Once Upon a Time

By Julie Schlesselman, Local History & Genealogy Department Manager, FCPLD

This article ran in the May 18, 2022, edition of the Brookville American.

I was a beautiful house – one of the most regal and unique in our entire county. I was a showplace in Laurel, and that’s saying a lot because at one time, the town of Laurel had some of the most lavish and ornate homes around. Laurel was a booming town back in the day, which was about a hundred and fifty years ago. I, however, am slightly older than that. I date from around the 1830s and am almost 190 years old. I must boast that I am an excellent example of a Greek Revival style of house – a high style rarely seen in these parts. My closest counterpart would probably have been the exquisite Stephen Harding house in Milan, Indiana, which today is just like me, a sad relic of its former glory.

A special family loved me for just over 130 years. They were the Sheras and the ones who owned me for the longest length of time. To make me recall my past only saddens me because of the state I am in today, but some of my history needs to be shared before I am lost and forgotten altogether.

Today, I sit at what is known as Clay and Commerce streets in Laurel. If you have visited the Laurel Library, you’ll know exactly where I am talking about. There are all kinds of buildings and apartments around me today, so you’ll probably not believe it when I tell you I was once part of a large farm on the outskirts of town, but I was.

The Russell family owned the property first, well, excluding the fact that the Indians were here long before. The Russells were very early Franklin County settlers, having bought this land and settled in Laurel in 1811 and 1812. They stayed here for just over 40 years, then ended up moving west. Unfortunately, the Russells were here very early on, and once gone, no one ever thought to include them in any of the published Franklin County histories. The Russells left barely any paper trail whatsoever. The only thing they left behind were some of the family’s remains, which are buried in the Laurel Cemetery.

From the dates the Russells occupied the land, 1812-1858, I know it was one of them who built me – but which one, I can’t recall for sure.

In 1859, this property became Shera property, and extended family members of James and Jane Shera owned it until the early 1990s. Members of the Shera family were landowners, businessmen, and farmers. They were a well-respected clan in Laurel Township as well as in Springfield Township, as that is where James was from. The Sheras were also just all-around good citizens, for in June of 1868, Mrs. Terbush’s house in Laurel was heavily damaged by fire, and James Shera was the one who spearheaded the contribution campaign to raise money to have her house repaired.

James Shera was the eldest son of Caleb and Sallie Shaffer Shera. They were of Irish descent. James wanted to be a schoolteacher, so he educated himself as such and worked in that profession for many years. It was when he attended the Brookville College for higher education that he met his future wife, Jane Johnson.

James Shera and Jane Johnson were married on January 30, 1856.

Jane Johnson was a child of Lucas and Rachel Johnson. Her father, Lucas, was supposedly a sea captain before he moved west. He was born in New York, and I’m not quite sure what enticed him to bring his family here. He and his wife and children moved to this area when Jane was just two years old and lived across the line in Fayette County in a big house at the sharp curve on SR 121, and owned numerous pieces of property in the Laurel area.

My best guess as to why James and Jane moved to Laurel after their marriage was to be near Jane’s parents, since she was their only daughter. In fact, it was Lucas Johnson who helped James and Jane Shera to purchase me. James bought me, and a nice chunk of land, from his father-in-law, Lucas Johnson, in 1859.

It was James who enlarged me and added the dining room and kitchen to my backside. Eventually, James owned lots of land throughout Laurel, including up Kokomo Hill and where the Laurel Elementary School is located today.

James and Jane had four children: Mary Alice, Emma, Lydia, and Parry Clinton, also known as P.C. Lydia and Emma died young, and Parry was the one who remained here to raise his family after his parents moved on.

In 1881, James and Jane Shera left me and moved to Connersville to start a dry goods business, and Parry took over my custodial duties. James’s move to Connersville was the beginning of the business Shera & McIntosh, which was a partnership and lucrative venture that lasted thirty years in that town. Both James and Jane died in 1912 and are buried at Conwell Cemetery. Parry’s sister, Mary Alice, never married, so after her parents died, she came back here to live with Parry and his family.

In 1881, Parry Clinton Shera married Glendora Norris and took over the farm. Parry’s family enjoyed living within my walls and was very proud of me.

Parry’s first wife, Glendora, contracted tuberculosis and died in 1887. Together, they had one son who survived, Evan, who was born in 1885. Parry then married Sallie Bennett in 1889, and they had two children, Frances, who was born in 1895, and Alice, born in 1902.

Over the years, Parry increased the 320-acre farm to 500 acres. He was a thrifty farm manager who focused on livestock and annually sold carloads of cattle. Parry also farmed sheep, hogs, and rabbits. P.C. Shera owned at least 26 horses and offered a stud service. Mr. Wiggins, the Laurel blacksmith, claimed that P.C. was his best customer.

When Parry’s daughter Frances married Dr. Hermann Smelser of the Fairview area in 1916, she did it here, and I was acknowledged in the Richmond Palladium Item. In addition to a short description of the wedding, the columnist said, “Mr. Shera has a beautiful country home, and one half of the house has been furnished in the old furniture coming down from Mr. Shera’s ancestors.”

Alice became my overseer around 1945, as my beloved patriarch, Parry, died in 1946.

Alice’s main occupation was teaching elementary school in Laurel. At that time, the school was where the Laurel Library is today – just a hop, skip, and a jump from my front door. Alice taught for 30 years overall, but took a break from the classroom for about 15 years to care for her mother, Sallie, who became bedfast from arthritis.

Sallie Shera died in 1959. And Frances’ husband, Dr. Smelser, died that same year. Eventually, Frances would move back here to live out her remaining days with her sister Alice.

Alice taught the primary grades. Barbara Shera Dishman had her great-aunt Alice as a third-grade teacher in the twilight of her teaching career and can confirm that Alice was an old school, hardline teacher – but declares, “You learned from her.” Alice retired in 1973.

Alice was also a well-known antique dealer and ran a shop from inside my walls. Alice didn’t even really need the tiny sign outside stating, “antiques” because everyone around these parts knew she was a trader and dealer. She even regularly bought and sold with Webb’s Antiques in Centerville.

I left possession of the Shera descendants in the 1990s. Frances Shera Smelser died a widow at the age of 87 in 1982. Alice Shera died a spinster at the age of 89, ten years later in 1992.

In acknowledgement of the 100^th anniversary of the first Shera family reunion, which was held on my property in 1898, the final Shera family reunion for the descendants of Caleb and Sallie Shafer Shera was also held here. It occurred on June 28, 1998. It was organized by Barbara Shera Dishman, a sixth-generation descendant of the couple. At that time, I was being utilized at the Wee Care Daycare Center. I have changed hands a couple of times since then, and, well, as you can see from the first photo accompanying my story, I don’t have much more to add except that I desperately miss my Shera family, who so lovingly maintained and cared for me for well over a century.

Thank you to Barbara Shera Dishman for contributing photos and family information.