|
Shafer Family Hisory
aka SCHAPER
My great-great grandfather, Friedrich
Christian Christoph Schaper [aka Chris Shafer] was the second of my Shafer
family to arrive in America from Germany. His brother Christian Christoph Schaper was the first. It is unknown by me why they chose
Indiana as a home, but as soon as they got off the boat, they traveled
towards the Hoosier state.
All that is known by me about
Christian Christoph Schaper, so far, is that he first settled in Indiana after
arriving in the country in 1865. He married Frances Jane Lawson on
29 March 1871 in Grant Co., Indiana, and I am unsure how many children
they had.
Christian was granted a land patent in
Oklahoma on 9 November 1908. His name was stated as "Christian C.
Schaefer" as it was at his death in 1923. He was known by many as
just C.C. Schaefer. In 1880 Christian, Frances, and daughter
T. Ann
were in Lincoln, Stafford Co., Kansas. Apparently on his way to the
land runs and lotteries in Oklahoma.
Three years after his arrival in America,
little brother Friedrich [my great-great grandfather] arrives on 15 June
1868 on the vessel Herman from Bremen. Chris, as he was known, began
his service in the German Army Reserves on April 19, 1865 and was sworn in
on the twenty-first. His duty was for seven years. The military
description of Christopher was: 5ft. 9in., dark blonde hair, forehead low,
grey eyes, common/normal nose, slim/slender stature. His allotment number
was 53 and he was in the noncommissioned officers and troops from the
second rifle brigade. The German Army issued Christopher a vacation pass
from May 1, 1868 to May 1, 1870. In June of 1868 he arrived in America to
live the rest of his life, never returning home.
Chris never learned to speak English very
well, and was never naturalized. When his brother C.C. Schaefer
was
ill and upon his death bed, Chris had to apply for a passport to travel
from Indiana to Oklahoma, as he was considered an enemy alien, this was in
the year 1923.
Two years after his brother died,
Chris
died also, a couple of months later, Chris' oldest son passed away.
I have sent to two churches in Germany for
any birth, death, records on this family. One sent me two baptismal
records for Chris and C.C., the other sent me a generational chart going
back to their great grandfather. This family is a traditional
Germany family, you will see what I mean when you read their full given
names.
Due to the extreme amount I was charged for
this generational chart, I have yet to obtain any more info from said
church. I still owe them money, they never informed me ahead of time
of the exorbitant cost of a piece of paper!
|
