Abstract:
This document provides a detailed account of the author's decades-long genealogical journey to trace his paternal Shaw family roots. The primary focus has been on the descendants of Francis Marion Shaw and Rachel Moore Allen Shaw, eventually delving into the more distant and elusive origins of Jeremiah Shaw, Sr., his earliest known American ancestor. The article highlights that while legends and earlier research by Col. Milton D. Weeks pointed to South Carolina as their birthplace, potentially linking them to John Shaw or John Shaurer, definitive proof was lacking. Critically, recent Y-DNA research, spearheaded by Tom Shaw, Jr., has scientifically confirmed paternal links among Jeremiah Shaw, Sr.'s descendants and, importantly, disproven erroneous claims of his Revolutionary War service or connections to certain John Shaw lines. This Y-DNA analysis has also suggested a likely Irish ancestral connection to the Shea or O'Shea family from County Kerry, indicating that the Shaw name may have originated from this Gaelic name prior to their arrival in America.
