Born on Mar. 17, 1942 in Decatur, Ill. and raised on the Charles Shuman family farm in rural Sullivan, Ill. Janet traced the family's history on the same farm property, starting in 1853 when Major Addison McPheeters purchased the land. The son of a German shoemaker, Charles Shuman, found work on the farm during the Civil War, and ended up marrying the Major's daughter. Janet discussed in detail how the farm tradition was carried on from generation to generation. She discussed Irving Shuman, her great uncle, who helped Woodrow Wilson become the Democratic candidate for president, and later served as Wilson's Director of the Chicago Sub-Treasury for a time. Janet discussed her father's career as the President of the American Farm Bureau from 1954 to 1971. She also discussed her childhood on the farm, and life with her older brothers, and a father who spent his work week in Chicago. When Janet was 12, her mother, Ida, passed away. Charles was a man of strong convictions and powerful personality, an eloquent speaker and prolific writer. He was a life-long advocate against government subsidies and other aggressive New Deal era programs. Instead, he sought to allow market forces to work in the farm economy. In 1963, he successfully led farmers in defeating the Wheat Referendum, a government measure that sought to establish a two-price plan including acreage allotments and land retirements for individual farmers. After retirement, Charles participated in many activities included the Millikin University Board of Trustees, where he characteristically took up the fight against teacher tenure. He also taught Sunday school for decades at the local Methodist church, but sometimes found his religious views at odds with the church hierarchy.
From the description of An interview with Janet Shuman Roney / Janet Shuman Roney ; Mark DePue, interviewer. 2008. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 291099199
