I don't know anything about his early childhood, so I will skip to the year 1816, when he married Eve Beard in the same township he was born in- Wytheville, Wythe Co., Virginia. Although it doesn't appear he moved around a lot in his childhood, he and Eve gradually moved farther and farther west during their lifetimes.
They began their journey as parents on September 27, 1818. They joyfully brought their first son, John Isaac Shaffer, into their home in Abington, Washington Co., Virginia. Four more children were added to their family while they lived here: Joseph Russell (1820), Abigail (1821), Eliza Jane (1823), and George Henry (1825).
Within the next two years, they picked up their family and moved to Rushville, Rush Co., Indiana. Here the remainder of their children were born: William (1827), Elizabeth (1829), and Nancy Ann (1831). Henry was a farmer throughout his life and provided for his family in this manner.
His father passed away in 1830 back in Abingdon, Virginia. More sorrow followed when their daughter, Eliza Jane, passed away on August 28, 1839.
Henry and Eve moved their family once again in the year 1844 to Montrose, Iowa, which is just across the river from Nauvoo, Illinois. Tradition has it that one of their children, Abigail, began meeting with the Mormons without her parents approval. When they discovered it, Henry was very upset. She plead with her father to come and hear the Prophet. If he didn't believe what was taught, she would stop listening to their message. Henry and Eve both concurred and joined their daughter one evening. They "did hear the Prophet, and he and his wife, came into the Church." The rest of the family joined in subsequent years, too.
As the turmoil in Nauvoo increased, Henry and Eve's desire to receive their own endowments increased. Finally, on the morning of February 3, 1846, they went to the temple only to hear President Brigham Young declare to the people that it was unsafe and they should all return home and prepare to leave. This is what President Young did; however, Henry and Eve were among the nearly 300 people who were determined to receive these precious ordinances. After President Young prepared his horse and wagon, he returned to the temple grounds. Discovering the people still there, he relented, and 295 people, including Henry and Eve, received their endowment.
In 1852, Henry and Eve and 13 other family members, including Nancy Ann, came with the Captain Woods company of that year leaving from Council Bluffs. They were part of a wagon company of 58 wagons and 288 pioneers. Their company experienced a cholera epidemic. Many became ill, 11 died, but most recovered. As far as I know, none of the Shaffer family were among the casualties. They traveled between 12-15 miles a day and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley during General Conference in September.
They settled at Bingham Fort, Weber Co., Utah, (Five Points in Ogden 200 N. and Washington Blvd. It is called Five Points, because 5 roads intersect there at a major intersection). While here, Henry lost his dear companion, Eve. She passed away on March 8, 1856. In 1857, he moved to Slaterville, which is very close to Bingham Fort.
When Johnston's Army came, the family moved south for protection. After the danger was gone,
he returned to Slaterville. As his children moved away, he was drawn towards them, and he moved to Millville, Cache Co., Utah, in 1867 to be with a few of them who had settled there.
He passed away in Millville on February 16, 1875, and his body was taken to the Ogden Cemetery, where he was buried next to his Eternal Companion, Eve. His daughter, my third great-grandmother, Nancy Ann Shaffer Perry, is also buried nearby.
-Written by Dari Peterson Thacker (from combined sources on the Web).
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