On May 29, 1848 Wisconsin officially became the 30^th state to join the United States of America. During the next fifty years immigrants from all over Europe poured into Wisconsin bringing their families, skills as workers, and rich traditions. Our families, especially the Graham and Shea families, were among those early families that settled here. As Wisconsin ends its Sesquicentennial year as a state, we can take pride not only in our rich cultural heritages, but in the founding of a state by our ancestors.

This is a general genealogical account of the BECKER, HEINRICH, GRAHAM, and SHEA families that settled in and around the Beloit, Wisconsin area during the second half of the 19^th century. It covers four generations and spans a time period of more than one hundred and fifty years. A written family history is never complete and is always considered tentative and open to revision. Some names and dates do show variation between the sources of information. This account is primarily based on five sources of information: cemetery records, the national census, obituaries, oral information, and vital records. These sources are discussed in greater detail below.

Cemetery Records - Internment dates, location of burial, and sometimes biographical information can all be obtained from calling the cemetery where the deceased is buried. Once the exact location of the burial is known, a visit can be made to the grave site to get any other information that is on the headstones. The three cemeteries that I visited in Beloit, were: Calvary Catholic Cemetery on Colley Road, East Lawn Protestant Cemetery on Milwaukee Road, and Oakwood Cemetery also on Milwaukee Road.

The National Census - The national census has a great deal of information that is of interest to genealogists. Recorded every ten years, (1790-1920; 1920 being the latest one available to the public), it contains vital statistics on everyone living within a given household. The census enumerators would usually come in the spring or early summer of a census year to record the data. The census has information such as: the names of everyone living on the property at that time, their age, race, number of years married, occupation, where everyone was born (state or country), number of children, number that were still living, whether everyone in the house could read, write, and speak English, whether the family had a farm or a house, if they had a mortgage or rented, and if they had any schooling. Other information that can be found in specific censuses are immigration dates, and if anyone in the household had any type of disease. The ages and birth dates in the census however are often incorrect and can be off by as much as a couple of years. Unfortunately this is sometimes the only place to get birth years for some people.

Obituaries - Obituaries are a great source for biographical information. They often contain names of relatives, dates, information on work, and community involvement of the deceased. In order to find obituaries however, the exact date of death has to be known. Death certificates are a great place to get that piece of information. The main newspaper used for this family history was The Beloit Daily News, which can be found on microfilm at the Wisconsin State Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin or the Beloit Public Library in Beloit.

Oral Information - A good place to start any genealogical research is with living relatives. The basis of this entire work was graciously provided to me by my great-aunt, Patricia Shea Leeder of Janesville, Wisconsin. I also spoke with my other great-aunt, Jeannine Shea Halm of Midway City, California and Jim Ryan of Beloit. All of the wonderful photographs that appear in this family history were also provided to me by these people. Thank you!

Vital Records - The vital records are official certificates that record specific events in a person’s life. They can be found in three forms: Birth, Marriage, and Death. Before 1907 such certification was not required in Wisconsin, but in many cases people did register these events with the county government. The vital records are a good source for exact dates. They also show parentage and place of birth, which provides an important link to the previous generation. Vital records can be found at the county courthouse in the county where the birth, marriage, or death took place. The two counties that provided most of the vital records for this history were the Rock County Courthouse in Janesville, Wisconsin and the Winnebago County Courthouse in Rockford, Illinois. Vital records before 1907 are also available at the Wisconsin State Historical Society for all Wisconsin counties.

Other Sources - The Social Security Death Index, SSDI for short, is available on the Internet at: www.ancestry.com among other places. It is an index that contains over 59.7 million records (as of June 1998) created from SSA payment records. This is a good place to obtain birth and death dates if it is known where the person you are seeking lived when they died. The SSDI is limited in that it only contains people who have had social security numbers and consequently those who have died since 1930.

Churches also keep records of baptisms, marriages, deaths, and funerals. I had a hard time tracking down my great-great grandmother’s death date, because I did not know that she had died in Elgin, Illinois, which is in Kane County, Illinois. So I called St. Peter’s (the church the Shea family attended in South Beloit) to see if they had any records. St. Peter’s did have her death date, so then I was able to proceed in looking up her obituary and death certificate.

William Ager Thanksgiving 1998

Christian Henry "Christ" Becker 1859-1941 and Louise Becker 1863-1942 were the children of Christian Becker and Louise Helene Grauvogel. (The name "Grauvogel" is written on the back of a portrait of Louise and her husband Carl Heinrich as part of Louise’s full name. This is a genuine German surname, and it means "Gray-bird" in English.) The Becker family was from the Saarbrücken area, which is near the German and French border. Before 1909, present day Saarbrücken was actually three separate towns named Saarbrücken, St. Johann and Malstatt-Burbach. Christ was born in St. Johann on September 6, 1859, while Louise was born on August 25, 1863. Christian and Louise Becker were known to have come from a big family that had owned a beer-garden in Saarbrücken.

Christian Becker married Dorothy Heinrich in Treves (Trier), Germany on October 16, 1881. They immigrated together and arrived in New York on March 2, 1885. They first settled in Watertown, Wisconsin which is where they lived for several years before they moved to Beloit, Wisconsin in 1890. Christ’s sister, Louise Becker, also came to the United States with her son Fritz in 1885. (It is undetermined if Louise and Fritz immigrated with the Beckers or came at another date, because I have not been able to find their names on the passenger lists from Germany around this time.) Louise had Fritz out of wedlock and wanted to start a new life. Christ’s wife Dorothy arranged to have her brother, Carl Heinrich, marry Louise and take care of young Fritz. So Louise and Carl Heinrich were married in Watertown, Wisconsin on January 6, 1887. (See Biography on Carl Heinrich for more information)

In Beloit, Christian worked as a machinist expert for Berlin Machine Works (later called Yates-American Company), while Dorothy was a housekeeper. The Beckers then moved to Rockford, Illinois where Christ was a chief designer for Mattison Machine Works. He invented three sanding machines while working there, but never took out any patents. Christian retired in 1931 and the Beckers then moved to Roscoe, Illinois which is where they lived for the remainder of their years. Christian died on November 15, 1941 of respiratory failure and Dorothy died on June 18, 1940 of acute dilation of the heart. They were buried together at Pinnacle Hill Cemetery in Roscoe, Illinois.

Christian and Dorothy might have had as many as nine children (1900 Census), but we know of six for sure. Their children in descending order of age were: Louise (William Fey) born November 1885, Christian Jr. born November 18, 1886, Clara (August Guetschow) born May 1889, Fritz born April 1891, Edna (Carl Brannin) born Feb 3, 1893, and Dorothy (E. F. Meyer) born December 1893.

The Feys lived in Chicago. Christian Jr. moved to Big Rapids, Michigan. The Guetschows lived in Beloit. Fritz lived in Milwaukee and Green Bay. Edna moved out to Los Angeles, and Dorothy lived in Joliet, Illinois. The Guetschows remained good friends with the James Edward Shea family. August and Clara had four boys: Harold, Phillip, Donald, all of South Beloit, and Richard of Indianapolis.

Carl Heinrich 1850-1935 and Dorothy Heinrich 1857-1940 were the children of Peter and Louise Heinrich. They were born in the city of Veldenz, Germany, near the Mosel River in the Rhineland-Pfalz province. (Another possible birth place for Carl and Dorothy is Bernkastel, Germany, which is only four miles away from Veldenz. [See Carl’s marriage certificate]) Carl was born on March 30, 1850, while Dorothy was born on January 4, 1857. Dorothy immigrated to the United States on March 2, 1885 with her husband Christian Becker (For more on Dorothy see the Christian Becker Biography), which was the same year that Carl and his future wife Louise Becker came over. There is a good chance that they all came together, but I have not been able to fine an exact immigration date for Carl and Louise to prove this one way or another.

Carl first settled in Watertown, Wisconsin along with the Beckers, and while living in Watertown he married Louise Becker on January 6, 1887. Conrad Heinrich (No relation or not a close one), Hiebert Seefeldt, and Reinhold Zobel were the attendants at the wedding. It was common for immigrants to initially take a more American sounding name, so Carl took the name "Charles" on his marriage certificate (Charles is the English equivalent of Carl). Carl first worked as a shoemaker in Watertown, which was the business his friend Conrad was in. After living in Watertown for a few years, Carl and Louise moved on to Milwaukee and then later came to Beloit, which is where they lived for the rest of their lives. Carl worked as a laborer and machinist in Beloit. One of the companies he worked for was Yates-American Machine Company of Beloit. Carl stayed with that job for 26 years. Louise did laundry for the businessmen of Beloit and was a housekeeper. Carl and Louise had five children including Fritz, who Louise had from a previous relationship. Their children in descending order of age were: Fritz or "Fred" (Ann), Carl "Carlsha", Carl Jr. (Florence Day) (Mildred Quintrell), Louise (James Edward Shea), and Florence (Carl Emery).

Carl Heinrich died on August 10, 1935. The probable cause of death was carcinoma of the stomach. Louise died on October 17, 1942 of chronic myocarditis. Carl Heinrich was raised Protestant while Louise and the Becker family were Catholic. They were buried together at East Lawn Cemetery in Beloit, Wisconsin.

Fritz or Fred Hendrick 1884-1940s was the son of Louise Becker and a man with the last name of Rothschild. Fritz was born in Germany around August 1884 and came to the United States with his mother in 1885. Fred worked as a waiter in Beloit at the turn of the century and later he moved up to Green Bay, Wisconsin. He married a woman with the first name of Ann and had at least 3 sons. Fred’s family took on the less German sounding name of Hendrick. They owned a bar in Allouez, which is a suburb of Green Bay. Fred died between 1942 and 1949.

Carl "Carlsha" Heinrich 1888-1893 was the first child of Carl and Louise. Carlsha was born around 1888 and died at age 5. His family buried him at Oakwood Cemetery in an unmarked grave on October 21, 1893. Carlsha died of "croup", which is an infection that causes the windpipe and larynx (voice box) to swell. It is usually part of a cold.

Carl Jr. Heinrich 1894-1949 was born on September 10, 1894. He first married Florence Day around 1919. Carl and Florence had two children, Dorothy and Dick. He then married Mildred Quintrell on July 24, 1928. They had five sons and one daughter, Duane, Earl, Keith (Nancy), Jerry (Dolores), Paul (Jane) and Barbara (William Bliss). Carl worked at the Yates-American Machine Company and later at the Wisconsin Knife Works in a supervisory capacity. He was injured in a fall around 1939 and was not able to recover. Carl was confined to his home until his death on November 30, 1949. The cause of death was Bronchial pneumonia. He was buried at East Lawn Cemetery.

Louise Heinrich 1898-1977 was born on December 31, 1898. She was a high school graduate, which was rare for women during the 1910s and 1920s. Around 1920 Louise worked as a clerk for Supplement Manufacturing Company. She later worked for Freeman Shoes of Beloit. Louise married James "Edward" Shea on November 15, 1922 and raised a family of 5 girls and 2 boys in Beloit (See James Edward Shea Biography). She was a dedicated mother and a hard worker, often taking odd jobs like scrubbing floors to support her family. At about the age of 63, after her husband died, Louise decided to moved to California. She lived with her daughter Geraldine for a time and later she lived with her son Tom. Louise had several heart-attacks before she finally died of a massive stroke. She lived in California until her death on April 20, 1977. Louise was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Beloit right next to her husband Edward Shea.

Florence Heinrich 1904-1971 was born on January 29, 1904. She worked at Fairbanks-Morse for many years and was the head of the comptometer department. Florence moved out to California later in life and married Carl Emery whom she knew from Beloit. She lived there until her death on May 17, 1971. Florence died of throat cancer.

Patrick Graham 1835-1905 and Bridget Gahagan 1830-1900 were both born in County Meath, Ireland. Bridget was born on December 24, 1830 and was the daughter of John and Mary Gahagan. Patrick immigrated to the United States in 1856 at the age of 21. It is not clear when Bridget immigrated or when Patrick and Bridget were married, but it was common for the husband to come over first and later to send for his wife. By 1860 Patrick and Bridget were living in Beloit, Wisconsin and Patrick was working as a laborer. Then by 1870 they had moved onto a farm in Newark Township which was just west of Beloit. Patrick and Bridget had six children that were all born in Wisconsin. Their names in descending order of age were: John (Emma Kielblock), Bernard "Bryan" (Mary Smith), Julia (Daniel Shea), Kate (Edward Rinehart), Mary (John Tobin), and William. John worked on the railroad while the other Graham children worked around the farm. Bridget developed heart disease in 1895 and died from it 5 years later on January 5, 1900. She also suffered from "dropsy" which is a condition in which there is a build up of fluids in the lower extremities that can be caused by congestive heart or kidney failure. Patrick died at his daughter’s house in South Beloit on May 31, 1905. He died of "old age". Patrick and Bridget were both buried at Calvary Cemetery in Beloit, along with their sons William, Bryan, and Bryan’s son Bernard. Patrick’s stone says "Father" and Bridget’s says "Mother". Patrick and Bridget were highly respected farmers and they had many friends in the community.

Although Patrick Graham was born in Ireland, Graham is not a thoroughly Irish surname. It is possible that, further back in the family there was immigration to Ireland from Scotland or England where the name is much more common.

John E. Graham 1860-1930, the oldest child of Patrick and Bridget Graham, was born on March 7, 1860. He married Emma Albertina Kielblock in 1905 and had three children: Catherine, Helen (Frank Mullen) and John Jr. Catherine was born on November 9, 1906 She fell sick with "ptomaine poisoning" or food poisoning, and her parents took her to Milwaukee for treatment. She died of it on March 8, 1911, when she was just four years old. Catherine was buried at Oakwood Cemetery. Helen married Frank Mullen Jr. and moved to Watertown, Wisconsin. They had at least one child, Michael Mullen of Seymour, Wisconsin. John Jr. remained in Beloit. John Sr. lived in Beloit all his life and was a park gardener. He died on April 3, 1930 and his wife Emma died on February 17, 1956. They were buried together at Oakwood Cemetery.

Bernard M. "Bryan" Graham 1862-1934 was born on February 16, 1862. Bryan eventually took over the home farm when his father died in 1905. Bryan married Mary Smith in 1902 and had two children, Bernard Jr. and Margaret. Bernard Jr. moved to Chicago and lived there for most of his life. Bryan took a job working on the Alaskan Pipe Line for a time, but farmed for most of his life on the home farm in Newark Township. Bryan died on June 5, 1934.

Julia Graham 1864-1927 was born on March 20, 1864. She married Daniel Shea on July 4, 1881 when she was 17 years old. They raised a family of four girls and two boys. (See Daniel Shea Biography) Julia was an active church worker and a member of the Altar and Rosary Society at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in South Beloit. She was also a member of the Women’s Catholic Order of Foresters and of the Royal Neighbors. Julia died on January 16, 1927 at the home of her daughter Mary in Elgin, Illinois. She was sick for two months before her death. The cause of death was lung cancer. Julia was buried at Calvary Cemetery with her husband Daniel Shea, but there are not any headstones to mark the graves.

Catharine "Kate" Graham 1869-1942 was born on April 14, 1869. Kate married Edward Rinehart on May 22, 1893. John Graham and Katie Raughlin were the attendants. Kate and Edward eventually had two girls, Helen (Herbert Hielsberg) and Hazel (John Breton). Kate was a leader in women’s affairs at St. Judes church since it was organized and served two terms as perfect of the Marian Guild. She was the secretary of the Women’s Catholic Order of Foresters for the last twenty-four years of her life and was active in many civil movements during the time of the first World War. Kate died on October 23, 1942 of bronchial pneumonia and was buried at Calvary Cemetery.

Helen Rinehart, the oldest daughter of Catharine and Edward, was born on October 22, 1894. She married Herbert Hielsberg on August 20, 1938. She was a music teacher in the Beloit area for over sixty years. She died on July 26, 1986. The Hielsbergs didn’t have any children.

Hazel Rinehart married John Breton on August 17, 1921. She was an active member of many church and community related organizations. The Bretons had two sons and one daughter: Father Louis Breton, O.S.M. of Anaheim California, Edward Breton of Beloit, and Barbara (Richard Schmidley) of Janesville. Hazel died on February 17, 1977.

Mary Graham 1871-? married John Tobin and moved to Chicago. John and Mary had five children: Mary, John Jr., Bernard, Nora, and William. John Tobin, his brother James and his sister Johanna, who both lived with the family, were all born in Ireland.

William P. Graham 1875-1904, worked on the farm with his older brother Bryan and his father until his death in 1904. No death certificate was found in Rock or Winnebago counties.

James Shea 1822-1897 was born on January 15, 1822. He was the son of Daniel and Bridget Shea. James married Ellen Haggerty 1830-1893 around 1847. James and Ellen were both born in Ireland, possibly in Killarney in County Kerry, which is where most of the Shea families were from. James came to America first around 1847-1848, and then Ellen came over. They immigrated at a time when Ireland was experiencing the potato famine. On the way over to America, James and Ellen had a child die onboard the ship and they had to bury him at sea. They arrived at the port of Boston which was a common destination for Irish immigrants. James and Ellen first settled in the state of Massachusetts before coming to Wisconsin. They lived and moved around in Massachusetts for around seven or more years, 1848-1855, and had at least three children while living there. Mary was born in Chicopee while Daniel and Michael were born in Springfield, Massachusetts. (It was common among the various Shea clans to name their firstborn male child "Daniel") Around 1856 James and Ellen settled in Brodhead, Wisconsin in Green County. Here they had at least four more children: Dennis, James Jr. "Jim", John, and Edward. By 1880 the James Shea family was living on a farm in Newark Township. All of the boys (except Michael) worked on the home farm, while Mary, the only daughter of James and Ellen, worked in the City of Beloit as a servant. According to the 1880 census, Ellen at this time suffered from a condition called neuralgia. Neuralgia is described by a sudden, severe, sharp pain typically felt on one side of the jaw or cheek. The disorder is more common in women than in men and rarely affects anyone younger than 50. This condition prevented Ellen from working around the house. She died on May 1, 1893 of "heart trouble" and was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Beloit. James died of "old age" on January 11, 1897 and was buried beside his wife.

THE CHILDREN OF JAMES AND ELLEN SHEA  

Mary Shea 1850-1922, the oldest child of James and Ellen to survive childhood, was born on April 4, 1850 in Chicopee, Massachusetts. She moved to Brodhead, Wisconsin with her family when she was 5 years old. In 1871 she came to Beloit and worked as a housekeeper for the Rev. Richard Sullivan until his death in 1878. Around the turn of the century she lived in the John Shea household. She later moved into a house of her own along with her younger brother Jim and Jim’s daughter Kittie. Mary helped raise Kittie and the John Shea children after their mothers died. Their nick name for her was "Auntie". Mary also ran a boarding house in Beloit. She died on June 9, 1922.

Daniel Shea 1853-1926 was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on April 8, 1853. Daniel married Julia Graham on July 4, 1881. Attending the marriage were Daniel Sullivan and Mary Shea. After marrying, Daniel and Julia moved to a farm in Beloit Township and later moved to South Beloit in Illinois. Their address was 605 Ingersoll Place. Daniel was a laborer for most of his life. Some of the places where he worked were: Beloit Water, Gas and Electric 1907-08, Steward Wagner 1917, and Absolute Con-tac-tor 1922. He was a quiet man by nature. Daniel died on January 21, 1926 as a result of "double labor pneumonia", while Julia died of lung cancer on January 19, 1927. Daniel and Julia were both buried at Calvary Catholic Cemetery along with the other Sheas, but their graves do not have headstones. Daniel and Julia had six children: Mary "Mame" (Albert Anselman), Ellen "Nell" (S. W. Mulligan), James Edward (Louise Heinrich), Francis, William "Bill" (Leona Lloyd), and Lenore (Walter McDonough).

Mary "Mame" Shea, the oldest child of Daniel and Julia, was born around December 1883. She married Albert Anselman. They first moved to Elgin, Illinois and later moved to Venice, California. Mame and Albert had at least one child, Albert Jr. It was at Mame’s house in Elgin where Julia died. Julia was staying at her daughter’s in her final days.

Ellen "Nell" Shea, the second oldest child, was born on November 28, 1885. She married S. W. "Hap" Mulligan. They had at least two children, Joseph (Marian Snyder) and Robert Mulligan. The Mulligans lived in several cities. They first moved to Little Rock, Arkansas and then later they moved to Inglewood, California. Ellen Mulligan died on December 22, 1967. Joseph Mulligan married Marian Snyder on May 5, 1943. He was a lieutenant during WWII.

James Edward Shea was born on August 4, 1888. He married Louise Heinrich on November 15, 1922, and had seven children. He remained in Beloit.

Francis Shea was born around September 1894. She died at a young age. Francis was born with a back disorder. No death certificate was found in Rock or Winnebago counties to document her death.

William Shea was born on September 28, 1898. He married Leona Lloyd. They had three children: Bill Jr., Bernard, and Catherine (Revie). William and Leona also later moved to Inglewood, but moved back to Beloit. William died on September 29, 1965 and was buried at Tabor cemetery in Beloit.

Lenore Shea was born on January 25, 1901. She married Walter A. McDonough and moved to Hammond, Indiana.

Michael Shea 1856-? was born in Springfield, Massachusetts around 1856. He married Mamie Murray on November 16, 1891.

Dennis Shea 1858-1948 bought the home farm in Newark Township. He later moved to Chicago, Illinois where he worked as a custodian for the railroad in Chicago. Dennis married Emily E. Egan on July 26, 1891. Dennis and Emily had 5 children: Eulia, Joseph, Bernadette, Euterpe and Esperanie. Joseph Shea 1895-1916 died young and was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Beloit. Emily died in 1917, while Dennis died in 1948. Dennis and Emily were both buried together at Calvary Cemetery also.

James Jr. "Jim" Shea 1861-1946 was born on March 31, 1861 in Brodhead. When he was a young adult, Jim and his brother John moved from the farm in Newark Township to the City of Beloit and became shoemakers. On January 2, 1900 they opened up a two chair barber shop at 205 State Street. Jim later broke from the partnership and opened up his own barber shop on the west side of Beloit. Jim married Catharine "Kate" Tierney on September 8, 1894 at the Episcopal church in Janesville. Attending the marriage were Mary Fox and Maggie Towers. Kate died only a year later at the age of 29 of "eclampsia" or pregnancy complications when she gave birth to the couple’s twins. Disaster struck again when one of the twins died of meningitis at 10 months of age. The infant’s name was also James. Jim then moved into the household of his younger brother John for a short time along with his only surviving child, Catharine "Kittie" 1895-1955. Jim was a member of St. Thomas’ Catholic church and of the Holy Name Society. He retired from being a barber after 41 years. Later in life, Jim and his daughter would often drive by the James Edward Shea house. Jim died on January 24, 1946 and was buried at Calvary Cemetery along with his son and daughter.

John Shea 1863-1943 was born on February 10, 1863 in Brodhead and came to Beloit when he was a young man. John and his brother Jim were barbers for more than 40 years until they retired. He was a member of St. Thomas’ church, the Holy Name Society, and was a charter member of St. Thomas council, Knights of Columbus. John married Isabelle "Belle" Hending on August 4, 1891. They were married at the Catholic church in Beloit. Attending the marriage were Dennis Shea and Helen Maher. John and Belle had seven children: Mary Lucille, Gertrude (Dan Ryan), Alice (Edward Sullivan), Isabelle (Frank Matze), John Jr. (Clara Lippens), Agnes (Eugene Osmond), and Francis Joseph "Joe" (Geraldine Smith) . Belle died on February 17, 1910 at the age of 41. John died on January 9, 1943. They were buried together at Calvary Cemetery.

Mary Lucille Shea was born around January 1892. She became a nun at St. Joseph’s convent in Janesville.

Gertrude Shea was born on July 9, 1893. She married Daniel Ryan on June 10, 1924. They had a son and a daughter: James "Jim" Ryan of Beloit and Mary (Cribben) of Janesville. Gertrude lived near the James Edward Shea household in Beloit and was a good friend. She died on August 18, 1973.

Alice Shea was born on January 29, 1895. She married Edward Sullivan later in life. She was a good friend of Louise Heinrich. Alice died on June 8, 1968 in Beloit.

Isabelle Shea was born on May 5, 1899. She married Frank Matze on June 4, 1934, and moved up to Eau Claire, Wisconsin. They had two daughters: Mary Matze and Agnes (Tufariello) of Buffalo, New York. Isabelle died on November 13, 1979.

John Henry Shea Jr. was born around 1901. He married Clara Lippens on December 29, 1939 when he was 38 years old. He remained in Beloit and took over his father’s barber shop on State Street. John died around 1961.

Agnes and Joseph Shea were the youngest of the John Shea children. They were twins born on September 27, 1905. Agnes married Eugene Osmond on September 2, 1937. They had six children: Eugene J. (Connie) of Urbana, IL, John T. (Reta) of Mahomet, IL, Joseph F. (Brenda), Thomas J. (Phyllis), Mary Osmond, and Robert P. Osmond, all of Janesville. Agnes died on June 9, 1992.

Joe Shea married Geraldine Smith on June 18, 1935. They had two daughters: Barbara (Harry Potsen) of Beloit, and Gerry (Gene Selchow) of Rockford, IL. Joe worked at Fairbanks Morse Co. as a tool grinder for 27 years and was a co-owner of Shea’s barber shop. Joe died on December 1, 1986.

Edward Shea 1868-1869 was the youngest child of James and Ellen Shea. He did not survive childhood and died in September of 1869.

James "Edward" Shea 1888-1950 was the oldest son of Daniel and Julia Shea. He was born on August 4, 1888. Edward went into the Army before settling down. He served during World War I in the newly formed Flying School Detachment of the Air Service and was stationed in Texas. He rose to the rank of corporal. On November 15, 1922 he married Louise Heinrich and had 7 children: Rosemary (Barker) (Longoria) (Bell), Patricia "Pat" (Leonard Leeder), Jeannine (Joe Halm), Geraldine (Frank Scordato), Mary Ellen (Clifford Zelonski), Tom Shea, and David (Mary Lynn) (Louise Bartlett). During Edward’s life he was a member of the American Legion, St. Judes Catholic Church and the Holy Name Society. He was a member of the Old Timers Baseball Club and also used to box. Edward was introverted and shy by nature. He was a hard worker and a provider for his family through the hard times of the 1930s. Edward was a machinist by trade and worked in several industries. He first worked for Fairbanks and later worked for Louis Vigh Tool and Die Company. Edward and Louise were also very devoted Christians. They donated money for a stained glass window in St. Peter’s Catholic Church and had their names inscribed on it.

During a road trip to Madison, Wisconsin on June 18, 1950 with his wife, his wife’s double cousin Clara Guetschow, and her husband August, Edward suffered a heart attack and died from it while in the car. They rushed him to the hospital in Madison, but they had already lost him. Louise survived Edward for another twenty-seven years, until she died of a massive stroke in California. Edward and Louise were buried together at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Beloit.

As for the children of Edward and Louise Shea:

Rosemary Shea married Albert Longoria and had two daughters by him: Rosemarie and Elizabeth. She later married John Bell. Rosemary died on December 31, 1988 as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident.

Patricia Shea married Leonard Leeder at the age of 20 and moved to Janesville, Wisconsin. She had two daughters and four sons: Tom, Mike, Bill, Jack, Jan, and Mary Ann.

Jeannine Shea married Joe Halm. The Halms had one daughter and one son: Jeffery and Julie (Brady). They live in Midway City, California.

Geraldine married Frank Scordato, and had one daughter and four sons: Linda, Franky, Bill, Danny, and David. They live in Mission Viejo, California.

Mary Ellen Shea married Clifford Zelonski and had three daughters: Karen, Christy, and Valerie. They live in Huntington Beach, California.

Tom moved to California, and remains unmarried. He lives in California.

David first married Mary Lynn and then married Louise Bartlett and adopted her children. They also live in California.