Casper Shafer's Family in America
Isaac's Children

My Roots

I have always been interested in my family history and genealogy. I remember, as a very young boy, talking with my grandfather about the old family and asking him questions like, "Where did we come from?" and "What was his forefathers like?" He offered very little help with my questions. I do remember on one such occasion that he mentioned something about a traitor in our family.

Needless to say, I was in shock! Even at the tender age of five or six, I knew this could not be. I thought about my Uncle Dud who had been fighting in World War II, I knew that he had experienced fierce fighting in the jungles of Iwo Jima. I had always been taught to be proud of our country and our flag. It was impossible for me to think of a traitor in our family! To think of a Shafer who was a traitor - no way, IMPOSSIBLE, I thought. Surely, this must be some terrible mistake

Where did I come from?

Now, fifty years later, I know what he was referring to. But, oh there is so much more, which my grandfather either was not aware of or he had mistaken the facts! Let me identify the participants for you and tell you their true story once more.

Casper Shaver

was my 5th great-grandfather. His legendary accomplishments have been well documented elsewhere and therefore will not be addressed at this time.

Maria Catrina Bernhardt

Casper's wife lived another ten years, after her husband's death and died December 1, 1794. Very little has been written about her. We do know that she read her German bible through three times, during the ten years that she lived, after her husband had died.

The Children

They had four children who grew to adulthood and are named in Casper's will. They were: Peter B. , Margaretta, Abraham, and Isaac.

They also had two children known only by their baptismal records from the following churches:

Valentyne Shaver baptismal date March 9, 1746 Reformed Church at Machackemeck

Maria Susanna Shaver baptismal date September 30, 1754 Walpac Church.

5th Great Grandparents:
Casper Shaver, Born about: 16 Sept. 1712 ~ Died: 7 Dec. 1784
Maria Catrina Bernhardt, Born about: 1722 ~ Died: 1 Dec. 1794
Both are buried at the "old graveyard" Stillwater, NJ.

Isaac Shaver

My forth great-grandfather was Casper's youngest son. He only lived to be forty years old (1760~1800). I have searched, in vain, to find the reason for his untimely demise. What ended his life at such an early age in 1800? Written records are almost nonexistent for this period of time. However, we are still hoping.

No record of a home for Isaac has been found. We assume that since he was the youngest, he stayed with his parents in the old home place to take care of his aging parents. Isaac's first wife was Euphemia Stinson. She died within a year after their marriage. She bore no children. For his second wife Isaac chose an Irish lass, Martha Linn. She was the daughter of Joseph Linn and Martha Kirkpatrick. They had four children, three sons and one daughter they were:


Joseph Linn Shafer born 1787;
Archibald Stinson Shafer born 1789;
Margaret R. Shafer AKA Peggy born about 1792;
and Peter B. Shafer Jr. born 1795 (my third great grandfather)

4th Great Grandparents:
Isaac Shaver, Born: Jun. 1766 ~ Died: 27 Mar. 1800
Buried at the Yellow Frame Church, NJ
1. Euphemia Stinson, Born: About 1765 ~ Died: 9 May 1785 - No offspring
2. Martha Linn, Born: Abt 1751 ~ Died: Unknown

Peter B. Shafer, Jr.

Peter B. Shafer, Jr.
Amelia L. Fairchild

Isaac's youngest son Peter B. Shafer Jr. (named for his uncle, Isaac's oldest brother, thus the attached Jr.) had a large family of eight children. He was a Colonel in the Warren County Militia. He was an Elder in the Presbyterian Church at Hackettstown, NJ., for thirty eight years. These pictures were provided by Carol Shafer Livingstone.

Peter B. Shafer Jr. married Amelia L. Fairchild, and they had the following children.

Archibald Stinson b. 15 Dec. 1820,
Eliza Beach b. 14 Dec. 1822,
Martha Linn b. 4 Feb. 1825,
Margaretta Louisa b. 25 Mar. 1827,
Abraham Fairchild and Isaac b. 26 Apr. 1829. These were twin boys. Both died in infancy.
Joseph Henry b. 13 Apr. 1821, He was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. He was in the jewelry business in Newark and is buried there.
Edgar Ross b. 18 Dec. 1833

3rd Great Grandparents:
Peter B. Shafer, Jr., Born: 1795 ~ Died 13 Apr. 1868
Amelia L. Fairchild, Born: 6 Dec. 1794 ~ Died: 5 Dec. 1875
Both are buried at the Evergreen Cemetery, Section G, Lot 20, Morristown, NJ.


Archibald Stinson Shafer

Archibald Stinson Shafer
Mary Ogden Sayre

Peter B.'s oldest son was Archibald Stinson Shafer, my 2nd great-grand-father.

From the book "Sayre Family" by T. M. Banta, 1901, p. 384 we learn that he was in the "dry goods" business in Newark, NJ., where he lived until about 1846 or 1847, when they moved to Petersburg,VA. His children were:

Mary married Dr. Parker M. Burbank. They had the following three children:

Emily May Burbank, Parker Shafer Burbank, and Frederick McLillian Burbank

These facts were received from a Confederate veteran, Mr. Homer Atkinson, who fondly remembered Archibald Stinson Shafer and always bought his clothes from his store.

So here we have a southern gentleman, a prominent business man, whose home and family were in the south, who when asked, responded to the call and honorably supported the southern cause. I would hardly characterize that as a traitor! This is a real life example of how families were torn apart by this war. Where members of the same family found themselves on different sides of the same war. Archibald Stinson Shafer was wounded in the foot, on 9 June 1864, in defense of Petersburg, VA. This battle was known as the battle of "Old men and Young boys" He was serving with Captain J. E. Wolff's Company (B) Second Class Militia.[This fact provided by Kate Young.]

From Petersburg, the family moved to Raleigh, NC for a time before returning to New Jersey. Echoes of the war abounded and the welcome to New Jersey was not cordial.

During the years 1867-1869, Archibald Stinson Shafer lived in New York City. He was still in the clothing business. [This fact provided by Bruce Shafer ~ From NYC directory]

Second Great Grandparents: Archibald Stinson Shafer, Born: 15 Dec 1820 ~ Died: 4 Aug 1891 Mary Ogden Sayre, Born: 18 Dec 1821 ~ Died 4 July1916 Lot 102, Section F, Mount Pleasdant Cemetery, Newark, NJ
Caspar B. Shafer

Caspar Bernhardt Shafer

Archibald Stinson Shafer's oldest son, at sixteen years of age, carried mail for the Confederate Government by horseback. At the opening of the war, he prepared a map of the roads and paths around Richmond and presented it to General Lee receiving his approval and thanks. For more details of his life visit Robert and Carol Shafer Livingstone web site. Note: Please be patient as the many graphics take a little extra time to load.


Caspar B. Shafer married Margaret Rea and had the following children: Mary, who married Donald McMillan; They had no children.
Margaret, who married first George Marshall, and second Robert Knowles They had no children.
Caspar Irving,who died as a child from a fall from a tree while watching a parade in Washington, DC.;
Montgomery Rea who married Bertha Olive Bean.


Archibald Sayre Shafer

Archibald Sayre Shafer
Edith Mercer Richards

Archibald Sayre Shafer married Edith Mercer Richards and had one child:

Archibald Richards Shafer, my grandfather.

Great Grandparents:
Archibald Sayre Shafer, Born: 27 Sep. 1854 ~ Died: 8 Feb. 1933
Edith Mercer Richards, Born: 26 Sep. 1856 ~ Died 1942
Buried at Druid Ridge Cemetery, Maple Slope, Lot 1457, Baltimore, MD

Archibald Richards Shafer

Archibald Richards Shafer

My grandfather was a gentleman farmer. His livestock included a team of draft horses, a jersey cow and a jersey bull which he proudly used to service all the cows in the surrounding area. He was also a full time mail carrier and justice of the peace. When he was home you could usually find him working in his large vegetable garden


Edith Hazel Sauerwein

I never knew my grandmother. She died in 1929, when my dad was only 12 years old. He had only a few memories of her, one of which was kneeling in front of her as she rocked in her chair. She must have had a very tough life. She was an adopted child and I know nothing about her early life. Then when she married my grandfather [1907] she was taken from the city [Baltimore, MD] to what must have seemed like the end of the world to her [Little Orleans, MD]. This is a very rural area. They had a lovely brick home, built on 375 acres, high up on a very large hill. He named his farm, "Tip Top Farm", a very appropriate name. From the front porch, which extended the full width of the house, you could see for miles, including a beautiful view of the Potomac river as it snaked by.


Harriet F. Peters

After his first wife's death he married Harriet Flora Peters and they had one son; Richard Phillip Shafer. Dicky, as I called him, left a beautiful wife and three children in 1973 when he died from cancer. His children are: Phillip Mark Shafer, Kimberly Sue Shafer, and Deborah Lynne Shafer.


My grandparents had the following children: Mary Sayre Shafer, Edith Randolph Shafer,,Mildred Elizabeth Shafer, Dorothy Louise Shafer, Archibald Burton Shafer, Virginia Valentine Shafer, Jerome Woodrow Shafer, and Dudley Alexander Shafer. Jerome only lived for two weeks. He died in his mother's arms, in a train going to Baltimore for medical treatment.

Grandparents:
Archibald Richards Shafer, Born: 20 Dec. 1884 ~ Died: 20 Aug. 1962
1. Edith Hazel Sauerwein, Born:4 Jul. 1883 ~ Died: 7 Aug. 1929
Druid Ridge Cemetery, Maple Slope, Lot 194, Baltimore, MD
2. Harriet F. Peters, Born:24 Jan. 1913 ~ Died: 20 Sep. 2006
Rolling Green Memorial Gardens, Section P, Lot 169A, Camp Hill, PA

Archibald Burton and Louise Hansroth Shafer

Mother and Dad

My parents had five children: Arnold B., Doris L., Carl R., Allen W. , and D. Bernard.

Allen was killed in an automobile accident when he was just nineteen years old. The rest of us are all surviving as of July 2007.


Parents:

Archibald Burton Shafer, Born: 27 Dec. 1917 ~ Died: 14 Aug. 1997
Louise Hansroth, Born: 22 Jun. 1921 ~ Died: 5 Oct 1992
Cedar Lawn Memorial Gardens, Garden of the Good Shepard, Section G, Lot 111, Hagerstown, MD

My feelings are that members from both sides, of this horrible war, should be viewed with pride as they stood, fought and defended which ever side they found themselves on. President Roosevelt clearly and so eloquently expressed my feelings best.

"The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly. . . who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have known neither victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt.

"I have been lucky to get much of the genealogical information which I have acquired in very large pieces. For example, the first piece of information came when my father received his great-grandfather's (Archibald Stinson Shafer) family Bible, which details the roots of the early family and the fact that they settled in Stillwater, New Jersey."

The second very large piece came in 1984 when, with no prior planning, I talked my wife into making the short trip to Stillwater, New Jersey with me. We just wanted to visit the area and maybe find Casper's grave. When we drove into the community, we immediately noted a certain hustle-bustle of activity. Nearly every house was busy with yard sales. There was a large food and baked goods sale at the church. When I inquired about what was happening, I was told it was a fund raising effort to raise money to republish a book about one of the founders of the village of Stillwater, Casper Shaver. I nearly fainted! I did not know that such a book existed!

The third source came when I found my cousin Carol Shafer Livingstone. She has many family keepsakes which she shared with me. Another real treat was when she brought Casper and Maria's German bible with her to our second reunion.

This project was inspired by and coordinated through the efforts of Mrs. Grace H. Van Horn. She took my wife and me into the school house (AKA academy or museum) and showed us her original 1907 copy of the book, "Memoirs and Reminiscences". This book shows all of my paternal genealogy from Casper down to and including, my grandfather, Archibald Richards Shafer. I also met a fine young gentleman by the name of John D. Callanan. John directed me to Casper's grave. He also hand-sketched some great maps of the area for me. Since that initial visit, I have been back to Stillwater many times. I have met the current owners of the Shafer House (Mr. and Mrs. Gus & Elsie Roof.) Last summer, they gave us a tour through the first floor of the house. That was a wonderful experience for me!

I feel so close to my family when I visit the Stillwater area. I have since located the graves of all my grandparents and have visited their final resting places many times. I look forward to the day when I can meet them all.

"Isaac's Children"