They came to Cassville (where they built a log warehouse) in 1828; and in 1831 they became the first settlers in Lancaster, in what would later become Grant County, Wisconsin.
[1][2] On the prairie south of what would become the city of Lancaster, Hodges and Shanley built a double log cabin which served as a refuge for travelers in the region.
[5] In 1846, Shanley published a platform addressed to the voters of Grant County, stating that he had been urged to run for delegate, presumably to the Wisconsin Constitutional Convention.
[7] In January 1838, an academy was chartered in Cassville, and Shanley served as one of its trustees.
In 1850 and 1851, Shanley served on the town's board of supervisors (equivalent to a city council).