1.ElizabethMaryShaffer, born May 17, 1887 in Corunna, Dekalb Co., IN; died November 10, 1921 in Fort Wayne, Allen Co., IN. She was the daughter of 2. MartinShaffer and 3. RachelLehner. She married (1) GroverClevelandMiller December 23, 1905 in Garrett, Dekalb Co., IN. He was born December 21, 1884 in Nappanee, Elkhart Co., IN, and died February 14, 1971 in Fort Wayne, Allen Co., IN. He was the son of George Barron Miller and Martha Jane Reed.
Notes for Elizabeth Mary Shaffer:
On August 9, 1921, Elizabeth posted a letter to her parents, Martin
and Rachael SHAFFER. The text of the letter is presented below as it
conveys a flavor of the family's farm life at that time and her
concern for the welfare of others:
Fort Wayne, Ind. Aug 9, 1921
Mrs Martin Shaffer Garrett, Ind
Dear Mother and Father:- I haven't time to write much but want to
tell you we got home all right. We had 2 blowouts just outside of
Huntertown about a half mile a part but after that we got along fine.
We got home just about 7 o'clock. We are all well. None of the
children got sick from overeating and they all said Tell Grandma the
beans were fine". They were, too, even better than Lena's to my taste
and I thought her's were very good. Grover churned over 3 lbs of
butter tonight from cream saved from 5 milkings. Don't you think that
is good. I have 12 baby chicks today. That makes 59 I have besides my
12 old hens. I ought to have eggs this winter for I will have a nice
bunch of pullets. Did you hear from Will? I have thought of him so
much. How is Maud getting along? I hope she did not over do by getting
up Sunday. I hope baby is well too and all the rest of the folks. Are
you feeling any better? You had a hard day of it and you did not feel
well at all. Well I must go to bed for it is almost 10 30. Take care
of yourself and come over when you can.
Your loving daughter Elizabeth
Note: This letter refers to the following individuals: Lena, wife of
brother Herbert Shaffer; Grover Cleveland Miller, Elizabeth's husband;
Will, brother William Shaffer; and Maude, one of Elizabeth's sisters.
The reference to baby remains uncertain.
Two months after the above letter, in October 1921, Elizabeth and all
five children drank contaminated water and contracted Typhoid fever.
Elizabeth, Marian and Katherine were admitted to the Methodist
hospital in Fort Wayne, Robert and Richard were admitted to the Sacred
Heart hospital in Garrett and Kenneth recovered at the home of the
grandparents in Garrett. Elizabeth was seriously ill for four weeks
and did not recover. She died at Methodist hospital, at the age of 34,
on November 10, 1921. She was buried in the Calvery Cemetery just on
the West side of Garrett, in Lot #509, grave 5, marked with a flat
stone.
More About Elizabeth Mary Shaffer:
Burial: Abt. November 13, 1921, Garrett, Dekalb Co., IN
Graduation: 1905, Garrett, Dekalb Co., IN
Notes for Grover Cleveland Miller:
Grover Cleveland MILLER was born less than two years before his
mother's death. He did not get along well with the children of his
step-mother and he was raised by his uncle Jerry (Jerimah Miller) who
lived on a farm outside of Nappanee, Indiana. After he reached
maturity, he obtained a job as a clerk for the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad and later with the Goodland, Kansas and South Chicago. In
1905 he returned to Garrett to again enter the service of the
Baltimore and Ohio. Shortly thereafter, he married Elizabeth Mary
SHAFFER, Saturday evening, December 23, 1905. The marriage took place
at the home of Rev P.E. Powell, pastor of the First M. E. Church. The
bridal couple was attended by Mr. and Mrs. Jay C. Link of Fort Wayne.
Mrs (Maude Shaffer) Link was Elizabeth's sister. The newlyweds resided
in Garrett for several years and their first child, Marian Eloise
MILLER, was born there on October 7, 1907, In 1911 the family moved to
Fort Wayne, on Tecumseh Street, and Grover obtained employment with
the F. S. Bowser company as a secretary. About a year later he became
an insurance agent for the John Hancock Life Insurance Company. In the
great flood of 1913 that damaged most of Fort Wayne, Grover carried
out his insurance business by rowboat, rowing down the flooded streets
contacting his customers. During this period, the following children
were born: Katherine E., on January 8, 1912; Robert Earl, on October
5, 1913; Richard Dale, on October 26, 1915; and Kenneth Reed, on May
18, 1919. About this time, the family moved to a farm outside of Fort
Wayne, in the vicinity of Waynedale. At the time of her mother's
death, Marian was a sophomore at South Side High School in Fort Wayne.
She left school in order to assist her father with the family affairs
by working at the Heit, Miller and Lau Company (now Wayne Candy). The
other four children remained in poor health for some period and lived
with the SHAFFER grandparents in Garrett for about a year. They then
rejoined their father, then living in Fort Wayne on Warsaw Street.
They later attended South Side High School. Katherine left school in
her sophomore year to work. She married Edgar GARVER in 1931 and lived
on a farm outside of Convoy, Ohio, just southeast of Fort Wayne.
Catherine died in 1956, at the age of 44, from a heart attack. She is
buried in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery, New Haven, Indiana. Robert was not a
good student and he also left school, first working for the F. W.
Bowser Company. He met and dated Katheryne WALSH and in 1937 he
started working for her father at Rose and Walsh Jewelers. Robert died
in 1977, at the age of 64, following surgery for varicose veins in his
legs. Richard graduated from South Side High School in 1934 and
Kenneth in 1937. Richard started work with International Harvester in
Fort Wayne in 1935 and continued employment there for 42 years,
retiring in 1977. In 1922, Grover Cleveland married Edith G. Fickle.
In about 1970, Grover left the John Hancock company and became an
employee of the Herald Life Insurance Company where he continued work
until age 85. He died the following year, 1971.
More About Grover Cleveland Miller:
Burial: February 17, 1971, Fort Wayne, Allen Co., IN
Occupation: insurance solicitor
