My Genealogy Hound

ASHER J. SHAW. Among the native-born citizens of Cass County, few are as well, and none more favorably, known than Squire Shaw, a successful farmer of Howard Township, residing upon section 23. He was born in this township on the 28th of September, 1847, and is the son of James and Maria P. (Wheeler) Shaw, both of whom were born in Rensselaer County, N. Y. The paternal grandfather, Samuel Shaw, was born and reared in that county, being the son of Col. Samuel Shaw, a native of Rhode Island and a participant in the War of the Revolution. The family traces its lineage to Scotland. The mother of our subject was the daughter of Asher J. Wheeler, a native of New York, who came to Cass County, Mich., at the age of seventeen years.

The parents of our subject were married in the Empire State in 1839, the bride being a girl of but sixteen years. During the following year the young couple came to Michigan, locating in Cass County, and purchasing land in Howard Township. They resided on one farm for a period of about twenty years, after which they removed to the farm now occupied by our subject. About 1888 the father retired from active agricultural operations, and, removing to Niles, now lives retired from the active business cares that filled his younger years. The wife and mother passed away in 1866. The only child of this worthy couple is the subject of our sketch, who was reared in the township where he still resides, receiving in his youth the advantages of a common-school education.

March 3, 1867, occurred the marriage of Mr. Shaw to Miss Sarah J. Bunbury, who was born in Niles Township, Berrien County, in 1848. Her parents, John and Mary (Martin) Bunbury, were natives respectively of Ireland and Pennsylvania, and were early settlers of Cass County. They were the parents of nine children, of whom Mrs. Shaw is the fourth in order of birth. She is a lady of superior intelligence and attainments, and is a loving wife and a devoted mother to her children, of whom there are two, Maria A. and James J., both at home. The home farm is one of the good ones in the township, and consists of one hundred and sixty acres, of which one hundred are in excellent cultivation, while the remainder are timber and pasture land. To a considerable extent, also, Mr. Shaw engages in stock-raising, and is one of the most successful general farmers in the vicinity.

In his social connections, Mr. Shaw affiliates with the Masonic fraternity, being a member of Edwardsburgh Lodge No. 106, A. F. & A. M., and is a Master Mason. He is also prominent in the Farmers’ Alliance. Politically a Democrat, he is now serving as Justice of the Peace. He filled the position of Supervisor from Howard Township for three years, and for twenty years he has been an incumbent of one of the school offices, and his interest in educational matters is unceasing. He is liberal in his views, a man of broad charity and great kindness of heart, and has won the regard of those among whom his entire life has been passed.