Farmed on rented farms all of his life. Info from Dicy Shelton - never worked but let son's do it all and the hired black help. Also probably had children by the black help. Brought first blacks from Kentucky to Franklin, IN. Then rented a farm at Broadripple, IN. Father & sons all alcoholic. Boys went to town on weekends to drink & tried to avoid father who was also there drinking. Asthma ran in Shelton Family. Only Lizzy & John Clay were short/others tall. Dicy Shelton said that if one of the Shelton boys ran into another in town, you could count on a "great big drunk."