On June 18, 1880, the Ogle family lived in Richardson Cove which is located in the 13th Civil District of Sevier County, Tennessee. Her father Cleason and brothers Perry, John, and Lewis worked on a farm. Work must have been hard to come by that year as her father had only worked seven months and her brothers three months. Her mother stayed home keeping house. The “attending school” boxes were all left unchecked in the census record. The enumerator did note that Martha’s parents, sister Nancy, and brothers Perry, John, and Lewis could not read or write.
Martha married Samuel “Cas” Shields, son of Mary Ann Spurgeon and Jesse William Shields, in Sevier County on June 11, 1891. According to family lore, Cas was illegitimate—the son of Mr. Dunlap, a traveling salesman who sold rubber buggy tires and whips for the Dunlap Tire Company. But Ancestry has placed a DNA symbol beside Cas’ name to suggest the connection so that doesn’t bode well for the family lore. Supposedly, Martha met Cas when she was 13 years old while he was gathering wild ginseng to sell to pharmacy companies. I’ve been told, but have no proof, at the time a woman could marry at age 15 and a man at any age. The local Clerk of the Court, S. P. Proffitt, was a cousin and good friend to Cas. Proffitt allegedly falsified the marriage bond and certificate for Martha and Cas so they could marry. But if Martha was born in 1870, she would have been 21 years old in 1891, not 13. The marriage record is dated June 1891 and their son Stewart was born on November 15, 1891, five months after the marriage took place. That would mean either he was premature or she already pregnant when they married. Years later, Martha told her grandson, Tommy Shields, that she was 15 when she had her first child. The numbers just don’t match up! It’s one of those things we’ll never know.
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Martha and Cas' marriage certificate |
On June 8, 1900, Martha, Cas, and their four children (Stewart, Milas, Elmer, and Walter) lived in the 13th Civil District of Sevier County. Both Martha and Cas were enumerated as 30 years of age and had been married for eight years. The enumerator noted that Martha was the mother of four children, all of which were living. Her husband was a farmer on a rented farm. Martha’s father was born in Tennessee and her mother in North Carolina. Martha was unable to read or write and according to Tommy Shields, this was lifelong.
Around 1910, the photo below was taken of the Shields family. Unfortunately, my great-grandfather, Stewart, had married Hattie Jane Rhinehart in 1909 and moved out of the house so was not included.
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Front: Melona Jane Shields in father Samuel Cas Shields’ lap, Albert Conley Shields, Pearl Lewcrilly Shields in mother Martha Ogle Shields’ lap, Blaine Arthur Shields, Sallie Addice Shields. Back: Milas Odell Shields, William Elmer Shields, Walter C. Brown Shields. Oldest son James Stewart Shields is not in the photo. |
On May 3, 1910, Martha and her family still lived in the 13th Civil District of Sevier County. The census record shows that Martha and Cas had been married 19 years and that Martha was the mother of 9 children, all of which were living. Her youngest, Pearl, was about nine months old. The census record shows only eight children living in the home which corresponds with the fact that Stewart had married and moved out. The 1910 census record reflects that Martha’s mother was born in Tennessee vs. North Carolina. I believe Tennessee is correct. Cas was a farmer on a general (rented) farm with sons Milas, William, and Walter all farm laborers.
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1910 Soundex cards |
Sometime between 1910 and 1913, the Shields family moved to Georgia in search of cheaper land. Cas went to Whitfield County, Georgia alone, bought a farm on top of a hill with a long drive between Praters Mill and Deep Springs, and then headed back to Sevierville to get his family. They packed their belongings then traveled to Dalton using two two-horse wagons pulled by two mules. The entourage included two cows, four dogs, and two coops of chickens. They carried all of their furniture—a kitchen stove, table and 10 chairs, and four bed steads. The children took turns walking and riding in the wagons as they traveled approximately 120 miles over 8 to 10 days. The family camped by creeks and in farmer’s fields. It was more like a picnic to the children. Upon arriving at their new house, they unpacked and began farming the land. After World War I ended in 1918, Cas and the boys planted fields of cotton that sold for over $500 per bale. They did very well and lived high to the point where Cas had to borrow money to replant the next year.
On January 3, 1920, Martha and her family lived on Lower Varnell Road in the Varnell District of Whitfield County, Georgia. Six children were still living in the home—Walter, Conley, Blaine, Malone, Pearl, and Maude. The census enumerator recorded Martha as able to read but not write which is different than what Tommy told me. The birthplace for Martha’s mother was now listed as “United States.” Cas was still farming with help from Walter. It turns out they didn’t move to Georgia alone. Martha’s brother, Burt, enumerated as Bertram, lived with his family six houses away. Martha’s mother died in Sevier County, Tennessee on June 26, 1927. She was buried at Shady Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in Sevier County according to the Smoky Mountain Ancestral Quest website.
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1920 Soundex cards |
The next decade started out on a sad note with the death of Martha’s daughter Maude, possibly in childbirth, on February 10, 1930. Maude was just 15 years old. On April 19, 1930, Martha and her family lived at Praters Mill and Deep Springs Road in the Lower Tenth District of Whitfield County. Blaine was the only child left at home now. Cas continued to farm the land with Blaine’s assistance. The census enumerator recorded Martha as 57 years of age and Cas as 63 years. Different than previous years. He also noted that Martha was 18 years of age and Cas was 21 years when they married. Her mother’s birthplace was once again listed as North Carolina. My great grandfather Stewart and his family lived next door.
On April 3, 1940, Martha, Cas, and Blaine lived at Praters Mill Camp and Grove Level Road in the Lower Tenth District of Whitfield County. They owned their home which was valued at $1,000. The highest level of school Martha had completed was the second grade. They had lived in this home for at least five years. Martha was 68 and Cas was 70. No occupation was recorded for anyone in the house, so it looks like no one was working. Several Ogle families lived nearby—the Earl Ogle family next door, the Harrison Ogle family next door to Earl, and the Dewey Ogle family next door to Harrison. I need to figure out how they all fit into Martha’s family. Martha’s son Milas and his wife lived next door to the Dewey Ogle family.
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Cas, Martha, and Blaine |
Martha’s daughter Pearl (Shields) Hester contracted tuberculosis in the late 1930s or about 1940. After contracting the disease, Pearl and her family of five children moved into Martha and Cas’ Deep Springs home. Pearl, at age 33, was no longer able to work and her husband Oscar Hester “drank up her paycheck” so did not have the money to support his family. Martha and Cas did what they could but couldn’t afford to feed everyone. Martha’s brother Elmer stepped in to help out, bringing them food every day. Pearl died at the Shields family farm on July 26, 1941, leaving her five children behind, ages ranging from 2 to 11.
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Pearl's husband Oscar Hester and their five children at her funeral. Martha is standing in the background to the right of Oscar with the hat and flowers. |
Tommy Shields remembered being able to hear Pearl’s breath outside on the porch. After her death, “Oscar abandoned the children.” There was no money to pay for Pearl’s funeral so her brothers Elmer, Milas, Stewart, sister Addice, and husband Oscar pledged to pay the $500 expenses to Kenemer Brothers Funeral Home. Tommy said Elmer ended up paying for most of the funeral though, as the others never had the money. Pearl was buried at Grove Level Community Cemetery in Dalton, beside her sister Maude. Martha and Cas tried but were unable to care for Pearl’s children. Four of them ended up being sent to Georgia Baptist Orphans Home in Hapeville, Fulton County, Georgia. The oldest was deemed too old to go and moved around, living with other family members.
In 1946, Elmer moved his family to Port Orange, Florida. Sometime after that, he built a home for Martha, Cas, and Blaine and they too moved to Port Orange. That only lasted two or three years though. Blaine didn’t like it there, so they moved back to Georgia. Tommy didn’t like it there either, so he moved back to Georgia and lived with Martha, Cas, and Blaine for about six months.
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Blaine, Elmer, Martha, and Cas at Daytona Beach |
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Martha and Cas in a Florida orange grove |
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Cas and Martha |
Martha’s son Walter died in Varnell, Whitfield County, Georgia on April 6, 1955. He was buried at Red Hill Cemetery in Cleveland, Bradley County, Tennessee. Six months after Walter’s death, Martha’s husband Cas died at home in Dalton on September 26, 1955, at the age of 85. Cas was buried beside their daughters Maude and Pearl at Grove Level Community Cemetery in Dalton. The Dalton Citizen published his obituary on September 29, 1955:
S. C. Shields Laid to Rest at Grove Level Wed. S. C. Shields, 85, passed away at his home near Deep Springs Monday morning. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Martha Shields; two daughters, Mrs. Addice McNally, of Dalton, and Mrs. Jannie Bernett [sic], of Los Angeles; five sons, Molis [sic], of Dalton, Steard [sic], of Ringgold, Elmer of Port Orange, Fla., Conley of Varnell, and Blane [sic], of Dalton; 36 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. Funeral services were held from the Grove Level Baptist Church.
Family members gathered in May 1958 to celebrate Martha’s 88th birthday. My family drove from Atlanta to Dalton to attend the party. The photo below was taken that day.
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Martha in front, standing: my sister Bonita, my mother Fay holding me, my father Sam holding my brother Michael, and my sister Jennifer. |
The occasion also brought together five generations. The photo below was taken that day and published in a local newspaper.
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Five generations. Front row: my sister Bonita and Martha. Back row: my mother Fay, granny Daisy, and pappy Stewart. |
Martha lived three more years after that celebration. She died of bronchial pneumonia due to senility in Dalton on July 10, 1961, at the age of 91. Martha was buried on July 12 beside Cas and her daughters at Grove Level Community Cemetery in Dalton. Her daughter Addice was the informant for her death certificate and listed her name as Martha Sue Ann Shields and her father unknown. Her son Blaine, who had lived with Martha until her death, died in 1988 and was buried beside Martha and Cas.
In December 2000, Martha’s grandson Tommy shared some of his memories of Martha and other Shields’ family members with my sister and me. He remembered his grandmother as a warm and caring person who would hold your hand and arms when you arrived or departed. He said she never went to school and could not write her name or count. When she went into a store, she held out her hand with money and the clerk took what she owed. Although you usually remember all the good things your grandmother cooked for you, Tommy said Martha was a very bad cook and remembered her biscuits and cornbread being hard to eat. Martha and Cas always had a big vegetable garden. Blaine helped in the garden and always planted a peanut patch. Martha took the green beans they grew and strung them with a needle and thread, making a two- to three-foot-long string of beans that she hung behind the stove to dry. After the beans turned brown, she hung them in the well shed with the canned goods. When she was ready to cook the beans that they now called “leather britches” she cleaned the dust off, soaked them in salt water, and then slowly cooked them all day. Tommy remembered this was the best thing Martha cooked. Martha and Cas also had a mulberry tree by the well shed that the grandchildren climbed and ate the berries until they were purple all over. Tommy also remembered Martha having a gift of healing warts. He recalled his brother being bitten by a rabid dog once and was given shots in the stomach for six to eight weeks. A row of warts soon arose on his hand where he had been bitten. Martha rubbed needles over the warts, saying incantations as she did that. In a few days, the warts were gone. Tommy said Martha and Cas never told others they loved them, but he only had good memories of them. When telling his stories, Tommy stated that none of what he told me was fact—it was only memory and hearsay—but it was to the best of both in his mind.
References
- Maud Horrell Schields, Pearl Hester, and Samuel C. Shields tombstones, Grove Level Community Cemetery, Dalton, Whitfield County, Georgia.
- Pearl Hester, Walter Shields, and Samuel C. Shields, Georgia, U.S., Death Index, 1919–1998.
- Personal memories of Tommy Shields, grandson of Martha Ogle Shields.
- Personal visit to Grove Level Community Cemetery, Dalton, Whitfield County, Georgia.
- Smoky Mountain Ancestral Quest; https://www.smokykin.com/tng/getperson.php?personID=I1835&tree=Smokykin.
- United States Federal Census, District 13, Sevier County, Tennessee, 1870, 1900, 1910.
- United States Federal Census, District 2, Sevier County, Tennessee, 1860.
- United States Federal Census, Eastern Subdivision 12, Sevier County, Tennessee, 1850.
- United States Federal Census, Lower Tenth, Whitfield County, Georgia, 1930, 1940.
- United States Federal Census, Richardson Cove, Sevier County, Tennessee, 1880.
- United States Federal Census, Varnell, Whitfield County, Georgia, 1920.
- Walter Shields’ tombstone photo by Laurie Wilson, Find a Grave member ID 47098859, Red Hill Cemetery, Cleveland, Bradley County, Tennessee.
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