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Document - Historical information/data - Shields Family History -fill away. THl' JOHN SHMDS FAMILY John Shields was a native of Ireland and came to the United States in the Mid 140 First living in Pennsylvania, there he met Bridget Broderick also a native of Ireland and they were Mar— ried in 1q4s. They were the parents of seven children. Michael B. was born October 1, 1g49, in Illinois. Having spent several years in Ohio and Illinois, the Shields family came to Mendota in 1f54. Michael B. was then five years old. His other brothers and sister, were John, Margaret, Mary A. Thomas ldward, who became a nationally known clergy, Henry and Francis. Arriving in Mendota in 1 John purchased a farm from Hen— ry H. Sibley.. They lived on this property for a short time, then they resided on the Henry H. Sibley farm for thirteen years. Memorii are not always accurate, but it was about this period in ^agar's history, that Michael and his father helped Henry Sib— ley dig an open well in section two, West of what is now called Dodd Road and South of Blue Gentian Road. This well was dug for drinking water and neighbors from quite a diotance around would come to the well with various types of vehicles, loaded with con= tainers to carry water home for their domestic use. This well was on the Forbes property and in later years was rented as a farm to the Schindeldecker's. 'Troy Schindeldecker, remembers as a young boy, how they tried to fill the wall with sand and gravel, but the water at the bottom of the well kept washing the John Shields, a native of the Emerald Isle, wa born in Jane, 1812. Came to America in 185( After visiting Ohio and Illinois he shrived a Mendota, Minnesota. He lived on his faro live years then resided on General 'Sibley 's tarn ..,:thirteen years. Parchaslrig two lotted t1+8i+ 'he moved to it in 18f8, and bailt'Tte residehii in which h now llvea. • ][u 1850 ie i anf Bridget Broderick, a native of Ireland. Michael. B., John, Margaret, Mary A., Thomas, Henry, and Francis are their children. Mivhael B. Shields was born in McIIenry county, Illinois, October lst, 1851. When about three years old he moved with his parents to Mendota, Dakota county, Minnesota, After a few years residence at this' place they removed to Eagan township, and located on a farm. Mr. Shields, continued living at his father's house, and has acquired a knowledge of the carpenter's trade. Married in May, 1878, to Bridget Furey, who has borne him two children, John and Mar- garet. Large boulders were finally used to fill the well and it finally filled the well permanently. In 1860 Michael B. was nineteen years old, he had received some training as a carpenter and built a house on the land orig- finally purchased in section 9. Part of that building is still standing today. In 1F72 Bridget Furey booked passage on a paddle wheel steam- er with a friend, Mary O'Donnell, together they left St. Louis and came up the Mississippi River to St. Paul. Michael Shields married Bridget Furey in 1F73, and in 1 Mary O'Donnell became Mrs. Patrick Fee. i It was in the house that Michael built, that the fourteen Shields children were born. Five girls and nine boys. The girls were: Mary, Margaret, Rose, Frances and Edith. The boys were: Michael Jr. Joseph, Thomas, John, William P. George, Vincent, Mar- tin and Arthur. Of all the children, only three are living today. Vincent lives in Washington D. C. Arthur at 13542 and Martin at 1396 Lone Oak Road Respectively. Henry Shields, an uncle of Martin's was the first state dairy and food commissioner for the state of Minnesota in 190' under Governor Johnson. In those days John had a dairy route in St. Paul and delivered butter and eggs to the mansions along summit avenue. Alfred B. another of Martin's relatives operated a dance hall on the shores of Lake Le,May. This enterprise was continuous from about 1930 to 193+0. Fagan produced a nationally known educator, Father Thomas Edward Shields, A. M. Ph. D and Isd, a son in the John Shields family. He lived from 162, ri'Strsg until his death in 192L. He was professor of psychology and education in the Cath- olic University of America, Washington, D. C. Founder and dean of Catholic Sisters College and served as president of the Cath- olic Educational Press. In 1891 he was ordained a priest in St. Paul by Archbishop Ireland. He took degrees at John Hopkins University among others. He taugrit at the St. Paul Seminary and went to the Catholic Uni- versity in 1902. In 1g62 the Archdiocese of St. Paul became the owner of the Henry H. Sibley House in Mendota. It opened as a sisters school in January 1869. Archbishop Ireland decided to sell the furniture and furnish- ings in the Sibley House in 1873. At the time of the sale of the furniture and furnishings in the Sibley House, the Michael Shields family purchased a large quantity of the furniture and furnishings for the their new home in the northeast corner of section 9. It was in the Sibley House master bed, that all fourteen children of Michael Shields were born. When the St. Peter's School closed in 1875, the St. Paul Arch- diocese de ided to give the Henry H. Sibley House to the Daughters of the .American Fevolution in 1910. After the Sibley House was in the custody of the D. A. R., they were interested in getting as much of the original furniture returned to the Sibley House as pos- sible. So in 1911 the Michael Shields family donated all of the furniture and furnishings they had purchased from the Sibley House in 1873. Some of the furniture and furnishings you see in the Sibley House today came from the Michael Shields family. There apparently is no other record of this mass transaction within our community. In 1924 Martin became a radio salesman for Noyes Brothers and Cutler, where he stayed four years. In 1928 he became an inspector for the state health department, and held the position throughout the depression and until 1944. On May 27, 1943 Martin and Myrtle !rickson were married, and have reared five children. Michael a professor at the University of New Hampshire. Cathy a special education teacher in Denver, Colorado. Mary Alice a non practicing R. N. in New Prague, Minnesota. geven, the manager of Lee's Highland Inn, St. Paul. Betty, manager of Sambo's restaurant in Winona, Minnesota In 19 Martin resumed farming full time. While farming he was on the board of directors of the Dakota Clectric Ass's. He Served as secretary for four years. He was a member of the soil conservation districk for approximately thirty four years and was chairman the last twelve years. In 1959 Martin left farming and joined SEPA, Suburban ?electric and Power Assn, where he worked for ten and one half years. His job was to get business into the Eagan area. Martin is credited with bringing in the following industries. Sperry Rand Univac, Blue Cross- Blue Shield, Gould Inc. Jerry Rau,n- horst and his 7agandale Industrial Park. United Properties and its Industrial land along Pilot Knob Road. Clyde Pemble and Bruce Thomp- son, the original Pemton, and their major housing project in Burns- ville near the Black Dog Pland, giving jobs to thousands of people. In 1979 Martin Shields was the City of naganes man of the year. A receipt signed by General Henry H. Sibley, showing that Mart- ins' father Michael, had paid in full the homestead in section 9, dated October 29, 1g9 is a prize possession of Martin Shields. Arthur attended Cretin High School when it was located at sixth and Main street in St. Paul, graduating in 1922. His brother Martin recalls, that it took the sale of two pigs to pay the tuition in those days. When going to school, Art remembers taking the ferry or risk walking the railroad trestle at Mendota to save a nickel. In his early years, Art was a traveling salesman for Washington and Cutting. radio, a firm which owned W L A G., later W C C 0, when Washburn Crosby purchased it and changed the call letters. He sold headphones and speakers for two years, his next job was with R. C. A. Victor selling phonographs when they were a novelty. There was much static on early radio and some families preferred the phonograph for home entertainment. From 1926 to 1931 Art. was branch manager for Philco Radio in Butte, Montana. He recalls a Caribean trip in the company of an early personality, by the name of Boake Carter. For twenty five years Art was a liquor salesman for the Phillips -Co an . For eleven mp y. years he was a sales manager in charge of country sales in Minnesota. Art returned to Eagan in 1958. He and his wife Frances live neat door to daughter, and Martin and his wife Myrtle. As a youngster Martin was an alter boy at St. Peter's in Men— dota, and has been a parishioner their all his life. All the Michael Shields children went to school in District 12. This school was located on highway 13 near Control Data's present location. The school has been removed in recant years. In their early years, Martin and Art played baseball on the same team in the Dakota County League. Martin was the pitcher and Art was the catcher. The teams were made up with boys from Eagan, Farmington, Hampton, Rosemount, Lakeville and W. St. Paul. Michael and Bridget Shields passed away within months of one another. Bridget passed away on December 10, 1910. Michael passed away June 2g, 1911. Both are buried in St. Peter's cemetary in Mendota. Ref: Martin Shields Arthur Shields Francis J. Dembroaki Court psy Martin and Arthur Shia lds MICHA7L SHREDS BRIDGT'T FURY SHITILDS