| Notes |
- From: Confederate Military History, Published by Confederate
Publishing Co., Atlanta, GA, 1899: "John Rufus Shelby and wife,
Mollie Deaton, native of NC, migrated to GA and later to AL. Sons,
James Thomas and William H. Shelby served in the War Between the
States". NC Archives and History, Book 23, pg. 466; Book 19, pg. 37,
Confederate Military History Vol IX. (John Rufus Shelby)
According to Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama (stated in 1981): He
was from the Evan and Catherine Shelby line. He descended through
William Houston Shelby, the son of John Rufus Shelby, b. in Selma,
Dallas Co., AL in 1837, and d. Birmingham, AL. John Rufus was his
2x great-grandfather. William Houston Shelby was the senator's
great-grandfather and William Cobb Shelby (the oldest son of William
Houston and Elizabeth Cobb Shelby) was his grandfather. According to
the Senator, William Houston Shelby was a Captain of the 31st Regiment
of Alabama during the Civil War and fought at Shiloh and the Battle of
Vicksburg where he was captured. And, his grandfather, William Cobb
Shelby lived until age 96.
[my note-J.A.T (Judy Trolinger)---A study of the county boundry lines,
show that Selma, Dallas Co, was not a part of Perry Co, except in
1810, when all of Alabama was Indian land.
Alabama became a territory in 1817 and a state in 1819 and by the 1820
census Perry and Dallas were two separate counties- their boundries
did change a bit over the coming years, but did not include the area
that is around Selma.]
Census 1840 Mecklenburg Co., NC from the NC Archives and History, pg. 331:
Shelby, Rufus 1 m under 5; 1 m. 30/40; 1 F 20/30. (John Rufus, Mary Ann, and William Houston Shelby)
John Rufus Shelby moved from North Carolina to Georgia in about 1853.
His children were named in the 1860 and the 1870 Dallas County,
Alabama Census.
1860 Census for Perry Co., AL, Chestnut Hill P.O, family 274.:
Shelby, J.R. age 53, farmer, b. NC;
Mary A., wife 44, b. NC;
William, 24, laborer, b. NC;
Thomas T., 20, laborer, b. NC;
Jane E., 18, domestic, b. NC;
Lenora L., 15, school, b. NC;
Edda, 12, school, b. NC; (died at age 12)
Martha A., 9, school, b. NC;
Julia A., 7, b. GA; (1852-1853)
Frances S., 5, b. GA; (1854-1855)
Margaret A., 4, b. GA; (1855-1856)
Cornelia M. 3, b. GA; (1856-1857)
Sarah, 9/12, b. GA. (1859)
(There are only 11 children in this census, Isabella is missing. The
Census for 1870 gives Isabel m. Sydney Cordrey, as age 24, which means
she was born in 1846 long before Sarah Ella. Also indicates that this family was in GA from abt. 1852 until 1859.)
1870 Census for Perry Co., AL:
Shelby, John, age 60, b. NC;
Mary age 28, b. NC. must be "Mary" Jane
Alice, age 23, b. NC; must be Martha "Alice"
Julia, age 19; b. GA
Cornelia, age 14 b. GA
Ella, age 10. b. GA,
(at this time Edda, Frances and their mother, Mary A. Deaton, are deceased.)
"John Rufus may have been in the Yankee army during the Civil War. I
have seen it in a book from Tennessee. There are a lot of records in
the Knox Estate in North Carolina State Archives, and Moses Shelby (m.
Mary Ann Knox who died in Selma, AL) was the executor. Moses died in
North Carolina; was born and lived about '6 miles north of Charlotte'. He died about the time his father Evan did before pension was asked
for by Susannah P. Shelby." (Source: Johnny M. Johnson)
From NC State Department of Archives and History:
Deed Records of Mecklenberg Co. -- Book 23, page 466, August 28 1835:
"John R. Shelby of Mecklenberg County to James Madison Shelby of same
county. Consideration 700 hundred dollars. Tract waters of Beaver
Dam Creek, joining the land of Thomas McKall and others - said land
purchased by Charles Mitchell of John Jetton of the county and State
of Tennessee and A. B. Jetton and as lawful attorney for Jacob and
Mary Gilham of the County of Murphy and State of Tennessee, beginning
at a Hickory sapling -- MCorkles corner Millens line now Potts - 200
acres. " (This figures $3.50 per acre - note the Gilham in the above
deal and the same Gilliam in land transactions earlier - EPB)
From NC State Department of Archives and History:
Book 19, pg. 37
November 15, 1847,
John R. Shelby of Mecklenburg County, NC to Levi Rumple of Cabarrus County ----
consideration 500 dollars. Tract of land in the county of Cabarrus adj. the land of John Goodwin, dec. John Rumple, crossing a branch of Mill Creek.
Signed: J.R. Shelby
Test: P. Rumple
M. Rumple
Proven: Jan. term by oath of Peter Rumple.
It may be that John Rufus suffered from dementia. On 18 December 1876, a petition was filed by William H. Shelby, John Rufus’ eldest son, to have J.R. Shelby declared a Lunatic. The petition was sustained and John Rufus was found incompetent. It is believed he died within the next two years.
There was a petition filed by William H. Shelby to have J.R. Shelby
declared a Lunatic -- Filed Dec. 18, 1876, Joseph Gothard, Judge. The
jury found the petition sustained and J.R. found non com mentis. A.E.
Mott, Foreman: State of Alabama, Dallas Co., Probate Court,
Inquisition of Lunacy:
"In compliance with an order of Honl. Probate Court for said county &
state, I have summoned the following named persons to appear before
said court on Wednesday the 27th day of December instant to make
inquisition whether J. R. Shelby is of unsound mind, &c.
1. E.A. Mott
2. R.J. Vanhook
3. Chas. Rodenburg
4. Jno. D. Green
5. Chas. Mathews
6. Hartnett Holmes
7. Robert. W. Morrison
8. Wm. J. Morrison
9. W.H. Collins
10. J.A. Waugh
11. W.J. Campbell
12. J.H. Friday
Selma, Ala. Dec. 25th, 1876
C.M. Shelby, Shff.
The State of Alabama, Dallas County, Probate Court, To the Sheriff of
Said County
"Greeting:
You are hereby commanded to summon twelve disinterested persons of
the neighborhood of one J.R. Shelby, an alleged lunatic of this
county, to be and appear before the Judge of this County, to be and
appear before the Judge of this Court, at the Court House in Selma on
Wednesday the 27th day of December 1876, then and there to serve as
Jurors to make inquisition whether the said J.R. Shelby is of unsound
mind, and incapable of managing his affairs as is alleged by W.H.
Shelby in his petition filed in this court. And have you then and
there this writ with your endorsement thereon how you have executed
the same.
Witness, Joseph Gothard, Judge of said Probate Court, at Office in
Selma the 19th day of December 1876.
Joseph Gothard
Probate Judge"
John Rufus Shelby was born in 1807 in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina and died between 1877 and 1879 in Avondale, Dallas County, Alabama. He married Mary Ann Deaton in Mecklenburg County. She died in Avondale. It is thought that they are both buried at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church North Selma, Alabama. I visited the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Selma in Oct of 2002 and found no tombstone for John Rufus Shelby or his wife, Mary Ann Deaton.
(Martha Mordecai - 2003)
In 1950's Barbara Rich Kaiser contacted Dr. Spence of the Historical
Society of the Presbyterian Church in Dallas Co., AL. Dr. Spence
informed her that John Rufus Shelby and family were members of the
Philadelphia Presbyterian Church in Mint Hill Station, Mecklenburg
Co., NC.This would have been the 2nd Philadelphia Presbyterian Church in Mecklenburg Co., NC. The 1st, in Mint Hill Station, burned to the ground in the late 1700's. (MCM - 2004)
John Rufus and Mary Ann Deaton had twelve children: William Houston, James Thomas, Jane E., Lenora L., J Edda, Mary A., Martha Alice, Julia A., Frances S., Margaret A., Cornelia M., and Sarah Ella. Richard Shelby, the present day United States Senator from Alabama, descends from John Rufus through his son, William Houston.
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Abt 1808 - Abt 1878 (70 years)