Husband Hon. James Sheakley 1 2
Born: 24 Apr 1829 - Mercer Co, PA 2
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Died:
Buried:
Father: Moses Sheakley (1786-1840) 1 2
Mother: Susanna Limber ( -1884) 2
Marriage: 25 Dec 1855 2
Wife Lydia Long 2
Born:
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Died:
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Children
1 F Ida Belle Sheakley 2
Born: 25 Sep 1856 2
Christened:
Died: 22 Oct 1879 2
Buried:
2 F Clara Agnes Sheakley 2
Born: 8 Apr 1859 2
Christened:
Died: 8 Dec 1881 2
Buried:
3 M Frederick Edwin Sheakley 2
Born: 5 May 1864 2
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Spouse: Did Not Marry
General Notes: Husband - Hon. James Sheakley
At five years of age he commenced to attend private school, no public school being established in Pennsylvania until 1840. He had read the Bible through when eight years old and all the books in the neighborhood were gathered into his library. A gentleman living nearby owned Captain Marryat's novels, but refused to loan them to any one, so young Sheakley worked all day in the harvest field for the privilege of reading the two volumes, "Peter Simple" and "Mr. Midshipman Easy."
His father died when he was ten years of age and he worked on the farm and attended school until he arrived at the age of sixteen years. He intended to become a lawyer but his mother objected, saying she had two sons who were lawyers, and wanted one honest man in the family. In 1845, therefore, James went to the city of Meadville to learn the business of manufacturing furniture and attend the Meadville Academy. He returned to Sheakleyville in 1849; bought the old homestead farm and resided with his mother until December, 1851, when he started for California by way of Nicaragua, and arrived in San Francisco February 2, 1852. He followed gold mining three years, returned to the old home at Sheakleyville in 1854, and was married the next year. He remained on the farm until 1859, when he engaged in the mercantile business with his brother-in-law, William Achre, at Greenville, Pennsylvania. In 1859, soon after Colonel Drake demonstrated that oil could be obtained by the drilling process, Mr. Sheakley became interested in drilling a well near where the Drake well was producing oil. In August, 1864, he held an interest in the Grant oil well at Pithole and was superintendent of the company, the well producing a thousand barrels of oil a day and the produce selling for six dollars a barrel on the ground.
He followed the oil business along the line of the oil development until he was elected to the Forty-fourth Congress in 1874. His district, which was composed of Butler, Crawford and Mercer counties, and had always been Republican, elected Sheakley, who had always been a Democrat. While a member of Congress in 1876 he introduced and advocated the enactment of an anti-rebate bill for the purpose of stopping the payment of rebates on freight paid to the railroads for the transportation of oil, crude or refined. The bill was prepared by Lewis Emery, Jr. He opposed the Electoral Commission bill, and led the filibustering movement on the floor of the house for the purpose of stopping the counting in of Mr. Hayes by the commission and to have the house of representatives elect Tilden. Each state having one vote, the Democrats had twenty of the thirty-eight states then composing the Union. He also advocated and carried through the house of representatives an amendment to the appropriation bill to sustain and enlarge the bureau of education in the government of the United States. The success of this bill made him many warm and lifelong friends, including such men as General John Eaton, Dr. Sheldon Jackson, William T. Harris, Senators Lamar and Blackburn, and many others who were interested in the cause of education. At the assembling of the Forty-fourth Congress in December, 1875, the house of representatives had a Democratic majority of seventy-five, and it was the first time the party had control of the lower house since the war between the states. This was a great surprise and disappointment to the Republicans, as they relied on the negro vote to give their party perpetual control of all departments of the government for all time. The house of representatives of the Forty-fourth Congress contained many men distinguished for experience, ability and patriotism, which gave Mr. Sheakley an opportunity of making the acquaintance of many leading statesmen of the country, such as Samuel J. Randall, Heistor Clymer, William Mutchler, Levi Maish and William D. Kelley, of Pennsylvania; Alexander H. Stevens and Benjamin Hill, of Georgia; Carter H. Harrison, Adlai E. Stevenson, William Morrison, "Uncle" Joe Cannon, and William M. Springer, of Illinois; William S. Holman, of Indiana; John Young Brown, J. Proctor Knott, Henry Watterson and Joseph C. S. Blackburn, of Kentucky; James G. Blaine, William P. Frye and Eugene Hale, of Maine; General N. P. Banks, George F. Hoar and J. H. Seeley, of Massachusetts; L. Q. C. Lamar, H. DeSoto Money and General Charles Hooker, of Mississippi; Richard P. Bland, of Missouri; S. S. Cox, Fernando Wood, Elijah Ward, A. S. Hewitt and T. C. Platt, of New York; James A. Garfield and Henry B. Payne, of Ohio; Roger Q. Mills and John H. Ragon, of Texas; John Randolph Tucker and Eppa Hunton, of Virginia; Stephen B. Elkins, of West Virginia, and many others known to fame.
Congress passed an act approved May 17, 1884, creating a civil government for the territory of Alaska, the judicial department to consist of one United States district court and four inferior courts, the judges of which were called United States commissioners, to have jurisdiction and powers of commissioners of United States circuit courts and all the powers to a justice of the peace under the laws of Oregon; also to have jurisdiction in all probate and testamentary matters and to hold regular terms of court. In July, 1887, Grover Cleveland, president of the United States, appointed James Sheakley one of the commissioners to reside at Fort Wrangell, Alaska, and he arrived at that place to begin the performance of his official duties August 9th of that year. In addition to the duties of United States commissioners and probate judge, he was appointed superintendent of the government school in Alaska by the commissioner of education at Washington, District of Columbia. During the five years of his official service in Alaska he did much to educate, civilize and improve the condition of the natives, and also rendered great assistance to the missionaries and missions of all denominations in all parts of the territory, for which the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions of New York made to him grateful acknowledgment. He was the only Democratic official to serve through the administration of President Harrison. In May, 1892, Mr. Sheakley was elected one of the two delegates from Alaska to attend the Democratic national convention which met at Chicago, June 21, 1892, for the purpose of nominating candidates for the offices of president and vice president of the United States, resigning his official position in Alaska that he could be free to attend this convention. In making the nomination for president the delegates from all of the states voted previous to the territories, and when the territories were called the two delegates from Alaska, Hons. A. K. Deloney and James Sheakley, voted for Grover Cleveland, their two ballots giving him the two-thirds majority required for a nomination. The entire delegation from the state of New York was opposed to the nomination of Mr. Cleveland, with Gen. Sickels and Bourke Cochran as their leaders, and when the result was announced by the chairman, they all cried out, "Alaska did it; and it is not fair. Alaska is not in the United States, and had no right to a voice in this convention." But Grover Cleveland was elected president of the United States for the second time in November, 1892, and was inducted into office March 4, 1893, appointing James Sheakley governor of Alaska on June 28th of the same year. Mr. Sheakley arrived at Sitka, the capital of the territory, August 28th, and assumed the duties of his office as governor of Alaska on that day. While governor, Mr. Sheakley continued the good work of promoting schools and missions, protecting the Indians against whisky smugglers and executing the laws for the punishment of all law breakers. Peace, good order and safety, for both persons and property, prevailed throughout the territory during his administration, and he even refused the assistance of United States troops, they being withdrawn from the territory through his influence and upon the representation that the civil government and judicial bodies were sufficient to enforce the laws.
On board the revenue cutter "Richard Rush," Captain Calvin Hooper, of the United States Navy, commanding, Governor Sheakley made a voyage to the westward, visiting many of the Aleutian Islands, meeting with many Indian tribes and making himself acquainted with their conditions and needs. He also visited the Seal Islands in Bering Sea and remained several days on the island of St. Paul, for the purpose of inspecting the mode of driving, killing, skinning and preparing the seal pelts for shipment.
The city of Sitka, a seaport, situated on the beautiful bay of Sitka, Baronof Island, was founded by Alexander Baronof, governor of the Russian-America Fur Company in 1798, and was with proper ceremonies turned over to the United States, Friday, October 18, 1866. Naval vessels of all nations cruising in the North Pacific Ocean frequently visit this port, the regulations requiring all officers in command of a war vessel, both foreign and domestic, immediately after arrival to go ashore in full dress uniform and call on the governor. They are warmly received by his excellency, and after exchanging short biographies with each other and relating how they wandered so far from home and narrating a few other fables the commander returns to his ship, and the governor is received with great ceremonies on shipboard the following day. A United States man-of-war is stationed at Sitka, the officers of which take part in doing the honors while a visiting ship is in port. The receptions, banquets and other festivities given while the visitors remain invest the social life at Sitka with a charm not realized elsewhere, and compensates for many privations endured in this land of the midnight sun.
Having served his full term of four years, Mr. Sheakley resigned his commission as governor and returned to his old home at Greenville, Pennsylvania. He was elected a member of the Greenville school board of directors in 1862, when he immediately advocated the erection of a Union school building, large enough to accommodate all of the schools in the town, eight in number, and to provide for a graded system. The plan was successful, a brick building of eleven rooms was completed. Mr. Sheakley served on the school board for eleven years, or until he was elected to Congress in 1874. He was also deeply interested in having Thiel College located at Greenville. On the suggestion of Dr. D. B. Packard he went to Pittsburgh, where he met the synod of the Lutheran church at that place and explained to that body the advantage of Greenville for the location of an institution of learning. He also informed the synod that Dr. D. B. Packard would donate the land for the building and campus, and that the citizens of Greenville would give ten thousand dollars toward buildings. The synod appointed a committee to investigate Mr. Sheakley's proposal, the report of which resulted in having Thiel College located at Greenville permanently. He was one of the original incorporators and first president of the Greenville Water Company in 1882. Governor Sheakley was elected burgess of Greenville, February, 1909. [HMC 1909, 564]