NOTE November 2018: This is a "brainstorming paper," put up on my website to stimulate discussion. If you have any ideas about these people, or want more information on them, please contact me.
I. INTRODUCTION
Matthew HAYWARD married Margaret SHELDON in Nova Scotia or New
Brunswick about 1818. Within a few years, they and Matthew's brother,
Henry HAYWARD, were in eastern Ohio. Matthew and Margaret later
moved their family to southwestern Ohio, then on to northwest
Ohio. Information on their descendants, and on Matthew Hayward's
ancestry, is covered on my HAYWARD webpages.
According to censuses and family records, Margaret SHELDON was
born in Nova Scotia, and came to Ohio via Maryland. I haven't
been able to determine how Matthew and Margaret reached Ohio,
but the time between them leaving New Brunswick and arriving in
Ohio is probably too short for them to have actually lived in
Maryland. A possible explanation of the family record is that
they sailed from Maritime Canada to Baltimore, Maryland, and went
overland to Ohio from there. Coincidentally, a family of SHELDONs
arrived in Baltimore in 1824, which is within a year or two of
when I believe the HAYWARD brothers reached Ohio. The names and
ages of the Baltimore-arriving Sheldons closely coincide with
those of a SHELDON family provided me by another researcher -
one that I have tentatively identified as the family of Margaret
[SHELDON] HAYWARD.
II. ORIGIN OF THESE MARITIME PROVINCES
SHELDONS
SHELDONs came to Maritime Canada as Loyalists, displaced by the
American War of Rebellion. They also came as New England "planters,"
arriving in Nova Scotia around 1760. The earliest names I have
found of those who appear to have been Loyalists are:
--Joseph SHELDON petitioned for land in Saint John County, New
Brunswick, 1786 (details on PANB microfilm F1032). He received
a land grant of 200 acres - Conway Township, Sunbury Co., New
Brunswick [in Vol. 1, p. 21, grant #6 - Nova Scotia registration
7 July 1784; New Brunswick registration 30 Dec 1784. He (or another
Joseph SHELDON) received a land grant of 74 acres - Waterborough
Parish, Queens Co., N. B. [in Vol. B, p. 30, grant #105; N. B.
registration 15 Feb 1787]
--John SHELDON received a land grant at Parr Town, Sunbury Co., N. B. [in Vol. A, p. 39, grant #70; Nova Scotia registration 14 Aug 1784; New Brunswick registration 2 Jan 1785]
Three early names are associated with the "planter"
movement from New England to Nova Scotia:
--Moses SHELDON from Durham, Connecticut, was a grant petitioner
[where?] 2 April 1760 [cited in Smith and Smith "Nova Scotia
Immigrants..."]. NOTE: A Moses SHELDON married 20 April 1749
in Durham, CT, Elizabeth GROVES/GRAVES.
--William SHELDON was on a list [1760 or 1761] of Providence,
Rhode Island, "subscribers for the township lying on the
Tantimar River" [Cumberland County, Nova Scotia] [cited in
Huling "The Rhode Island Emigration to Nova Scotia"].
--Nathaniel SHELDON is cited as being in Cumberland 1764 and Sackville 1786 [in "Planters and Pioneers;" no further details].
I haven't done enough research on any of
these people to select one as the head of Margaret SHELDON's line
in Canada. However, I favor one of the "planters," for
the following reasons:
(1) It doesn't appear that the Loyalist Sheldons stayed in New
Brunswick for any length of time. I haven't been able to find
them in later censuses, tax rolls, land records, etc. They may
have gone back to "the States" early.
(2) William and Nathaniel are names that appear later in my family
of Sheldons who went to Ohio.
(3) It appears that the original connection between Matthew Hayward
and Margaret Sheldon may have been in Hants County, Nova Scotia.
(4) When some of the Sheldons returned from Ohio to Maritime Canada,
they went to Nova Scotia.
III. A TENTATIVE FAMILY FOR MARGARET (SHELDON) HAYWARD.
I have put together the following family from a variety of sources,
detailed on my SHELDON REFERENCES webpage. At this stage in my research, I have done considerable
speculation. I would be very pleased to have anyone correct, question,
or add to the following.
Generation One.
1. SHELDON (probably a New England "planter")
Generation Two.
2. Sarah SHELDON b. ca 1770 in Nova Scotia; m. Samuel MARSHALL ca 1790; living in Yarmouth, Yarmouth Co., Nova Scotia. They separated, but not before they had 5 MARSHALL children (I don't know their names.). Sarah apparently stayed in Yarmouth, died after 1830. [Samuel Marshall b. 1757, died 1813. He was a Loyalist from New York, but may previously have been in North Carolina]. Children were christened in 1796 at Christ Church, Shelburne Co., N.S.
3. Benjamin
SHELDON born Nova Scotia ; married Jane ________
(b. ca 1774 Nova Scotia); came to Ohio probably 1824, first to
Clermont or Clinton County, then to Brown County, where they both
died at advanced age. Children: Nathan (4), Nancy (5), Matthew (6), Margaret (7), Rebecca (8), Mary Ann (9), Sarah (10), Benjamin (11), William B. (12), Catherine Jane (13).
Generation Three
4. Nathan SHELDON b. ca 1794 Nova Scotia. NOTE: It's possible that
Nathan and Matthew were the same person.
5. Nancy SHELDON b. ca 1796 Nova Scotia
6. Matthew SHELDON b. 1797 (or 1794?) Nova Scotia; came to Ohio with
his parents, stayed there a few years, then moved back to Nova
Scotia (Hants Co.?) ; married Jane
TURNER in Nova Scotia; they were in
Hants Co. 1838; later moved to Wisconsin with son Leader; died Fond du Lac Co., Wisconsin after 1880. Children: Leander (14), unknown son (15), unknown son (16), Julia (17).
7. Margaret SHELDON ca 1798 Nova Scotia; m. Matthew HAYWARD ca 1818. Their history and family are detailed on my HAYWARD webpages.
8. Rebecca SHELDON b. ca 1799 Nova Scotia
9. Mary Ann SHELDON b. ca 1803 Nova Scotia
10. Sarah SHELDON b. Nova Scotia
11. Benjamin SHELDON b. ca 1805 Nova Scotia. NOTE: May be the same as William B. Sheldon, below.
12. William (Benjamin?) SHELDON b. ca 1809 (ca 1812?) Nova Scotia; in school in Hants Co. 1823; with parents to Ohio.
13. Catherine Jane SHELDON b. 9 April 1813 Nova Scotia; came with parents to Ohio; m. 25 Dec 1832 or 1833 in Clermont Co., OH, to Peter GARVER, son of Abraham GARVER and Catherine _____ . She died 3 Nov 1881, age 69, and was buried in Fairview Cemetery, Washington Co., Iowa.
Peter GARVER was b. 1811 Hamilton Co., OH. He and Jane were in Clay Township, Decatur Co., Indiana at 1850 census; in the 1860 census, they were of English River Twp., Washington Co., Iowa. He d. 13 Dec 1897, age 87; buried Woodlawn Cemetery, Des Moines, Polk Co., Iowa. Children: Catherine Jane GARVER(18), Barbara GARVER (19), Mary GARVER (20), William GARVER (21), Abraham GARVER (22), Sarah E. GARVER (23), Rebecca GARVER (24), Benjamin GARVER (25).
Generation Four
14. Leander SHELDON b. ca 1842 Nova Scotia; christened at Christ Church, Shelburne Co., N. S.; moved to Fond du Lac Co., WI with father; m. Amanda _____ (b. ca 1850, Wisconsin; father from Canada, mother from Wisconsin). Children: Benjamin (26), George (27), Julia (28).
15. Son SHELDON
16. Son SHELDON
17. Julia SHELDON
18. Catherine Jane GARVER. Born Ohio ca 1834 (from 1850 census); m. 27 Jan 1853 Matthew DARBY in Indiana (Indiana marriage records)
19.Barbara GARVER b. ca 1836 Ohio; not with her parents in 1860 census.
20. Mary GARVER b. ca 1841 Ohio; m. May 1858 in Washington Co., IA, Ephraim N. BELL
21. William GARVER b. ca 1843 Ohio; at home with parents in Iowa for 1860 census; m. 12 Sept 1865 in Washington Co., IA, Maria LANE . He enlisted in Union Army 24 Aug 1861; severe hip wound 16 May 1863 at Champion Hills, Mississippi; mustered out at Kingston, Georgia 28 Sept 1864 4-Peter GARVER b. ca 1845 Ohio ; at home with parents 1860 census. He married Martha Jane Garver 20 Feb 1866 Washington Co., Iowa .
22. Abraham GARVER b. 12 Sept 1846 Ohio; with parents in Indiana and Iowa for 1850 and 1860 censuses; d. 20 May 1872 Washington Co., Iowa .
23. Sarah E. GARVER b. ca 1849 Decatur Co., Indiana; with parents for 1850 and 1860 censuses; married 1870 Robert GROFF in Washington Co., Iowa.
24. Rebecca GARVER b. ca 1857 Decatur Co., Indiana; with parents in Iowa for 1860 census;
25.Benjamin GARVER b. ca 1857 probably Decatur Co., Indiana ; with parents in Iowa for 1860 census.
Generation Five
26. Benjamin SHELDON b. ca 1869 Wisconsin
27. George SHELDON b. ca 1871 Wisconsin
28. Julia SHELDON b. ca 1873 Wisconsin
SHELDON BIBLIOGRAPHY
These are the references that were used to create the information above. I have left out e-mail addresses in the interest of the privacy of my correspondents. If you see something of interest and want to contact the source, send me an e-mail and I'll put them in touch with you, if I still can. (Most people I corresponded with in the past are now only communicating on "social media.")
1. N. M. C. Beaman. 1979. Abstracts of Scituate, Rhode Island Wills. Rhode Island Genealogical Register 1 (3):129.
Ephraim SHELDON, yeoman. Will dated 9 Jan 1737, proved 14 Jan 1737, pp.37-38 in Scituate Probate Records Vol. 1 (1731-1762). Names wife Margaret Sheldon. Sons: William SHELDON, Ephraim SHELDON, Lemuel SHELDON, Nathaniel SHELDON, Israel SHELDON, Stephen SHELDON, Benjamin SHELDON, Amos SHELDON, John SHELDON, and Sherson [? name unclear] SHELDON. Daughter: Lydia SHELDON. Note: Amos, John and Sherson were under 21 years old in 1737.
2. "Bonnie". 2000. Sarah SHELDON. e-mail. 29 Oct
2000.
"I've been trying to track down SARAH SHELDON, parents unknown,
born unknown place (perhaps Nova Scotia, NY or NC) about 1770,
married Samuel MARSHALL, about 1790, I don't know where he was
in Nova Scotia early 1800s. Had five children before they separated.
Sarah was still alive in 1830.
"Sarah SHELDON's husband Samuel died in 1813. As far as I
know, Sarah stayed in Yarmouth. She claimed her 'dower right'
on several pieces of his property, as they were sold in the years
after he died. I have a letter here from my father's first cousin
(now deceased) telling of a visit she made to her daughter in
Massachusetts from Yarmouth. It also mentions visiting Canada
and seeing the old Marshall house."
3. J. V. Duncanson. 1965. Falmouth - a New England township
in Nova Scotia 1760-1965. Windsor, Ontario: Self-published.
Page 53. A list of students at Neck District School, Falmouth,
1 May 1822, includes a Benjamin SHELDON.
4. J. V. Duncanson. 1985. Newport, Nova Scotia - A Rhode Island
township. Belleville, Ontario: Mika Publishing Company.
SHELDON information in Hants County, Nova Scotia.
-Mary DELESDERNIER (b. ca 1788 Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia);
m. William SHELDON
-Anna Francis DELESDERNIER (b. 1792 New York); m. Lionel SHELDON
-Annie Marie DELESDERNIER (b. New York); m. Allen SHELDON
[NOTE: from the birth dates, these may be New York marriages,
not Nova Scotia ones]
5. J. Elliott. 2000. Hayward - Sheldon connection. e-mail.
3 Jan 2000.
REGARDING identity of Matthew Hayward's wife: I just did a couple
of quick checks on your Sheldon name. First I checked the Marriage
Registers for Westmorland, Albert, Kings & St. John Counties
- no Sheldon marriages in any of them prior to 1850. (Of course
most of these records do not begin until about 1812.) I also checked
the Crown Land Grant Index for NB - only 3 Sheldon land
grants - all in the Loyalist period (1780s) - one town lot in
Saint John, one lot in the Musquash area which was escheated and
one in Queens Co. which was sold by 1787, with no indication that
any other property was bought to replace it. If they were here
at all, they certainly were not making their presence known!
6. Family Tree Maker. 2000. Passenger and Immigration Lists
Index, 1500s-1900s. Broderbund. Family Archives CD #354.
Those SHELDONS arriving in Baltimore in 1824, with their recorded
ages [as given on the Broderbund CD-Rom "Passenger and Immigration
Lists Index, 1500s-1900s"], and my extrapolation of their
approximate birth years: Jane SHELDON, age 50 [b. ca 1774] Nathan
SHELDON, age 30 [b. ca 1794] Nancy SHELDON, age 28 [b. ca 1796]
Rebekkah SHELDON, age 25 [b. ca 1799] Mary Ann SHELDON, age 21
[b. ca 1803] Benjamin SHELDON, age 19 [b. ca 1805] William SHELDON,
age 15 [b. ca 1809] Jane SHELDON, age 13 [b. ca 1811]
7. E. Hayward. 2000. [Information on the family of David Joshia
Hayward]. e-mail. Oct-Nov 2000.
Information on Hayward family received from:
"My Grandfather Ernest Sheldon Hayward (born in Topeka Kansas
on 10 March 1877; died Spokane Washington in 1955) was the son
of David Joshia Hayward and Martha Rath. I am told David Joshia
Hayward died on 8 Nov 1918 at the Old Soldiers Home in Dayton,
Ohio (buried there), and Martha Rath died on 27 Feb 1882 and is
Buried at Toledo Qld Quaker Cemetery in Chase County, Kansas.
"I have some very rough hand written notes given to me from
one of my aunts which said David Joshia's mother was Margaret
Sheldon (who was born in Nova Scotia and came to Ohio via Maryland.
The notes are missing his father's name."
"I am fairly sure David's mother was Margaret Sheldon. (My
grandfather was given Sheldon as his middle name, and it has been
used fairly regularly by my family. When I got the notes from
my aunt I recall seeing some information on the Sheldon family.
Unfortunately this page did not come with me back to Australia.
"
8. R. G. Huling. 1984. The Rhode Island emigration to Nova
Scotia. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Canadiana House. 49p.
The Maritime Provinces area of Canada was ceded by France to Great
Britain with the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, but the British hold
was tenuous and war threatened again around mid-Century. The Acadians
repeatedly refused to swear oaths of allegiance to the British
Crown, and Governor Charles Lawrence -without consultation with
the Home Government - ordered all Acadians removed from Nova Scotia,
to remove the threat of their taking sides in any conflict with
the French. In Sept 1775, 3000 Acadians were taken aboard ship
and removed to various locations in the southern colonies. The
houses are Grand-Pre were burned so that those who escaped roundup
would be unlikely to come back.
Governor Lawrence didn't want the Acadian improvements to the
land to disappear, so made plans to get the land resettled with
Englishmen. The Home Government wanted to give the land to disbanded
English soldiers, but Lawrence strongly demurred. He said that
soldiers were not the right kind of people to start a country
with, that every soldier who had ever come to Halifax had either
returned to England or become a dramseller! The Lords of Trade
agreed, and Lawrence drew up a proposal to offer the land to New
England colonists. The original proclamation was made 12 Oct 1758,
followed by details of the settlement 11 Jan 1759.
In April 1759, agents from Rhode Island and Connecticut visited
Nova Scotia and were favorably impressed. The first settlers arrived
in the spring of 1760.
William SHELDON was on a list (1760 or 1761) of Providence, Rhode Island "subscribers for the township lying on the Tantimar River" [Cumberland Co., Nova Scotia].
9. M. Kawamoto. 2002. Catherine Jane Sheldon. e-mail . 4 March
2002.
Margie Kawamoto wrote to me looking for information on an ancestor,
Catherine Jane SHELDON. She was born 9 April 1813 in Nova Scotia.
She married Peter GARVER in Clermont Co., Ohio, 25 December 1832,
and died in Washington Co., Iowa 5 Nov 1881. Peter GARVER was
born in Hamilton Co., Ohio in 1811.
On 6 March 2002, Margie sent me the following from an obituary
for Peter GARVER: "The deceased was born in Hamilton Co.,
Ohio, where he grew to manhood and on Dec. 25, 1833 married Miss
Jane Sheldon, who become (sic) with her parents from Novia Scotia,
when quite young and settled in Ohio."
NOTE: marriage date is given as both 1832 and 1833.
10. Public Archives of New Brunswick. [Land grant information
for Sheldons].
SHELDON family information from PANB land grant databases:
-Joseph SHELDON petitioned for land in Saint John County, New
Brunswick, 1786 (details on PANB microfilm F1032)
-Joseph SHELDON received land grant of 200 acres - Conway Township,
Sunbury Co., New Brunswick [in Vol. 1, p. 21, grant #6 - Nova
Scotia registration 7 July 1784; New Brunswick registration 30
Dec 1784.
-Joseph SHELDON received land grant of 74 acres - Waterborough
Parish, Queens Co., N. B. [in Vol. B, p. 30, grant #105; N. B.
registration 15 Feb 1787]
-John SHELDON received land grant at Parr Town, Sunbury Co., N.
B. [in Vol. A, p. 39, grant #70; Nova Scotia registration 14 Aug
1784; New Brunswick registration 2 Jan 1785]
11. P. Sheldon. 2001. Catherine Jane Sheldon. e-mail . 14 Nov
2001.
Pat Sheldon provided the following records of the family of Catherine
Jane SHELDON:
1-Abraham GARVER and Catherine ____.
2-Joseph GARVER (Pat's g-g grandfather) lived for awhile with
brother Peter GARVER in Washington Co. Iowa; later lived in Des
Moines, Polk Co., Iowa, where some of his children settled.
2-Peter GARVER was in Clay Township, Decatur Co., Indiana at 1850
census; age 40, b. Ohio; farmer;
in the 1860 census, he was of English River Twp., Washington Co.,
Iowa - age 47, b. OH, farmer; he d. 13 Dec 1897, age 87; buried
Woodlawn Cemetery, Des Moines, Polk Co., Iowa (from Cemetery Records
of Iowa).
WIFE: Catherine Jane SHELDON. She was in Clay Township, Decatur
Co., Indiana at 1850 census; age 36, b. Nova Scotia; in the 1860
census, she was of English River Twp., Washington Co., Iowa -
age 47, b. Nova Scotia; married Peter GARVER 25 Dec 1832 Hamilton
Co. Ohio; she d. 3 Nov 1881, age 69; buried Fairview Cemetery,
Washington Co., Iowa (from Cemetery Records of Iowa)
3-Catherine Jane GARVER. Born Ohio ca 1834 (from 1850 census);
m. 27 Jan 1853 Matthew DARBY in Indiana (Indiana marriage records)
3-Barbara GARVER b. ca 1836 Ohio (from 1850 census); not with
her parents in 1860 census.
3-Mary GARVER b. ca 1841 Ohio (from 1850 census); m. May 1858
in Washington Co., IA, Ephraim N. BELL (Washington County marriage
records).
3-William GARVER b. ca 1843 Ohio (from 1850 census); at home with
parents in Iowa for 1860 census; m. 12 Sept 1865 in Washington
Co., IA, Maria LANE (Washington County marriage records). He enlisted
in Union Army 24 Aug 1861; severe hip wound 16 May 1863 at Champion
Hills, Mississippi; mustered out at Kingston, Georgia 28 Sept
1864 (from Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers, p. 190).
3-Peter GARVER b. ca 1845 Ohio (from 1850 census); at home with
parents 1860 census. He married Martha Jane Garver 20 Feb 1866
Washington Co., Iowa (Washington Co. Marriage Records).
3-Abraham GARVER b. 12 Sept 1846 Ohio; with parents in Indiana
and Iowa for 1850 and 1860 censuses; d. 20 May 1872 Washington
Co., Iowa (Cemetery Records of Iowa).
3-Sarah E. GARVER b. ca 1849 Decatur Co., Indiana; with parents
for 1850 and 1860 censuses; married 1870 Robert GROFF in Washington
Co., Iowa.
3-Rebecca GARVER b. ca 1857 Decatur Co., Indiana; with parents
in Iowa for 1860 census;
3- Benjamin GARVER b. ca 1857 probably Decatur Co., Indiana (1850
census says b. New York); with parents in Iowa for 1860 census.
12. L. H. J. Smith and N. H. Smith. 1992-1994. Nova Scotia
immigrants to 1867. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing
Company.
Information is provided on the following individuals who may or
do fit in to our Nova Scotia-New Brunswick research.
-- SHELDON, Moses. Grant petitioner from Durham, Connecticut,
2 April 1760.
13. State of Ohio. 1850. Federal Census Index - 1850.
The following SHELDON names were found in the 1850 Ohio census
index (haven't check the actual census for details, yet).
Belmont Co. - Smith Township - Jesse SHELDON - p.251
Wayne Co. - Greene Township - Daniel SHELDON - p.352
Brown Co. - Perry Township - Benjamin SHELDON - p.322
Defiance Co. - Defiance - George D. SHELDON - p.2
Clermont Co. - Ohio Township - George SHELDON, Julia SHELDON,
Samuel SHELDON - p. 416
Clermont Co. - Bativia Township - Susan SHELDON - p.297
Clermont Co. - Tate Township - Thomas SHELDON - p. 363
14. U. S. Census-Wisconsin. 1880. Sheldon in Wisconsin.
U. S. Census - 1880 - Metoman, Fond Du Lac Co., Wisconsin:
Leander SHELDON, 38, born Nova Scotia; farmer; both parents born
Nova Scotia
Amanda SHELDON, wife, 30, b. Wisconsin; parents born Canada (father)
and Wisconsin (mother)
Ben SHELDON, son, 11, b. Wisconsin
George SHELDON, son, 9, b. Wisconsin
Julia SHELDON, dau., 7, b. Wisconsin
Matther (sic - Matthew) SHELDON, father, 86, b. Nova Scotia; parents both b. Nova Scotia.
15. C. Varner. 2000. Info about Nova Scotia Sheldon family.
e-mail. Feb 2000.
"Around 1976, a Louella Sheldon Cherry wrote to the Clinton
Co, OH Historical Society from Madison, WI asking about a William
Benjamin Sheldon (my gggrandfather) who was supposedly the brother
of her ggrandfather Mathew Sheldon. Mathew Sheldon had the one
brother and sisters Sarah, Mary, Jane, Becky (Rebecca?), Peggy
(Margaret?) and Nancy. I wrote to Louella in the early 90's and
my letter came back.
"My gggrandfather Benjamin was born in Nova Scotia in 1812.
There is a Benjamin listed in a school in 1823 in Hants Co which
would make him 11. He moved to Clinton Co in the 1830's, married
and bought a farm in Brown Co where he raised a family and died
in 1872.
"Matthew was born in 1797 in Nova Scotia, and died in Fond
du loc Co, WI in the 1870's. He was written about in two different
books on WI. One said he was the son of Benjamin Sheldon, a VA
farmer who moved to Nova Scotia with wife, where he made his home
for a number of years, and then went to Ohio where both he and
his wife died at an advanced age. Matthew went with them but returned
to Nova Scotia, where he married and farmed having at least four
children, three sons and one daughter, Julia. He is listed on
the 1838 census, I believe Hants Co. Matthew and wife (Jane Turner)
moved to Fond du Lac Co, WI in 1847 with one son Leander J.
"Matthew SHELDON's son Leander was christened in Christ Church,Shelburne.
16. E. C. Wright. 1982. Planters and pioneers, Nova Scotia,
1749 to 1775. Wolfville, Nova Scotia: Self-published. 334pp.
SHELDON, Nathaniel - in Cumberland 1764; in Sackville 1786.
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