From: "Stephen Shafer" Sent: Wednesday, April 8, 2009 3:05:46 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [NJHUNTER] inquiry re George Garrison Shafer b. 1833 BEGIN Looking for background on my father's grandfather. He was George Garrison Shafer b 1833 in Lebanon (I think), married in Hunterdon County about 1854 to Catherine A. Rinehart also b 1833. She was also from Hunterdon Cty. Soon after marriage the couple moved to Monroe County PA. There were many variations, as you all know, in how to spell what began as Schaffer or Scheffer. In our family, Shaver was an older simplified spelling. By family lore, George Garrison Shafer's father John changed his spelling to "Shafer." I have names for some of his ancestors but again the spellings are not necessarily correct. These putative names need to be validated using sources other than Aunt Mary's memory. I would be glad to supply these to anyone interested. Stephen Quentin Shafer END From: Stephen Shafer [mailto:sqs1@columbia.edu] Sent: Friday, April 10, 2009 6:54 PM BEGIN Thank you for your welcome, a most informative one. I don't know if what I tell you connection will qualify rigorously, but here goes. George Garrison Shafer born 1833 was according to notes from my aunt the son of John Shafer and Margaret Garrison. Our family spelt it Garrison, and it has been a first name in several generations. I have a first cousin George Garrison Shafer who goes by "Garry." Aunt Mary warned me the name Garrison may have been spelt in other ways even at the time of Margaret's marriage. 1850 census at Bethlehem in Hunterdon County shows George G Shafer aged 16 in household with John age 45 and Margaret age 48. This fits with Aunt Mary saying John Shafer, the one who changed spelling to Shafer was married to Margaret Garrison or Garretsen or other variant. The John Shafer born about 1805 had brothers according to Aunt Mary named Asher and Philip. I don't know of any children from the marriage of Margaret and John besides George Garrison, but as mentioned by own records are incomplete. George Garrison Shafer and Catherine A. Rinehart had seven children, one of whom was named Garrison. Age 48 in 1850 fits well with estimated birth date for the Margaret you cite of 1802. Looks like a connection to me! I would be delighted to know more. Very vaguely I recall hearing fifty years ago of some family tale re the Garrison side that had to do with someone's finding a shipwrecked princess on a shore. Stephen Shafer END