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Generation One

WILLIAM SHAW was born 21 Feb 1814. His parents are unknown. There is a David SHAW in the same area of Missouri who I have tried to connect to, but nothing so far. Census records indicate that William may have been born in Tennessee. The earliest record I have for him is in Clay County, Missouri when he married Nancy POTTER on 10 Sep 1835. William and Nancy had four children: 1) Simarah b 16 Oct 1836; 2) John Redman b 30 Nov 1840; 3) Mary Elizabeth b 6 Apr 1843; and 4) Miranda Ellen b 10 Nov 1845. Nancy died before 1848, perhaps at the birth of her fourth child, and William married again to Martha Randolph. This marriage took place on 26 Jul 1848 in Buchanan County, Missouri. William SHAW was a Methodist Episcopal South, preacher, and he did a lot of moving around. He and Martha and his first four children were on the 1850 census of Nodaway County, Missouri. William and Martha had another four children: 5) Sally b ca 1850; 6) Andrew b 16 Dec 1852; 7) George Pierce; and 8) Carrie b ca 1858. At the time of the Civil War, he was living and preaching in the Grapevine, Texas area. Martha died sometime between about 1858 & 1867 and William married for a third time. His wife was named Nan. There was a marriage on 25 Feb 1863 in Collin County, Texas of a William SHAW to a Nan Casner, but this hasn't yet been proven to be them. After the Civil War, the family lived in Northeast Arkansas, near Fayetteville, for a few years. William and Nan had another three children: 9) William Jr born 27 Aug 1868; 10) Belle; and 11) Ruth born about 1874. The last child was born somewhere in Arizona on route to California. William had packed up his family and sons-in-law and other friends and came across the desert to California about 1874. Soon after arriving here, Nan died in childbirth, and the child too. They are buried in the Garden Grove cemetery. The tombstones have long ago disappeared. On 8 Jan 1882 William SHAW married for the last time. The marriage took place at Glenville in Kern County, California. This time to Elizabeth Scruggs Culp. At age 39, she was twice a widow with teenage children. William gave his age as 59, which is interesting because only three years later he died at the age of 71. His death occurred on 5 Mar 1885 in Santa Barbara County, California. He is said to be buried in Lompoc, California. A visit to that cemetery did not produce any tombstone or record, but I was told that there were unmarked burials there in that time period.

Generation Two

MIRANDA ELLEN SHAW was born on 10 Nov 1845 in Missouri. She was the daughter of William SHAW and Nancy POTTER. Her mother died either at her birth or soon after. She was a teenager when her father took the family to Texas. It was there that she met and married Nathaniel Washington TOLLE on 29 Aug 1865 at Grapevine, Tarrant County, Texas. He was a Texas Confederate veteran of the Civil War. Their first child was born in Texas and then they moved to Northeast Arkansas for a few years. Miranda and Nathaniel had six children surnamed TOLLE: 1) Emma Ada b 18 Jul 1866; 2) Charles Robert 25 Apr 1869 (twin); 3) Myrtle Virginia b 25 Apr 1869 (twin); 4) William Martin b ca 1873; 5) Mack Coy b 23 Jan 1876; and 6) Frederick Malachi b ca 1878. The last two children were born after they came to California. They joined the group headed by Miranda's father, William SHAW and came across the desert by wagon to Southern California. They spent the rest of their lives in the area now known as Long Beach, California. Nathaniel died on 24 Jun 1902, and Miranda died on 15 Oct 1928. They are buried in the Long Beach Memorial Cemetery on Signal Hill.

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