Daniel Shelor of Virginia
This is a continuation of my previous posting on Lawrence Shelor. I have a lot of information on Shelors of Patrick County, Virginia, as well as some on Floyd County Shelors, and will be glad to provide any information I can.
Charles Leon Harris
On November 30, 1787, Daniel Shelor was granted a patent to 642 acres on the Old Field and Pine Creek branches of the Little River just north of what is now Floyd in what became Floyd County in 1831. On March 27, 1788, he acquired a second patent for 640 acres on Little River and Old Field Creek. In 1838 he lost most of this land after defaulting on a debt. Details of the land and these transactions have been collected by Marvie Shelor (letter to Family Shelor dated December 13, 1985: "Captain Daniel Shelor, on Nov 10, 1804, put two tracts of land in Botetourt Co., later Montgomery Co., now Floyd Co., for security for a loan from Cornelius Buck. The amount of the loan being 424 pounds, 4 shillings, and 1 1/2 pence. He got 602 acres by patent bearing date Nov. 30, 1797 [probably should be 1787]. The second tract of 640 acres was granted to him on March 27, 1788. After several transfers this trust belonged to James Breckenridge. At his death, to settle his estate, this land was sold Nov. 19, 1838 at the Floyd Co. courthouse door for $1000.00. The price of .80 1/2 cents per acre was a 'steal' in 1804."
It may be that Daniel Shelor used his land as collateral to raise money to develop an iron mine and furnace about 10 miles southwest of the homestead in Floyd County near what is now called Shelor's Mill, on Furnace Creek, beside Old Furnace Rd. (Rt. 605) in Floyd County. The original furnace was replaced by a more recent one, which is still standing. The mine and furnace are now owned by Daniel's descendants. Susan Jefferson Shelor wrote the following history of the furnace
"Capt. Daniel Shelor, built and operated the first iron furnace, in Southwest Va. The old furnace place is about seven miles southwest of Floyd C. H. There were six hundred acres of land in the boundary around the furnace. Court records in Richmond show he owned a tract of land on Little River, of a thousand acres. He flourished at the furnace. The iron, being alloyed with copper, made almost unbreakable cooking vessels. These were sent to the cities for sale, when dealers would not buy the drivers would throw the vessels far and hard, and after such a demonstration of durability, the hardware merchants would purchase them.
"The war of 1812, called by old settlers, the Norfolk war, broke out and again Capt. Daniel was called upon to defend his country. Again he marched away from his loved ones and left the furnace to cool down and the beaten paths around it to grow up. Like all business, so abandoned for months, his work, when he finally returned, was difficult, business was not good, repairs were necessary, labor was higher, and in the effort to reconstruct he lost financially.
"Prior to the Civil War, Robert (Bob) Toncray, came to the Shelor furnace. He had the old furnace stack built by Alfred Moore. This is still standing [in 1933] and likely will stand until the judgement day. (Mr. Toncray, also, had the covered bridge built across Little River, just this side of the Aunt Jane Howard farm.)There are two locust posts now at the old furnace which were planted when Mr. Toncray was there, still in a good state of preservation. The result of the second attempt to operate the furnace, ended in complete failure. Mr. Toncray lost everything he had in the business and had nothing left to pay his expenses out of the county-- when even his riding horse was sold from him, he walked away.
"In 1900, a Company from New York City, purchased the old furnace mines, having as their Supt. a Mr. Stevens. A great deal of money was spent developing the mines and fine ore, copper and iron were found. For several years the business was boosted and many capitalists invested their money in the interprise, but it was not a paying proposition, so far from the railroad, and their dreams of fabulous wealth vanished. Some of the company lost everything they possessed and one of the men in New York City, committed suicide."
An article on the old furnace and mine shafts near Shelors Mills appeared in the Roanoke Times & World News on March 29, 1994. "Science rights history's wrongs" pp. B1, 3. For more on the iron furnace, see Leslie Shelor Allen's The Hills Touch Heaven, Chap. 5.
Additional Notes for DANIEL SHELOR:
Note on Daniel Shelor's birth date: Britain and its colonies did not adopt the modern Gregorian calendar until 1752. Before then most years began on March 25. Thus, Daniel Shelor's birth date on March 5 occurred in 1749 under the old calendar, but in 1750 under the modern calendar.
1810 Montgomery County census p. 25 lists Daniel Shealers, Sr. with
males: 1 <10, 1 26-45, 1>45; females: 1 26-45, 1 >45, one other free person
Daniel Shelor enlisted in a Maryland regiment as a lieutenant on January 2, 1777 and remained until April 10, 1777. His service is described in his application for a pension, which follows:
State of Virginia}
County of Floyd} To wit:
On the 20th day of August in the year 1832 personally appeared in open court before the Justice of the county aforesaid now sitting, Daniel Shelor, a resident of said county and state, aged almost 82 years, who being first sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th, 1832. That he entered the service of the State of Maryland on 2nd day of January, 1777, as a Lieutenant - that he continued in said service a few days more than three months, until about the 10th of April, when his services were suspended. He marched during this term of service into New Jersey, to a place called Baskin's Ridge about 7 miles from Morristown where Genl. Washington was encamped. At this time the English Army lay at Brunswick. Whilst stationed here this applicant was in a severe skirmish with the enemy at a place Quibbletown. The forces to which he belonged were commanded by Genl. Thomas Johnston and Cob. James Johnston. His captain was John Carmack. After finishing this tour of service, he returned home and remained there until some time in the following year 1778 when as a captain he again entered into active service for another tour of three months, which was entirely spent in guarding, with the company under his command, prisoners who were lodged in Frederick Town, Maryland. During the time he was stationed here he received his orders from one Major Baily.
He hereby relinquishes any claim whatever to an pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state. He received his commission from the Governor of Maryland.
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid,
(s) Daniel Shelor
We, Nathaniel Wickham residing in the County of Floyd and Wm. Banks residing in the same place, hereby certif~ that we are well acquainted with Daniel Shelor who has sworn to and subscribed the above declaration that we believe him to be, as stated, about 82 years of age, that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution and that we concur in that opinion.
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.
(S) Nathaniel Wickham
(s) Wm. Banks
[Note added: Was one of the petitioners for establishing a new town in Halifax County, Virginia, in 1797, along with many of his near of kin and neighbors. This was pertinent to the establishing or organizing of the present town of South Boston, once called, Old Salem, named for the then largest town in the United States, Boston, Massachusettes. The petition read:
Petition to the General Assembly, 1797
Petition of the inhabitants of Montgomery, Franklin and Pittsylvania Counties for establishing of a new town in Halifax County, Virginia as a tobacco market.
Supplied by Nola Albert.]
From Virginia Pension Roll of 1835, Report from the Secretary of War In relation to the Pension Establishment Of the United States 1835. Copied and indexed by William R. Navey, P. O. Box 251, Hollyridge, NC 28445-0251
DANIEL SHELOR
FLOYD COUNTY
LIEUTENANT - CAPTAIN
VIRGINIA MILITIA
$100.00 ANNUAL ALLOWANCE
$300.00 AMOUNT RECEIVED
JULY 16, 1833 PENSION STARTED
AGE 84
"Virginia Revolutionary Records; Selected Final Pension Payment Vouchers 1818-1864:
Shelor, DanielRichmond 1832
Floyd county, Va 1 Dec 1847, George Shelor [signature] administrator of Daniel Shelor, late pensioner (former lieutenant and captain) who resided in this county for 50 years and previous thereto in Frederick County, appoints Joshua J. Fry attorney to collect arrears due from 4 Sep 1846 to 13 Feb 1847, the day of his death; witnesses D. R. Merman, Marvel Young.
Floyd County, Va, 2 Dec 1847 court satisfied that the pensioner died leaving no widow but eight children: George Shelor, William Shelor, Daniel Shelor, Jacob Shelor, Elizabeth Wade, Sarah Scott, and Mary Thompson. Richmond 5 Jan 1848, J. J. Fry collected $44.16."
"Daniel Shealor" is named in the account of the estate of Francis Turner, 1803. (Abstracts of Wills, Inventories & Accounts, Patrick County, Virginia 1791-1823, compiled by Lela C. Adams. Easley SC: Southern Historical Press, 1983.)
According to an anonymous contributor to the Amos DeRussia Wood papers, after the death of his wife, Daniel lived first with his son Daniel, then with George until he died.
This account will continue with a posting on John Shelor who migrated to Patrick County VA.