William Perry Shoemaker was a farmer from Pennsylvania who migrated with his family to Ohio and then to Illinois before moving to Missouri where he died. William was born on August 2, 1821, in Pennsylvania, perhaps in the area of Providence Township in Bedford County, to parents Bernard Shoemaker and Elizabeth (Compton) Shoemaker. William had at least seven or eight known siblings: Phillip W., Anna Elizabeth, Joseph K., Margaret Jane, Mary Ann, John Jackson, and Christopher Columbus. The 1850 federal census suggests that another child named Elizabeth might have been added to the family, although this listing might refer to Anna Elizabeth.

By 1830 William's parents had moved the family to York Township in Morgan County, Ohio. On July 7, 1849, William married Miranda Buchanan, with the marriage recorded in Muskingum County, Ohio. At the time of the marriage, William was 27 years old and Miranda was 19 years old. Miranda's parents were George Worden Buchanan and Clarissa (Pendleton) Buchanan. Miranda and her parents had come to Ohio from Onondaga County, New York. At the time of the 1850 federal census, William and Miranda were farming in Harrison Township, Muskingum County, Ohio. Lucinda McGoe (perhaps McGee), age 50, was living with them. Lucinda might have been there to help with Miranda's pregnancy. Per Shoemaker family records, William and Miranda had their first child, Calvin, later that year. Calvin died young and does not appear in the 1850 or 1860 federal censuses.

After Calvin, William and Miranda had four more children during the 1850s: John Richard, Columbus Washington, Clarissa Elizabeth, and Mary Louisa, all of whom were born in Ohio. In about 1859 or 1860, William and his family moved to Tumbridge, DeWitt County, Illinois, per the 1860 federal census. Also living in the household at this time was Louis Cass Buchanan, age 12, who was Miranda's younger brother. Miranda's parents had each died in 1852 and are buried in Muskingum County, Ohio. The 1860 federal census also indicates that William was farming with a personal estate valued at $250. Because the census does not list a value for his real estate, William might have been renting the land.

In the 1860s, William and Miranda added the following children to their family: Matilda Ann, Charles Wesley, and William Elmer. (Certain records suggest that Matilda Ann was born in 1859.) The 1870 federal census lists the family farming in the area of Willow Branch, Piatt County, Illinois, where William owned a farm valued at $3,600, with personal property valued at $800. The census also lists "Alice," age five months, living in the household. This listing might refer to daughter Cora May, who was born on February 11, 1870, per Shoemaker family records. Cora May died before the 1880 federal census.

In the 1870s, William and Miranda rounded out their family with children Cora May (mentioned previously), Anna Augusta, and Loyd C. Their last son, Loyd, was born in 1878, six years after the birth of Anna Augusta, the next younger known child. In 1879, William appears to have sold his farm to Andrew J. and Sarah C. Dighton of Monticello, Piatt County, Illinois, for $2,700. At about that time, William moved his family from Illinois to Missouri. The 1880 federal census lists William's family living in consecutive households with his sons Columbus Washington and John Richard in Cedarville, Dade County, Missouri.

William Perry Shoemaker died in or near Cedarville in 1887 at age 66. His son John Richard probated his will in Dade County on May 12, 1890. When probated, 20 acres of land were sold, the mortgage satisfied, and other farm and household implements sold. After his death, Miranda moved to Sedgwick County, Kansas, to live with her daughter Clarissa Elizabeth (Shoemaker) Budd and her family.

William Perry Shoemaker was buried in Cedarville Cemetery. William's son William Elmer also died in 1887 at age 20 and was buried next to his father. Both original headstones appear to have been broken, with pieces still lodged in the ground as of 1992. A joint headstone made of granite has replaced the original headstones for William and his son. William's son John Richard, his wife, and one son are buried nearby.

FG Contributor 48047198, third-great grandson of William Perry Shoemaker, last updated this biography on May 17, 2024.