As I continue to work backwards from the known to the unknown (i.e. tracing the property history/purchases of Jacob and Barbara Shroyer), I am taking the liberty of also accumulating as much information as I can about Shaney John (aka, Shawnee John). I have found little tidbits here and there, but this is by far the most interesting. How fun would it be to be able to connect to such a legendary Central Pennsylvania folk figure such as the Shaney John described in the article below. Again I stress: my actual research has NOT yet connected the Shroyers to Shaney John, but that’s not to say it isn’t possible.
The public-domain book was found online by my mom, Terri Fassnacht, and provides a better description of his life than I have yet been able to find. Obviously, this is in large part, mystical, but there certainly seems to be some factual basis here regarding his life. In any event, I thought it made for an entertaining read and wanted to share the find. I was going to save it and add it to the exciting report if/when I was able to connect the families, but we might all be folklore before I ever finish that!
Google Books is a wonderful tool to have at your disposal, and I encourage all of you to explore what can be found there. The original book digitized here is:
Juniata Memories: Legends Collected in Central Pennsylvania, “Shaney John: A Tale From Saddler’s Run”, pp. 106-120, Henry w. Shoemaker, published by John Joseph McVey, 1916, Philadelphia, PA
Enjoy!
