It's romantic, but highly dubious that William Shanks was born at sea. His mother, Sarah Rapier Shanks was from an old Maryland family (she was 4th generation through one ancestor). William Shanks' parents, Thomas and Sarah Shanks are mentioned in the will of Sarah's mother, Teresita Thomspon Rapier, with Thomas Shanks being an executor. I think it's far more likely that William Shanks was born in Maryland or Pennsylvania than at sea.
