Here are some possible stories we have about Christopher and his wife, but no proof - all information below is from the book Christopher SHAVER-Broad Neck, Salem County, New Jersey and Some of His Descendants by Elmer Garfield Van Name, 1965; Vol. 3, No. 4 of Salem County Historical Society Publications. TRADITIONS (From Page 2 and 3):
"Christopher SHAVER, as an infant, was bereft of both parents who were on a voyage to this country to make America their home. The ship had left Great Britain and among the passengers there might have been some people from other parts of Europe. I am inclined to think the little orphan boy came from Holland and had Dutch parents, as among the descendants many are of fair complexion and sturdy people. Both his parents died and were buried at sea. When the ship came to port in New York, the Captain carried this little orphan babe to his boarding house and made provision for his maintenance and he was kindly reared and cared for until he could care for himself. As there was no record of the name of the child or parents, the Captain gave this babe a name by telling the foster parents they should give the child 'his' name which was Christopher SHAVER, or SHAAFER." (RSB)
There is another version of this story, written to me in 1945 by Warren F. SHAFER, to the effect that Christopher's name not being known, he was endearingly called the "little shaver" by passengers and crew (a term of endearment which I heard many years ago), and that they added "Christopher" after Christopher Columbus.
"This little one (Christopher) when he grew to manhood settled in South Jersey in a little place called Broad Neck, where he married Miss Ann HOPKINS whose parents came from Sweden with little Ann still an infant. Their ship had a tempestuous voyage, and little Ann's parents had many chests of valuables which were all lost at sea; and only themselves were saved to land in the new country of America." Thus wrote Mrs. Brocking in a letter to the Editor of the Elmer Times in 1922 (RSB).
"In the autumn of the year 1861, my two maternal grandmothers came to live with my parents and they were with us all winter. My mother's oldest child, a daughter, was a young girl at this time and, no doubt, she got her information concerning the SHAFER and HOPKINS family right from our great grandmother, the widow of Christopher SHAFER, and her daughter Ann HARTMAN. This sister told it to me in a more definite way than I had ever heard the story. Sister's name was Susie but she is not living at this time." (RSB)
These colorful traditions are fascinating, and may seem somewhat convincing. It is recognized that traditions cannot be accepted unless confirmed in some way; yet, on the other hand, they cannot be too readily brushed aside.
The passenger lists of ships, containing the names of parents and children, and the naturalization proceedings of Germans and Swedes entering the English Colonies in America, cannot be examined because it has not been shown whether the traditions (if correct, in fact) relate to Christopher and Ann (or to other relatives or generations); moreover, the names of their parents and the ports of entry are not known.
There are many families bearing the name SHAVER, SHAFER, and the like, altho the name is not quite so common as Smith, Johnson, and others. The numerous claims presented, in 1937 and earlier, in the notorious Garrett estate, in Philadelphia, involving a fortune of twenty millions of dollars, demonstrated that there were many persons in this country claiming descent from ancestors who had borne the very name Christopher SHAVER! It seems futile therfore, in the absence of some evidence, to speculate upon our Christopher's ancestry. Consequently, it is with hesitancy, that I mention, in note a, the early Cumberland County SHAVERS as being of some interest, but without definite implications, altho Christopher could have been associated in some manner with them; and, perhaps, have acquired his name by birth, an informal "adoption," or otherwise.
(There was a Christopher SHAVER taxed in Berks County, PA.in 1780 and 1781. PA Archives (3rd series) Vol. 18).
I conclude that the ancestry of both Christopher SHAVER and Ann (SHAVER) must, unfortunately, remain in the realm of mysteries, at least for the present.
*(RSB - Information collected by Mrs. R.S. Brocking, Bridgeton, NJ during and before 1923.)
- End of information from the above referenced book -