Janet was born in 1826 in Monkton.12 Janet's father was Thomas Shaw and her mother was Jean Scoffield. Her paternal grandparents were Robert Shaw and Mary Eaglesham-Smith; her maternal grandparents were James Scoffield and Jane Bone. She had four brothers and two sisters, named James, Robert, Robert, James, Ann and Margaret. She was the third oldest of the seven children. She died due to a respiratory problem and/or pneumonia, Chronic Bronchitis duration many years, Acute Bronchitis 3 days, at the age of 49 on November 26th, 1875 in New Prestwick.2