Jonathan Wright Shively (Shively) And Ann Dent Mankin Who Lived In Saratoga Springs, New York

 

Saratoga Springs Daily Saratogian 20-Jul-1869

Jonathan Wright Shively (Shiveley) was born on 16-Nov-1819 in Mason County, WV and died on 14-Jun-1894 in Saratoga, NY.  He was the son of Phillip Shively who died ca. 1849 and Millicent "Amelia" Wright (1793-1853). For additional information on brothers of Johnathan see the Shively Blog article written on Sunday, July 12, 2020 regarding Phillip B. Shively (Shiveley) and the Shively Blog article written on Sunday, June 9, 2024 regarding Benjamin W. Shively (Shiveley).

Saratoga Springs Daily Saratogian 4-Aug-1869

Johnathan Wright Shively married Ann Dent Mankin on 5-Aug-1867 in Alexandria, VA. She was born ca. 1837 in Charles County, MD and died on 11-Dec-1910 in Alexandria, VA. Ann was the daughter of Edward Manken (Mankin) and Mary Ann Posey. Johnathan and Ann had one daughter, Mary Olga Shiveley (born 2-Mar-1872-1891).

Listed on the 1850, 27th District, Jackson County, VA census is the family of Amelia Shiveley age 57, son Johnathan age 30, son Philip age 31, daughter Mary age 24 and Oretha age 1. Listed on the 1850 Hill Top District, Charles County, MD census is the household of James L. Dyson age 33, James Dunington age 18, John Dyson age 5, James Dyson age 1, Mary A .age 45, Mary Mankin age 15, Ann D. Mankin age 13 and Margaret Dyson age 63. On the 1860 Alexandria, Alexandria County, VA census are James L. Dyson age 42, wife Mary A. age 52, Ann D. Mankin age 22, Adie Dyson age 17, Franklin age 11, and John age 16. Listed on the 1880 Saratoga Springs, Saratoga County, NY census in the household of Buell Thrasher are Nany D. Shiveley age 42 and Mary O. age 8. 

The following newspaper article was found in the Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, Missouri, Tuesday, December 6, 1881, Page 1, Column 5:

Another Crank

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- Prof. J. W. Shively, who calls himself the "true Messiah", arrived in this city Thursday and took a room on Sixth street. He at once addressed a letter to Judge Cox, Judge Porter and others connected with the Guiteau trial, to convince them of the fallacy of Guiteau's alleged inspirations. In his letter to Judge Cox he demanded to be put upon the stand to confront Guiteau and tell the court where and how to find this awful deity of the Republican party. The police were notified and this morning arrested him. He will be sent to the insane asylum.

Special Dispatch to the Kansas City Journal

SARATOGA, N.Y., Dec. 5 --Prof. J. W. Shively, of Saratoga, the "great Messiah" crank, arrested at Washington, D.C., today, is believed to be Johnathan W. Shively, of 136 Beckman street, this place. He is down in the directory as a photographer, but his wife says he is an oil painter. While the family make a permanent residence, he travels from place to place in pursuit of his profession. Mrs. Shively says he left home in September, and the last she heard from him he was west, and she expected a letter from him from Chicago or Cincinnati. She adds that a number of years ago he suffered severely from neuralgia, and at times when excited would conduct himself in a peculiar manner. These periods would cover two or three days, after which he would become perfectly rational. About a month ago, in Cleveland, he met with an accident by which his head was injured, and she fears this may have caused temporary aberration of mind. Mrs. Shively did not know her husband intended visiting Washington. He is the son of a clergyman, and was born in Jackson county, Va. Mrs. Shively is a native of Alexandria in that state. She is considerably alarmed about him. The Shiveley family have resided here for upwards of ten years, but within a year or two passed the winters South.

A brother of Johnathan Wright Shively is mentioned in the following newspaper article found in The Fairbury Blade, Fairbury, Illinois, Saturday, December 17, 1881, Page 3, Column 4:

Identified

Last week an item appeared on the fourth page of our paper, to the effect that, "Another 'crank', named Shively, who called himself the 'True Messiah', was arrested in Washington on the 5th. He had addressed a letter to Judge Cox, demanding to be put on the witness stand to confront Guiteau, and to convince the Court and jury of the fallacy of Guiteau's theory of inspiration. He had been a traveling oil painter, and had lived at Saratoga, N.Y., for some years." The item also stated that he would probably be sent to the insane asylum.

This week, Mr. B. W. Shively, of this city, called at our office and stated that, from the description given, he had reason to believe that the man was his only brother. He received a letter from him, dated at Cincinnati, about four weeks ago, in which he said he had been waylaid in city of Cleveland, a short time previous, by highwaymen, who struck him a heavy blow on the head, knocking him senseless; but that he thought he had recovered from the effects of it. Mr. Shively is under the impression that his brother has become deranged from the result of his encounter in Cleveland, and has wandered down to Washington, as stated. He has not heard from him since receiving the letter mentioned above, and expressed his intention of writing to the authorities at the Capitol in regard to the matter. The unfortunate man has a family living at Saratoga, N.Y.

Extracted from the Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, Friday, June 15, 1894, Page 8, Column 6:

Johnathan W. Shively

SARATOGA, N.Y., June 14. -- [Special.] - Jonathan W. Shively, who died suddenly of heart disease at midnight, attracted no small police attention in Washington on the day Garfield was shot by Guiteau. He mounted a box in front of Willard's Hotel and proclaimed that he was the "true Messiah", and in an incoherent ramble sought to explain why the shooting had taken place. Shively was patriarchal in appearance; was born in West Virginia seventy-five years ago, and had lived here twenty-six years. He was a noted artist and portrait painter, was highly educated, and had traveled extensively. His widow survives him.

The following was found in the Alexandria Gazette, Alexandria, Virginia, Friday, June 15, 1894, Page 2, Column 6:

DIED

On Wednesday, June 13th, at his late residence, Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Johnathan Wright Shiveley. Funeral services Saturday at 1:30 p.m., at the residence of S. F. Dyson, 1004 Prince street. Friends of the family are invited to attend. Interment private.

Located in the Alexandria Gazette, Monday, December 12, 1910, Page 31, Column 2:

Death Of Mrs. Shiveley

Mrs. Ann D. Shiveley, widow of J. W. Shively, of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., died yesterday morning at the home of her brother, Mr. J. Frank Dyson, 1004 Prince street. Mrs. Shiveley was born in Charles county nearly 73 years ago, but had lived in Alexandria since 1850.

In addition the following was found in the Alexandria Gazette, Alexandria, Virginia, Page 3, Column 2:

Funeral

The funeral of the late Mrs. Anna D. Shiveley took place this afternoon from the residence of her brother,, Mr. J. Frank Dyson, 1004 Prince street, the Rev. A. W. Rudisill, pastor of Trinity M. E. Church, conducted the services and the interment was in Ivy Hill cemetery. The pallbearers were Dr. W. B. Dent and Messrs. J. Frank Dent, Llewellyn F. Dyson, and C. Fletcher Dyson, four nephews of the deceased, and Messrs. J. Frank Dyson and Windosr Demaine.

A couple of notes regarding Charles J. Guiteau.  He was born 8-Sep-1841 in Freeport, IL and died 30-Jun-1882.  He shot President James A. Garfield in 1881 at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C.  Garfield died two months later from infections related to the wound. Guiteau falsely believed he had played a major role in Garfield's election victory, for which he should have been rewarded with a consulship.  He was frustrated and offended by the Garfield administration's rejections.

Henry Franklin Shively And Ella Culbertson In Henry County, Indiana

Henry Franklin Shively was born on 5-Nov-1859 in Henry County, IN and died 30-Apr-1930 in Henry County, IN.  He was married to Margaret Ella Culbertson on 20-Sep-1883 in Henry County, IN.  Margaret was the daughter of James S. Culbertson and Martha Jane Jessup. Margaret Ella Culbertson was born in Apr-1864 in Howard County, IN and died on 25-Mar-1916 in Henry County, IN.  Henry Franklin Shively was the son of John Shively (born 28-Jan-1827 in Monongalia County, WV and died 14-Sep-1914 in Henry County, IN) and Mary Artha Lingley Phillips (1829-1907).  John Shively was the son of Philip Shively (born 10-May-1790 in Monongalia County, WV and died 26-Oct-1872 in Henry County, IN) and Margaret Tribbet (1800-1876).

Listed on the 1880 Prairie Township, Henry County, IN census is the family of John Shively age 53, wife Mary age 51, daughter Lula age 25, son Philip age 23, son William J. age 22, son Frank age 20, son Charles age 18, daughter Millie age 16, son Luther age 14,  and son Salem age 12. On the 1910 Prairie Township, Henry County, IN census are H. Frank Shively age 50, wife Ella age 48, son Jesse age 21, son Harry age 23, daughter Lena age 19, son Fred age 16, son John age 13, daughter Martha age 11, son Hubert age 8 and daughter Mary age 5. On the 1930 Prairie Township, Henry County, IN census is the household of Frank Shively age 71, son Jesse age 41, daughter in law Lula age 36, and grandson George age 7.

The following was found in The Richmond Item, Richmond, IN, Tuesday, April 29, 1930, Page 2:

Henry F. Shiveley

NEWCASTLE, Ind., April 28.--Henry Franklin Shiveley, age 70, well known farmer, living east of Mount Summit, passed away at his home, Monday morning, at 9:30 o'clock, following 13 years of sickness. The deceased had been an invalid for years, following a stroke of paralysis.

He was a life long resident of the county, and was born near Mount Summit, the son of John and Mary Shiveley.

Surviving are the sons, James D., Harry C., Fred, Jesse and Hubert: three daughters, Lena Test and Martha West, of Spiceland, and Mary Shiveley, a nurse, at South Bend; and three brothers, Philip, Salem and Luther.

The newspaper obituary for Ella Shively was found in The New Castle Courier, New Castle, Indiana, Thursday, March 30, 1916, Page 5, Column 7:

Mrs. Frank Shively

MT. SUMMIT, Ind., March 25.-- Mrs. Frank Shively died at her home east of town at 9:30 this morning after a long illness from a complication of ailments.

Besides her husband, she leaves a large family, some of whom are married, James, Harry, Fred and Mrs. Ralph Test of Spiceland and Jesse, John, Hubert, Martha and Mary at home.

George S. Shively And Sofrana (Frona) Fuqua Who Lived In Ohio County, KY

George S. Shively was born 2-Sep-1855 and died 22-Nov-1924 in Beaver Dam, Ohio County, KY. He was the son of John L. B. Shively (born 11-Apr-1807 died 7-Aug-1880) and Sarah Jordan Cooper (born 1-Apr-1812 died ca. 1888). John L. B. Shively was the son of Phillip Shively from Jefferson County, KY.  Phillip Shively was the son of Christian Shively from Jefferson County, KY. 

George S. Shively was married on 22-Oct-1885 to Sofrana (Sophrana, Frona) E. Fuqua. Sofrana was born on 4-Mar-1862 and died 29-Sep-1941 in Beaver Dam, Ohio County, KY. She was  the daughter of Moses William Fuqua.  Listed on the 1880 Boston Precinct, Mag. District #5, Daviess County, KY census is the household of John L. B. Shiveley age 73, wife Sarah J. age 68, son George S. age 24, and granddaughter Laura F. age 7. Located on the 1900 Magisterial District Hartford, Ohio County, KY census is the family of George S. Shively born Sep-1855 age 44, wife Fronie E. born Mar-1864 age 36, son Albert born Feb-1886 age 14 and daughter Mary born Apr-1889 age 1.  Listed on the 1910 Beaver Dam, Ohio County, KY census is the household of G. S. Shiveley age 53, wife Fronia age 44, son Elbert age 23, neice Effie Marvin age 18 and boarder Ed Barnard age 64.

Extracted from The Twice A Week Messenger, Owensboro, Kentucky, Thursday, February 28, 1889, Page 9, Column 2:

George S. Shively, the owner of the team run over by a train on the L., St. L. and T. railroad at the crossing of the Leitchfield road two weeks ago, has brought suit for damages in the sum of $320. The two horses were valued at $150 each, and $20 damages to the wagon make up the remainder of the amount.

Found in The Twice A Week Messenger, Owensboro, Kentucky, Thursday, September 18, 1890, Page 3, Column 4:

The jury in the case of George S. Shively vs. the L., St. L. and T. railroad returned a verdict  for defendant.

Lindsey Davis from the Ohio County Kentucky Public Library in Hartford, KY found the following newspaper obituary for George S. Shively:

George S. Shively

George S. Shively, aged 69 years, died at his home at South Beaver Dam, last Saturday, after a brief illness of pneumonia.

Mr. Shively was a good citizen and will be greatly missed in his home and community. He became a member of the Barnett's Creek Baptist Church at the age of 27.

Funeral services were conducted at Beaver Dam Baptist Church, Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m., by his pastor Rev. C. C. Daves, after which the remains were laid to rest in Sunnyside cemetery.

Besides his wife, he is survived by one son, Mr. Elbert Shively.

                                              -----Beaver Dam Correspondent

George S. Shively KY Death Certificate

Thornton Taylor Shively Who Descends From The Monongalia County, West Virginia Shivelys

Thornton Taylor Shively was born on 26-Feb-1913 in Fairfield, Clay County, NE and died 21-Jun-1980 in Aptos, Santa Cruz County, CA. He was married in 1939 in California to Susan E. Collinson. Thornton Taylor Shively was the son of Thornton Pickenpaugh Shively who was born 21-Mar-1874 and died 13-Feb-1949 buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles County, CA and Harriet Bigelow. Thornton P. Shively was the son of Jacob Shively born 9-Jun-1837 in Monongalia County, WVA and Emily J. Snyder, married 9-Jan-1862. Jacob Shively was the son of Jacob Shively born 11-Feb-1787 Monongalia County, WV died 4-Mar-1869 in Monongalia County, WVA and Catherine Pickenpaugh born 11-Jan-1794 in Monongalia County, WVA died 15-Nov-1871, daughter of George Pickenpaugh and Charlotte Barrickman.  Jacob Shively was the son of Phillip Shively died 1841 in Monongalia County, WVA and Abigail (Appolona) Back (Bach). Phillip Shively was the son of the immigrant ancestor Michael Shively.

Thornton Taylor Shively was a writer and author who wrote under the pseudonym of Thorne Lee.  He wrote more than 30 tales which were published in various pulp magazines. Pulp magazines contained fiction stories written for inexpensive fiction magazines from 1896 to the 1950’s. Some of the pulp magazines that contained Thornton Shively’s work included Black Mask, Dime Detective, New Detective, Doc Savage, The Shadow, and Ten Detective Acres. Thornton Shively’s (Thorne Lee’s) first novel, The Fox And The Hound, was a story about an amnesiac trying to find out who he was and whether or not he committed murder. The novel was published complete and unabridged in the August 1944 issue of Mammoth Detective but unlike some of the other full-length novels it was never published in book form. He did have at least two books that were published which include The Monster Of Lazy Hook (Duell, 1949) and Summer Shock (Abelard-Schuman, 1956).  The following newspaper article appeared in the Medford Mail-Tribune, Medford, Oregon, Friday, May 20, 1949, Page 3, Column 4:

Ashland Author Has First Book Published

Ashland, May 20 – An Ashland author, Thornton Shively, had his first book published yesterday. It is a suspense story entitled “The Monster Of Lazy Hook”. Shively has had numerous short stories published and his friends are eager to see his first full length novel. Shively was a player in the 1948 Shakespearean festival.

            An “Authors Tea” in his honor is to be given on Saturday, May 21, from 3 to 5 pm. at the Ashland public library.

            The following newspaper article was extracted from The Daily Review, Hayward, California, Sunday, February 16, 1975, Page 6, Columns 4-5:

He Wants To Keep Everyone In Suspense

                                                              By Bob Norberg

            Somewhere in Thornton Shively’s expansive collection of notes and story outlines is the material for a best-selling novel. Of that, he’s sure.

            An incorrigible optimist, Shively likes to fantasize he will turn out a best seller some day, perhaps when he retires from California State University, Hayward, where he is a senior assistant librarian.

            “All writers have the fantasy of writing the great novel”, Shively said. “I have the material in my notes to achieve that potential”.

            The question, he acknowledges, is whether he has the writing ability.

            Shively, 62, of Fremont, has been a writer all his adult life, even though his livelihood has been various other jobs.

            He has worked for a florist in Hastings, Neb. To get him through Hastings College.

            He was a florist again in the late 30’s when he moved with his brother and his brother’s family to Los Angeles while the Depression was frustrating job seekers.

            “It was in the Beverly Hills Hotel I saw a lot of movie stars passing through that hotel”, Shively said.

            He worked at another Southern California hotel to get him through graduate school, worked for the Southern California Gas Co. during World War II, taught for awhile, and became a librarian.

            But this as all secondary to writing, a passion that has remained since he was a child and read his first book.

            “I knew I wanted to write from the time of the first books I’ve ever read”, he said. “I never gave up on this ambition, and I never expect to”.

            At Hastings College, Shively, wrote the script to “Uncle Sam, Jr.”, a musical comedy with a measure of political satire.

            The theme of the play, Shively said, was war and peace on an international scale. On side in a conflict lays down its arms, accepting a peaceful solution to the war. The other follows suit. It was an idealistic play – but it was also 1933.

            “The basic philosophy of it was sort of negated by the emergence of Hitler. He shook the foundations of a lot of peace ideas at that time”, Shively said.

            Nevertheless, the play was produced by the college and toured Nebraska, with Shively in one of the leading roles.

            “I played the lead in it – a nice fat part written in it for myself”, Shively said. “I was interested in acting as well as writing”.

             Shively continued writing in Los Angeles, while working, attending school, getting married, becoming a father – all of which represented financial obligations.

            His first sales were in 1940, under the pen name of Thorne Lee, and they were detective stories “for the old pulp magazines”.

            Shively worked for a gas company during the war, writing as much as he could, knowing that the time would come when he’d strike out as a full-time writer.

            The image of the writer then, as now, involves a Bohemian and quite respectable lifestyle, he said.

            “Bohemian in the sense that it’s difficult to convince to people who aren’t writers that you’re making a living at it. Society casts you in this light”.

            “Writing isn’t quite a respectable profession, unless you write a best seller or become a name writer. Then you join the literary ranks”, Shively said.

            After the war, Shively moved his family to Ashland, Ore., in the search for a cheaper place to live, to enable him to write full time.

            He wrote for four years, publishing two novels, another novel published in serialized from, a large quantity of short stories and novelettes, all for detective magazines of that late 40’s era.

            Shively’s first novel, under the pen name of Thorne Lee, had two characters which his readers were to see in a number of other mystery stories he wrote.

            The characters were a brainy wheelchair detective and his private-eye partner, the physical dimension of the team.

            “They weren’t based on anyone I knew, just what I thought would make an interesting detective team”, he said. “But they didn’t achieve literary fame”.

            Shively and a number of writers grew up in the era of the pulp magazines, some moving on to larger and more prestigious publications, others into the movies and then-emerging and lucrative television.

            “The pulp magazine field was the most open one to writers”, he said. “And of course they emphasized mysteries and Westerns and science fiction. I never tried much science fiction, although I did sell a couple stories”.

            Shively tells of earning a reasonable living during those days, doing odd jobs on the side to keep things together.

            It wasn’t like that for all writers, though, Shively said, telling about Vern Athanas, a lumberjack he became friends with while Athanas was working in an Ashland bookstore.

            “Here I’d been writing all my adult life and he was an ex-lumberman working in a bookstore. He started writing for pulp magazines, writing westerns, and within six months he was hitting the major magazines, like the Saturday Evening Post”.

            Television precipitated the collapse of the pulp magazine market in the late 40’s, Shively said, and those who couldn’t make the transition to television and moves had to turn to other things.

            Shively left Ashland for Visalia, where he taught English on a junior college level for several years, beginning in 1950.

             During the summers off, he wrote his second novel, “Summer Shock”, a mystery with the Ashland Shakespeare festival as its backdrop.

            It sold 2,000 to 3,000 copies, he said – not a major success.

            Shively left Visalia for the Bay Area, stopping in Berkeley long enough to receive a librarian’s degree from the University of California.

            Then it was back to Ashland, Shively said, for four years working in the Southern Oregon College library.

            The next stop in his seemingly restless trek was Guadalajara, Mexico, where he sought a reduced standard of living for another shot at being a full-time writer.

            It was to be home for a year, but his stay only lasted six months as the financial pressures closed in.

            “The writing just wasn’t paying off”, Shively said. “That’s when I began looking in California and took this job at Cal State”.

            That was 12 years ago, Shively said, and he’s remained at Cal State, looking at his retirement as another opportunity to write, this time without the usual financial pressures.

            The 12 years at Cal State haven’t been non-writing years, though, since he’s written two plays which were produced at Encinal High School in Alameda.

            The first play, Shively said, was based on one of his mystery works, a novel which was serialized in 17 magazines, his first work to appear in “the slicks”.

            “Basically, my ideas seem to run in those lines – suspense. Don’t know whether it’s that or because I wrote in that area for so long, but my best ideas always come out in suspense”, he said.

            “To classify myself as a write, I’m one to whom the ideas come very readily, but the complete writing of the work doesn’t come as readily as the ideas”, Shively said.

            Being a librarian and being around books is an offshoot of the love of writing, Shively said, but “It’s frustrating to see all the books being published and not your own”.

           He remains an optimistic and smiling person, though, and keeps his notes up-to-date, outlining his ideas for his future novels, any one of which could be that best seller.

           

The following was located in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Santa Cruz, California, Sunday, June 22, 1980, page 70, Column 6:

SHIVELY – In Santa Cruz, California, June 21, 1980. Mr. Thornton Shively. Survived by his wife, Mrs. Susan Shively of Aptos; two daughters, Mrs. Susan Zare of Stanford and Mrs. Sally Legakis of Winston Salem, North Carolina. Also survived by five grandchildren. Native of Hastings, Nebraska, aged 67 years.

            Private cremation I.O.O.F. Crematory. Norman’s Family Chapel (Norman Benito, director), 3620 Soquel Drive, Soquel in charge of arrangements.