Transcribed by Cathy Millburn


WILLIAM EARL SHELTON
In March 1861, at Panola, Mississippi, William enlisted in the Panola Guards for one year, and at the expiration of that time, he re-enlisted in the Confederate States Army for the remainder of the Civil War-serving in Ward's Battalion of Artillery the last three years. He began his service as a Private, subsequently being elected Lieutenant, and subsequently had the command of a company of sharpshooters. William participated in the battles of Fort Pickens, and in the siege of Vicksburg, he was slightly wounded. In the second battle of Corinth, he received a gunshot wound in the head - recovered, and was in nearly all the engagements with the Western Army.
On October 11, 1864 at Charleston, Mississippi, William Shelton was married to Anna May Riddick, b 1843 in Tennessee, d 1919 in Marlin, Falls County, Texas and buried by her husband in Calvary Cemetery - a daughter of Robert and Sarah (Smith) Riddick, natives of North Carolina who moved to Tennessee, and later to Mississippi, where Robert Riddick died in 1858.
In 1870, William and Anna May (Riddick) Shelton moved to Marlin, Falls County, Texas, where William taught school for a number of years, being Principal of the Marlin Public Schools in 1871, and later organizing and operating a private school in Marlin - The Male and Female Academy. He subsequently established his law practice in Marlin.
William Shelton was elected Mayor of the City of Marlin in 1881-1892, and served another term as Mayor before his death, after the turn of the century. In November 1892, he was elected Falls County Judge, and served the county well during that period. The Sheltons were members of the Methodist denomination, and William was active in the founding of the First Methodist Church in Marlin. He was a member of the Masonic Order, Knights of Honor, and the Society of Brazos Rangers.
Judge William and Anna May (Riddick) Shelton reared seven of their children:
Willie May Shelton - no further information.
John Ed Shelton, b 1869, d 1940 and was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Marlin, Texas.
Harry Shelton - no further information.
Octavia Shelton - no further information.
Hugh R. Shelton, b 1880, d 1943 and was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Marlin, Texas.
Boisclair R. Shelton, b 1884, d 1952 - married Leila Layne, b 1893, d 1975, and both buried in Calvary Cemetery in Marlin, Texas.
Berdie Anita Shelton, d September 2, 1963 and buried in Calvary Cemetery in Marlin, Texas.
Judge William Shelton contributed greatly to the development of educational facilities in Marlin, and his descendants have always been keenly interested in the welfare and education of children.
WILLIAM EARL SHELTON
William Earl Shelton, b April 29, 1921 in Marlin, Falls County, Texas - was a son of Boisclair R. and Leila (Layne) Shelton, and a grandson of Judge William and Anna May (Riddick) Shelton, who settled in Marlin, Falls County, Texas in 1870.
William Earl Shelton (called "Bill"), served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II - and was overseas. On December 27, 1947, Bill was married to Jacqueline Briggs, b September 11, 1925-daughter of Clayton Marshall and Etta May (Saxon) Briggs, of the McClanahan Community, Falls County, Texas. Bill was a 1939 graduate of Marlin High School, and received his Pharmacist Degree from The University of Texas School of Pharmacy, Austin, Texas. Jacqueline was a 1943 graduate of Marlin High School. Bill owns Shelton Pharmacy in Marlin, and Jacqueline works with him. They are members of the First Presbyterian Church in Marlin, where he is a Deacon. Bill served ten years as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Marlin Public Schools - carrying on the family interest and commitment to the welfare and education of children.
William Earl and Jacqueline (Briggs) Shelton were the parents of two children:
Carol Claire Shelton, b November 26, 1950 - married Michael Vahrenkamp of Fort Worth, Texas. They have two children: Justin William Vahrenkamp, b November 1974, and Leah Katherine Vahrenkamp, b August 1, 1979. Michael and Claire own the VRK Company - an Investment firm, in Fort Worth, Texas, where they reside.
William Earl Shelton, Jr., graduated from Marlin High School, and received his degree in Sociology from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He works for an Advertising Firm in Dallas, Texas, where he resides. He is not married.
Copyright Permission granted to Theresa Carhart and her volunteers for printing the biographies of these Falls County Families to this Web page.
"Families of Falls County", Compiled and Edited by the Falls County Historical Commission, page 414-415
Member of Falls County Historical Commission.