It is believed that Shem first lived in East Guilford (Madison) and then North Guilford. He was held in captivity for his entire life. Recent evidence shows that he fought in the American Revolution and that he was brought by Submit Scranton to her marriage with Deacon Simeon Chittenden. His gravestone is one of the only two that are believed to be extant for enslaved persons in Guilford He is remembered by the elegant gravestone memorializing his death in 1794 and poem illustrating his humor and agency.