Memorials › Thomas Shirley
Thomas Shirley
30 Dec 1858 – 26 Nov 1937
| Birth | 30 Dec 1858 |
| Death | 26 Nov 1937 |
| Cemetery | Salem Pioneer Cemetery Salem , Marion County , Oregon , USA |
| Added by | Dona Horine on 13 Aug 2014 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24697426 |
Bio
Thomas Shirley was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa in December of 1858 to William and Esther Shirley. Thomas' parents had recently been baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had developed a desire to join the main body of the church in the Utah Territory. William's brother Thomas (for whom Thomas was named) married Esther's sister Martha. They too, joined the LDS Church and made their way to the Utah Territory. In March 1859, William, Esther and baby Thomas, boarded the ship "Alacrity" and sailed for America from Port Elizabeth. They arrived three months later in Boston. From there, they made their way to Council Bluffs, Iowa and joined a Mormon wagon train bound for what was then called "Great Salt Lake City." They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in September 1859. They initially lived in the Millcreek area of the Salt Lake Valley, but moved back and forth from the Salt Lake Valley to the Bear Lake Valley several times. By 1879, the Shirley family settled permanently in the Bear Lake Valley (Fish Haven, Idaho.) They lived not far from his uncle Thomas and aunt Martha Shirley. Thomas was the second of seven sons: George, [Thomas], William, Charles, Edgar, James and John. His older brother George died as an infant before Thomas was born. Three of his younger brothers, William, Edgar and John, all died as infants while the family was living in the Salt Lake Valley. Thomas was the eldest of the three surviving brothers. In 1892, Thomas married Mary Alice Heyworth, a British immigrant and convert to the LDS Church. Together, they had four children: Neva (1895), Caroline (1898) who was called "Carrie," Lillie Ann Mary (1907) and Harold (1913.) Harold died as an infant. Mary later left Thomas for a boarder that was staying with them in the Shirley home. According to Thomas' nephew, Arthur Shirley, "[Tom] came home one night and on the table was a note [from Mary]: 'Tom, I've taken Lillie and gone with [this man.]' Well, poor Uncle Tom. It broke his heart. He was just a roamer after that." Thomas died in Salem, Oregon in 1937 and was buried in what is now called the Salem Pioneer Cemetery. He was 79 years old. Obituary (found on the cemetery's website): SHIRLEY-In this city, November 26, Thomas Shirley, aged 79 years, of 411 Front street, father of Mrs. Carrie Edwards, Idaho Falls, Idaho, and brother of Charles C. Shirley of Fish Haven, Idaho. Funeral services will take place from the W. T. Rigdon company chapel Monday, November 29, at 10 a.m. Committal services IOOF cemetery. Oregon Statesman 28 Nov 1937, 7:2 Other records about Thomas included on the cemetery's website: Burial: 29 November 1937 Died at: Deaconess Hospital Occupation: LaborerPlot: 600 NOTE: The Salem Pioneer Cemetery (formerly known as the "IOOF Cemetery") was vandalized in the 1970's. Thomas Shirley's headstone was destroyed. Sources: Family records, Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org and salempioneercemetery.org
Photos
Family
Parents
Spouse
Siblings
- George William Shirley 1856–1856
- William Shirley 1863–1863
- Charles Coulson Shirley 1864–1954
- Edgar Shirley 1869–1871
- James Frederick Shirley 1873–1924
- John Shirley 1876–1877
Children
- Neva Eunice Shirley Weakley 1895–1982
- Carrie M Shirley Edwards 1898–1978
- Lillie Ann Mary Shirley Smajstrla 1907–1978
- Harold Shirley 1913–1913
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