SHAFER, KEMP, TODD photo album

SHAFER, KEMP, TODD Album

UPDATE - this album has been claimed by a great-granddaughter of Aaron Shafer, and is going home.

This lovely little photo album was acquired from the South Florida Fairgrounds Antique Show, December 2018. It contains 37 photographs, 22 of which are identified, mostly of SHAFER, KEMP and TODD surnames. Most of the photos appear to have been taken between 1863-1895. Many are tin-type.

The album is roughly 5 x 6.5 x 2 inches, and was covered in a royal blue velveteen at one time, but has since been worn off by a century of caresses in the hands of loved ones. 

I paid $100 to bring this album home so I could start researching it, which is well beyond my normal budget. But others who engage in this same line of genealogical service will understand precisely when I say that it was too precious to leave behind. This many related photos together in one spot is a rare find. If I had left it there, how do I know that the next person would not have bought it to cannibalize the photos for some God-awful craft project? …… OK - end of soap-box rant.

I think the photos in the album may be ordered by importance, or closeness, to whoever owned the book. I will present the photos here in the same order in which they appear in the album. 

With this many clues all together, it was pretty easy to find the correct family on Ancestry.com. This first photo is a tin-type which shows George N. SHAFER (1819-1891) and his wife Mary Ann BROWN (1827-1902). George was born in Tennessee to parents John SHAFER and Anna Catherine RINKER.  Mary was born 27 July 1827 in Butler Co. OH to parents Jacob BROWN and Lydia MURPHY.

The 1880 Census > Indiana > Cass > Galveston
SHAFFER, George N., 62, head, Hotel keeper, born in TN of VA parents
SHAFFER, Mary A., 51, wife, keeping house, born in OH of VA & NJ parents
TODD, Eva, 23, daughter, asst housekeeper, born in IND
TODD, Morris C., 2, grandson, born in IND

They appear to have had 8 children. Through various sources, I have assembled this list of offspring:

• John A Shafer (1846-1868) died age 22
• Louisa A Shafer (1849-1928) age 81
• Otterbein D Shafer(1851-1867) age 16
• Corp. Edward A Shafer (1854-1878) age 24
• Eva O Shafer (1857-1904) age 48
• Aaron Castle Shafer (1864-1943) age 79
• Elsie Shafer (1869-1869) age 0
• Philander Shafer (1870-1870) age 0

Aaron Shafer married Fannie G. CLARK and had six children of his own:

• Ralph Hoyt Shafer (1891-1899) age 8
• Fred Waldo Shafer (1893-1899) age 6
• Paul C Shafer (1895-1977) age 82
• Mary Ruth Shafer (1897-1909) age 12
• Keith M. Shafer (1899-1948) age 49
• Dorthea Shafer (1905-1975) age 70

Eva married James H. TODD (July 1852 - ). They had 2 sons:

• Maurice (1878-) married Sarah J Anderson in May 1903.
• Roger S. Todd (abt 1881- )

On the 1900 Census, the family is living in Topeka KS. James works in the insurance industry. Eva is 43yo. Roger is 19 and works as a Railroad Clerk. Maurice is not listed in the household. There is a servant Sarah McKill.

These two young ladies are not identified, and not entirely sure if they are of the same person, or sisters. (They may be marked on the back, but the paper sleeves of the album are quite delicate, and I don't wish to cause any damage to it.) Might be earlier images of Eva.

Here is another image of Mary Brown Shafer, matriarch of the Shafer clan.

Here is another image of George and Mary's son Aaron. This is a tin-type.

This one is not identified. Appears to be two male siblings of near the same age. This is tin-type which appears to have been taken in the mid- to late-1860s.

Although unnamed, this looks a great deal like another son, Edward A Shafer, and I suspect this may be him, but could also be any of the other sons of George and Mary. There was a son Otterbein who died at age 16 in 1867. This photo was taken around that time and shows a boy in his mid-teens, so that is a possibility.

Although this album page is not identified, I know this person is Corporal Edward A Shafer, as I located the same image identified in an Ancestry.com family tree. According to US Army record, he enlisted May 8, 1876 in the 6th Infantry, at age 22, and was killed Dec 13, 1878 "by a shot maliciously fired by Pvt John Smith, same Company, at Fort Buford, Dakota Territory."

Another image of Mother Mary. This one shows the photo was taken in Kokomo, Indiana, and shows Mary at an older age than previous photos. Probably taken around 1890-1895.

This tin-type shows father George probably in his 60s.

This tin-type shows the two sons of Eva and James Todd; Maurice (born 1878) and Roger (born 24-Mar-1881).

Roger Seward TODD, the younger brother, lived to age 56, dying 3-Nov-1937 in Amarillo Tx, where he was residing at the Palo Duro Hotel and working as a traveling salesman. He was married to Caro Frances Slusher, and their home was in Kansas City MO.

This obit for Roger was found in the Kansas City Times, edition of Nov 5, 1937. He appears to have had no children of his own, as survivors mention brother Maurice (Hutchinson KS) and two step-children.

While these two small photos are identified as Maurice & Roger Todd, I believe they are both of the same person (Maurice). Clearly the young man in both photos is wearing the same clothing. If this is an example of two individuals dressed identically, then both fellows are at or near the same age. The photos were taken in the same studio, apparently in the same sitting. Maurice and Roger were separated by three years, so the identification cannot be accurate.

This photograph is identified as "Aaron Shafer, Louisa Angeline Shafer Kemp's brother." Aaron was born in 1864 and appears to be between 10-13 in this image.

This is Louisa Shafer Kemp, born in 1843, probably around age 20-23. This tin-type appears to have been taken around the time of the Civil War. Louisa Shafer married William KEMP (1843-1933). 

William Kemp is the husband of Louisa A. Shafer. He was born 2 Aug 1843 in Ohio to parents Thomas Kemp and Elizabeth Eleanor Moore. He and Louisa had children Lillian Kemp-McClure (1869-1951) and Estelle Kemp (1871-1890). 

William had many siblings:

• Maurice Moore Kemp (1845-1932/35)
• George Kemp (1847-1915)
• David Jackson Kemp (1849-1918)
• Sarah Hannah Kemp (1851-)
• John L Kemp (1855-1936)
• Finley Leonard Kemp (1859-1933)
• Emily Jane Kemp (1861-1936)
• Franklin Theodore Kemp (1864-1886)

This is William Kemp's brother George.

This photo is labeled Hannah Sarah Kemp Ware. She married George Elisha Waire (or Ware).

Two young boys ... at least I think these are two different people. Same studio and chair. I wonder why the young man is pointing his right index finger.

I think these may be siblings. They look a great deal alike. Also, I think the young woman is Emily Kemp-Work. I found this later photo (see below) of Emily Kemp-Work on Ancestry, taken circa 1895. There is a strong resemblence. She was born 1861. In this tin-type, the girl looks to be about 10 or 11, so if it is Emily this photo was taken in about 1871. It this IS Emily, then we can safely assume the boy, whose photo was likely taken the same day, is either her three-year younger brother Franklin, or her two-year older brother Finley.

I do not possess this photo

This is David Jackson Kemp, and his wife identified only as "Mrs. David Kemp" which tells me whoever labeled the photos was not close enough to her to be sure about her name. FYI- her name was Mary Ella Duncan.

This photo is of an unnamed Kemp of Kokomo, Indiana. It may be another image of David Kemp. There appears to have been a first name written, then erased.

Possibly another Kemp sibling - based on where this appears in the album.

Lillian Kemp McClure

The final photo in the album is of a little girl circa 1875 labeled Lillian Kemp McClure, who is a daughter of William Kemp and Louisa Shafer. She is a first cousin of Maurice and Roger Todd.

She grew up and married Charles A. McCLURE (1855-1905) and had at least one child; Leota McClure-Cook (1902-1990).

Leota McClure married Clayton M. COOK (1903-1991) and had five children:

• Coralie Cook-Harrison (1927-2006) m. Richard Harrison (d. 9 Aug 2005)
• Charles William Cook (1928-1999)
• Richard Benjamin Cook (1932-1995)
• Clayton McClure (Corunna Michigan)
• Bob McClure (Simi valley CA)

I actually suspect Lillian may have been the person who assembled the photos in the album and labeled them, either that or a child of hers. The photos all seem to "intersect" where the Shafer and Kemp families come together; that is to say the connection of Louisa Shafer and William Kemp.

I designed a rough "family tree" grid that shows the relationship of the identified people in this album. You can click it for a larger image.