George Shields. George Shields, a practical and enterprising agriculturist of Van Buren township, owns and cultivates two hundred and ninety-five acres of land, constituting one of the valuable and highly improved farms of the locality. He was born upon this place, June 1, 1838, and on the paternal side is of Irish descent. His grandfather, Patrick Shields, was born in Ireland about 1776, and was a boy of five years when he came to the United States with his parents, landing in New York. Later the family settled in Kentucky, where his parents are supposed to have died. When a young man he came to Preble county, Ohio, where he entered land, and in the midst of the wilderness made for himself a home. He enlisted in the war of 1812 under General Harrison and carried important dispatches passing through Cincinnati when that place contained but two log cabins. He married, and his first wife died in Preble county, and he later wedded Salina Smith. While living in Preble county he purchased land in Van Buren township, Darke county, on which he located after his second marriage, and for six years conducted a tavern at what was called Sampson. Later he moved to DeLisle, where he died, and his wife died at the home of a daughter in Darke county. Their children were: Isaac, the father of our subject; Rachel, who married William Neely and died in Arcanum; Abraham, who married Nancy Price and died in Greenville; Sarah, who married John Dyninger and died in Preble county; a daughter, who married Tice Sailor and died in Preble county; Patrick, who married Elizabeth Gunder and died in the same county; and Samuel, who married and also died in Preble county.

Isaac Shields was born in Preble county, in 1815, and there he grew to manhood and married Elizabeth Rusk, also a native of Preble county, where they continued to make their home until after the birth of two of their children. They then came to Darke county, Mr. Shields purchasing eighty acres of land in Van Buren township from his father, only two acres of which had been cleared and a rough log cabin and stable erected thereon. To the further improvement and cultivation of his place he at once turned his attention, and as his financial resources increased he added to his landed possessions until he had five hundred acres. As a citizen he always took an active and commendable interest in public affairs and supported first the Whig and later the Republican parties. He died upon his farm in 1880, at the age of sixty-five years, his wife in 1887, at the age of sixty seven. In the family of this worthy couple were thirteen children, concerning whom we make the following observations: Abraham married Salina Smith and died in Van Buren township; Patrick married Jane Brown and lives in Greenville; Mary is the wife of Alfred Townsend, of Van Buren township; Matilda is the wife of John Roll, of the same township; George, our subject, is next in order of birth; William is represented on another page of this volume; Isaac, a veteran of the civil war, married Ellen Weaver and lives in Van Buren township; Sarah Jane is the wife of Jesse Smith, of Dayton, Ohio; Isabelle is the wife of Isaac Allread, of Van Buren township; Alfred married Amanda Jobes and died in that township; Elizabeth died young; and two died in infancy.

George Shields did not have the advantages of an education, much of his early life being devoted to the arduous labors of the farm. He assisted his father in clearing the land, and continued to aid in its operation until he entered the army during the dark days of the Rebellion. At Greenville, in August, 1861, he enlisted in Company G,, Forty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was under the command of Captain Newkirk, Colonel Wood and Colonel Gilbert. He drove a team a part of the time, handled trains and hunted forage. At Beverly, West Virginia, he was captured and held a prisoner in the Pemberton House, Richmond, for thirty-three days, at the end of which time he was paroled and came home on a furlough. He had re-enlisted at Strawberry Plains as a veteran in the Eighth Ohio Cavalry, and remained in the service until the close of the war, being honorably discharged in June, 1865.

For fifteen years Mr. Shields rented the old home farm, and after the death of his father purchased it. He has added to his property from time to time until he now has two hundred and ninety-five acres of land in Van Buren township, and has made great improvements upon his place. He is one of the most skilful and thorough farmers of his community, and is a man of good business ability and sound judgment, and to these characteristics may be attributed his success in life. In his political views he is a Republican.
On the 4th of March 1859, Mr. Shields was united in marriages with Miss Mary Taylor, daughter of the late William Taylor, of Franklin township and to them were born three daughters, namely: Eleanora, wife of John Jobes, of Van Buren township; Susan, wife of Joshua Poe, of the same township; and one who died in infancy.