Individual Page

Person Info

• Name: Finnis M SHANNON
• Sex: M
• Birth: 8 Nov 1842 ^b
• Death: 1 May 1907 ^d


Parents:

• Father:
  
• Granville Billingsley SHANNON Birth: 4 May 1801 in Warren Co, Kentucky Death: 4 Jan 1873 in Washington Co, Arkansas
Mother:

• Unity WILLIAMS Birth: 28 Mar 1810 Death: 26 Apr 1898

Family:
Marriage:

• P J COMSTOCK .^m1
  
• P J COMSTOCK

Bibliography

Sources for birth and parent Information

date:

[Ref: John Peeling 8/6/1998, Rosella Brooks 11/2/2002]

1842 [Ref: Lisa Parton 2/20/1998]

before 1852 [Ref: ShannonD SHANNON p91],

parents:

[Ref: John Peeling 8/6/1998, Lisa Parton 2/20/1998, Rosella Brooks 11/2/2002, ShannonD SHANNON p91],

name:

Finis M [Ref: Lisa Parton 2/20/1998]

Sources for death Information

date:

[Ref: John Peeling 8/6/1998, Rosella Brooks 11/2/2002]

Sources with Information about marriage to P J COMSTOCK

names:

[Ref: John Peeling 8/6/1998, Rosella Brooks 11/2/2002]

Research Notes:
article on "The Shannon-Fisher Feud" appeared in the Sep-Oct 1983 edition of the "Ozark Mountaineer":
"Feudng and Fightin" as the old song goes, became somewhat commonplae between Southern mountain families for many years following the Civil War. Some divided over politics during the reconstruction period while others were to hold grudges throughout their lifetime over deprivation of the war. Young men returning home from the war brought with them scars of war that took years to heal. Having learned proficiency with firearms during the war and bearing desparate personalities, peace was slow to come. The most famous of mountain family feuds in no doubt was that of the Hatfields and McCoys of the Kentucky mountains. The Ozarks had their share of family feuds. An example is the Shannon-Fisher feud.
Both the Shannon and Fisher families were among the pioneer settlers amount the mountain community of Evansville along the border of Indian Territory in Southern Washington County, Arkansas. Typical of early cities bordering the lawless Indian nations, Evansville attracted a great many desperate men with the city's many saloons, gambling halls, and bawdyhouses. The problem between the two families seems to have begun when Maurice Shannon, 16, rode his father's favorite horse ito town and became engaged in a card game with the Fishers. Losing $30, he bet the horse and saddle in a desparate attempt to regain his losses. Losing the bet, he promised to bring the horse and saddle back to Fisher the next day.
Returning home, he explained his predicament to his mother and father, Unity and Granville Shannon. Becoming enraged over the boy's foolishness and the fact that the Fishers had taken advantage of his son who was not of legal age to gamble, Granville Shannon found the Fishers, got the boy's $30 back, and explained to them they were not about to take the horse and saddle.
On June 9 1869, Maurice Shannon was back in town. Jarrett Fisher pulled his gun on the boy in a saloon and demanded he give him back the $30 he lost. Maurice's older brother, Fine Shannon, entered the saloon as Fisher was threatening the boy. After demanding Fisher to put up his gun three times, Fine Shannon fired and killed Fisher.
An Evansville Justice of the Peace ruled the shooting a self defense and acquitted Shannon. The enraged Fishers forced the sheriff in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the Washington County seat, to take action. Shannon was tried in Fayetteville and once more was acquitted.
From that point on the Shannon and Fisher families and their respective friends were at war throughout the hills. Over a period of some 20 years, various acts of violence were perpetrated against each other. Over the years an estimated ten to twelve members of the two families were to lose their lives. Scores of others were wounded.
Jim Reed, Belle Starr's first husband, became involved when Scott Reed, a friend of the Fishers, was killed in one of the Shannon/Fisher shootings. Reed also involved his old friend from War days, Frank James, of the notorious "James/Younger" gang in several of the battles. Eventually, Gov. Clayton issued substantial rewarads for the arrest of John Fisher, leader of the clan. This and the fact that the law-abiding citizens were tired of the continual outrages in the region resulted in most of the Fishers either being run out of the region or leaving the area on their own accord.
Although the shooting stopped, the bitter feelings between the Fisher and Shannon families was to continue well into the twentieth century and among second and even third generations of the families. Althouh this old family feud is all but forgotten today, be on your best behavior if you happen to pass through Evansville, Arkansas, and your name happens to be Shannon or Fisher. [Ref: ShannonD SHANNON p92]



Pedigree of Finnis M SHANNON
                                                       /-----John SHANNON
                                              /-----John SHANNON
                                     /-----Robert SHANNON
                            /-----Thomas SHANNON
                           |         \-----Annal (SHANNON)
                   /-----Samuel SHANNON
                  |         \-----Agnes (SHANNON)
          /-----Joseph SHANNON
         |        |                  /-----Thomas REID
         |        |         /-----John Col REID
         |        |        |         \-----Mary McKEAN
         |         \-----Jane REID
         |                  \-----Jane STUART
 /-----Granville Billingsley SHANNON
|        |         /-----James BILLINGSLEY
|         \-----Mary BILLINGSLEY
|                  \-----Ann RHEA
Finnis M SHANNON
 \-----Unity WILLIAMS



Descendants of Finnis M SHANNON