James Shaw resided between where the railroad now is in Fairhaven, Massachusetts and Fort Phenix in Acushnet, Massachusetts. He was appointed a "Drill Sargeant" by Plymouth Court.

James Shaw is in the 1643 list of men 16 to 60 able to bear arms in Plymouth. He was admitted Freeman 6 June 1654. He was elected constable of Dartmouth 8 June 1664. He was elected selectman of Dartmouth 7 June 1670; 3 June 1673; 3 June 1674 and 1 June 1675.

On 7 May 1650 James Shaw and John Shaw, Jr. were ordered to pay court costs and thirty-five shillings damages to Edward Doty one of the famous Mayflower Passengers (PCR 2:149).
PCR 2:137, 163, 148. As an example of the type of case where it could be possible to read too much into it, PCR 2:170 lists that on 8th June 1651 the Grand Jury presented John Shaw, James Shaw, Samuel Cuthbert, Benjamin Eaton, Goodwife Gannett, Martha Haward, and William Snow for "vaine, light, and lacivius carriage at an unseasonable time of the night." This is probably something considerably short of a sexual orgy. It is doubtful, too, that sexual misconduct is involved when Ann, the wife of Thomas Savory, is presented on 7th May 1661 for being found during the time of a church meeting drunk with Thomas Lucas "under an hedge in uncivell and beastly manner" (PCR 3:212). Lucas is notorious as a town drunk, and from the general tenor of the records, it can be assumed that had there been any sexual connotation, the wording would have been different.

On 26 March 1658 John Shaw, Sr of Plymouth, Planter gave his son Sargeant James Shaw of Plymouth one half of his purchase land at Coaksett or Cushena [Dartmouth]. note: There is a area on the coast in the town of Fairhaven, Bristol County, MA called "Shaw's Cove". "Shaw's Cove refers also to the area surrounding the cove. Presently today there is a Lopes Farm there, the land consists of cow pastures and private cottages that line the cove, off in the distance you can see Sconticut Neck.

In October 1662, the court appointed "Samuel Jenney", "JAMES SHAW" and "Arthur Hathaway", members of a committee to divide the estate of Mr. Robert Hicks "att Accushena, Coaksett, and places adjacent."

At the time Sergeant James Shaw was raising cattle, most probably at Acushena, for on 3 May 1664 he complained in court against an Indian, Wawanquin, for killing a cow in a trap. Wawanquin was required by the court to pay James Shaw 30 shillings "with all convenient speed" [Shurtleff, Plymouth Colony Records [note 1], 4:27. Despite the legal transfer of Purchase lands to the colonists, the Native Americans had little understanding of permanent and exclusive property rights. A few years later, incidents such as this precipitated King Philip's War. What a terrible way to treat these Native Americans, the English stole their land then forced them to pay for their unintentional mistakes like this one! It appears that these Native Americans are just as intelligent as the English settlers. A few problems were the verbal communication between the Natives and the English Colonist, probably along with some racial discrimination against the Natives as well.

On 7 May 1674 James Shaw of Dartmouth sold 25 acres and some other land to John Russell. James Shaw and wife Mary acknowledged the deed 26 June 1674.

On 10 May 1679 Mary Shaw, Widow of deceased James Shaw, and Mary Shaw, daughter of deceased James, both of New Plymouth, sold 1 2/4 acres of marsh in Dartmouth to Joseph Allin of Dartmouth.

On 17 November 1699 Jonathan Shaw, Jr of Plymouth sold land in Dartmouth which formerly belonged to his uncle James Shaw of Dartmouth to William Bassett, but he was not to enter or improve the dwelling house and home lot until after the decease of Mary "the now wife of John Jenne formerly wife to my said Unkle."

References: MD 10:34-5 (John Shaw deed to son James Shaw). Plymouth Colony Records 3:48 (Freeman); 4:61 (constable); 5:35, 113, 144, 165 (selectman); 8:14 (1st m.), 16 (b. son James). Plymouth Colony Land Records 4:48 (James Shaw), 326 (Mary Shaw). Bristol County Land Records 3:61 (Jonathan Shaw). Bristol County Probate Records 5:416-7 (John Jenney). Vital Records Dartmouth 3:42 (d. John). Plymouth Vital Records pp. 660 (m.), 661 (b. James).

*James Shaw settled in Connecticut? *John Shaw of Plymouth, Massachusetts Page 5.

• Married: 24 DEC 1652 in Mayflower Descendant Magazine, 16:239, Middleboro, Plymouth Colony, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, New England

1. Mary SHAW b: ABT 1653 in of Massachusetts, New England
2. James SHAW b: 6 DEC 1654 in Mayflower Descendant Magazine, 17:71, Middleborough, Plymouth Colony, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, New England
3. JOHN SHAW# b: WFT Est 1660-1674 in of ?Pennsylvania or Carolina's or Massachusetts, New England
4. Anne SHAW b: ABT 1662 in of Massachusetts, New England

1. Title: *John Shaw of Plymouth, Massachusetts
   Author: Compiled by Benjamin Shurtleff 1866-1952; Edited by Margaret Johnson Drake, 643 Park Drive, Kenilworth, Illinois, 60043
   Publication: Evanston, Illinois, 1972 by "Peggy Drake"
   Note: Original typing from the manuscript done by Loraine Fair Sanford of Moline, Illinois.
   Stencils prepared by Susan Pettinger Munro
   Edited and Indexed by:
   Margaret Johnson Drake
   Nancy Gubb Frederick
   Dorothy Nelson Grant
   Stella Rigby Hallett
   Florence Collins Weed
   Jeanne Smith Wood
   for the Fort Dearborn Chapter, (NSDAR) National Society Daughters of American Revolution Genealogical Records Committee
   Evanston, Illinois, 1972
   Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number 70 - 189497
   Note: Very Good
   Repository:
   Media: Book
   Page: Page 5
2. Title: !!"John Shaw of Plymouth Plantation in Progress"
   Author: Kenneth Linwood Shaw, III
   Publication: A collection of compiled pedigrees & data from books, bibles, town vital records, grave yards and people through out the United States of America and Canada (Copyright © 2001-2011, data first posted o n the www 11th October 2001)
   Note: Please E-mail your John Shaw family line to us at <kenshaw68@christian.net> or US Mail address: 37 Taunton Green, Post Office Box 1016, Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts 02780
   
   Not all of this research is mine, I have not documented all of it and there are mistakes that I am working on. Please use my database as a guide to point you in a research direction.
   
   Thank You
   Ken Shaw, III
   Repository:
   Media: Electronic