I have received e.mails (see below, SOURCES) from new friend Donald Shields who provided all the information in the outline below. I present it here with his permission. If you have any questions, please e.mail me, John Gwin, or him, noting that I have transliterated his address in hopes of preventing it being collected by the computers of unscrupulous spammers.

According to Donald's information, Richard Shields and Charles Coulter of Crowson's Cove are second cousins to each other, as are their respective brothers, John and John, who traveled with Lewis and Clark.

--John M. Gwin

1.00--William Shields, b. 1668; m. Mary Jeanette Parker (b. 1668); at least 2 ch.

2.00--Thomas Shields, b.1699;

3.00--Eleanor Shields, b. ca. 1750; m. Mr. Coulter/Colter (b. 1748)

4.00--John Colter/Colter, b. 1773 (of the 1803 Expedition who is credited as becoming one of the first "Mountain Men" of the country.)

4.00--Charles Coulter, b. unk; (of Wear Valley, Crowson's Cove see plat map)

2.00--John Shields, b. 1709; (grandfather of John [II] and Richard)

3.00--Robert Shields, b. 1740; m. Nancy Stockton Shields (b. ca. 1745-1750) both of Sevier County, TN

4.00--Richard Shields, b. 1764 (of Wear Valley, Crowson's Cove--see plat map)

5.00--Benjamin Shields, b. 1786; (Donald Shields Note: SPECULATION--Benjamin Shields may or may not be the son of or related to this Richard Shields.)

6.00--s/o B. S.

7.00--gs/o B. S.

8.00--g-gs/o B. S.

9.00--Donald Shields of Lee's Summit, MO, contributor; gg-gs/o B. S.

4.00--John Shields (II), b. 1769; of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

From: "Donald C. Shields" sdcshie at worldnet dot att dot net
Date: Fri Dec 24, 2004  07:13:51 PM US/Mountain
To: <jmcdgwin@zianet.com>
Subject: Crowson's Cove families

John Gwin:

I'm a believed descendant of Richard Shields on your maps through his possible son Benjamin Shields. You have a great site.

My Shields research indicates that Richard's brother John Shields of the Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled with a John Coulter (Colter as Captain Lewis spelled it) who was the son of an Eleanor Shields Coulter who was related to John Shields through a common close ancestor. I believe that Charles Coulter of Wear Valley, Crowson's Creek was a brother to John Coulter (Colter) of the 1803 Expedition who is credited as becoming one of the first "Mountain Men" of the country.

I believe that John Colter and Charles Coulter's mother was an Eleanor Shields who was also related to John and Richard Shields through their great uncle Thomas Shields, brother to another John Shields who was the grandfather of John and Richard Shields through their father Robert Shields and Nancy Stockton Shields of Sevier County, TN.

Also, your John Gwin of Crowson I believe to be the husband that my family names John Guinn (b. 1783) who was married to Rachel Shields (the daughter of Henry Woods Shields and Hester Waddell) belonging to another line of a William Shields family dating from about 1600. [John M. Gwin Note:  No, I do not--see the links in the subsequent email.]

At any rate--such a great site, and thanks for the insight into how to map from a "metes and bounds" deed description. Would be happy to share any more Guinn/Shields information that I may have.

Sincerely,

Donald Shields
Lee's Summit, MO

From: "Donald C. Shields"
Date: Sat Dec 25, 2004  09:02:33 PM US/Mountain
To: <JMcDGwin@zianet.com>
Subject: Edits of Shields/Coulter material

John,
 
Thanks for the kind Christmas wish. We did have a nice day, and I trust you did also. What you have suggested putting on your web-site is correct, and you have my permission to include it.

I have added a few dates on the key personages below.

I'm curious if you think that my speculation about John Gwin/Guinn may be correct?  [John M. Gwin Note:  No, I do not--see the links in the following sentence.]  Recall that I said, "Also, your John Gwin of Crowson I believe to be the husband that my family names John Guinn (b. 1783) who was married to Rachel Shields (the daughter of Henry Woods Shields and Hester Waddell) belonging to another line of a William Shields family dating from about 1600." The John Shields (b. 1709) generations that we trace below also belonged to that William Shields (b. 1600) line.
At any rate, good to meet you via the Internet and more kudos on your web page.  As I digest its contents more fully over the coming days, I may be able to piece together more.  If so, I will try to share it with you.

Sincerely,
Donald Shields

1._--William Shields (b. 1668) and Mary Jeanette Parker (b. 1668).
.....2._--Thomas Shields (b. 1699)
..........3._--Eleanor Shields (b. Abt. 1750)  m. Mr. Joseph Coulter/Colter (b. 1748)
...............4._--John Coulter/Colter, b. 1773 (of the 1803 Expedition who is credited as becoming one of the first "Mountain Men" of the country.)
...............4._--Charles Coulter, b. unknown (of Wear Valley, Crowson's Creek--see plat map)
.....2._--John Shields, b. 1709 (grandfather of John [II] and Richard)
..........3._--Robert Shields, b. 1740, and Nancy Stockton Shields, b. 1750-1745, of Sevier County, TN
...............4._--Richard Shields, b. 1764(ofWearValley, Crowson's Cove--see plat map)
....................5._--Benjamin Shields, b. 1786 (Donald Shields Note:SPECULATION--Benjamin Shields may not be son of/related to this Richard Shields.)
.........................6._--s/o B S
..............................7._--gs/o B S
...................................8._--g-gs/o B S
........................................9._--Donald Shields of Lee's Summit, MO [John M. Gwin Note: may not be listed in correct generation]
...............4._--John Shields (II), b. 1769,of the 1803 Lewis and Clark Expedition

From: "MARCELINE HILL" <sks12@MSN.com>
Date: Tue Apr 04, 2006  07:57:30 AM US/Mountain
To: <jmcdgwin@zianet.com>
Subject: Shields- Walker genealogy response

Thank you for your reply.  As far as my Shields and Walker connection, I am just not certain other than the family names and the Tennessee homeplace. 

My Shields were listed in the 1860 census of Jackson Co., Celina, TN--

1.0--William Walker Shields, b. ca. 1824; m. Mary (Polly) Walker (b. 1828; was believed to be the daughter of William Walker and wife's maiden name (McClerran)); was a medical doctor; 7 children:

2.01--John Shields,

2.02--Flora Shields,

2.03--Mary F. Shields,

2.04--William Walker Shields [, Jr.,] (my husband's grandfather)

3.0--[Mr. Shields]

4.0--[Mr. Shields, m. Sharry K. Shields]

2.05--his twin Matilda Shields who died an infant and an

2.06--Albert Mabry Shields, and

2.07--Joseph Burk Shields from Kentucky.

Pembroke Shields, believed to be a cousin in the Celina area; was a medical doctor;  

I do have a genealogy friend who is a descendant of Nancy Stockton and Robert Shields, mentioned in your history of the area. 

They had a son Richard Shields who was also mentioned in your history. He was born July 4-1764 in Augusta Co. VA and they are not certain where he ended up.  I believe that this may be the Richard who was a neighbor to your Gwin relative, since his parents also had a son Thomas.

Robert Shields was born in Augusta county, Va.  and died in Sevier Co. TN .

From what I can determine, my Shields family also came from that area of VA and ended in Tennessee. 

Since I am not certain of the parents of William Walker Shields, MD, I feel there could be a possible connection. 

I also have family names of

FOX,
DOCKERY,
PROFFITT,
WEBB,
EVERSAL,
MCMURTRY,
MARTIN,
BALL

that all were born in VA and ended up in the Sevierville area on my husband's maternal side of the family.

Any help would be appreciated.
Sincerely, Sharry K. Shields
P.S.- I am also in New Mexico, the Four Corners Area!
 

From: "MARCELINE HILL" Date: Tue Apr 04, 2006  07:57:30 AM US/Mountain To: <jmcdgwin@zianet.com> Subject: Shields- Walker genealogy response Thank you for your reply.  As far as my Shields and Walker connection, I am just not certain other than the family names and the Tennessee homeplace.  My Shields were listed in the 1860 census of Jackson county, Celina, TN-  WW Shields was born approx 1824 and his wife Mary (Polly) Walker was born in 1828. William Walker Shields was an MD there and there was also a Pembroke Shields, MD believed to be a cousin in the Celina area.  Mary, his wife was believed to be the daughter of William Walker and wife's maiden name (McClerran)  Children of WW and Mary were: John, Flora, Mary F., William Walker (my husband's grandfather) his twin Matilda who died an infant and an Albert Mabry, and Joseph Burk from Kentucky.  I do have a genealogy friend who is a descendant of Nancy Stockton and Robert Shields, mentioned in your history of the area.  They had a son Richard who was also mentioned in your history. He was born July 4-1764 in Augusta Co. VA and they are not certain where he ended up.  I believe that this may be the Richard who was a neighbor to your Gwin relative, since his parents also had a son Thomas. Robert Shields was born in Augusta county, Va.  and died in Sevier Co. TN .From what I can determine my Shields family also came from that area of VA and ended in Tennessee.  Since I am not certain of the parents of William Walker Shields, MD I feel there could be a possible connection.  I also have family names of FOX,DOCKERY, PROFFITT, WEBB,EVERSAL, MCMURTRY, MARTIN, BALL that all were born in VA and ended up in the Sevierville area on my husband's maternal side of the family. Any help would be appreciated. Sincerely, Sharry K. Shields P.S.- I am also in New Mexico, the Four Corners Area!

The following was copied from the excellent page at http://www.burketexas.com/people/guinn.php

Guinn Family

The Guinns were major early landowners in the Burke area, including most of the area that became the town of Burke.

James Washington Guinn

James Washinton Guinn was the partriarch of the Guinn family and a leading political figure in early Angelina County.  It is not clear whether he ever lived on the Guinn land near Burke.  In 1860 he and his family resided at Homer. That would have made professional sense since James was listed as an "LLD', a Doctor or Legal Letters, i. e., a lawyer.  He was also heavily involved in politics, which would have been centered at Homer, the county seat.

The following biography is from the Texas State Cemetery:

GUINN, JAMES WASHINGTON (1804 - 1866) James Washington Guinn, member of the Texas House of Representatives and Texas Senate, was born June 11, 1804, in Greene County, Tennessee, to John and Rachael Shields Guinn. On February 2, 1830, James Washington Guinn and Catherine Ann Dobson were married in Macon County, North Carolina.  Andrew Johnson, tailor of Greenville, Greene County, Tennessee, and later President of the United States, made the coat that Guinn wore to his wedding to Dobson.  Catherine Ann Dobson was born February 2, 1812.  She was the daughter of John Dobson and Nancy Parks Dobson.  Catherine was a physician.  Family tradition tells that slaves accidentally poisoned Catherine while on call to deliver a baby. Catherine Ann Dobson Guinn died in Homer, Angelina County, Texas, on March 3, 1865, and is buried in the Homer Cemetery, Homer, Texas.

James Washington Guinn

Guinn studied law and was admitted to the bar in Tennessee in 1827, North Carolina, in 1828, and Georgia in 1832.  In North Carolina in 1832, James W. Guinn was elected Solicitor, and in 1835 he represented Macon County as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention at Raleigh.  He moved to Fish Head Valley, Alabama, November 19, 1841, and to Wedowee, Alabama, in 1843.  He was elected Judge of County or Orphans Court in 1846 in Randolph County, Alabama, and held this office until May 23, 1850, when the court was abolished.

In 1858 Guinn moved to Cherokee County, Texas, where his brother, Robert Henry Guinn, was a lawyer in Rusk, Texas.  On January 29, 1859, Guinn moved to Angelina County, Texas, where he and his family show up on the 1860 Federal Census and his occupation is listed as a lawyer.  In November 1859, Guinn, with others, was appointed to a committee to consider the relative cost of a brick courthouse in Homer.

In 1861, he was commissioned a Notary Public in Angelina County and in 1863 was elected to represent the counties of Nacogdoches and Angelina in the Texas House of Representatives after receiving one hundred and ten votes.  In 1866 he won a seat in the senate with three hundred seventy-nine votes.

While serving in the Senate, Guinn died at the residence of N. C. Raymond August 27, 1866, after a few days illness with Cholera.  His remains were buried in the Texas State Cemetery on September 18, 1866.

In 1861 James Guinn was elected as one of three Cooperationist (anti-secessionist) delegates to the state secession convention.  Angelina County was the only county outside the German Hill Country that voted against secession.  Despite James' opposition to secession, two of his sons served in the Confederate army.

Catherine Dobson was the daughter of Dr. Joseph Dobson and Nancy Ann Parks.

James and Catherine had the following children: John A. B., (1830); Josephine L. (1832); Washington Leonidas Hannibal (1833); Harriet (1835); James K. (1836); Catherine (1837); Henry M. (1842); and Jacob Helfin Polk "Simon" (1847). All were born in North Carolina except Henry and Jacob. Simon was a farmer at Zavalla and is buried at Old Homer Cemetery.

Leonidas Hannibal Washington (Lee) Guinn

Leonidas was born about 1833 in North Carolina, but in 1843 the Guinns moved to Wedowee in Randolph County, Alabama, where they lived in 1850. In 1855 L. H. W. Guinn is listed as Postmaster of Wedowee, Randolph Co, AL, for one quarter.

Leonidas Guinn first married Elizabeth V. (Lizzie) Clifton about 1857. She was born in 1840 in Georgia and was the daughter of Clemeth Floyd Clifton and Nancy Jackson Clifton. They had a daughter Nannie born in 1861 and were reported to have a son Robert.

In 1865 Guinn married Sarah Elizabeth (Sallie) Gann, daughter of John Delaney and Malinda Arnold Gann.

Leonidas moved to Angelina Çounty before the Civil War along wth his father James Washington.  In 1860 Lewis H. W. Guinn, presumably Leonidas, lived two residences from James Ashworth, which places him in the area that became Ryan Chapel. He owned real estate worth $4490, which is about $92,000 in 2005 dollars.  If he owned 540 (sic--640?) acres, land would have been selling for about $8 per acre.

Leonidas (Lee) Guinn is said to have owned 5000 acres in Angelina County.  Their land stretched from the town of Burke to Pine Valley.

According to the historical marker at Ryan Chapel Methodist Church, "L. H. D. and Sallie Guinn gave 7.5 acres for church and cemetery."  The church had been mistakenly situated on Guinn land, and the Guinns were kind enough to correct the error by donating the land.

Presumably Lizzie died during the Civil War since Lee married Sarah Elizabeth (Sallie) Gann in 1865 in Angelina County. She was the daughter of John Delaney Gann, and granddaughter of William Gann and Ruth Delaney, all pioneering Angelina County families.

In 1870 Lee Guinn still lived in Angelina County.  In his household was daughter Nannie.

Leonidas Guinn died in 1874.  After Leonidas' death, Sarah married several more times, but she told her great-granddaughter, Frances Chambers Delaney, when they visited his grave together, that Lee Guinn was her true love.

Leonidas' daughter, Nannie, who married Harvey Belote, inherited 540 (sic--640?) acres in the heart of what later became the town of Burke.

Sources:

1. 1850 Census, Randolph County, Alabama, Wedowee Beat No. 1, Dwelling 1 (James W. Guinn)
2. 1860 Census, Angelina Co., Texas, Page 19, Second District, Dwelling 321 (James W. Guinn)
3. 1860 Census, Angelina County, Texas, Page 14, Dwelling 289 (Lewis H. W. Guinn)
4. 1870 Census, Angelina County, Texas, Page 5, Dwelling 29 (Lee Guinn)
5. Texas State Cemetery web site, http://www.cemetery.state.tx.us/pub/user_form.asp?step=1&pers_id=74
6. Southwestern Historical Quarterly web site, http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v023/n4/contrib_DIVL3573.html
7. Belote Genealogy
8. Uba Lee (Tuey) McCarty Davis, Personal Recollections
9. Ancestry GenForum, Guinn Family

© 2006-9 Burke History Project
M. Lee Murrah, Editor
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