Written by Ann Robertson McConnell
It is believed that approximately 200,000 to 250,000 Americans served in the military during the American Revolutionary War. Of these, about 80,000 served in the Continental Army at various times, while tens of thousands more served in state militias, naval forces, or as privateers. At any given moment, the active Continental Army rarely exceeded 20,000 soldiers, as enlistments were short and resources were limited.
Militias were made up of ordinary citizens who trained like soldiers and fought in emergencies, but they were not part of the official, full-time professional army. A member of a state militia left his daily job, like farming, to serve when called. Towns needed protection against sudden attacks before regular armies could arrive. Militia units used local knowledge to ambush enemy supply lines and patrols. Captain Daniel Shelor, patriot ancestor of DAR member Catheryn Vaughan, was a member of the 2nd Battalion, Frederick County Militia, Maryland Militia. His combat experience consisted of serving as a lieutenant in a skirmish in Quibbletown, New Jersey in 1777 and returning to active duty as a Captain in 1778 to a three-month tour commanding his militia company to guard British prisoners of war held at the barracks in Frederick town, Maryland.
Daniel Shelor was born c. 1744/1750 in Germany and immigrated with his family to Maryland. Captain Shelor married Mary Wickham in 1784. They had at least eight children. Captain Shelor received a land warrant dated July 12, 1788 for at least twelve hundred acres of land on Little River and Pine Creek in Floyd County. In the late 1880s or early 1890s they moved to the area of Furnace Stack Creek in Floyd County. Shelor opened an iron mine and smelter. From the ore he mined and refined he made cooking utensils which sold well because they were more durable than others available. He operated the mine well into his sixties when once again he answered the call to serve his country in the War of 1812.
Captain Shelor died in 1847 and is buried in Pine Creek Cemetery, Floyd with Mary who died in 1834.
Information for this article is from “The American Revolutionary War Project,” Virginia, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1607-1890, Ancestry.com, Shelor Family History – A Touch of Heaven, 2nd edition,, Encyclopedia Britannica (online).
Everyone has a story. Let us help you tell yours. Any woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution is eligible for membership. NSDAR is a non-profit, non-political women’s service organization. Help researching and proving your lineage can be provided by the Colonel Abram Penn Chapter by contacting Ann Robertson McConnell at [email protected].
