James Thomas Abshire

Brief Life History of James Thomas

When James Thomas Abshire was born on 3 June 1844, in Roanoke, Virginia, United States, his father, Jubal Abshire, was 40 and his mother, Nancy Hatten, was 32. He married Leanna Miller on 7 February 1867, in Henry, Indiana, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 daughter. He lived in Big Lick, Roanoke County, Virginia, United States in 1850 and Jackson Township, Elkhart, Indiana, United States in 1860. He died on 29 November 1899, in Jefferson Township, Henry, Indiana, United States, at the age of 55, and was buried in Middletown, Fall Creek Township, Henry, Indiana, United States.

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Family Time Line

James Thomas Abshire
1844–1899
Martha Jane Showalter
1855–1928
Marriage: 12 August 1875
Ulysses Stephen Abshire
1876–1928
Jacob Anderson Abshire
1881–1939
Olive Fern Abshire
1887–1971
Neita Glade Abshire
1892–1981
Veo Calton Abshire
1895–1963

Sources (27)

  • James T Alshire, "United States Census, 1870"
  • James T Abshire, "Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007"
  • James T. Abshire, "Indiana, Deaths and Burials, 1750-1993"

World Events (8)

1846

U.S. acquires vast tracts of Mexican territory in wake of Mexican War including California and New Mexico.

1847 · Hollywood Cemetery Established

Hollywood Cemetery was established in 1847 in Richmond Virginia. This is where Presidents James Monroe and John Tyler are buried. During the Civil War it became the largest military interments and a large section dedicated to military burials. Jefferson Davis a well known Confederate is also buried here. Many other notable people are also buried here.

1861 · The Battle of Manassas

The Battle of Manassas is also referred to as the First Battle of Bull Run. 35,000 Union troops were headed towards Washington D.C. after 20,000 Confederate forces. The McDowell's Union troops fought with General Beauregard's Confederate troops along a little river called Bull Run. 

Name Meaning

Probably an altered form of English Upsher .

Possibly also an Americanized form of German Ibscher: from Middle High German überscher ‘surplus’, applied as a nickname for someone who lived on surplus land that had not been allotted during the establishment of a settlement. The surname Abshire is found mainly in LA and TX. Compare Abshear , Absher , and Abshier .

History: Lewis Abshire bought land in VA in 1637, but it is not known where he came from. — Peter Ipsher or Abshire is recorded in Augusta County, VA, in 1723. — John (Jacob) Abshire alias Jean Jacques Abcher, believed to have been born in Germany, was listed as one of Irish and German Catholic refugees who arrived in LA from PA in 1780. — Mentioned in a taxation list for Franklin County, VA, for 1786 are William, Abraham, Christian, Jacob, and Lodowick Abshire.

Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.

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