Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 4.djvu/722

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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

interest Mr. Tredway is a partner in the Chatham tobacco house, Tredway & Neal, i)oth firms conducting large and profitable dealings. Mr. Tredway's church is the Presbyterian of Chatham.

He married, at Mount Airy, Pittsylvania county, Virginia, December 18, 1900, Myrtle L. Creasy, born there in 1880, daughter of \ugustus A. and Sallie C. (Tucker) Creasy. Augustus A. Creasy and his wife are resi- dents of Mount Airy, where he is a mer- chant of forty years standing. He w^as a soldier in the Confederate army, fighting all through the civil war with the exception of a period of confinement in a Northern prison. He is the father of twelve children, all of whom reside in Virginia with the ex- ception of Robert, who lives in Texas. Chil- dren of Robert H. and Myrtle L. (Creasy) Tredway : Lettie C, born September 22, 1901, a student in a private school in Chatham; Linnon, l)orn February 3, 1906; Robert H. Jr., born September 23, 1912.

Abner Terry Shields. Now rounding out his twenty-ninth year of continuous service as deputy clerk and clerk of Rockbridge county, Virginia, Mr. Shields has proved himself a most capable official and his re- peated re-elections during the past twenty- one years surely reflects the high apprecia- tion of the voters of the county. Born in the city of Lynchburg, Virginia, his early life spent in Richmond, his lot was not cast with the county he has served so long and so well, until several years later, but once cast, the great valley of Virginia and the city of Lexington has been his continuous residence.

?Te is a son of Captain John Camden Shields, the gallant captain of the famous "Richmond Howitzers" of the Confederate army and well known journalist, who was born in Rockbridge, Virginia, August 20, 1820, and died at his home, Riverside, Rock- bridge county, Virginia, on June 30, 1904. Captain Shields was engaged in newspaper work both before and after the war, on the staff of the "Lynchburg Virginian" and the "Richmond Whig." After the war his con- nection was with the latter paper and Rich- mond his home until 1873, when he returned to his native county, locating there. Lie was a journalist of high reputation and one of the strong men of his profession. He was captain of the Richmond Howitzers, a fam-

ous Richmond company, and from 1861 until 1865 was in the Confederate service. He fought at First Manassas and other historic battles of the war, and by appointment of the governor of Virginia was in charge of the camp of instruction at Richmond. In civil life he served as member of the Rich- mond school board and on the board of visi- tors of the Virginia ^Military Institute, the latter office being by appointment of the governor of the state.

Captain Shields married Martha Mahalath Hardy, born in Lynchburg, Virginia, Janu- ary, 1827, died February 8, 1907, daughter of Chesley and Martha (Johnson) Hardy. Her father. Chesley Hardy, was a soldier of the war of 1812 and in receipt of a pension from the United States government until his death. Captain Shields left three sons : Wil- liam Thomas, born in Lynchburg, October 17, 1849, "ow engaged in the practice of law at Lexington, Virginia; Abner Terry, of whom further ; Orville, born in Richmond, Virginia, now a farmer of Rockl)ridge county.

.\bner Terry Shields, second living son of Captain John Camden and Martha Alahalath (Hardy) Shields, was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, October 29, 1852. He was edu- cated in Richmond schools, including a par- tial course at Richmond College and in Nor- wood Field School, his business life begin- ning as clerk in a country general store in Rockbridge county. He was also for a time engaged in farming, beginning his long con- nection with the county clerk's office of Rockbridge county, in 1885, as deputy clerk. He served in that capacity for eight years, then in 1893 "^^^ the regular Democratic nominee for county clerk. He was elected to that office at the ensuing election and at the expiration of his term was re-elected, an honor that has been repeated at the end of each succeeding term until the present date. His administration of the clerk's office has been marked by efficiency and has the en- dorsement of all having business with that office.

For twelve years he has been secretary of Mountain City Lodge, No. 67, Free and Accepted Masons, and ever since becoming a companion of Rockbridge Royal Arch Chapter, No. 44, in the year 1904, has been secretary of that Masonic body. For twenty years he has been master of the exchequer of Lexington Lodge, Knights of Pythias,