"COUNTIES OF MORGAN, MONROE & BROWN, INDIANA.  HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL."
CHARLES BLANCHARD, EDITOR.  CHICAGO:  F. A. BATTEY & CO. PUBLISHERS.  1884.
F. A. BATTEY.  F. W. TEPPLE

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP AND MARTINSVILLE, MORGAN COUNTY, INDIANA
PAGE 206

ABEL P. SHIELDS was born in Bartholomew County, Ind., October 8, 1842.  His
parents, SAMUEL and ELIZABETH (ROBERTS) SHIELDS, natives of North Carolina
and Indiana respectively, were married in Indiana in 1838, and located on a
farm near Columbus, Ind., where they lived until their deaths--the mother's
occurring in 1859, the father's in 1875.  Abel P. is the second son and
child in a family of five children, and was reared in Bartholomew County
until twenty years of age, when he enlisted in Company D, Sixty-seventh
Indiana Volunteers, under CAPT. ABBOTT.  He served for two years, and took
part at Munfordville (where he was captured, and soon after paroled, then
discharged), Yazoo Swamps (near Vicksburg), Arkansas Post, Vicksburg, the
battle between Alexandria and Brashear City (where he with his regiment was
captured;   after remaining in prison for thirteen days he escaped, and
finally reached his own line), Cross Roads, Plainfield and the entire Red
River campaign.  In July, 1864, he received an honorable discharge at Baton
Rouge, La., and returned to his home, where he commenced work on his
father's farm, remaining about two years.  On February 25, 1865, he was
married to MARGARET DAVIS, daughter of ENOCH DAVIS, a citizen of Brown
County.  They have one child--ELIZABETH LUELLA.  After his marriage, he
farmed for eight years, and then went to Edinburg, Ind., where he acted for
two years as agent for the Singer Sewing Machine Company   He soon afterward
came to Martinsville and acted in the same capacity until February, 1882,
when he purchased the Red Cloud Saloon, which he is now running.  He is a
Democrat.