Elizabeth Shaver

Elizabeth Shaver (maiden name unknown)
Spouse	Nicholas Shaver, Jr.
Children	Peter Shaver John Shaver Jacob Shaver Leonard Shaver Phoebe Shaver Catherine Shaver Susannah Shaver (Unknown daughter) Shaver

Excerpt from Nicholas Shaver Family by John Koning

Elizabeth Shaver, wife of Nicholas There were two Elizabeth Shavers in Shirley Twp. in the early 1800's. The question is whether or not they were actually the same person.

The first Elizabeth Shaver was the wife of Nicholas when he died in 1810. In her renunciation to administer his estate, she referred to Peter and John Shaver, the sons of Nicholas, as "my trusty friends," indicating that she might not have been their mother. This idea is further reinforced when, in 1811, Elizabeth conveyed to Peter and John (as administrators for the estate of Nicholas) all of her rights to the four tracts of land owned by Nicholas for 250 pounds. (It is interesting they were still using pounds as money as late as 1811.) On the Shirley Twp. tax lists, "Shaver, Widow" first appears written in on the 1810 tax list. She appears on the tax lists until 1820 when her name is crossed off. During that ten year period, she increased the land on which she was paying tax from 150 acres to 400 acres.

The second Elizabeth Shaver appears first on the 1822 Shirley Twp. tax list as "Shaver, Elizabeth" with 150 acres of land. Only starting with the 1829 list is she also identified as a widow, and by 1833, she was paying tax on 200 acres of land. This Elizabeth Shaver also shows up in the 1830 and 1840 censuses. Her 1848 will identifies her as the mother of James Clark, William Clark, Samuel Clark, and Elizabeth Rickets, all of whom lived in Shirley Twp. Returning to the earlier tax lists, it is found that in 1796, a Dennis Clark was paying tax on 300 acres of land. Over the next two years, there are three tax lists, but they may not be in the right order. The first shows "Widow Clark", the second shows "Clark, Dennis", and the third shows "Clark, Dennis" with a note that looks like "(now Shaver)". By 1798, there is no trace of Dennis Clark or his widow on the tax lists. It is not at all conclusive that Elizabeth was the wife of Dennis Clark, however. In fact, Baer (on page 228) states that the father of Elizabeth (Clark) Ricketts was named James.

So far, one piece of evidence has been found that ties these two women together. On 17 Aug 1812, Elizabeth Shaver acquired 300 acres of warranted land in Shirley Twp. from the state of Pennsylvania. (Need to find this document & add citation) Subsequently, on 12 May 1835, Elizabeth Shaver (widow) of Shirley Twp. sold 220 acres of that parcel.

If these Elizabeth Shavers were the same person, then Nicholas probably married the much younger Elizabeth Clark in the late 1790's and she was not the mother of his children. If this was the case, the question arises as to whether there is any evidence that the mother of Nicholas's children was also named Elizabeth? Other than the published accounts presented earlier, there really isn't any. If they were not the same person, then who did the second Elizabeth marry to acquire the name Shaver? And where was she before 1822?