John Shields
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Private John Shields (1769–1809), born in Harrisonburg, Virginia was at 34, the second oldest member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Despite the Captains' rule that they would only consider unmarried men for the exploring enterprise, they recruited Shields. Shields had married in about 1790, while living in Kentucky. He and his wife Nancy had a daughter, Janette. Along with Private John Colter, he threatened John Ordway's life on March 29, 1804. He was put on trial for mutiny, but spared. See John Ordway for more information.
He became one of the permanent members of the Corps of Discovery. He was a blacksmith, gunsmith, a skilled carpenter and a general mechanic. Lewis would say of him "Nothing was more peculiarly useful to us, in various situations, than the skill and ingenuity of this man as an artist, in repairing our guns, accoutrements, &c." Lewis recommended that he be given a bonus for his services.
After the expedition, Shields did some fur trapping in Missouri with Daniel Boone, to whom he was related. Later he would settle in Indiana, where he is buried.
