1603
THE ENGLISH PROTESTANT “PLANTATION” OF ULSTER, NORTHERN IRELAND.
1st Plantation
The period from 1603 to 1642 saw dramatic change in the legal system and land
tenure in Ireland. In 1607, in a famous piece of litigation, the Case of
Tanistry, the English courts declared Brehon Law to be "incompatible"
with the common law of England and was extinguished. Beginning with King James
I, the first Stuart monarch, the English began the Protestant
"Plantation" of Ulster. The Plantation consisted of
"granting" the lands to persons loyal to the Crown.
Land grants were given or sold to former soldiers, in lieu of pay, loyalists who could purchase rights to the land, and a new class of owners called "undertakers." The undertakers were a type of real estate broker who would buy lands from the Crown and find "good" English tenants to lease the land. By 1642, three million of the three and one half million acres of Ulster was owned and controlled by the new lords, sanctioned by English law. At the same time only 10,000 of the 100,000 population were English or Scot. The remaining ninety percent were native Irish. All this made the Irish angry.
2nd Plantation
In 1642, the same year Oliver Cromwell came to power in England, Hugh O'Neill's
nephew, Owen Roe O'Neill and an army of rebellious Irish, rose once again
against English rule. The next eight years were a very brutal time for Ulster.
O'Neill's army engaged in a scorched earth policy toward the new English lords.
Those Protestants who could not escape were massacred. When Cromwell arrived in
Ireland with his army in 1649, he brought with him an intensity of hatred for
Roman Catholics and for the Irish people, based in part on the reprisals of the
previous eight years.
The clearances and murder of Roman Catholics and nationalists in Ulster during Cromwell's Plantation have been compared with Hitler and the Nazis' Holocaust in the Eastern Europe in the 1940's. Cromwell adopted a three part policy toward Ireland. First, the Roman Catholic Irish had to leave. Cromwell wanted no Irish ownership of Irish land. The Irish were expelled to the counties in the extreme west of Ulster. The expression "Hell or Connaught" was born from this episode. Irish who refused or otherwise could not leave were murdered. Such was their loathing that Cromwell and his followers believed that the Irish people and Catholics were evil and should be exterminated. In their view, if they would not go to the west, then they would systematically be sent to hell sooner than later.
The second part of Cromwell's policy, similar to the first plantation, was the replantation of the colony of loyal English. By the end of Cromwell's reign, the population of Protestants in Ulster had grown from 10,000 to over 100,000. Only slightly more than 10 per cent of Ulster still belonged to the naive Roman Catholic Irish. The final part of the policy was the attempt to abolish the Roman Catholic faith. Practicing the faith was outlawed. Priests were outlawed as well. It was these events which first caused the Nationalist movement to become entwined with the Roman Catholic religion.
In this way the indigenous Irish became disenfranchised from their lands. Over time, the harshness of Cromwell's rule gave way to feudal landlord/serf relationships between the English and their Irish tenants. The new English lords, for their part, became "super-patriot Ulstermen." Hardworking, able farmers and shrewd merchants, the new lords quickly built a robust economy in Ulster. However, remembering the bloody 1642 Owen O'Neill uprising, Ulstermen took on a type of siege mentality. They understood how much they needed English support without that support, how much mercy they might expect to receive from the Irish.
James H. Thomas
Department of Spatial Information Science and Engineering
University of Maine
April 24, 1997
1610
The Ulster plantation begins in Counties Armagh, Cavan, Derry, Donegal, Fermanagh, and Tyrone.
Lurgan is in the North East corner of County Armagh, Ireland. It is near the spot where the three Counties of Armagh, Down, and Antrim come together.
1717
The beginning of the mass migration of Ulster-Scots to the American Colonies. By 1775 at least a quarter of a million people had fled and with their dependants made up 15% of the non-Indian Americans.
1790
James Shaw born
1791
Margaret ?? born – Family Bible
????
James Shaw married Margaret ?? – Family Bible
1821
Robert Shaw born in Lurgan, Ireland to James Shaw (b1790) & Margaret ??
1830
Ellen Weir born
1845
In September of 1845, a fungus called Phytophthora infestans was infecting Ireland's potato crops, devastating the potato population. About half the Irish potato crop failed in 1845. This event is what began The Great Famine in Ireland.
The overall impacts of the Famine included:
1852
Robert Shaw (b 1821) married Ellen Weir in Ireland.
1853
Annie Shaw born in Lurgan, Ireland the first child of Robert Shaw (b 1821) and Ellen Weir
1856
Charles Shaw born in Lurgan, Ireland the second child of Robert Shaw (b 1821) and Ellen Weir
1857
Bessie Shaw born in Lurgan, Ireland the third child of Robert Shaw (b 1821) and Ellen Weir
1859
Margaret Shaw born in Lurgan, Ireland the fourth child of Robert Shaw (b 1821) and Ellen Weir
1860
Mary Shaw born in Lurgan, Ireland the fifth child of Robert Shaw (b 1821) and Ellen Weir
1862
Sarah Shaw born in Lurgan, Ireland the sixth child of Robert Shaw (b 1821) and Ellen Weir
1863
Ellen Shaw (Nellie) born in Lurgan, Ireland the seventh child of Robert Shaw (b 1821) and Ellen Weir
????
Richard Peace came to Detroit with the firm that installed the first water pumping system in Detroit (Water Works Park). He worked as a Superintendent or Engineer for the firm in Detroit. The project was completed in 1870. – Charles Weir Shaw (b 1913) Pictures of Water Works Park 1, 2, 3, 4.
1865
James Shaw on right Conductor on Left
1866
Robert Shaw born in Lurgan, Ireland the ninth child of Robert Shaw (b 1821) and Ellen Weir
Was brought to the US probably Milan, MI. by his parents when he was young. -- Ruth Kurtz
1869
Francis Shaw born in Lurgan, Ireland the tenth and last child of Robert Shaw (b 1821) and Ellen Weir
Margaret St. Clair Peace born in the Orkney Islands, Scotland to Richard & Jessie (Smitt) Peace.
1871
Margaret ?? (b1791) died in Corcreany, Ireland on March 4, 1871.
James Shaw (b 1790) died in Corcreany, Ireland on October 26, 1871.
????
Robert Shaw (b 1821) & Ellen Weir came to te USA with the children Annie b. 1853, Charles b. 1656, Bessie b. 1857, Margaret b. 1859, Mary b. 1860, Sarah b. 1862, Ellen b. 1863, James b. 1865, Robert b. 1866.
I have no information to support this yet,
it seems to fit from the rest of the information I have received.
When the Edison family arrived in town to join Samuel (about 1840), Milan was entering the period of its greatest glory. Due to its location on the Huron River and the canal (built to link Milan to the Great Lakes), the town became a busy grain port. All sorts of commodities from every point in the state were conveyed to Milan in long wagon trains, then loaded aboard ships from warehouses that lined the banks of the canal. (One of the warehouses still stands by the abandoned canal basin.)
In 1847, 917,800 bushels of wheat were shipped from this port, making it the second largest wheat shipping port in the world after the Ukranian city of Odessa. At this time, Milan also became a shipbuilding center, producing 75 lake schooners in 1847.
By 1850, the advent of the railroads and consequent changes in transportation methods had put an end to the town's great prosperity. The canal and the shipyard were eventually abandoned and the warehouses disappeared. Milan's "golden age", which had lasted only about ten years, was over -- though shipments of grain continued until 1865.
1880
Robert Shaw died. (b1821)
1882 ??
Margaret St. Clair Peace' (about age 13) mother died having her last child, William Peace (Willie). Relatives raised him in the Orkneys.
Willie became a sailor on a Merchant Ship. Later he became a member of the crew that sailed Sir Lipton’s racing yachts.
1884
Margaret St. Clair Peace (b1869) was SENT to
Detroit with the rest of the brothers and sisters.
Her father had changed his last name to Watson and was
remarried in Detroit, Michigan.
1888
Ellen Weir died. (b1830)
1891
James Shaw (b1865 in Lurgan, Ireland) married Margaret St. Clair Peace (b1869) in Detroit, Michigan
1893
Ellen Jean Shaw was born in Detroit, Michigan the first child of James (b1865) & Margaret
1894
James Shaw was born in Detroit, Michigan the second child of James (b1865) & Margaret.
1895
James Shaw died. At six months of age. He was buried in Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan.
1896
Robert “Douglas” Shaw (founder of Shaw Electric Co.) was born in Detroit, Michigan the third child of James (b 1865) & Margaret
1897
James Shaw (b1865) wanted to return to the old country. James, Margaret (b1869) and the children Ellen “Jean” Shaw (b1893), and Robert “Douglas” Shaw (b1896) returned to visit relatives and could not afford to return to the US. James was the only child or Robert Shaw (b 1821) & Ellen Weir to return to the Old Country. The rest of the children stayed in the USA. – Ruth Kurtz
Charles Weir Shaw wrote before his death, that he remembered his brothers were born in Sheffield, England – Charles Weir Shaw (b1913)
According to Aunt Annie, they moved all the time, and I definitely know that they lived in Dumfermline Scotland for a while because my father met my mother's brothers Tom and Sandy there. Later, he encountered them in Detroit - they had all emigrated there. They introduced him to my mother, and the rest is history. -- Ruth Kurtz.
According
to the dates on work records of James Shaw b. 1865 & Maggie's Birth Record.
Maggie was born in Glasgow, Scotland, Annie and the boys were born in
Sheffield, England. –Edward A. Shaw
The passenger list of the Columbia dated 30 Aug, 1919 lists their Place of Residence as Dumfermline, Scotland.
1898
Margaret St.Clair Shaw was born in Glasgow, Scotland the fourth child of James Shaw (b1865) & Margaret.
1900
Annie Shaw was born in Sheffield, England the fifth child of James Shaw (b1865) & Margaret.
1902
Edward Alexander Shaw was born in Sheffield, England the sixth child of James Shaw (b 1865) & Margaret.
1904
William “Wallace” Shaw was born in Sheffield, England the seventh child of James Shaw (b 1865) & Margaret.
1906
19
April at 5:13 AM the California city San Francisco was shaken to its foundation
by what will surely prove to be most disastrous earthquake ever to hit this
beautiful coastline. Huge and
devastating fires caused by broken gas mains are now raging out of control all
over the city. At least 1,000 people
are already feared dead, and the city’s inhabitants are fleeing for their lives. Martial law has been declared, and this
afternoon four looters were shot.
This fire
destroyed the Birth certificate of Violet Louise (Caplan) Shaw.
1907
Francis Shaw was born in Sheffield, England the eighth child of James Shaw (b1865) & Margaret.
RECORD IMMIGRATION INTO THE US.
1908
Francis Shaw died at age 1 in Sheffield England.
1909
Hugh Shaw was born in Sheffield, England the nineth child of James Shaw (b1865) & Margaret.
1913
Charles Weir
Shaw was born in Sheffield, England the tenth and last child of James
Shaw (b 1865) & Margaret. (this
information came from Charles Weir Shaw)
Charles Weir Shaw Baptism Card
God Parents James Shaw
Agnes H. Matthews
1914
1915
James Shaw (b1865) died at age 50. Died in the United Kingdom (UK)
1917
Robert “Douglas” Shaw (b1896 in Detroit, MI. USA) returned to the US 5/5/1917. He came from Liverpool, England on the SS St. Paul. The address listed on the manifest is 2907 E. 71st Street Cleveland, Ohio. Passenger list.
He
went to work in Philadelphia Ship Yards as an Electrician. He came ahead of the family to help earn
money for their return to the US. He lived at 929 North 18th Street
in Philadelphia. --(From Columbia’s
Manifest 1919.)
6 April The President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, today signed a declaration of war against Germany.
1918
11 November Today, the lamps in Europe can be relit. The war – the cruelest and costliest war in European history – is over. WWI ends.
Margaret St. Clair Shaw (b1898) died of the Great Influenza after World War I. She died in the UK. (Dumfermline, Scotland)
????
Ellen ”Jean” Shaw (b1893) married Arnold Fenton in Sheffield before the rest of the family left for the United States, so she stayed there. – Ruth Kurtz.
1919
Margaret St. Clair (Peace) Shaw (b1869),
Annie Shaw (b1900),
Edward Alexander Shaw (b1902),
William “Wallace” Shaw (b1904),
Hugh Shaw (b1909), and
Charles Weir Shaw (b1913)
Came to the US through Ellis Inland on 30, August 1919 on the ship Columbia. A copy of the Ship’s Manifest and a picture of the ship are on the Web page. www.geocities.com/edw_shaw Timothy Charles Shaw (b private) had his fathers name (Charles Weir Shaw) inscribed on the “Wall of Honor” Ellis Island.
picture of the Shaw Family in mourning for Margaret Shaw b.1898
19??
The family owned a house in Saline, MI. before they come back to Milan, Michigan and bought a house in town where they all lived. A brother and sister of Grandpa Shaw's (James Shaw b1865)- Uncle Bob Shaw (b 1866) and Aunt Nellie Shaw (b1863) (given name Ellen) lived nearby on a farm. We used to visit them when we were young.
My dad (Robert “Douglas” Shaw b1896), William “Wallace” Shaw (b1904) and probably your grandfather (Edward Alexander Shaw b1902) worked there in a foundry, the only major business in town. My dad (Robert “Douglas” Shaw b1896) said that the workers had to go to work early to cut the sand - they weren't paid for this. Anyway they heard about a new sand cutting machine and my father and some other men approached the owners about buying this machine. They were all promptly fired, plus “Wallace” (b1904) and Ed (b1902) got thrown out too, union agitating. I think my father went to Detroit then and started work for Great Lakes shipyard as an Electrician on the new boats. He had done this work in England too. Grandma (Margaret Sinclair (Peace) Shaw b1869) continued living in the house in Milan with some of the kids.
– Ruth Kurtz.
1926
Margaret St. Clair (Peace) Shaw (b1869) died in Michigan in 1926 when I was 3 months old. Annie (b1900) worked in the post office there.
When my grandmother died, Annie (b1900) sort of held the family together, but Charlie (b1913) as a young teenager was too much for her. He did live with us for a while, but I know that he graduated from Western High school. The house was still in the family -although during the depression it belonnged mostly to the bank, but I remember seeing it and I think that they finally sold it. -- The more that I think about it, the family probably moved to Detroit after they got fired from the foundry in Milan. I know that they moved into a house near West Grand Blvd. because, they went to Immanuel Presbyterian Church which is on the corner of West Grand and Porter. My mother and father were married there and we went there for years even though we moved out of the area. – Ruth Kurtz.
1941
JAPANESE ATTACK PEARL HARBOR – US ENTERS WAR (WWII)
1945
14 August Japan surrendered unconditionally today after devastating attacks by the US with a new super weapon.
1948 ??
Arnold Fenton (husband of Ellen Jean Shaw b1893) died sometime around 1948 in Sheffield, England. – Ruth Kurtz
1952 ??
Ellen “Jean” Shaw (b1893) came over to the US maybe in '52
or '53. She lived here for quite a
while. She returned to Britain later on
and stayed there the rest of her life.
– Ruth Kurtz.
Jean b. 1893 & Annie b. 1900 took a trip to
Switzerland and to Scotland in 1952.
They stayed at Jim Kelday’s house in Kirkwall, Orkney Isle.,
Scotland. Jim is a cousin of Margaret
St. Clair (Peace) Shaw b. 1869.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
James Shaw (b1865)
He worked in Scotland in the Shipyards as an Electrician.
His US Passport was #8418
He returned to the US on 5/5/1917 from Liverpool, England on the SS St. Paul through the Port of New York, Ellis Island. He was 21 years of age. His place of residence listed on the Manifest was 2907 E. 71st Street, Columbus, Ohio.
He went to work for a Shipyard in Philadelphia, PA.
Worked at the Foundry in Milan, Michigan
Worked at Great Lakes Shipyard for awhile and then went to work for an Electrical Contractor.
Started Shaw & Kouth now Shaw Electric Co.
Christina Hume Shaw (b 1892) Wife of Robert “Douglas” Shaw (b 1896). Dave Kurtz had her name inscribed on the “Wall of Honor” Ellis Island panel #402. – Ruth Kurtz.
Annie Shaw (b1900)
She worked all her life. She told me one time that she never finished school because she had to work. In Detroit, she married Bob (Robert)
worked for Ford as a Tool Designer.
Son Edward worked for IBEW LU #58 and
retired.
He
worked as a Maintenance Supervisor for Stroh Brewery for over 10 years.
Grandson Edward Alexander worked for IBEW LU#58 and now works for GM (medical retirement IBEW)
Great grandson Edward “Andrew” works as an apprentice for IBEW LU #58 Sound. – Edward Alexander Shaw (b private)
Edward Alexander Shaw (b1902) & Violet Louise Caplan separated in about 1930. Eddie (b1902) came and lived at our house for awhile, along with your father (Edward Shaw b private) who was about 2 years old. He (Edward b1902) had lost his job and Vi was having a difficult time, but I know she finally found a house to rent and the landlady took care of Phil (b 1925 ) and later young Eddie (b private) (Phil Mendelson & Eddie were half-brothers). This was in the area of Grand River and Broad street (I think). The old Grand Riviera Theater was on the corner. Vi got a job as a saleslady in a dress shop on Grand River, Ed (b 1902) must have found work as he moved on and I think for awhile that he (Ed b1902), William “Wallace” (b 1904) and Charlie (b 1913) lived together. In later years, I know he (Ed b1902) lived with Annie (b 1900) for some time. She (Annie b1900) practically had a boarding house, because one brother or another was with her (Annie b 1900) off and on for years. Your dad (Ed b private) would come to our house at Christmas, and after we got a cottage up North (1938) he (Ed b private) would visit us for a week or two in the summer. – Ruth Kurtz
picture of the Riviera Theater
Vi (Caplan) was able to get a job at Saks Fifth
Ave. the store was located in the Fisher Building. I think she was in charge of the department that sold the real
expensive dresses. I know when my
sister (Kathleen Shaw) got married, she bought her wedding dress at Sak’s Fifth
Ave. and Vi helped her select the dress.
I can’t guarantee this info is 100% accurate but to the best of my
recollection it is (I sound like one of those politicians) -- Ruth Kurtz
Later after
she remarried, she lived in a Pent-house on 5th Ave. in New York and
was the #1 dress sale-person at Sak’s 5th Ave. for years. – Edward
Alexander Shaw
Worked as a Machinist at Chrysler.
Wallace and Rowena moved to Panama City, FL from Georgia after Wallace retired. After he died I never heard any more from anyone. –Ruth Kurtz
Albert Neeley (b private)
was Wallace's stepson. I think he achieved a much higher rank that Colonel. I think that he commanded a base in Alaska for a while and I remember Wallace saying that they had the red carpet treatment when they visited him there. – Ruth Kurtz.
Hugh Shaw (b1909)
Lived in Saginaw, Michigan and worked as an Electrician.
Hugh and Helen were divorced for many years and I don't know what happened to his daughters. – Ruth Kurtz
Sometime while in Detroit, Richard Peace changed his name from Peace to Watson. Richard Peace now Watson remarried and had two son’s Fred and James Watson. Both of them were Structural Iron Workers. – Ruth Kurtz
n n n Ruth Kurtz’ information came mostly from her memory supported by documentation in the Family Bible of Robert Shaw
n n n Other documentation is from the Ellis Island web site.
n n n Charles Weir Shaw (b 1913) wrote up four pages of information before his death.
n n n Edward Alexander Shaw. I have studied all of the information I have and looked at it all to make sure the dates accurately follow a time line. To the best of my knowledge this information is accurate.
