William Lee Shields was born and raised to manhood at Mount Holly, Green County, Ohio. He married Jane Rook of near Dunkirk in 1852. She died in 1861 leaving two girls, Mary and Caroline. Caroline died in young womanhood. Mary married Joseph Christler. She died in 1833 leaving one son Elmer.
In 1865 William remarried Arvilla Jones Mittschell (May 7, 1834) March 31, 1913. Her death occurred at Marion, Indiana. She was buried at Pennvill, Indiana, by the side of her husband in the I. O. O. F. cemetery. William and Arvilla's four children were:
I. Hannah (August 24, 1867) wife of William Patterson. There were no children.
II. Preston (b. :March 15, 1869-1935) married Mary Davison. Preston and Mary had nine children. They were:
1. Livina (April 15, 1900) married James Boise. Their four children were Dorsey, Alvin, Dorthy and Treva, James Boise died in the Veterans' Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1941.
2. Clarandia, who married James Wilson. They have no children.
3. Milah married Donald Dickson. Their only child was Iris, deceased.
4. Clarence, living at home.
5. Truman married Dorthy Wingate. They have one child, Helen Joyce.
6. Winfield married Lily Horn. They had no children.
William and Arvilla's other three children died in infancy.
III. John Mason Shields (October 7, 1870-November 1, 1942) married Emma Bell Strohl (April 15, 1877) on April 1, 1899. Their children are:
1. Nellie Mae (January l, 1900) who married Earl Richard Smith on December 23, 1919 at Kalamazoo, Michigan. Their two children are Robert Eugene (May 29, 1925) entered United States Navy on September 8, 1942, and Joyce Elaine (August 21, 1928.)
2. Thelma Genevra (May 7, 1901). She married Clyde Pettyjohn on February 26, 1921. They have one daughter, Roberta Jean (April 9; 1924).
3. Minnie Luella (December 1, 1903) married Charles Ernest Shepard September 17, 1929. Their two sons are Richard Charles (b. July 3, 1934) and Robert William (b. Sept. 28, 1936.)
IV. Sarah Alice Shields (May 7, 1872) married Oscar Zeigler, December, 1888. She died Jan. 18, 1899, in Jay county, and the husband died in 1930. Their children were: Prestina Madelow (November 21, 1893) and Edna (November 19, 1894). Prestina married Oscar Carlson and they had two girls and a boy. They were Ada, Elsie and Leland. Her husband died in about 1932.
Edna married Orlo Smith and their two children were Alice and Ruth. Edna died May 8, 1935.