Robert Emory Shafer ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9}

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Alt. Birth, November 1857, Maryland, United States. ^{2 10}

2. 1860 US Census, 21 June 1860, Middletown, Frederick, Maryland, United States. ⁷ 1860 US Census
Page 70, Dwelling 501, Household 533, Roll 474
Middletown, Frederick County, Maryland
Robert Shafer..3..MD

(Living with parents.)

3. 1870 US Census, 9 August 1870, Middletown District, Frederick, Maryland, United States. ⁸ 1870 US Census
Page 51, Dwelling 336, Family 346
Middletown District, Frederick County, Maryland
Robert Shafer..13..MD..At Home

(Living with widowed mother.)

4. 1880 US Census, 9 June 1880, Middletown District, Frederick, Maryland, United States. ² 1880 US Census
Page 169A, District 72, Dwelling 178, Family 192, Roll 0509
Middletown District, Frederick County, Maryland
Robert E. Shafer..Self..22..MD..Laborer

(Living with wife and 2 children.)

NOTE - If his birth date was 16 Nov 1856, then his age should have been 23 instead of 22.

5. 1900 US Census, 1 June 1900, District 1, Washington, Maryland, United States. ³ 1900 US Census
Sheet 9A, District 67, Dwelling 143, Family 149
District 1, Washington County, Maryland
Farm rented
Married 23 years
Robert C. Schafer..Head..Nov 1857..43..MD..Farmer

(Living with wife and 8 children.)

NOTE - His birth date is believed to be 16 Nov 1856 instead of in Nov 1857.

6. 1910 US Census, 5 May 1910, Downsville, Washington, Maryland, United States. ⁴ 1910 US Census
Sheet 10A, District 142, Family 179, Roll 569
Downsville, Washington County, Maryland
Farm rented
Married 33 years
Robert E. Shaffer..Head..54..MD..Farmer

(Living with wife and 2 sons.)

NOTE - If his birth date was 16 Nov 1856, then his age should have been 53 instead of 54.

7. 1920 US Census, 5 January 1920, Downsville, Washington, Maryland, United States. ⁵ 1920 US Census
Sheet 1B, District 191, Dwelling 18, Family 18, Roll 676
Downsville, Washington County, Maryland
Farm owned, no mortgage
Robert E. Shafer..Head..63..MD..Laborer, Farm

(Living with wife, divorced daughter, Lola, and 2 grandchildren.)

8. 1930 US Census, 4 April 1930, Downsville, Washington, Maryland, United States. ⁶ 1930 US Census
Sheet 1B, District 51, Dwelling 12, Family 12, Roll 881
Downsville, Washington County, Maryland
Robert E. Shaffer..Head..74..MD..Laborer, General Farm

(Living with wife, divorced daughter, Lola, and 1 granddaughter.)

NOTE - If his birth date was 16 Nov 1856, then his age should have been 73 instead of 74.

9. Obituary: Daily Mail, 16 March 1936, Hagerstown, Washington, Maryland, United States. ⁹ Robert E. Shafer, well known retired farmer of the Downsville section, died at his home in Downsville Sunday evening at 8 o'clock, aged 79 years. Death was due to complications and followed an illness of new months. Mr. Shafer was born and reared in the Middletown section of Frederick County and was a son of the late Henson and Margaret (Welty) Shafer. He resided in this county 37 years. He was a member of the Mt. Moriah Reformed church.

Surviving are his widow, Martha E. Shaffer; daughters, Mrs. Mary A. Snyder, Westminster; Mrs. Charles A. Lowman, Sharpsburg; and Miss Lola, at home; sons, Roy, Middletown; Robert E. and Charles E., Downsville, and brother, William, Middletown.

The body was removed to the Bast Funeral Home at Boonsboro, where services will be held Wednesday afternoon at 2 o'clock with Rev. J. Addison Groff officiating. Burial in Mountain View Cemetery, Sharpsburg.

(Source: Daily Mail, Hagerstown, MD, 16 Mar 1936)
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10. Cemetery: Mountain View Cemetery, 18 March 1936, Sharpsburg, Washington, Maryland, United States. ⁹ Find A Grave Memorial #99288334

Robert married Martha Ellen Shafer, daughter of John Randolph Shafer and Mary Catherine Routzahn, on 5 September 1877 in Frederick, Maryland, United States.^{1 2 3 4 5 6} (Martha Ellen Shafer was born on 31 August 1853 in Frederick, Maryland, United States ^{2 6 11 12}, baptized on 14 December 1854 in Middletown, Frederick, Maryland, United States, died on 25 December 1936 ¹² and was buried after 25 December 1936 in Christ Reformed Cemetery, Middletown, Frederick, Maryland, United States ¹².)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

1. 1880 US Census, 9 June 1880, Middletown District, Frederick, Maryland, United States. ² 1880 US Census
Page 169A, District 72, Dwelling 178, Family 192, Roll 0509
Middletown District, Frederick County, Maryland
Robert E. Shafer..Self..22..MD..Laborer
Martha E. Shafer..Wife..26..MD..Keeping House
Roy Hanson Shafer..Son..2..MD
Mary A. Shafer..Daughter..7m..MD..Oct

2. 1900 US Census, 1 June 1900, District 1, Washington, Maryland, United States. ³ 1900 US Census
Sheet 9A, District 67, Dwelling 143, Family 149
District 1, Washington County, Maryland
Farm rented
Married 23 years
Robert C. Schafer..Head..Nov 1857..43..MD..Farmer
Martha Schafer..Wife..Sep 1856..44..MD..9/8
Roy H. Schafer..Son..Dec 1878..21..MD..Farm Laborer
Mollie A. Schafer..Daughter..Oct 1879..20..MD
Ira R. Schafer..Son..Jan 1881..19..MD..Farm Laborer
Harvey C. Schafer..Son..Jan 1881..19..MD..Farm Laborer
Lola C. Schafer..Daughter..Apr 1883..17..MD
Robert C. Schafer..Son..Jan 1886..14..MD..Farm Laborer
Lottie A. Schafer..Daughter..Aug 1888..11..MD..At School
Charles E. Schafer..Son..Mar 1889..11..MD..At School

3. 1910 US Census, 5 May 1910, Downsville, Washington, Maryland, United States. ⁴ 1910 US Census
Sheet 10A, District 142, Family 179, Roll 569
Downsville, Washington County, Maryland
Farm rented
Married 33 years
Robert E. Shaffer..Head..54..MD..Farmer
Martha E. Shaffer..Wife..57..MD..9/8
Robert E. Shaffer Jr..Son..24..MD..Farm Laborer
Charles E. Shaffer..Son..21..MD..Farm Laborer

4. 1920 US Census, 5 January 1920, Downsville, Washington, Maryland, United States. ⁵ 1920 US Census
Sheet 1B, District 191, Dwelling 18, Family 18, Roll 676
Downsville, Washington County, Maryland
Farm owned, no mortgage
Robert E. Shafer..Head..63..MD..Laborer, Farm
Martha E. Shafer..Wife..67..MD
Lola E. Snyder..Daughter..36..MD..Divorced
Charlotte E. Snyder..Granddaughter..11..MD
Russell Shafer..Grandson..5..MD

5. 1930 US Census, 4 April 1930, Downsville, Washington, Maryland, United States. ⁶ 1930 US Census
Sheet 1B, District 51, Dwelling 12, Family 12, Roll 881
Downsville, Washington County, Maryland
Robert E. Shaffer..Head..74..MD..Laborer, General Farm
Martha L. Shaffer..Wife..76..MD
Lola Shaffer..Daughter..46..MD
Elizabeth Shaffer..Daughter..21..MD

NOTE - Although listed as a daughter, it is believed that Elizabeth was a daughter of Lola Shafer and should have been listed as a granddaughter.

  Marriage Notes:

Robert and Martha were 2nd cousins.
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Name: Robert E. Shafer
Spouse's Name: Martha E. Shafer
Event Date: 05 Sep 1877
Event Place: Evangelical Lutheran Or Lutheran Congregation Of Middletown, Middletown, Frederick, Maryland

Citing this Record
"Maryland Marriages, 1666-1970," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4VM-F8Z : 11 February 2018), Robert E. Shafer and Martha E. Shafer, 05 Sep 1877; citing Evangelical Lutheran Or Lutheran Congregation Of Middletown, Middletown, Frederick, Maryland, reference ; FHL microfilm 13,934.
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There currently exists (12/2019) an indexed record on FamilySearch of a marriage between Robert E. Shafer and Martha E. Shafer based on a computer printout of marriages at the Middletown Evangelical Church in Middletown, Frederick, Maryland.

Unfortunately, FamilySearch has put this reference into a Record Collection entitled "New York, Church Records, 1660-1954" showing the event location as Middletown, Saratoga, New York instead of Middletown, Frederick, Maryland. The Shafers were never in New York and the marriage did in fact take place in Maryland.

Furthermore, there is no such location as Middletown in Saratoga County, New York. Some records before and after this particular document even incorrectly reference Rhode Island.

FamilySearch has been notified of this error and they are working to correct the indexing and Record Collection errors.

(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG5V-TJ7M)

Brian L. Lightfoot
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