Biography - George Shufflebarger
GEORGE W. SHUFFLEBARGER. Among the prosperous and leading farmers of Pope County stands the gentleman whose name heads this sketch, and who has spent his entire life in this immediate neighborhood. He is a man of upright character and merits the high regard in which he is held by those he has known since boyhood. As a farmer he is enterprising and industrious, carrying on his farm of one hundred and two acres, situated on sections 16 and 17, township 12, range 6, in a thrifty and thoroughly creditable manner. Our subject's father, Abraham Shufflebarger, was a native of the Old Dominion, and during his entire lifetime followed agricultural pursuits. When only a boy he came with his parents to Illinois, where he grew to man's estate and then married Miss Parmelia Whiteside, a native of this county. By her he had a family of nine children, of whom three are now living. The father was called from this life in 1862, leaving to his children as their heritage a good name, as he was a man whose life was "as an open book."
Our subject was left an orphan at a tender age, and, as he was born August 17, 1855, was only seven years of age at the time of his father's death. He went to live with an uncle in Johnson County, Ill., remaining with him until reaching his majority, and attending the common schools of the vicinity. He was an apt pupil, quick to learn, and possessed of a retentive memory, and after passing an examination creditably, received a certificate to teach. When first embarking in the actual business of life for himself he rented land in Johnson County for two years, and then returning to this, the place of his birth, rented a farm for a year. He was frugal, careful and industrious, and by means of these qualities was enabled at the end of that time to purchase a good farm, the one on which he now resides. He has shown himself to be an enterprising agriculturist, who, in accord with the spirit of the times, is ready and anxious to introduce all modern machinery and appliances for the saving of labor and the better carrying on of farm work.
January 19, 1879, Mr. Shufflebarger was married to Miss Marian Nicholson, also a native of this county, her birth having occurred November 30, 1858. Her mother was born in Germany, and emigrated with her parents to the United States at an early day. Her father, however, was born in Tennessee and was one of the honored pioneers of Pope County. The union of our subject and wife has been blessed with seven children, who are still living. The parents are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, near the old homestead, the same one our subject has attended from boyhood. He has served his fellow-citizens and neighbors in a number of positions of trust and honor, having been School Director for six years, and for four years having made an excellent Road Supervisor. He is always interested and active in all measures instituted for the betterment and advancement of this region. He casts his vote with the Republican party and is a man whose word is as good as his bond, he having won a high reputation for strict integrity and upright principle.
Extracted 16 Dec 2016 by Norma Hass from 1893 Biographical Review of Johnson, Massac, Pope, and Hardin Counties, Illinois, pages 512-513.
