THIS PAGE WAS CREATED OCTOBER 2005 AND UPDATED AUGUST 2006

MARIA MAGDALENA SHAFFER married JACOB KLINGAMAN

BIRTH:Maria Magdalena Shaffer was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania which is now Schuylkill County about 1782. We have just recently learned of her origins by deduction after searching many other records for several years. She was evidently a daughter of Jacob Shaffer Jr. b. 1746, son of Jacob Shaffer b.1709 and Maria Barbara Kobel who were long-time residents of Brunswick Twp. Berks County, Pa. Jacob Shaffer Jr. and his wife, Margaretha Koenig/King had several children but only a few have been identified. Maria Magdalena is obviously one of the names left unlisted or lost.

MARRIAGE: Maria Magdalena married Jacob Klingaman about 1796-98. However their marriage records are missing. Jacob Klingaman was probably born at Albany, Berks County, Pa in 1774 to Cornelius and Catherine Stapleton Klingaman. Family records had shown Maria's surname as Schofenn which may have been misread or miswritten from Schaffer. Until very recently, nothing was known of her before 1800 when she was found married and living with Jacob Klingaman in Brunswick, right next to her parents, Jacob and Margaretha Koenig Shaffer.

CHILDREN: The following children's names came from a list of Jacob's heirs in a case that was brought before the Ohio Civil Court of 1831. Jacob's son, David was contesting the estate of his father and was suing his mother and his siblings.

Jacob was born in Pennsylvania about 1800. The Census of 1800 lists Jacob and Magdalena's family with two sons under ten years of age and his wife. One son could possibly be this Jacob, however we only know of the next son being born in 1802 so Maria Magdalina may have lost a son before 1800. Young Jacob came to Ohio with his parents in about 1816. He married Elizabeth Harger on December 25, 1823. About 1834 they moved to Seneca County, Ohio and later, after 1850 they were living in Marshall County, Indiana. He died December 21, 1858. Elizabeth died October 12, 1861 at Plymouth, Indiana. They were the parents of eight children: William, Susanna, Catherine, Rebecca, Anna, Saloma/Celoma, James and Elizabeth. This is possibly the son who had his deceased father's land resurveyed in Berks Co. Pa. on Dec. 28, 1855.

John was born September 17, 1802 in Pa. He was married on August 14, 1823 to Maria Shaffer who was the daughter of William Shaffer and Sophia Blocker Shaffer.
1860 KLINGERMAN, John 58 W IN VAN BUREN TWP LAGRANGE COUNTY (Series: M653 Roll: 274 Page: 624) John Klingerman age 58 a farmer from Pennsylvania lives with wife, Mary age 54 also from Pa. and children, Susanna 33 , David age 28 , Samuel 26, John 24, Jonathoan 22, Jesse age 20, William 17, Eli 14, Abigal 5, Margett 9. All children but Abigal and Margett were born in Ohio. These last two were born in Indiana. (Value of estate $3000, personal property $890. (His wife was Mary Shaffer, d. of Wm.Shaffer of Pa.)(This John would have been born 1802.
There are two versions of John's death. One seems to show it was in 1863 or 1864 which has been mentioned in a letter from his son John, Jr. to John Jr.'s brother, Henry. Click Here To See Letter. However there is another report of John's death as being April 11, 1878 in Noble County, Indiana.Maria Shaffer Klingaman was born November 17, 1804 and died March 30, 1880. They had at least 10 children:Samuel, Abigail, Susan, Henry, John, David, Jonathon, Jesse, William, and Eli.

David There is a church reference to David's baptism at the New Ringgold/Ringold Church in East Brunswick Township, Berks/Schuylkill County, Pa. that gives the date of his baptism as May 20, 1804 and his birth as March 4, 1804 or April 3, 1804. The sponsors of this event were listed as Christian Kaup and Maria. On November 14, 1823 he married Catherine Shaffer in Stark, County, Ohio. Catherine was the daughter of William Shaffer and Sophia Blocker /Blocher Shaffer. David and Catherine had fourteen children: Fanny, Samuel, John, Mary, Jacob, Daniel, Joseph, Sarah, Henry, William, Lucy Ann, Michael, Zephania, and Nathan. David is the one that brought the court case mentioned above against his mother and brothers and sisters re. the estate of his father, Jacob. He lived his entire life in Stark County Ohio and died December 22, 1878 and is buried in the Beechwood Cemetery. The home the family lived in is still standing in 2002.

Elizabeth was born in 1805 and was married to Jacob Hoffman on July 6, 1832. She died March 7, 1875. There were no known children.

Mary Magdalena "Polly" was born September 15, 1806 in Berks County Pa. She married Joseph Grimes who was born 1809. Mary and Joseph first lived in Stark County Ohio at Washington Twp.
1830 GRIMES, JOSEPH OHIO STARK COUNTY WASHINGTON TWP.1830 (Series: M19 Roll: 140 Page: 197) has 1 male under 5, 1 male 5-10, 1 male 20-30, 1 female 20-30. The family moved to Seneca County Ohio about 1834.

William/Wilhelm was born February 7, 1810 and was baptised Oct. 31, 1810 at the Zion or Red Church at Orwigsburg, Union Twp. Berks County, Pa. His Sponsors were : Joh, Heinrich & Hannah. He married Elinor "Nellie" Gray who died May 24,1839. Known children of William and Nellie were Nancy b.c. 1828, Catherine (Kate) born in 1835 in Stark County, Ohio, Elizabeth born 1837 and possibly a Polly and a son, John. Then in 1843 William married Angaline Noggle who was born in Ohio in 1825. William and Angaline had nine more children, the last one dying as an infant. Angaline died in 1861. William lived in Ohio and in or near Warsaw, Indiana and died in 1866. He is buried in Clunette, Indiana. Catherine married David Niesz on March 24, 1859. She had no children of her own but adopted two daughters, Mary and Lucetta Jane and raised her young half brother, Jacob Franklin Klingaman and possibly more of her half siblings. Catherine died in 1917. See more information of William Klingaman with link at top of page.

Esther "Hetty" was born January 24, about 1812 and was married to George Trump on December 22, 1831 in Stark County Ohio. She was widowed and left with eight young children and never remarried. Her children were: Andrew, Catharine, David, George, Hannah, Jesse, Michael and Melinda. She died in her home near Canton, Ohio on July 17, 1881 and is buried in Union Cemetery, Louisville, Ohio.

Solomon was born about 1817 in Ohio. He married Elizabeth Rose. He died in 1854 when a tree he was cutting fell on him. He lived in Harrison Township. The widowed Elizabeth then married Thomas Teagarden and he raised the following children of Solomon: Susannah, Mary, Lucinda Ann and Jacob D. Solomon had also lost his father, Jacob while still a minor in about 1830-31. He was put under the guardianship of Joseph Shaffer along with some of his other siblings. Joseph Shaffer may have been a relative of Catherine Shaffer who married Solomon's older brother David born in 1804.

Daniel was born about 1825. He was listed as being just five years of age or less when his father died in 1830-31. He was put under the guardianship of Joseph Shaffer along with his sister, Salome and brother Solomon when Jacob died. By 1835 Daniel lived with David Klingaman and family. David became his guardian at that time.(David may have been Daniel's much older brother.)

Saloma/Salome was born in 1826 and was married to her first cousin, Samuel Klingaman. Samuel was the son of Jacob's brother, David. She was his first wife. She had children but unknown here. She died about 1860. Saloma was still a minor when her father died in 1830 or 1831 when she came under the guardianship of Joseph Shaffer.

Hannah whose birth date is not yet known here was married to John George Harger and in 1831 was living in Seneca County, Ohio.

Catherine (another possible child) whose birth date is not yet known nor is there a name for a husband. May have had an illegitimate son named William.

LOCATIONS: Maria Magdalena must have been born right at Brunswick, Pennsylvania as her parents and grandparents were well settled there and had one or more saw mills for income. When she married Jacob Klingaman he was also working as a sawmiller there and most likely for her father. In 1813 Jacob had purchased land at Washington Township of Stark County, Ohio. The family moved there in 1816. Maria Magdalena remained there for the rest of her life.

DEATH: We have no record of the death of Maria Magdalena. After Jacob died in 1830 or 1831 her remaining young children were put under the guardianship of a Joseph Shaffer, yet unidentified.
However, here is a census report that is almost surely Maria Magdalen Shaffer Klingaman still living in 1840.
KLINGAMAN, SALLY OHIO STARK WASHINGTON TWP 1840 (Series: M704 Roll:427 Page:56) has 1 male 10-15 + 2 females under 5, 1 female 10-15, 1 female 50-60 (This is a widow whose husband was a Klingaman. It is almost certain that this is our Maria Magdalena Shaffer Klingaman, wife and widow of Jacob born 1774. She was born about 1780-1782. She still has four children to raise. This "Sally" was born 1780-1790. The youngest children are probably grandchildren and the older girl may be Salome b.1826 and the older boy may be Daniel b.c. 1825. Both of these children came unnder the guardianship of a Joseph Shaffer after their father died. The given name on this census is a guess as the first letter of the name on the actual report is ambiguous. It could be an ‘S’ but it could also be a ‘P’. The name reads 'S' or 'P' + olly'. The vowel is a definite ‘o’. Since it is known that Maria Magdalena had a daughter by the same name who was nicknamed, "Polly", it seems probable that the mother also went by “Polly". Living next to her is her son John b. 1802. There is no record as yet of the burial place of Jacob or of Maria.

NOTES: There are many similar marriages of Jacobs and Maria Magdalenas in Pennsylvania in these times. Most of the records omit the woman's maiden name. There are records of Jacob and Magdalena as witnesses to family christenings, etc. Some could be one, some could be another. Or none could relate to Maria Magdalena Schofenn/Shaffer Klingaman.
There are no records of Jacob Klingaman from any cenusus or tax reports for the first 26 years of his life. He suddenly appears at Brunswick, Berks County, Pa. in the 1800 census. The reason for this lapse is that he had been captured and held by "Indians" in Ohio Territory from 1784 until 1795. (See the link for Jacob Klingaman at the top of the page.)
Jacob finally returned home at age 21 in 1795. He quickly made a new life for himself at Brunswick and found work with Shaffer family at their saw mill. It is there that he obviously met Maria Magdalena, daughter of Jacob Shaffer Jr. and they were married soon after. Jacob Klingaman was listed as a miller on the tax records of Brunswick, Twp. in 1800. Several of the children were baptised at the Zion Red Church (Lutheran) at Orwigsburg.
In 1811 a new church was being built at Norwegian Twp. called the Pine Swamp Church. All Jacob and Maria's children born after that time were baptised there until the family moved on to Ohio. William Shaffer was an elder at the new church in 1812 and he was very likely Maria's brother. When the Klingamans moved to Ohio, William and his family did too and they settled right next to each other in Stark County. These two families continued to live close together for the remainder of their lives.
Joseph Shaffer, Samuel Shaffer and William Shaffer are mentioned frequently in records regarding the Klingamans. Joseph Shaffer is shown to have been the guardian of the youngest three of Jacob and Maria Magdalena's children after Jacob died. In 1835 Samuel Shaffer and David Klingaman became the guardians of Saloma and Daniel. David was probably their older brother. By this time Solomon was 18 and in no need of a guardian. Magdalena certainly must have had to rely upon others to rear these last, young children. Other Shaffer families lived close by her and were somehow related to her.
There has been a suspicion to believe that Maria Magdalena and William Shaffer were brother and sister. But this has not been proven. Two of Maria and Jacob's sons, John and David, married Maria and Catherine, the daughters of William Shaffer and Sophia Blocker Shaffer. Note that in the 1830 Ohio census records the Shaffer name has changed to Shafer/Shaeffer and the Klingaman name has changed to Clingaman/Clingman but all through the years the names of both families had recurrent spelling changes that are quite confusing.)
From the 1830 Ohio Census of Stark County we can see the family just the year before or the actual year Jacob died. There were twelve children known. One boy under 5 would be: Daniel at age 5. One girl under 5 would be: Saloma at age 4 One boy 10-15 would be: Solomon at age 13 One girl 5-10 would be: Catherine. Two girls 15-20 would be: Esther at age 18 and Hannah age c.15, One female 20-30 would possibly be Mary "Polly" at age 24. Jacob (Jr.), David, John. William and probably Elizabeth were already out of the home by now.

HUGE APPRECIATION GOES TO DAVID SHAFFER OF PA. AND TO ELIZABETH KLINGAMAN OF OHIO. DAVID HELPED ME FIND MARIA MAGDALENA'S PARENTS AND ANCESTORS BY IDENTIFYING MARGARETHA KOENIG/KING AS THE WIFE OF JACOB SHAFFER BORN 1746 AND NAMING JACOB'S PARENTS. ELIZABETH'S CAREFUL RESEARCH HELPED ME BEGIN MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE KLINGAMAN LINE AND PROVIDED THE GREATEST PART OF THE KLINGAMAN INFORMATION HERE AND IN MY OTHER WEB PAGES.

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