West Virginia Pioneers

Charles Everett Shafer

Male 1868 - 1953  (85 years)


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  • Name Charles Everett Shafer 
    Born 3 May 1868  Roane County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2
    Gender Male 
    Died 28 Jun 1953  Kanawha County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    Notes 


    • Daily Mail, pg 14, June 29, 1953[obit is light and blurred]
      Ex-Publisher Shafer Dies

      Charles Everett Shafer, former Clendenn Newspaperman and Baptist minister, died yesterday at the home of a son, E.C. Shafer of 37 Ohio Av, Charleston. He was 85.
      Mr Shafer, who had been ill for three weeks prior to his death, retired as the publisher of the West Virginia Herald in 1848(?). He established the paper in 1907.
      Mr Shafer preached for many years at various Baptist churches in the section and in 1928 was paster of the Clendenin Baptist church.
      He went into the newspaper business in 19__ when with three others, he formed the Raleigh Herald in Beckley, a predecesor of the Beckley Times Herald. He later edited the old Clay County Star prior to establishing the Clendenin paper.
      Mr Shafer was a native of Roane county.
      Funeral services will be held tomorrow at 2p.m. at the First Baptist church at Clendenin with the Rev H. Ray Cole and the Rev A.R Gillespie officiating.
      Burial will follow in Koontz cemetery under direction of the ____ and Harper mortuary of Clendenin.
      Survivors: Six sons, E.C. Shafer, Clarence E and U.K., all of Charleston, Charles E, Jr of Colorado Springs, Colo, Orville of Cleveland, O, and Warrant Officer Quinten of Washington, D.C., two daughters, Mrs Vera Lynch of Hugneston(?), and Mrs Opal Vargo of Cleveland, O, a sister, Mrs Laura Delamurn(?) of ??, 19 grandchildren and 8 grand children.


      Men of West Virginia
      Charles E Shafer, the able editor and proprietor of the Clay County star, the only Republican journal of the county, was born May 3, 1868, in Jackson County, West Virginia, on a farm near the village of Gay. He is a son of A.J. and Elizabeth (Rhodes) Shafer, to whom the following named children were born: Mary C. (Mrs George W. Litton); Sarah A. (Mrs. N.D. Cunningham); Charles F.; W.E., a student at Grant University, Tennessee; J.P., and attorney-at-law of Kettle, Roane County; and H.M., also of Roane County, who is a student in the Marshall Business College, Huntington, West Virginia.
      Our subject's mother, who was born in Jackson County, Virginia, now West Virginia, in 1842, and was married to A.J. Shafer in 1859, is a daughter of James and Annie (Casto) Rhodes. James Rhodes, who was of Scotch-Irish descent, was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, in 1818; he was married in Jackson County, Virginia, now West Virginia, in 1838, to Annie Casto, who was born in Jackson County in 1817. James Rhodes died in December, 1888, and his wife died in June, 1902.
      A.J. Shafer, our subject's father, was born in Kanawha County, Virginia, now West Virginia, in 1840 and is a son of John Shafer, a farmer of that locality. John Shafer was born in Missouri in 1808, and was married in Kanawha County in 1828, to Mary C. Cox, who was born in Lewis County in 1811; both died in Kanawha County, West Virginia, on the 21st day of December, 1864.
      Charles F. Shafer was educated in the common schools and then entered the ministry. He began in this calling when less than 19 years of age. From the beginning his success was remarkable. He traveled through parts of West Virginia as an evangelist, often going on foot, and always found a welcome among both rich and poor. During the first five years of his ministry, about 600 souls were converted to Christ under his work, and numerous dead churches were awakened. In 1890 he made a trip to Mississippi to work as an evangelist in the "Sunny South". For 12 months he carried on the work in that state, and then he made a trip through Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas, and preached in each of those states with good results. Mr. Shafer had never been accustomed to preaching outdoors, but he found it impossible to preach to all who came to hear him in the Southern field without preaching, frequently, in the open air. This brought on a number of attacks of malarial fever. He soon became unable to travel, and was compelled, to a great extent, to quit regular ministerail work. He became associated with the eitorial and publishing departments and was attached for a time to the editorial staff of several religious and also of political papers. He established the Raleigh Herald of Raleigh County, and issued his first number on June 8, 1900. Later he disposed of this journal and took control of the Clay County Star, which was established in 1888 as a Republican paper, and has been under his very capable management since December 1, 1902. Mr Shafer is a man of education and of superior mental endowment.
      On September 7, 1892, Mr Shafer was united in marriage to Gertrude L. Edwards, of Webster County, Mississippi, who descended from and old Welsh family. Joshua Edwards was born in Pembrokeshire, South Wales in February, 1703; Abel Edwards was born at the Welsh tract in Delaware in 1739; Edward Edwards was born near the Welsh Neck, on the Pee Dee River, South Carolina, in 1769; E.D. Edwards was born January 3, 1804; G W Edwards, the father of Gertrude L.Edwards, the wife of our subject, was born September 10, 1848. Mrs. D.E.(Hubberd) Edwards, mother of Mrs Shafer, was born August 9, 1849. An interesting family of four children was born to Mr & Mrs Shafer, namely: Charles E., born July 14, 1893; Ebal C, born April 18, 1895; Ulla E., born January 4, 1897; and Edward P., born March 26, 1899, who died November 24, 1901. Mrs Shafer died November 24, 1902, and was buried at the cemetery of Clay Court House, West Virginia.

      Charles Everett Shafer
      Birth: May 3, 1868
      Death: Jun. 28, 1953
      Family links:
      Spouses:
      Martha Porter/Shafer Ledsome (1886 - 1950)*
      Mary Victoria Hamilton Wolfe (1872 - 1950)*
      Children:
      William Sheldon Shaffer (1889 - 1961)*
      Charles Everett Shafer (1893 - 1960)*
      Clarence E. Shafer (1905 - 1969)*
      Thomas P. Shafer (1913 - 1940)*
      *Calculated relationship
      Burial:
      Koontz Cemetery
      Clendenin
      Kanawha County
      West Virginia, USA
      Created by: reggie ashley watson
      Record added: Aug 09, 2008
      Find A Grave Memorial# 28887573
      http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28887573
    Person ID I8689  WVPioneers
    Last Modified 12 Jul 2017 

    Father Andrew Jackson Shafer,   b. 20 Jun 1840, Kanawha County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 5 Jan 1917  (Age 76 years) 
    Mother Jane Elizabeth Rhodes,   b. 19 Jan 1843, Jackson County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 26 Aug 1920  (Age 77 years) 
    Married 18 Dec 1859  Jackson County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [4
    Notes 

    • 1860 Roane, VA # 874-874 (next after John & Mary)
      Andrew J Shaver 20 VA
      Elizabeth 18 Va

      1870 Harper, Roane, WV # 68-69
      Shaver, Jackson 28 June
      Elizabeth 28 Jan
      Mary C 8 May
      Sarah A 5 Mar
      Charles E 2 May

      1880 Harper, Roane, West Virginia
      Jackson SHAFER Self M M W 40 WV
      Occ: Farmer Fa: WV Mo: WV
      Elisabeth SHAFER Wife F M W 38 WV
      Occ: Keeping House Fa: WV Mo: WV
      Mary C. SHAFER Dau F S W 18 WV
      Sarah A. SHAFER Dau F S W 15 WV
      Everett SHAFER Son M S W 12 WV
      Ellett SHAFER Son M S W 9 WV
      Park SHAFER Son M S W 6 WV
      Holla SHAFER Son M S W 2 WV
      Annis SHAFER Dau F S W 4M WV

      1900 Harper, Roane, WV
      Andrew J Shafer 6/1840 n 40y WV MO WV
      Elizabeth 1/1842 m 40y 8-8 children WV VA WV
    Family ID F2871  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Mary Victoria Hamilton,   b. 4 Aug 1872, Jackson County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 25 Mar 1950, Kanawha County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 77 years) 
    Married 29 Jan 1888  Jackson County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [4
    Notes 

    • Marriage Record
      Date: 1/29/1888 at the residence of John R Munday
      Place: Jackson, West Virginia, United States
      Charles E Shaffer, 20, WV, Mattie Roane Co
      Mary V Hamilton, 16, Jackson co, Fishers Point Jackson Co
      Informant - John R Mundy
    Children 
     1. William Sheldon Shafer,   b. 4 Jul 1890, Roane County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 16 Apr 1961, Kanawha County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 70 years)
    Family ID F26625  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 Gertrude L Edwards,   b. Abt 1874, Webster County, Mississippi, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 24 Nov 1902, Clay County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 28 years) 
    Married 7 Sep 1892 
    Notes 


    • 1900, Beckley, Town, Raleigh, WV
      Shafer, Charles E 5/1870 m 7y WV WV WV preacher
      Gertie L 2/1875 m 7y 4-4 children Miss Miss Miss
      Charles O son 7/1893 Miss
      Ebal C son 4/1895 WV
      Ulla E son 2/1897 WV
      Edward P son 3/1899 Miss
      Tucker, Charles C boarder 3/1881 s WVWVWV

      1910 Big Sandy, Kanawha, WV
      Shaffer, Charles B 42 m2-7y WV WV WV
      Martha 22 m1- 7y 2-2 children VA VA VA
      Charles B son 16 Miss WV Miss
      Ebel C son 14 WV WV Miss
      Ulla E son 12 WV WV Miss
      Clarence E son 5 WV WV VA
      Opal da 2 WV WV VA

      1920 Big Sandy, Kanawha, WV
      Shafer, Charles E 51 WVWVWV
      Martha L 30 VA VA VA
      Ulla E son 22 Miss WV Miss
      Clarence D son 13 WV WV VA
      Opal G da 12 WV WV VA
      Vera K da 9 WV WV VA
      Thomas P son 6 WV WV VA
      Orval D son 4 11/12 WV WV VA
      Quentin R son 1 1/12 WV WV VA
    Children 
     1. Charles E Shafer,   b. 14 Jul 1893, Mississippi, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
     2. Ebal C Shafer,   b. 18 Apr 1895, Clay County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
     3. Ulla E Shafer,   b. 4 Jan 1897, Clay County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Sep 1987  (Age 90 years)
     4. Edward P Shafer,   b. 26 Mar 1899, Clay County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 24 Nov 1901, Clay County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 2 years)
    Family ID F2873  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 3 Martha L C Porter,   b. 6 Dec 1886, Russell County, Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 25 Jan 1950, Roane County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 63 years) 
    Married CA 1904  [1
    Notes 

    • 1910 Big Sandy, Kanawha, WV
      Shaffer, Charles B 42 m2-7y WV WV WV
      Martha 22 m1- 7y 2-2 children VA VA VA
      Charles B son 16 Miss WV Miss
      Ebel C son 14 WV WV Miss
      Ulla E son 12 WV WV Miss
      Clarence E son 5 WV WV VA
      Opal da 2 WV WV VA

      1920 Big Sandy, Kanawha, WV
      Shafer, Charles E 51 WVWVWV
      Martha L 30 VA VA VA
      Ulla E son 22 Miss WV Miss
      Clarence D son 13 WV WV VA
      Opal G da 12 WV WV VA
      Vera K da 9 WV WV VA
      Thomas P son 6 WV WV VA
      Orval D son 4 11/12 WV WV VA
      Quentin R son 1 1/12 WV WV VA

      1930 Clendenin, Kanawha, WV
      Shafer, Charles E 58 md age 27 WV WV WV newspaper editor
      Martha 38 VA VA VA newspaper editor
      Tom son 16 WV
      Orville son 14 WV
      Quinton son 11 WV

      1940 Clendenin, Kanawha, WV
      Shafer, Charles E 72 D WV 1935: same place publisher weekly newspaper
      Orville son 24 m WV 1935: same place typesetter
      Quintin son 21 m WV 1935: same place managing editor
      Melissa F dil 25 m WV 1935: rural Braxton, WV
      Orpha F dil 21 WV 1935: rural Kanawha Co, WV
    Children 
     1. Clarence E Shafer,   b. CA 1905, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
     2. Opal G Shafer,   b. CA 1908, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
     3. Vera K Shafer,   b. CA 1910, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
     4. Thomas P Shafer,   b. 16 Mar 1913, Kanawha County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 3 Jun 1940, Kanawha County, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 27 years)
     5. Orville D Shafer
     6. Quinten R Shafer
    Family ID F26641  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Sources 
    1. [S1205] Census.

    2. [S41] Birth Records, Roane Co, WV.

    3. [S21] Obit.

    4. [S17] Marriage Records, Jackson Co, WV.