Oliver J. Shively, Son Of Daniel C. Shively And Hannah Burkholder, In Marshall County, IN

Oliver J. Shively/Emma C. Brown Marriage

Oliver J. Shively was the son of Daniel C. Shively and Hannah Burkholder.  He was born 24-Oct-1866 and died 21-Jul-1957 in Marshall County, IN, buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.  He was married first to Emma Clara Brown in Marshall County on 16-Jun-1894. He married second to Laura May Wisebrook on 27-Jan-1934 in Marshall County.

The following article was extracted from the Plymouth Pilot News, Wednesday, October 24, 1956, Page 2, Columns 1-4:

4 Shively Brothers' Ages Total 339 Years

1st Anniversary Of Over 80 Club

What better way to observe the first anniversary of the "Over 80 Club" than to honor four brothers whose age total 339 years! Three of them are over 80 and the fourth is very close to that mark.

Eldest of the brothers, Oliver Shively, is observing his 90th birthday today (born Oct. 24, 1866) at home in Bremen.  John, 87, was born Dec. 9, 1868 and lives in Nappanee.  Jacob, 83, already a member of the club--was born March 14, 1873, and lives at R. R. 2, Plymouth.  Ullery, the "baby" of the four, was born April 30, 1877 and resides in Nappanee.

Born In Marshall County

All were born within a radius of two miles, about 6 miles east of Plymouth and north of Inwood.  Their parents were Dan and Hannah Shively.  After death broke up the home, John and Ullery lived with one grandmother near Nappanee and Jacob and Oliver lived south with their other grandmother near Plymouth.

Oliver was married to Emma Brown who passed away in 1931.  In 1934 he married Mae Wieshbrock and they moved to Bremen about 23 years ago after his retirement from farming. John married Ida Widmar in 1900 and she passed away in 1925.  He was married in 1928 to Doshia Culler.  He has three sons, Bernard of Harrisburg, Pa., Daniel of Florida, and Warren of Nappanee, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Oliver worked with his father in the elevator business in Inwood until he was 26 years old and he and John then went into the implement business.  They later had a harness and buggy business in Nappanee and when they saw business was beginning to slip, they decided to "slip" into something else, too.  Oliver went into farming.

In Nappanee Business

John was joined in the Shively Corporation, Nappanee, by Ullery.  John has been in it for 62 years and Ullery, 56 years.  The store is divided into three parts, hardware, department and furniture.  They have seen many changes in Nappanee in these years inasmuch as the town had a population of about 1,800 when they started the business and now it is approximately 3,500.  Both are still active in the business.

Jacob married Rena Jones who lived only about 3 miles away but whom he never met until three years before they were married.  They have six children, Rueben, R. R. 2, Plymouth; Mrs. Esta Sutter of near Argos; Mrs. Bessie Barber of South Haven, Mich.; Mrs. Pearl Mitschelen of Michigan City; Orville Shively of R. R. 1, Groverton and Guy Shively, R. R. 1, Plymouth.  They also have 12 grandchildren and eight great grand-children.

Jacob has farmed most of his life though he worked for 20 years in a box and furniture factory in Nappanee.  Peppermint raising was one of the interesting sidelines of his farming.

Nora E. Early became the wife of Ullery in 1907 and they have two children, Miss Helen Shively of Ashland, Ohio, and Robert Shively of Valparaiso.

The brothers are all members of the Church of the Brethren in their respective communities.

Childhood Incidents

Oliver recalls Broad, an ox, they had when he was a boy that was something of a pet.  He would go out when Broad was lying in the barnyard and jump onto him. He remembers vividly the day he did this and Broad got up and decided to go places.  Oliver says he stayed on until they got to the corner of the barn and then was thrown off.

Another incident that stands out in their memory was one day when Broad fell head first into an open well.  Their father got some other men to help him get the ox out of the well with the use of ropes but they were too late--he drowned by the time they got him out.

They recall how bills in those days were often paid with notes instead of money. Then when a person needed cash, he simply sold the notes to obtain the cash.

Traveling has added interest to their lives.  Jacob says he has never traveled much but John has seen the Pacific Ocean once and the Atlantic twice as well as visiting in Florida.

Travel Adds Interest

Ullery has seen most of this country except the South and has traveled in Canada and Mexico as well.  Oliver spent one summer traveling all over the West and two winters in Florida.

When he and his wife visited her half-brother in Oregon--whom he had not seen in over 50 years--they took him, a Baptist preacher, up into the mountains to Mitchell, Ore., where he was to preach a funeral sermon.  They then went on to a lumber mill where they stayed overnight sleeping out of doors.  When he asked what would keep the bears away he was told the two dogs would take care of that.  However, during the night they did hear something gnawing at the building but it was only a porcupine!

Best wishes not only to Oliver, who observes his birthday today, but to each of the brothers, too!