JUDGE JAMES T. SHIELDS, whose home was at Bean's
Station, Grainger county, Tenn., was a native of Grainger
county, where he was born Sept. 21, 1824. He was of Irish
descent. His great-grandfather, William Shields, emigrated
from the County Armagh, North of Ireland, and settled in
Frederick City, Md., at an early day. He left a large family
and a considerable estate for that time. The old family mansion
is one of the landmarks of Frederick City, but is no longer
in the family's possession. His grandfather, James Shields,
moved to South Carolina and from there to Greene county.
Tenn., being one of the first settlers of that county. He died
Aug. 23, 1840, aged eighty-three years. He served as a
captain in the Revolutionary war, was a farmer by occupation,
and left a good estate. John Shields, Judge Shields' father,
was a soldier in the war of 1812. He moved to Missouri
when a young man, and while there was elected a member of
the general assembly of that state, but owing to failing health
he declined to serve and returned to Tennessee. He was a
merchant and for some time engaged in this business at Bean's
Station, where he married Mary, a daughter of Thomas Gill,
a wealthy farmer of that neighborhood, and died Oct. 2, 1829,
at the age of thirty-seven, leaving two children, James T.
and Elizabeth. Judge Shields' uncles, David, Milton and Samuel
Shields, were successful merchants and manufacturers. They
established the Holston Paper Mills, at Marshall's Ferry, in
what is now Hamblen county, the first paper mill in Tennessee.
Another uncle, William Shields, was a wealthy farmer at
Springfield. Mo., and one of his sons, James T., is a prominent
lawyer of that place. Thomas Gill was a native of Yorkshire,
England, where his father was a prominent land owner. He
came to America, settled in North Carolina, but in a short
time moved to East Tennessee, where he acquired the lands
now held by his descendants, in 1806, and resided there the
remainder of his life. He married Elizabeth Harrell, daughter
of a distinguished Baptist preacher of Bertie county, North
Carolina. Mrs. Shields, the mother of Judge Shields, after
the death of her husband, resided with her father at Bean's
Station for some years, sending her son to the best schools
of that day. At the age of twenty-two Judge Shields commenced
the study of law with Judge Robert M. Barton and
Hon. William H. Sneed; was admitted to the bar in 1852 by
Judge Robert McKinney, of the supreme court, and Judge
Robert M. Anderson; established an office on his farm at
Bean's Station, known as Clinchdale. and began the practice
of law in Grainger and the adjoining counties. In his practice
he met with remarkable success from the beginning, and was
employed in a very large part of all the important litigation of
his day in the county where he practiced. His clients came
to his office on his farm to consult him. He at no time had
an office elsewhere. He was a profound and learned lawyer,
and had the faculty of presenting his views to courts and
juries with great clearness and force; and was successful in
the majority of the cases in which he appeared. From 1865
to 1873 he was associated in the practice with Col. John Netherland,
one of the most eminent advocates that ever practiced
in Tennessee. From 1880 until 1890 he was associated with
his son, John K. Shields. In 1861 Judge Shields was elected
to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States. This
was followed by a nomination to the regular Congress, but he
was unable to serve on account of bad health. The only part
he ever took in politics was while canvassing in connection with
these two offices. He was a Whig before the war, a "rebel"
during the war and a Democrat afterward. In 1870 he was
appointed special judge of the supreme court of Tennessee by
Gov. D. W. C. Senter, and served through the session of that
court held at Knoxville in that year. Upon the resignation of
Judge Thomas A. R. Nelson, one of the judges of the supreme
court, he was appointed by Gov. John C. Brown to fill the
vacancy, but declined and recommended Hon. Robert McFarland,
who was then appointed. When the arbitration court
was organized, in 1879, for the relief of the congested docket
of the supreme court, he was appointed by Gov. A. S. Marks
one of the judges of this court, and again declined. His published
opinions, delivered while sitting as special judge of the
supreme court appear in volumes 1 and 2, Heiskell's Tennessee
Reports, and are remarkably strong and clear statements of the
law in the cases in which they were delivered. For a number
of years previous to his death he was much interested in the
management of his farm, Clinchdale, an estate consisting of
about 3,700 acres, and devoted to the growing of grasses and
breeding and selling of blooded cattle and sheep. In this business
his son, W. S. Shields, was for a time interested with
him. Judge Shields married Miss Aurelia Glenn, a daughter of
Rev. Robert Glenn, of Tazewell, Tenn., May 11, 1848. She
died in 1849, leaving one child, Mary Aurelia, who on growing
to womanhood became the wife of W. D. Gammon, a prominent
lawyer of Morristown, Tenn. He was again married,
Dec. 8, 1852, to Miss Elizabeth Simpson, of Rogersville, Tenn.
a daughter of William Simpson, a native of County Antrim,
Ireland, and a prosperous merchant at Rogersville. Mrs.
Shields' mother was Elizabeth Kane Simpson, who was also
Irish. Mrs. Shields was educated at Salem, N. C., was a
Presbyterian and a woman of extraordinary common-sense,
excellent disposition and fine executive ability. Her husband,
who was never physically strong and afflicted through much of
his life with great nervous excitability, attributed much of what
success he attained in life to her considerate and affectionate
care and support. They had ten children. Three died in
infancy. Those arriving at manhood were William S., John K.,
Robert G., James T., Samuel G., Joseph S. and Milton L.
Shields. Judge Shields died Nov. 4, 1899, surviving his wife
and all of his children, excepting his sons, William S., John K.,
Samuel G. and Joseph S. Shields. William S. Shields moved
to Knoxville in 1890 and there established the City National
bank, now one of the largest and leading financial institutions
in the state, and of which he is now president. John K. Shields
continues to reside upon the farm, Clinchdale. After his father
retired from the practice, in 1893, he formed a partnership
with Hon. R. E. L. Mountcastle, which continued until 1902.
He was appointed chancellor of the twelfth chancery division
of Tennessee, in 1893, without solicitation, by Governor Turney,
and served nearly two years, when he returned to the
practice. In 1902 he was elected one of the associate judges
of the supreme court of Tennessee, and now holds that office.
Samuel G. Shields is also a lawyer and has resided and prac-
ticed his profession in Knoxville, Tenn., since 1889, where he
has taken high rank as a corporation and commercial lawyer
and commands a large and lucrative practice. For a number of
years he was in partnership with Hon. John W. Green, but
is now the senior member of the firm of Shields, Gates &
Mounteastle. He was appointed to serve as special judge of
the supreme court of Tennessee during the illness of Judge
McAlister, one of the judges of that court, in 1899, and the
opinions delivered by him appear in volume 19 of Pickle's
Tennessee Reports. Joseph S. Shields is a wholesale merchant,
engaged in business in the city of New York, where he is
meeting with much success in his business.
