Longshore Genealogy in the United States

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George W. Longshore Family

George W. Longshore

circa 1880

Mary Annett (Bull) Longshore

circa 1890

George W. Longshore was born April 16, 1826 near Syracuse, (Salina Township), in Onondaga County, New York. He died November 26, 1895 in Valparaiso, Indiana.
Per his original eulogy he was one of six children and survived only by his sister Jane (Longshore) Shaw of Hobart, Indiana. George’s father died before the 1840 census, most likely 1839.
The widow Louisa and her six children left Onondaga County, New York to settle in La Porte County, Indiana. At the time there was a distinct emigration relationship with La Porte County, Indiana, as many natives of Syracuse settled here.

In searching for George’s father (my ggg-grandfather) I have made a tentative determination that he was John Longshore (1797-1839). He is listed in the 1820 and 1830 census in areas bordering Syracuse, New York. The 1820 census for Moreau, Saratoga County, New York shows this family consisting of a 16-20 year old male and female engaged in agriculture. The 1830 census for Sullivan Township, Madison County, New York shows the family to have expanded to one 5 year old male, two 5-10 year old females, one 30 year old male, and one 20-30 year old female. The 1840 census for Salina Township, Onondaga County, New York shows a Loisa Longswer (sic), now a widow with 2 boys and 3 girls under 15.

We do know the specifics of George’s grandfather. Richard B. Longshore (1771-1818). Richard was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and migrated rather frequently. The 20 March 1793 tax list for Bucks County, Pennsylvania shows him listed as married and living in Middletown Township. In 1792, we know he had a son named Mathew born in “Mansfield,” Bucks County, Pennsylvania. In July/August 1797, Richard Longshire [sic] was shown in the tax list for Shrewsbury Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. In 1800, he appears in the Northumberland Township, Saratoga County, New York census as Richard Longshaw (sic). On 04 Aug 1807, Richard Longshore “with family” [unnamed] was listed in the records of Fair Haven Township, Rutland County, Vermont. In 1810, Richard Longthan (sic) is listed in the census of Castleton Township, Rutland County, Vermont. Between 1812-1813, Richard served as a Private in Swift's Detachment, New York Volunteers during the War of 1812. In the 1820 census he resides in Manlius Township, Onondaga County, New York. In 1830 he resided in Sullivan Township, Madison County, New York with son John shown nearby. He died 05 May 1838, in Sullivan, Madison County, New York as listed in New York Vital Statistics.

George W. Longshore’s mother was a woman named Louisa Farmer (1800-1865), she born in Vermont about 1800 the daughter of Emerson Farmer. She re-married Ira Richardson (1785-1863), a blacksmith in La Porte County, Indiana on 18 Sep 1845 in La Porte, Indiana. Ira Richardson, I have learned was a devout Quaker, originally from North Carolina, he moved from North Carolina to Washington County, Indiana where both his first and second wife died. He settled in La Porte County, Indiana with Louisa his third wife. For the last 20 years of her their lives they lived with her second oldest daughter Jane (Longshore) Shaw (1824-1904) of Hobart, Indiana. She did have one other child Jerome Richardson who was born in 1851.

Charlotte Longshore was Louisa’s oldest daughter. She was born 1823 in Vermont. She accompanied the family to Indiana and resided for a short time with them. She married John Mix, 10 Aug 1841 in La Porte County, Indiana. John died very shortly after the marriage and she re-married an Austin R. Gould (1818-?) of New York. She had two children James C. (1858-?) and Fredrick R. Gould (1859-?) both of Valparaiso, Indiana. To the best of my knowledge Charlotte lived till the late 1880’s - 1890’s and was joint proprietor of a hotel in downtown Valparaiso, Indiana, with her husband.

Jane (Longshore) Shaw of Hobart, La Porte County, Indiana (born 1824 in Vermont, and died 12 Oct 1904, was the second oldest child, she was the wife of Rensselear Shaw (1816-1875) of New York. He was a blacksmith by trade and they were married 16 Nov 1841 in Berrien County, Michigan. They had one son and one daughter who did not survive their early years, Clinton Shaw (1860-?) and Jane Shaw (1867-?). The family still thrives through the offspring of a third child Jennie E. (Shaw) McLaren (1868-?).

Richard E. Longshore (1827-1862) was Louisa’s fourth child. He married Julia Ann Crane (1831-1858) 21 Oct 1849 in Berrien County, Michigan, they had a son Orlando. Richard re-married a Catharine M. Ashton (1838-1920) on 10 October 1858. Richard lived in northern Indiana until his death circa 1862. He has offspring that thrive today through two sons Orlando, and Ernest. Orlando’s family resides in Alberta, Canada, while Ernest’s family still live in the Erie, Pennsylvania area.

Henry Longshore (1834-?) was Louisa’s fifth child. He was living with the Jacob Fravel family in Union Township, La Porte, Indiana in 1850. Jacob and his wife Elizabeth were in their mid-sixties at the time and Henry was living hired to farm their land. I have no other information; he does not appear on the 1860 or 1870 census.

Emily J. Longshore was born 25 March 1839 in New York, and died 19 May 1868 in La Porte County, Indiana. She married Franklin Dwight Burlingame (1838-1905). The Burlingame’s had three children, Effie J. (1856-1867). Clark Burlingame (1859-?) who married May (1865-?) they had two children born in Iowa, Blossom (1890-?) and Blythe (1896-?). Dr. Clara (Burlingame) (Lambert) Faulkner (1863-1951) of La Porte County, Indiana was the last child. Emily’s offspring still thrive today through Daisy (Lambert) Bullocks’s children.

George W. Longshore did not immediately settle in Northern Indiana. From 1840-1845, he traveled extensively out west. He was supposedly an employee of the Hudson Bay Fur Company, although I cannot verify this having written to their Canadian offices and gotten a negative response. In 1846 he returned to Porter County, Indiana and on August 16, 1854 he married Miss Mary Annette (Bull) originally of Dutchess and Onondaga County, New York. In 1858 they moved to Wheeler, Indiana and in 1864 he became Wheeler’s first postmaster. He spent the rest of his life up to and including the day he died in the carpentry – construction trade in Valparaiso, Indiana.

George W. Longshore and Mary A. (Bull) Longshore (1833-1915) had six children:

(1) Frank Leslie (1856-1925)

(2) Arthur Leroy (1858-1859) (died at approx 15 months)

(3) Kate (Kittie) L. (1860-1878) (died at 18, engaged but no children)

(4) Charles William (1861-1943)

(5) John (Jack) A. (1864-1946)

(6) Gordon Platt (a.k.a. George P. or Gordy) (1870-1922).

Frank Leslie Longshore (1856-1925) married Ella S. (Mandeville) Longshore (1859-1936) and had one adopted daughter Maude (Longshore) Warren (1878-1979). Maude married William C. Warren (? -1951) in 1897 (they had no children). There is information that Frank and Ella possibly raised another daughter (adopted) with the last name of Johnson.
Arthur Leroy Longshore (1858-1859) buried at Kimball Cemetery, Porter County, Indiana died in infancy.
Kate (Kittie) L. Longshore (1860-1878) died of tuberculosis. She was 18, engaged and buried in Kimball Cemetery, Porter County, Indiana.

Charles William Longshore (1862-1943) first marriage was to Rebecca (Garrison) Longshore (1861-1890) they had one child, Leroy (Roy) Longshore (1883-1956) who married Maude (Howie) Longshore (1884-1944) and had 2 children Ella Marie (1915-1922) and William Charles (1925-1927) (both taken at a very young age). Charles’s had one child with his second wife Eliza Jane (Long) (Sweet) Longshore (1858-1921), Kate Sweet Longshore (1895-1951) who never married/ no children. Additionally Charles raised three stepdaughters and a stepson from Eliza’s previous marriage; Bertha J. Sweet (1879-1958), George Tabor Sweet (1881-1958), Stella (Sweet) Lewis (1882-?) and Ada (Sweet) Westaway (1888-1949).

John (Jack) A. Longshore (1864-1947) married Mary May (Sawyer) Longshore (1863-1955) and had 3 children (1) Dee Longshore (1888-1963) never married, no children, (2) Ada (Longshore) Zimmerman (1886-1973) married to Englebert Zimmerman II (1884-?) they had 4 children Englebert III, Jack, Mary Eunice, Cora Lou, and Bruce. John & Mary’s third child was Lee Longshore (1890-1906) (died at the young age of 16).

Gordon Platt Longshore (1870-1922) married Mary Alice (Bell) (Longshore) True (1875-1942) on 23 March 1892 in Porter County, IN (Rev. J.H.O. Smith). They had one son, Howard Leslie Longshore Sr. (1893-1972) who married Eleanor Hederia Peterson (1892-1967); they lived in Valparaiso, Indiana and had 3 children Howard L. Longshore Jr. (1917-2006), Jack L. Longshore (1928-2000) and Janet R. (Longshore) Jox of Silver Spring, Maryland.