Joseph M. Shively And Wife, Mary Ulrich, Who Lived In Douglas Co., KS And Los Angeles Co., CA

Joseph M. Shively was born on 21-Sep-1836 in Stark County, OH and died 17-Apr-191 in Glendale, Los Angeles Co., CA.  He was the son of Isaac Shively and Susanna Snyder.  Joseph was married to Mary Ulrich born 9-Jul-1842 and died 26-Sep-1923 in Glendale, Los Angeles Co., CA.  They were the parents of Sarah born Jul-1863 KS died 1937 and who married Mr. Hartman;  Lutitia born 15-Oct-1865 in Douglas Co., KS died 25-Mar-1904 in Glendale, Los Angeles Co., CA and who married William Manford Stustsman; Edward M. Shively born 9-Sep-1867 KS died 14-Jan-1943 in Glendale, Los Angeles Co., CA and who married 1st Sarah Ellen Stutsman and 2nd Ora Nine;  Arminta "Minnie" born 29-Sep-1870 died 27-Apr-1941 in Glendale, Los Angeles Co., CA and who married Elijah Allen Stutsman;  Lydia  born 1872 died 1887; and Alice born 1876 died 1951 and who married Mr. Garst. Joseph M. Shively and family are found on the 1870 Douglas Co., KS census, 1880 Douglas Co., KS census, 1895 Douglas Co., KS State Census, 1900 Douglas Co., KS census and 1910 Glendale, Los Angeles Co., CA census.

Joseph M. Shively and son, Edward, invented and patented a "corn shocker". Several articles were located.  In the U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Farmers' Bulletin 303, Corn-Harvesting Machinery, By C. J. Zintheo, Expert in Farm Mechanics, Office of Experiment Stations, Prepared Under the Supervision of the Office Of Experiment Stations, A. C. True, Director, Washington, Government Printing Office, Issued August 8, 1907, page 20:  "In 1893 a shocker as constructed by J. M. Shively, similar in principle but somewhat departing in its construction from the Hadley shocker in that the cutting apparatus and the dividers were like those of the corn harvester, and the retaining wall surrounding the shock".

In the Lawrence, Douglas Co., KS newspapers the following articles relating to this invention were located.  In the Weekly World, Thursday, September 17, 1896, Page 5, Column 5:

Corn Cutting And Shocking

Shively & Son will give a public exhibition of the working of their patent corn cutting and shocking machine at 2 p.m. Friday afternoon, September 25th, in the field of Joseph Reece, four miles south of the city at the Crowel bridge.  This is the only machine of the kind manufactured and is worth seeing.  Everyone interested invited to see the machine work.

In the Gazette, Thursday, November 25, 1897, Page 2, Column 2:

John Shively, of Alfred, the inventor of the Shively corn cutter, sold his patent last week to the Derring Harvestor Co., for fifteen thousand dollars.  (Overbrook Herald)

Extracted from the Jeffersonian Gazette, Thursday, August 17, 1899, Page 3, Column 5:

Shively and Son have just received one of their corn harvesters from the factory at Chicago.  This machine is the invention of Mr. Shively and is the only successful corn shocker on the market.

The following was found in the Lawrence Journal World, Wednesday, July 16, 1930, Page 2, Column 4:

Visiting Old Friends

Edward Shively And Son Here From California

Edward Shively and son, Floyd, of Glendale, Cal., a suburb of Los Angeles, are now visiting old friends and relatives in Lawrence and nearby.  They made the drive of nearly 2,000 miles in four days, arriving Sunday afternoon at the home of Mr. and Mrs. L.  L. Hoover at Overbrook.

Many years ago finding shocking corn to be hard work, the boy, Edward, and his father invented a machine for doing the work by horse power.  The machine cut the corn and shocked it.  It was finally sold to a manufacturer of implements on the basis of a good cash bonus and royalty.  The machine was manufactured for some years.