John Wesley Shively was born on 23-Mar-1823 in Dubois County, IN and died on 13-Sep-1900 in Miami County, KS. He was the son of Jacob Banta Shively (1797-1868) and Anna Mavity (1799-1878). For more information on Jacob Banta Shively see the Shively blog article written on March 6, 2014. For information on Jacob Whitfield Shively who was the son of John Wesley Shively see the Shively blog article written on May 23, 2021. John Wesley Shively was married in May 1843 to Mary Ann Shirley. She was born on 24-Feb-1825 in Perry County, IN and died on 24-Nov-1891 in Miami County, KS.
Located on the 1860 Morris Township, Carroll County, MO census is the family of John W. Shively age 37, wife Mary A. age 35, son Jacob age 15, son William age 13, daughter Evaline age 9, son Joe age 6, son Lewis B. age 4, son Isaac age 2 and son Edmund age 1. Listed on the 1870 Peoria Township, Franklin County, KS census is the household of John W. Shively age 46, wife Mary A. age 45, daughter Evaline age 18, son Louis age 12, son Edmund age 8, son Samuel age 7 and son Charles age 4. The family is listed on the 1880 Cutler Township, Franklin County, KS census as W. John Shively age 57, wife A. Mary age 55, son W. Edwin age 20, son M. Samuel age 18, and son A. Charles age 13.
The following newspaper obituary was found in The Paola Times, Paola, Kansas, Thursday, September 20, 1900, Page 1, Column 3:
A Good Man Gone
In the death of Rev. John W. Shively, Miami county lost one of her best citizens, as he was a minister of the gospel of the Christian church for fifty years and a conscientious citizen. He died suddenly at Osawatomie, of heart failure last Thursday evening. He was born March 23, 1823 in Dubois county, Indiana; married in May 1843, and his wife died in Paola, Nov. 24, 1891. In 1845 he move to Cass county, Mo., then to Carrollton, in 1850 then to Manderville, the same State, and in 1869 moved to Kansas and in 1883 settled in Paola. He enlisted in 1861 in Co. D. 1st. Ks., Inf., and was mustered out in 1865. He leaves seven sons and one daughter, and many warm friends to mourn his death. He was buried in Paola, last Saturday at 2 p.m.
Another account of the death of John W. Shively was found in The Osawatomie Globe, Osawatomie, Kansas, Thursday, September 20, 1900, Page 1, Columns 1-2:
Death Of Mr. Shively
The sudden death of Elder J. W. Shively in this city last Friday morning was a shock to his many friends. Just how he came by his death is not clearly known but is the opinion of many that he died of heart disease. Others think that one of the horses by which he was found in Dr. Pace's barn where it is supposed he heard a noise and had gone to investigate, had knocked him down and was stepping on his hand, held him with his face on the ground until he smothered. His face was bruised a little and there were marks on his right hand and arm where it is supposed the horse stood. When found early Friday morning by Dr. Pace he was on his hands and knees and partly on his left side with his face flat down on the ground. He had evidently been there the greater portion of the night as he had all his clothes on. Mr. and Mrs. Pace, with whom he had been making his home, retired Thursday evening, leaving the old gentleman sitting on the porch as was his usual custom, and it is thought that he had heard some noise at the barn and went there to see what the trouble was. The Coroner was notified and came over Friday noon but concluded an inquest was not necessary.
John W. Shively was born in Indiana March 23d, 1823, and at the age of 37 years he entered the ministry and it can truthfully be said of him there never was a more earnest and constant christian worker. To be in church work was his highest ambition. The Christian church here and at Paola besides many other churches in this state, owe their existence to his untiring work. When the First Kansas Regiment was organized during the civil war he inlisted as a private and served until the close.
For many years Mr. Shively lived at Paola, but since the death of his wife which occurred about nine years ago, he has made his home most of the time with his children of which there are seven sons and one daughter. He had made plans to go and live with his son William at Nelson, Nebraska, and intended to leave for that point last Monday.
Short services were held at the Dr. Pace residence last Saturday morning at 11 o'clock and the remains were taken to Paola where services were held at the Christian church at 2 o'clock, conducted by Rev. T. P. Haley of Kansas City. The burial took place in Paola cemetery..
The following was extracted from The Miami Republican, Paola, Kansas, Friday, November 27, 1891, Page 3, Column 3:
Mrs. Shively Dead
Mrs. Mary Ann Shively, wife of Elder John W. Shively, died at her home in Paola, after a very brief illness, Tuesday evening, November 24th, at 9:30 p.m. The deceased was 66 years of age, was born in Perry co., Indiana, and was the daughter of William Shirley. She was married to John W. Shively January 14th, 1843, and had she lived until one year from next January she would have celebrated with her husband their golden wedding. She moved with her husband from her native State and located in Cass co., Missouri. In 1845, then moved to Carroll co., in 1855, then to Kansas in 1869. She had resided in Paola since 1883. She has been a member of the Christian church 46 years, having been baptized in Grand river, near Freeman, Mo. She kept and cared for six small children four years during the rebellion while her husband was in the union army. Two of her six children died when small and are buried at Mandeville, Mo. She leaves eight children to mourn her death --Jacob W., of Howard, Kas.; William H., Stanton, Kas.; Jackson A., Pittsburg, Kas.; Louis B., Burden, Kas.; Mrs. Eva Wilkinson, Winfield, Kas.; Edmond W., Salt Lake, Utah; Sam J., Paola, and Charles A., who is at present attending the State normal school at Emporia. All are married but the two latter, and the youngest member in the family is 25 years of age.
Mrs. Shively was in good health until almost the hour of her death and had attended to her household duties, her death being sudden and the result of an affection of the heart. She was a kind, motherly woman, who took a deep interest in her home and family, and her sudden death is a sad blow to her husband and children, to whom is extended the sympathy of their friends and neighbors. The funeral will take place at 2 o'clock today, from the Christian church.
