02 May 1867, buried in Morrison Cemetery, Reynolds, Allegany County, Maryland

Joseph SHAW, born 1795, married Frances SWAN

Elizabeth SHAW, born 13 Jun 1801, married Daniel SEASE, died 17 Apr 1870, buried in Percy Cemetery, Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland

Catherine SHAW, born 09 Aug 1804, married David INSKEEP, died after 1870

Morrison Cemetery, Reynolds, Allegany County, MD

REV. Wm. SHAW Born in Barton-on-Humber Lincolnshire Eng. Died June 1 1815 Aged 57yr 5 M 28 D.	CHAROLTTE Wife of REV. Wm SHAW DIED May 1, 1844 Aged 79 yrs. 2 M & 6 Dy.

Portrait Mystery

1789
Wm Shaw
Barton England

Some descendants believe that this is the only likeness of Rev. William SHAW that survives to the present.

Others maintain that this portrait, which hung in the Shaw Mansion until the 1950s, is also Rev. William SHAW.

This photo is known to be of William SHAW, Jr.

A solution for this question was pursued by several SHAW researchers. At the time that the Shaw Mansion was sold in the 1950s, the portrait is said to have been donated to the Methodist Church in Barton, Maryland, the church founded by Reverend William SHAW. The portrait no longer hangs in the church, but older members remember the time when it did, which lends credence to the possibility that Reverend William was the subject of the portrait.

When comparing the portrait with the photo of William, Jr., it is easy to believe that the portrait is of William, Jr., and not his father. There are considerable similarities, but then fathers and sons often resemble each other.

One thing is for certain. William, Jr., held his father in high regard. When he laid out the town of Barton, he named the new town after the birthplace of his father, Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire, England. It seems reasonable that he might have commissioned a portrait of his father to be painted. On the other hand, William, Jr., was a wealthy man, and he may have wanted to preserve his own immortality with a portrait.

Another possibility might even be that William, Jr., posed for the portrait, and then suggested alterations to convert the painting to the image of his father.

Another, and probably the simplest option, is that the portrait is actually one of Reverend William SHAW.

Having had the chance to sift through a Shaw treasure chest belonging to Jack SANDERS, the portrait mystery was solved.

This photograph of William SHAW, Jr., reveals that the artist of the portrait was S. Jerome UHL. Rev. William SHAW's silhouette is at the left, and Andrew Bruce's photo is to the right. The photograph was found in an album, which was maintained by Andrew Bruce SHAW and is now in the possession of Jack SANDERS.

Andrew Bruce SHAW included in his notes that the last time his grandfather went to England was in 1789. The silhouette may date to that visit. By 1789, William SHAW, Sr., was married, and George, John, and Margaret had been born.

Locating the photograph of William, son of Rev. William SHAW, in a pose identical to that of the portrait, would have been sufficient for most of us to establish which was the subject of the portrait. But Jack SANDERS offered further evidence, which clears up all questions about the origin of the portrait, or should I say portraits....

In the remainder of this letter, the artist, S. Jerome Uhl of Springfield, Ohio, asks that A. B. take the original portrait out of the frame after the holidays. He promises to make the three copies look just like the original. After giving A. B. instructions about how to remove the portrait from the frame and ship it to him, the artist promises to keep the portrait no longer than 2 weeks. He then asks one final favor of his friend: "...when you send the picture, send me a good certificate, giving your opinion of the portrait, so I may have it published in the Springfield Republic."

In a subsequent letter dated November 28, 1875, Mr. Uhl is a bit less friendly. He shipped portraits to A. B. in May and has been awaiting payment for the portraits for six months. A third letter from Mr. Uhl, dated January 11th, 1876, acknowledges the receipt of $1,000, but indicates that the balance of $300 is still due. It is not clear whether these two letters refer to the copies of William's portrait or some other portraits commissioned by A. B. SHAW.

William SHAW, Jr., Family

Three of William, Jr.'s sons, Capt. and Dr. Benjamin Burbridge SHAW, William Burns SHAW, and Andrew Bruce SHAW, will be the topic of this segment. Of the three, I have pictures of Captain Benjamin B., Andrew (A.B.) and his sister-in-law, Louisa S. (KOONTZ) SHAW, wife of Andrew's favorite (according to some sources) brother, William Burns SHAW.

Captain Dr. Benjamin Burbridge SHAW

Louisa S. (KOONTZ) SHAW
wife of William Burns SHAW

Both Benjamin and William answered the call to preserve the union. Benjamin formed Company D of the second regiment of the Potomac Home Brigade. Jack SANDERS, a SHAW descendent (his maternal grandmother), rescued the records of Company D from destruction and has collected many of the records in the book, "Guarding the River, the Canal, and the Railroad."

What became of Benjamin at the end of the war was uncertain until notes in A. B. SHAW's diary indicated that Benjamin died October 13, 1865. Evidence indicates that he became quite ill before the end of the war. A. B. SHAW recounts a letter letter from his brother, while making notes in his own diary.

William Burns SHAW enlisted in September 1861 as a member of Company C, Third Regiment Va Cavalry. Records seem to indicate that he was 43 at the time. He was elected Captain, but by May 1862 had resigned, citing health reasons. William died in 1876, having been in poor health since his civil war days. Louisa, filed for widow's pension benefits in 1878, listing Oscar Kemp(?), Benjamin Franklin and Mary Burns as children under 16 years of age when William B. died.

In the 1860 census, Andrew Bruce SHAW, age 22, is listed with his father, now 63, a farmer, with $105,000 worth of property. By this time, William Jr.'s wife, Patsy Burns, had died, and the only other children living at home were Margaret (19) and Henry C. (17). Andrew has no occupation listed, but Henry is a farmer like his father.

Andrew married Mary Martha DAWSON, from Springfield, Ohio, on September 15th, 1868. Mrs. SHAW was noted for decorating the Shaw Mansion and making it the center of local social gatherings.

Andrew did become a surveyor, and evidence suggests that he also learned some handy business skills from his father. Like his father, he accumulated considerable wealth. Much of his wealth can be associated with the growth of the town of Barton, which his father founded in 1853. Andrew added more lots to the town, nearly doubling it's size. By 1897, the town, a successful coal mining town, was prospering and still growing.

Mary Martha (DAWSON) SHAW
died 1919

Mr. T. W. DAWSON
Mary's father
died 1891

Mrs. O. L. DAWSON
Mary's mother
died 1910

Moving to the fourth generation, Helen Marr SHAW, daughter of William Burns and Louisa (KOONTZ) SHAW, was born in 1859. This photo may have been taken inside the home of William SHAW, Jr., and possibly at the same time as the photo of William Jr.

When William Burns died, Helen was still a teenager, at most 17 years old. She and James SANTMYER applied to the court for a marriage license on August 20, 1875, but it is not clear if they married immediately.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth generations following the Rev. William, William, Jr., A. B. line are represented in the photo, taken in the Shaw Mansion, built by A. B. SHAW on the site of his father's home.

Lloyd (4th), on right, Andrew Bruce (5th) with daughter (6th) gathered for the christening before William Sr. or Jr.

SHAW Family Homes

Barton Upon Humber, Linconshire, England - Birthplace of William SHAW, Sr. (1757-1815) - Photos by Pat O'Toole

Home of William SHAW, Jr. (1794-1867)

He was moved to this location
in Moscow, MD,
by Andrew Bruce SHAW (1838-1926),
when A. B. built the Shaw Mansion.
Photo taken in 1985 by Pat O'Toole

The Shaw Mansion

Front View of Mansion
Photo taken in 1985 by Pat O'Toole

Back View of Mansion
Photo taken in 1985 by Pat O'Toole

Morrison Cemetery, Reynolds, Allegany County, MD

Portrait Mystery

William SHAW, Jr., Family

SHAW Family Homes

The Shaw Mansion