In celebration of the 250th Anniversary of our country, local members of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution will highlight the patriots buried in Southeast Missouri.
David Shelby was born in Wales about 1730 to Evan and Catherine Shelby. It is thought that he was their youngest child, and it would not have been impossible that he was born after the Shelbys moved to America.
In the great Indian uprising of 1763, David Shelby is believed to have been a volunteer from Maryland and reported to Col. Bouquet, the commander at Fort Pitt. In 1772, David moved from Maryland to the southwest corner of Pennsylvania, settling near the Monongahela River in what is now Greene County.
David married Elizabeth Balla, the daughter of James Balla of Little Cove. The Shelbys had four children: David Shelby married Eleanor Morris; Jonathan Shelby; James Shelby married Hannah Bell, and Elizabeth Shelby married James Burns.
During the Revolution, David is recognized for Patriotic Service via a Tax list proving his support of the cause. It is important that we recognize all of those men and women who supported the military and the new government through providing material and monetary support.
After the war, David faced the loss of his wife, Elizabeth, sometime between 1778 and 1783. David was remarried to Catherine Bell Ferris (widow of James Ferris), who had three sons with Ferris. David and Catherine had three children of this marriage and they were: Rees Shelby (never married); Eli Shelby married and was living in 1830 in Scott County, Missouri, and Mary.
In 1789, Captain Morgan wrote a proposal to build a city across from the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers and call it New Madrid. Captain Morgan received land from the Spanish government of the territory to start a town. While Captain Morgan’s initial proposal fell through, his advertisements of the proposal inspired many men from Maryland and Pennsylvania to come with him to settle the territory. David Shelby was amongst the first settlers. In 1795, David sold his farm to his sons Johathan and James. It is reported that “old“ David, accompanied by the rest of the family, including the youngest stepson, crossed the Ohio River and boated down to start a new life. They relocated on the right bank of the Mississippi River about 60 miles south of the mouth of the Ohio River. Upon arrival in what is now New Madrid County where he took an Oath of Allegiance to the King of Spain on July 21, 1795. A first census listing David Shelby shows him with one woman, six boys, four girls, one horse, eight cattle and 200 bushels of corn in his household.
David died between the 8th and 16th of January 1799, followed by Catherine two years later on May 7, 1802.
Sources:
New Madrid County Missouri Genealogy Trails: History of District of New Madrid
https://genealogytrails.com/mo/newmadrid/history_newmadrid.html
The State Historical Society of Missouri
https://collections.shsmo.org/manuscripts/columbia/c1380
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Shelby-39
https://www.ancestry.com.au/genealogy/records
A History of Missouri Volume II by Louis Houck, Chicago R.R. Donnelley and Sons Co 1908
https://digital.library.missouri.edu/sites/default/files/2025-02/mu_417784.pdf
1888 Southeast Missouri History Book p, 284, 197,
https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/2313013?availability=Family%20History%20Library
https://mdh.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/moplatbooks/id/1260
Compiled by Pamela Johnson, John Guild Chapter NSDAR
