Levi moved from Newburyport to Boston sometime before 1817 when he married Jane Macelward and is still found in Boston in the 1820 census living with one male under the age of 10 (unsure who that may have been) and one woman age 26 - 44 who may be Jane who was only 21 at the time. We're not sure who the male under 10 years of age may have been.
Thomas had a daughter named Sarah Jane Shackford born sometime in 1822 - most likely Jane was her mother. Unfortunately Jane died of dysentery at the age of 23 on September 24, 1822 when Sarah was only an infant.
By February 12, 1824, Thomas had a new wife - Elizabeth Ganzlar. She was most likely the caregiver for Thomas' daughter Sarah Jane who died December 7, 1824 of lung fever at the age of two right before Thomas' son Ganzlar Shackford was born (about January 1825). Unfortunately, nine months later (September 15, 1825), George died in Boston of canker (a term often used for thrush). Sarah Jane was buried in the Granary Burying Ground and George G was buried in the Southworth Burial Ground.
Thomas died on June 22, 1825 of intemperance (excessive use of alcohol). His death was reported twice in the Salem Gazette and in the Boston Commercial Gazette. The June 24, 1825 Salem Gazette tells us that his death occurred while he was committed to the House of Commercial. While the article (transcribed below) doesn't mention his first name only Thomas Shackford has a date of death within two days of this article and his cause of death is listed as intemperance. Thomas was only 32 years old at his time of death and had lost a wife and two children, and was known as a common drunkard.
Transcription of 24 June 1825 Salem Gazette article: "A man by the name of Shackford, committed to the House of Correction on Saturday, as a common durukard [sic, jsp], died on Tuesday night. The verdict of a jury was, that he died of intemperance. Might not Ins [sic, jsp] death have been the consequence of being suddenly and totally deprived of stimulating liquors?"
Note: Tracking Thomas' life is a work in progress but we believe that the connections we have made are correct for the following reasons: Thomas' death record states he is from Newburyport, we have reviewed all the birth and death records from this town and have not found any other Shackford's named Thomas from Newburyport. Also, we have entered all the Thomas Shackfords in the United States into our database and there are no other individuals named Thomas with a birth date who could have married Jane Macelward or Elizabeth Ganzlar or be the father of Sarah Jane and George G Shackford. We did find one other record from 1825 which listed Thomas and William Shackford as mason's working in Cambridge which we are still trying to connect with the correct Thomas and William.
All posts on this website are a work in progress. We’d love to learn of any corrections or additions to the information shared. Also we’d love it if you’d like the post here or at http://www.facebook.com/shackfordgenealogy) as that helps share the post with others. Thanks!
SOURCES:
1800 United States Federal Census, Essex County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Town of Newburyport, page 300 or 21 (two handwritten numbers, unclear which is page number), Levi Shackford; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 July 2014).
1820 US Federal Census, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Boston, Ward 11, page 280 (stamped), Essex Street, Thomas Shackford; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 August 2014).
The Boston Directory; Containing Names of the Inhabitants; Their Occupation, Places of Business and Dwelling Houses; With Lists of the Streets, Lanes and Wharves, the City Officers, Public Offices, and Banks and other Useful Information (Boston: John H. A. Frost, and Charles Stimpson, Jr, 1825), page 235, Thomas Shackford, William Shackford; digital images, Hathi Trust (http://babel.hathitrust.org : accessed 26 April 2014)
"DEATHS," Boston Commercial Gazette (Boston, Massachusetts), 27 June 1825; digital images, America's Historical Newspapers (http://infoweb.newsbank.com : accessed 5 August 2014).
"DIED," Salem Gazette (Salem, Massachusetts), 24 June 1825; digital images, Godfrey Memorial America's Historical Newspapers (http://infoweb.newsbank.com : accessed 5 August 2014).
"Died.," Salem Gazette (Salem, Massachusetts), 28 June 1825, In Boston-Mr. Thomas G Shackford, of Newburyport; digital images, Godfrey Memorial America's Historical Newspapers (http://infoweb.newsbank.com : accessed 5 August 2014).
Find A Grave, Find A Grave, digital images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 8 August 2014), Sarah Jane Shachford, Find A Grave Memorial# 21706445.
Massachusetts, Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, , George G Shackford d. of canker, 15 September 1825; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 August 2014); Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records..
Massachusetts, Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, , Jane Macelward m., 11 May 1817; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 August 2014); Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records.
Massachusetts, Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, DEATHS AND INTERNMENTS IN BOSTON, page 46, Sarah Jane Shackford, 6 December 1824; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 August 2014); Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records.
Massachusetts, Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, page 463, Thomas Shackford & Elizabeth Ganzler, 12 February 1824; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 August 2014); Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records..
Massachusetts, Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, , Thomas Greenleaf Shackford, birth, 22 March 1793; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 August 2013); Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records.
Copyright 2017 Joanne Shackford Parkes (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not just copy this material and paste it elsewhere)