Short Biography of George Shedd

George Shedd, son of Capt. Abel & Rebecca (Adams) Shedd, born in Rindge, May 13, 1810. Dartmouth College, 1839. Studied medicine at Dayton & Cincinnati, Ohio, and settled as a physician, at Denmark, Iowa, where he continues to reside, enjoying, in an eminent degree, the respect and confidence of the entire community.

Source: "History of the Town of Rindge, New Hampshire, from the date of the Rowley Canada or Massachusetts Charter to the Present Time, 1736 - 1874, with a Genealogical Register of the Rindge Families" ¹⁴⁹⁷

Letter from Charles F. Shedd, written Sept. 13, 1918 from Lincoln, Neb.

Thinking that you would be interested in a brief sketch of the Shedd family & more particularly in your grandfather, Dr. George Shedd's early days in Denmark, Iowa, I will briefly state some facts relating to those early days.

Our side of the Shedd family consisted of Abel Shedd & his four sons, Charles, James A., Curtis & Dr. George, your grandfather, & one daughter Rebecca who married Dr. Gallop. The Shedd children were born in Ringe N.H. Charles Shedd studied for the ministry & located in Minnesota. My father James A, practiced law in Dayton Ohio where his three sons & three daughters were born. Curtis Shedd, with a few New Englanders, settled in the village of Denmark Lee Co., Iowa in 1836, & your grandfather, Dr. George Shedd joined the Denmark colony in 1842, & my father James A joined the colony in 1847.

Denmark was 25 miles from the Missouri state line & was settled by New England anti-slavery people, Denmark being the first underground railroad station where runaway slaves were assisted to make their escape to Canada. Your grandfather was active in assisting runaway slaves. They would come to Denmark & there be taken in hand, your grandfather having much to do with planning their escape. Generally Deacon Trobridge with a light rig would take the runaway to Burlington, another underground railroad station, from there he would be piloted to Galesburg & from there, from station to station until he was safely landed in Canada. During the days of slavery hundreds of these runaway slaves passed through Denmark on their way to freedom. The slave masters followed their slaves & sometimes arrived in Denmark while their slaves were in hiding but I am sure they never recaptured any runaways but they threatened time & again to burn Denmark but did not do it.

Your grandfather was a member of the state prison board. The state penitentiary was located in Ft. Madison, 10 miles from Denmark & Dr. Shedd was for a time at the head of the Board & had much to do with the working of the Board.

Aunt Jessie's Memories of George Shedd

After Grandmother Shedd died, Grandfather closed his home in Denmark, Iowa and came to Ashland to live with mother and her brother, Uncle Hibbard. Uncle Hibbard and Aunt Kate had four children, Harry, George, Edith and Helen. Their home was a block away from our house. Grandfather Shedd was supposed to live six months with Uncle Hibbard and six months with mother, but it ended by his living with mother all the time.

He had the nice bedroom with the bay window, above the sitting room. He had a table in the bay window on which he kept all his papers. He reported the daily weather to the state weather bureau. He had some kind of weather thermometer up on the hill on Dr. Mansfeld's place. He was not paid for his work. It was his hobby.

In winter he had a small base burner in his room and we children would run in there in the morning to dress in front of the stove.

Our upstairs at that time in the winter was about as cold as outdoors. The windows must have had a half inch of frost on them. I remember long icicles hanging from the window frames and from the roof of the house.

Grandfather, in the winter time, instead of an overcoat, wore a big shawl, held together with a big, at least four inch, safety pin. He was much respected as a retired doctor and was often consulted by the doctors in Ashland. He always carried a gold headed cane. He suffered from asthma.

The big Seth Thomas clock which came from his old home sat on a shelf in his room and on the same shelf until we sold the house. I kept it until we moved to First Ave. in San Diego. It had been damaged during storage and I gave it to the Fine Arts Society for its annual sale, as I thought someone might be able to repair it. It had heavy lead weights and when it struck each hour, could be heard all over the house.

Grandfather Shedd was a man of great character. He was a graduate of Dartmouth College, won his medical degree at a University or College in Cincinnati. He was an abolitionist during the Civil War Period, also a member of the Underground Railroad in Denmark, Iowa where he settled. The Underground Railroad in Denmark was very active in helping runaway slaves to escape to Canada, and Grandfather was the leader in the group. After my mother passed away, I found among his papers the constitution signed by all the members of this organization. I gave the paper to the Iowa Historical Association.

Grandfather Shedd was a great temperance man and gave lectures on the subject. I am very sorry I destroyed his lectures which were among his papers. He had an illustrated map, a lithograph named the "Road to Hell" which he used with the lectures. There is an engine and train, the devil as engineer. At the sides are stations listed, beginning with Sippington and ending with Destruction. I gave this map to John and Betty.

Grandfather was a man interested in many subjects. In Denmark, at one time he had a singing school. He was much interested in growing fruit trees. He also had a large collection of rocks, some of them with veins of gold and silver and which I think came from Colorado. I gave this collection away and I am very sorry I never saved it.

He died in 1892 and is buried in Denmark, Iowa, besides Grandmother Shedd. I gave the Denmark Cemetery Association some money to always keep the graves in good condition and I hope this has been done.

Your grandfather was a very active man. His profession called him all over that section of the country, he kept two saddle horses or driving horses, he would be called into the country perhaps four miles north & when he would return home find a call three or four miles east, he would mount a fresh horse & make the trip, this might be in the night or midwinter but it made no difference & so his work passed on.

When the twins came - Mary & Mattie, Dr. Shedd was considered the biggest man in that section of the country, he was so well known, every body had something to say & they generally said it out loud. He was a worker in the church. Rev. Asa Turner was pastor of the church. The Denmark church was the first Congregational church organized west of the Miss. River.