Shuffleton, Samuel

SHUFFLETON, WHITMARSH

Posted By: Deborah Brownfield - Stanley (email)
Date: 4/1/2005 at 03:13:58

Fairfield Ledger
Sept. 24, 1946
Sec. D Page 5

NOTED LAWYERS IN CITY’S HISTORY. S. SHUFFLETON FIRST BARRISTER. By RICHARD C. LEGGETT.

“Our first lawyer, COL. SAMUEL SHUFFLETON, sought out the town of Fairfield in the summer of 1839 and began the practice of law here. He was an Englishman and came to Iowa from New York State.

“Being naturally industrious and a good manager, he accumulated a sizeable fortune for that early date and built the first frame house ever erected in our city. He occupied numerous public offices, was clerk of the first sale of lots in Fairfield, and later was a postmaster. Unfortunately, his life was blighted by tragedy. Lightning struck his home, killed his wife and injured two of his children. He seemed to lose interest in business and lived only a short time.”

A descendant, MRS. MARY RUTH WHITMARSH (born 1899), writing from Chico, California, under date of April 24, 1963, relates: “Three brothers came to the United States from England—PAUL, JOHN and SAMUEL. PAUL settled in Vermont, or at least his descendants are there….JOHN and SAMUEL you know about. SAMUEL and MARY had four children—the eldest was HUGH HALL, born in England and three weeks of age when they came to America. My grandfather JOHN HENRY SHUFFLETON, was born near Hoosick Falls, New York, July 10, 1839. There were two other children, MARY, who was next to HUGH, then CHARLES DUDLEY, then my grandfather JOHN HENRY.

“Yes, my great-grandmother, MARY SMITH SHUFFLETON, was killed by lightning. As I have always heard the story it seems that a storm came up and she stepped to the window to look out at the storm. My great-grandfather’s sword was hanging beside the window and it was thought that the steel attracted the lightning…. She had just placed the baby (my grandfather HENRY) on the bed and so of course it is always said that the feathers protected him from being struck as well…

“It seems that SAMUEL SHUFFLETON re-married. His second wife had I believe one daughter. Shortly after this SAMUEL died. Then began the hard times for the children. The two younger boys, DUDLEY and HENRY, were bound out. I do not know the names of the families to whom they were bound, but they were not together, as I understand it. HUGH was older so he went into a drugstore to work, but did not stay there long. Decided to go to California, so he made his way out here and settled north of Chico at old Shasta City. This was in 1849.” (See Vol. 3, JEFFERSON COUNTY RECORDS, for HUGH HALL SHUFFLETON.)

“HENRY was dissatisfied, so he ran away. He finally got in company with a wagon train that was coming west and they allowed him to accompany them if he would keep the cattle in line. He always said he walked to California ….anyway he finally got to Shasta City and was reunited with his oldest brother, HUGH. DUDLEY also made his way west. The brothers sent for MARY and she came west by horseback…..”