Short, James 1a
| Birth Name | Short, James |
| Gender | male |
| Age at Death | 77 years, 11 months, 17 days |
Narrative
Ancestry: (English & French) Mother and Father migrated from French Canada to Sedalia Missouri - Also owned property in Kentucky.
(History records major Canadian migration to Missouri circa 1840).
James had several brothers / Sisters.
He was a drummer boy in Civil War - Confederate side.
Father disowned him when he lost farm's annual receipts by gambling.
Was entrusted to deposit cash in bank.
Mother sent him away saying 'Your father will kill you if he learns how you lost the receipts'.
James settled in Joliet, Illinois.
Brought the first black family with him in his horse & buggy (Could have been former slaves from his plantation)
Occupation = Stone Cutter eg. grave markers, etc.
Died around 1920 in Veterans Hospital near Urbana.
Events
| Event | Date | Place | Description | Sources |
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| Birth | 1847 | Benton County, Missouri | ||
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| Military Service | 1864-09-00 | 50th Missouri Infantry of the Union Army | ||
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| Death | 1924-12-18 | Illinois | ||
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| Burial | Danville National Cemetery, Danville, Vermilion, Illinois | Danville National Cemetery, Illinois, Section 11, Site 3446 | ||
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Parents
| Relation to main person | Name | Birth date | Death date | Relation within this family (if not by birth) |
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| Father | Short, John Jr. | 1813-09-00 | 1903 | |
| Mother | Hardesty, Elizabeth | 1814 | 1911 | |
| Brother | Short, Joseph | 1836 | ||
| Sister | Short, Mary J | about 1840 | ||
| Short, James | 1847 | 1924-12-18 |
Families
Family of Short, James and Swikert, Carrie |
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| Married | Wife | Swikert, Carrie ( * about 1854 + 1903 ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Children | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Name | Birth Date | Death Date |
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| Short, John\Hans | ||
| Short, Arthur | 1883 | 1950 |
| Short, Florence | 1969 | |
| Short, Jessie | ||
| Short, Adelaide M | 1889-03-10 | |
| Short, Lizzie | ||
| Short, Cordelia Francis | 1874-12-20 | 1957-01-24 |
Media
Attributes
| Type | Value | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| _UID | C67A56BF682AD711921200AA0048380EAB50 |
Pedigree
Ancestors
Source References
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Robert C Sonders: Mom, Dad, and Their Ancestry
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- Date: 2012-12-12
- Page: 34-35
- Confidence: High
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Source text:
Great grandpa James Short (1847-1924) was born in Benton County, Missouri in 1847
to the parents of John Short Jr. (1813-1903) and Elizabeth Hardesty (1814-1911). As the
story was passed on by the Fields' family, James as a youth, and without his father's approval,
joined the Confederate Army and served in the Civil War as a drummer boy. This turned out not
to be exactly correct. He did serve in the Civil War but had enlisted in the 50th Missouri
Infantry of the Union Army around September, 1864 when he was 17 years old. He was
stationed in Saint Louis, Missouri, essentially saw no action, and was mustered out on July 3,
1864. Another story, but this time it's true - after the war, his father, who owned a farm in
Missouri, entrusted him to deposit the plantation's annual receipts in a bank. Instead, he
gambled away the farm's receipts. For fear his dad would kill him if leamed how he lost the
receipts, his mother rushed him quickly away to Joliet, Illinois. Former black slaves from the
plantation traveled with him in horse and buggy. I was told this was the first time a black family
ever lived in Joliet. Not surprisingly, his dad disinherited him.James excelled as a stone cutter, i.e., he engraved grave markers. He was active in the
Chautauqua Movement, a popular adult education movement that started in the late 19th century
and championed the plight of the common people, promoted temperance, and lectured on
women's suffrage and child labor laws. He bragged that he introduced William Jennings Bryant
at a meeting by saying, " ... and if you don't elect him as President, I'll put him in the White
House, myself." Later in life, he stayed in an old soldiers' home east of Champaign-Urbana
where in 1924 he supposedly committed suicide. Grandma Corals sister-in-law, Hanna Kemp,
wife of Arthur Short, passionately believed he was murdered. He is buried in Danville National
Cemetery, Illinois, Section 11, Site 3446. Tragically, great grandma Carrie fell to her death in
1903 while washing a window on the second floor of their house in Joliet, Illinois.
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