William Henry Shoemaker was born July 10, 1842 in Alleghany County, Virginia. He was one of six children born to John K. E. Shumaker and Elizabeth Matthews, daughter of Thomas Matthews. Sometime after 1852 William's mother, Elizabeth, died and by 1860 his father had placed the children in different homes. William was farmed out to a John Callaghan. He was being mistreated and early one morning he ran away. The next record of William, who usually went by the name of Henry, is when he enlisted in the Army of the Confederacy at Hickey Flats, Virginia in November of 1862. He was shortly promoted from Private to 2nd Sargent in Company C of the 64th Regiment Virginia Mounted Infantry. William was taken prisoner of war September 9, 1863 at Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. When the confederate Brigadier General John W. Frazer, while under the influence of a large amouunt of liquor, surrendered to the Union forces without firing a shot. William and the other prisoners were sent to the Military Prison at Louisville, Kentucky. September 24, 1863 the prisoners were sent to Camp Douglas at Chicago, Illinois. April 3, 1865 William enlisted in Company K of the 6th U.S. Volunteers at the camp and remained until the war ended which was a matter of a few months. According to information given to the Upper Cumberland Association of Harlan County to be used for a Memorial Edition for William Shoemaker after his death, it was while he was in the army that he was converted to Christianity on March 24, 1863 at Chicago. this would seem to verify family tradition that William had escaped from the prison but was later recaptured.l However, the escape is not recorded on the Camp Douglas prison records. After the war William, who said he had no family to go home to, went home with John H. Redman, who also enlisted in the 6th U.S. Volunteers. They made their way from Chicago to Scott County, Virginia. There William met John's sister, Elizabeth, whom he married on December 10, 1866. Elizabeth was the daughter of Andrew Jackson Redman and Elizabeth Jones. Jackson redman performed the vows of matrimony for William Henry Shoemaker and Elizabeth Redman. William and Elizabeth Shoemaker lived for some time in Scott County, Va., Lee County, Virginia and then came to Harlan County Kentucky about 1881 or 1882. William bought land December 4, 1882 from Calvin and Lavina Pace and Isaac Huff on the "Fork known as Dic Fork of Yocums Creek of the Cloverfork branch of the Cumberland River". He later sold this land to John B. Lewis in June 1904. On August 9, 1904 William purchased from M.B. and Sally Ball a portion of land on Fourmile Creek. William was a Baptist minister and faithful to his calling. On March 17, 1890, he was a member of the Presbytery of the convention being held at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Harlan, Kentucky where they organized the "Upper Cumberland Association of Baptists". The historical records of the association from the years 1890-1911 show that William Shoemaker was the Moderator six times and preached the Introductory Sermon ten times for the annual meetings. The Locust Grove Baptist Church was established in 1885 and William Henry Shoemaker served as its first pastor. In 1887, he became the pastor of the Mt. PLEASANT Baptist Church and remained pastor until 1889. He also pastored the Fourmile Baptist Church as well as preached at many other churches. Many times he and Elizabeth would ride their big black horses through the mountains to preach the gospel. There are many stories told by grandchildren of William and Elizabeth that had been passed on from their parents. One such story goes that one time William rode his horse over Pine Mountain to preach. He had preached several times at this one church and had received no pay in offerings. Upon returning this time, when he stepped up to the pulpit he made the statement "No pay- No Preach". Another time he had preached and after the service was invited to a home to have dinner. The lady of the house said "Come and sit down and eat but it aint fit for a dog." To which William replied "If it ain't fit for a dog - it ain't fit for me." He refused to eat. Once when William went to preach at a church at Pumpkin Center (Kenvir, Ky.) it had rained all day and was still raining that evening. Time came for church and one man showed up. William was not going to preach but the man said "yes you are because I traveled a long way through the mountains to hear you preach." William preached and the man was saved. After that William would say "That was one time I preached and the whole house was saved." On the day of his death March 24, 1912, William got up that morning and told his family that he had a strange dream that night before. In the dream he saw a man who walked across the room and stopped at the door. When he went throught the door, he fell down dead. Later that evening about dark, William got up to go out on the front porch and as he went through the door he collapsed. By the time members of the family got to him, he had died. William Henry and Elizabeth Shoemaker are burried in the Shoemaker Johnson Cemetery on a peaceful quiet knoll on a mountain side on Four mile Creek in Harlan County Kentucky. Several years before William Henry Shoemaker and Enos M. Johnson, who were neighbors, were out hunting one day. On the way back home they stopped at this place to rest. It was so pretty and peaceful that one of them made the remark that it would be a good place to be buried. They made an agreement that day that whoever died first the other would make sure he was buried in that place. William Shoemaker was the first to be laid to rest in that spot and many years later Enos Johnson was laid to rest there also.

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