Generations Past

There is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors and no slave who has not had a king among his.  
----Helen Keller

Peter Shields 3rd  and Rachel Donohue


Not a lot is known about Peter Shields, the 3rd. He was the oldest son of Peter Shields, the 2nd and Elizabeth Singleton, born about 1784, in Hardy County, Virginia. He married an unknown lady about 1809. She presented him with threescrapbook daughters; Nancy, Eleanor, and Matilda born between 1810 and 1816. Nothing is known about Nancy or Eleanor. Matilda was born 27 May 1816.  These girls must have lost their mother at a young age because he married Rachel DONAHUE about 1820 in Braxton County, Virginia.

Rachel DONOHUE was born about 1793 in Virginia. She was the daughter of William DONAHUE (c1756-b1810) and Ingra KITTLE (abt. 1777-aft. 1831) . Rachel died after 1880. Peter and Rachel had six more children:

  1. Sarah Shields born abt. 1820; married Lindsay B. Shields about 1845; died 1914
  2. Elizabeth Shields born 1827; married Asa Brown Singleton on 23 Jan 1850
  3. Julia Ann Shields born 2 July 1828; married Andrew Friend; died in Dec 1885
  4. William Arthur Shields born 17 Jun  1831; married Elizabeth Levicy Cowdrey; died 26 Sep 1915 in Wathena, Doniphan County, Kansas
  5. Salathiel Shields born August 1835; married Amanda Thornton about 1855; died before 1920
  6. Margaret Shields born 17 Feb 1839; married John Roush who died in 1863 while in service during the Civil War. She died 4 May 1878.

 Peter became indebted to a firm called Beime and Duffy located in Sutton, VA, in the amount of $29.48. He used his farm as collateral and promised to pay the loan back by 14 September 1842. He was unable to pay back the loan. The farm was sold on the steps of the Braxton County Court House for $17.00. Beime and Duffy were the only bidders and they received the 64 acre farm for that amount.

At that time, 1842, Peter took his family and moved to Mason County, Virginia (WV). He died about 1851 in Mason County, Virginia. Rachel died about 1880.

Peter and/or his family can be found on the following censuses:


For more information on Peter and Rachel's family or other Shields please go to
the Castor Directory. You will find more information and many more names.

I am interested in sharing any family history information and in correcting any misinformation.
Please send corrections or additions to my email box.