George was born at
York Co., Pennsylvania, on 1 December 1788. He was the son of
Jacob Adam Shigley and
Rosanna(h) "Rosina" Potts. He married
Olivet Franklin at
Ross Co., Ohio, on 3 October 1811. George Shigley began military service in 1812. George was listed as the head of a family on the 1850 Census at
Ross Twp., Greene Co., Ohio. George was listed as the head of a family on the 1860 Census at
Ross Twp., Greene Co., Ohio. George died on 11 May 1867 at
Greene Co., Ohio, at age 78. His body was interred in May 1867 at
Jamestown, Greene Co., Ohio, at Jamestown Cemetery. "History of Greene Co., Ohio - Its People, Industries and Institutions, Vol II" by M.A. Broadstone, 1918. p 584. "George Shigley came to Ohio as a young man and settled in Ross County in 1805, then to Greene Co. in 1812, where he owned 200 acres in Ross Township. George served in the War of 1812. First Methodist services in the area were held in his home. Belonged to the Methodist congregration in Jamestown. Died at home 5/14/1867 at the age of 77. Buried in the Jamestown Cemetery. Wife died at age 65. Five sons and 5 daughters lived to maturity."
Idid, Vol I, page 96. "Greene County was organized in 1803 while still a wild and undeveloped wilderness and subject to Indian depredations. 439 voters in the county in 1803. Most of the settlers came after the War of 1812 when the Indians lost their clout. 1810 census shows 5870 people, 1820 Census 10,521 and the 1830 Census 14,801.
The following is a narrative written by George's son, John Nelson Shigley. I don't know when it was written, but there are a few inaccurancies in this narrative, such as Pottsville, Pennsylvania is not adjacent to Maryland.
"George Shigley was the oldest son of Adam and Rosanne Potts Shigley, of the Potts family who founded the town of Pottsville, PA. His father was said to be a descendant of a prince of the House of Hesse in Germany. He (George) was born in Maryland, adjacent to Pottsville, on October 31, 1789. At the age of about 12 he, with his parents, removed to Ross County, Ohio. His father being a cooper by trade and also a teamster crossing th mountains in certain seasons of the year with 4 to 6 teams. George being the oldest boy in the family, at an early age was put in entire satisfaction of his father. He was an obidient and trustworthly boy and filled the various callings in life to the approval of all concerned. He attended the funeral of George Washington in December of 1779 where teams were driven on the crust formed on the snow over tops of fences. During his sojourn in Ross County he formed the acquaintance of Miss Oleyvet Franklin, a descendant of Benjamin Franklin. This acquaintence soon ripened into matrimonial union. Soon after marriage he took a lease on the Scioto River bottom and put it under cultivation. During the War of 1812, at the age of 24, he answered the call of the Governor for volunteers and shouldered his musket leaving home and loved ones and went to Rutledge's Regiment, Ohio Militia. The struggle was short and fierce and on August 26, 1814, he received his discharge and returned home to agin take up the duties of domestic life. About the year 1816, he sold his improved farm to a good advantage and bought acreage in Greene County, Ohio. With his little family he moved to what was then a wilderness 3 miles north of Jamestown. His earliest neighbors were few, viz., Jacob Hari, George Jemeson, Jonathan Flood, and Matthew Mahan. At that time but small pieces of land had been cleared here and there on the higher points above the then high water mark. Wild game was plentiful in those days, deer and wild turkey were abundant, but being no hunter, he preferred to till the soil, which was extremely fertile, and produce his own bread and meat by the sweat of his face. He was a man of most pronounced temperance convictions, though raised in a time when the decanter had its place on almost every table. A certain incident which I often heard him refer to which shows his integrity as a staunch temperance advocate: It was a custom and also needful that neighbors help in the raising of their houses and rolling the logs together to burn in the clearing of the land for the plow. It was customary on such occasions to furnish whiskey for the accommodation of their help. At his first call for help he was asked if he would furnish whiskey to which he replied 'No.' He was then told he would get no help. 'Well,' said he, 'Then I will roll my own logs.' He went ahead, appointed the day, invited his neighbors telling them he would have no whiskey but would give them plenty to eat and all the coffee they wanted to drink. Finally the appointed day came and with it came an abundance of help and never after that was he asked to furnish whiskey. The new house was freely set apart as a place for holding religious services where many of the itinerant and local ministers of the early day with settlers of the community met to preach and hear the gospel. Among the minister were Granville Moody, H. Conrey, Reas Maul, Boucher Chase, Ebenezer Webster, Chaney, Joel Tovin, Calving Mexey, John Gowdy, George Lawman and later Jacob C. Smith, William Smith and Giedeon Spahr. George Shigley was born and raised by Lutheran parents of the old school who seemed to have the idea that a moral life was all that was required in this world as to a preparation for the world to come and of course adhered to the doctrine; but, finally in passing a Methodist church he was attracted to the door by the singing, the words of which were such as to rivet his conviction upon him and led him to accept the doctrine of the Methodist Church and sought and obtainied a change of Heart which he was taught to reject by the theory and practice of the church of his parents. His intended companion being a Methodist, he was united with the church of her choice and after marriage they walked together the rugged path for more than half a century until summoned to their reward in a better clime when parting never comes. He became the father of eleven children, five boys and six girls, all of whom grew to mature age except one daughter who died from the effects of measles in her 14th year. She died in the faith of the family in the year 1844. In the year 1949, he built a brick house out near the public road leading from Jamestown to Cedarville, Ohio, called the Limestone Road on account of the limestone cliffs which it crossed in many places. Here he lived until called to his home above. The brick for the house were made by his brother Joseph and mud was mixed by the trampling of oxen, the masonry by George Miller and son Milton. The carpentry work by James Barr and plastering by Mr. Timberlick, north east of Jamestown. In the year 1855 at the age of 66 he applied to the Federal Government for bounty and on March 31, 1855 his claim to a quarter section was allowed for services as Corporal in the War of 1812. Father was about 5 feet 11 inches tall, broad boned, muscular man of unusual physical strength, having a rather round face always shaved clean. He became bald at a rather early age. In his prime his weight was 210 pounds. His power of endurance was remarkable until after stricken down with an attack of fever at the age of 60. My father's moral and religious influence over his family was remarkable although brought up in a time and community where a majority of the people were accustomed to the use of intoxicants and tobacco in one form or another, not one of his children ever indulged those habits. He was so firmly grounded in the doctrine and faith of the church to which he belonged that his influence drew every one of his children into its communion and all of them so far lived and died in the faith of their parents, for mother was no less an ardent supporter of the church of her choice. The itinerant ministers always found a hearty welcom to the hospitalities of their home. They filled well their station in life and dying to their posterity a heritage far richer than the gold that perishes."