http://books.google.com/books?id=bZl4AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=%22Dutton+Shannon%22+fallowfield+pa&source=bl&ots=TE-BHOp3m7&sig=8Pe3VMmlNbqp1UD_AkH8fMUUk-M&hl=en&ei=nLoXTq2-GdG_gQf7j6XzDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAw#v=snippet&q=cyrus%20underwood&f=false pg. 171 John E. Shaffer, MD John Eckert Shaffer was b. at Washington PA, Feb. 22, 1821, and d. May 31, 1889, at his home in Elizabeth, PA. He was a son of John and Charlotte Shaffer, 2 worthy people, and was 1 of a family of 10 children, they being: William, deceased; Anna Charlotte Weirich, deceased; Alexander Swancy, deceased; Susan E. McCaskey, of Washington, PA; Rev. Jacob S. Shaffer, of Allegheny PA; Mrs. Mary McElhinney, of Fairfield Iowa; Mrs. Elizabeth Coffin, of Fairfield, Iowa; Christian S. Shaffer, of Des Moines, Iowa; Dr. J. M. Shaffer of Keokuk, Iowa. Dr. Shaffer was a self-made man. His parents, who were in moderate circumstances, aided him in getting through Washington College, at which institution he was graduacted in 1840. He began the study of law, and soon after his graduation went to Preston Co., VA, where he was admitted to the bar in 1842. This profession does not seem to have been congenial, for we find him soon reading medicine, and meanwhile teaching school at Kingwood, VA, for a livelihood. He was graduated from the medical department of the U of Penn., at Philadelphia, Arp. 4, 1845. His preceptor in his medical studies was Dr. F. Julius LeMoyne, of Washington, PA, of national fame as an Abolition leader, and of world wide repute as the builder of the first crematory for disposing of the dead in the US. Dr. Shaffer came to Elizabeth Dec. 10, 1845, and began the practice of medicine. His residence here has been continuous ever since that, and at his death he was the oldest practioner of medicine in the Monongahela valley, his mantle now falling on the shoulders of Dr. J. S. Van Voorhis, of Bellevernon. His practice in the early days took him over a large extent of country, and from this fact added to his prominence in every public movement, he was one of the most widely known men, not only in his own community, but in the Monongahela valley. He was m. Mar. 26, 1846, to Miss Elizabeth S. Holmes, daughter of Rev. George S. Holmes, and sister of Dr. C. A. Holmes, the well known Methodist Episcopal divine. His wife passed on before him to the other world July 2, 1880. They had 8 children, and it is a remarkable fact that these have all lived to grow to maturity, and all now have families of their own save one. They are: Mary H. Kerbey, of Homestead, PA; John S. Shaffer, of Homestead; Dr. P.T.B. Shaffer, of Elizabeth; Mrs. Jennie Linn Jack, of Pittsburgh; Mrs. Annie Le Moyne Bower, of Homestead; Mrs. Susan E. Plummer, of Emsworth, PA; Dr. Charles Holmes Shaffer, of Elizabeth; Miss Elizabeth L. Shaffer, of Elizabeth. There are 18 grandchildren and one great grandchild living, and have never been any deaths among the Doctor's descendants. Dr. Shaffer will be greatly missed in this community. He has been prominently identified with every public movement in the community for many years. He was a man of most positive convictions, and had the courage of his convictions at all times. He was not afraid of being on the unpopular side of any question, and if he thought he was right, would manfully uphold his opinions in the face of any amount of opposition. He was intensely fond of controversy, and his intimate friends knew that he would often take the contrary side of a question fro the sake of argument. But in matters right and of principle, as he saw them, he was firm as a rock. He was one of the most methodical of men, and ordered his daily walk by a system which was accuracy itself. During all the many years that he lived in Elizabeth he kept a daily record of conditions and events which has grown to be of almost incalculable value. This included a record of the state of the weather, temperature taken 3 times each day and the highest and lowest noted, rainfall and snow, any important events transpiring in the community, a record of all deaths in the town and vicinity, the ages of all inhabitants of advanced years and a host of other things. The Herald acknowledges a great debt of gratitude for constant access to these records, and the aid they have been in making up the weekly record of this publication. Requests for information were reaching the Doctor almost constantly from various sources, and they always met a courteous, ready response with the information desired, it it was in his power to give it. It is to be hoped that this valuable record will not be allowed to stop with his death. The Doctor was a frequent contributor to the local press, and his trenchant style and entertaining descriptive powers are familiar to readers of the Herald. His "Reminiscenese of 40 Years in Elizabeth", published in installments in this paper a few years ago, attracted particular attention. He left an interesting autobiography in manuscript, which will probably be published. He was a great reader of the papers and kept fully posted on events of the day. He was a great admirer of the NY Tribune, having read it daily from the time of Horace Greeley, whom he regarded as one of the greatest men this country ever produced. It is illustrative of his methodical habits to state that he had every daily issue of the paper above named carefully filed away where it could be had immediately if wanted. His file runs back to a period before the war. He likewise never destroyed a letter, and in his long and active career accumulated a vast collection of letters, all of which are carefully filed away. For nearly a quarter of a century the Doctor was postmaster of Elizabeth, having been appointed first by President Lincoln. He held the office as long as he desired, and then resigned voluntarily. During the war he was in the front for a time as a volunteer surgeon. He filled at various times positions of honor and trust in the borough, among them, burgess, councilman and school director, and he took a deep interest in all public matters, being an earnest and active republican from the foundation of the party. He was a warm personal friend of Hon. James G. Blaine from boyhood, and when in Elizabeth, Mr. Baine has always made Dr. Shaffer's house his stopping place, since the breaking up of Mr. Blaine's mother's home here. The family received a telegram of condolence from the Secretary of State, who was unable to attend the funeral. The following practioners of medicine were students in Dr. Shaffer's office while pursuing their studies: Samuel W. McCune, MD, of Winchester, VA; George S. Holmes, MD, deceased; John S. Woods, MD, of Kansas City, MO; J. A. Craighead, MD, of Pittsburgh, PA; John N. McCune, MD, of Suterville, PA; P.T.B. Shaffer, MD, and Charles H. Shaffer, MD, of Elizabeth. In his religious life the Doctor was undemonstrative, but earnest and faithful. He became a member of the M.E. Church under the ministry of Rev. McCready, about the year 1858, and continued in that relation up to the time of his death, partaking of the Lord's Supper at its altar the Sabbath before he was called from earth. He was almost constantly an office bearer in the church, and was always a liberal supporter of it. He was in a marked degree faithful in his attendance at the preaching of the word, and all the meetings which his official relation to the church entailed, though this was often at a personal sacrifice of the time of a very busy man. He was warmly devoted to the denomination of his choice, but had nothing of narrowness or sectarian bigotry about him, having contributed to the erection of every church edifice erected since his settlement in Elizabeth. He was a Bible scholar of rare attainments, and read the sacred volume throught scores of times, having made it his custom for many years to read it through at least once each year. He read his testament both in our authorized version and in the original Greek, and seldom at fault in a scripture quotation or reference. He said to a friend a few days before his death that he believed every word of the Bible, that Jesus Christ came into the world, the Son of God, to save sinners, and he accepted him as his Saviour. The Doctor was always a ready and liberal giver to all worthy objects, though much of his giving was unobtrusive, and never came to the light of publicity. He was a genial man, and even in his last days, when he knew that death was sure to come soon, and almost certain to come suddenly, he never lost his cheerfulness, but had a pleasant word or joke for every friend. He was peculiarly fond of children, and was never too busy to bestow some attention on the little ones. Was there one in town, old enough to know anything, who was not personally acquainted with the good old doctor? Was there one to whom he had not at some time given a bite of the ever present stick of licorice? We doubt it, for it was one of the commonest sights in our streets to see him surrounded by a group of little folks, and seeminly to enter fully into their youthful joys. He was thrown from his gig July 28, 1878, and received injuries from which he never fully recovered, his heart and bladder trouble being readily traceable to this injury. He suffered severely for some years before his death, his chief affliction was a bladder affection, the irratation and nervousness growing from which induced a heart trouble, manifesting itself by sudden failure of the organ. He fully expected to die just as he did, suddenly, and awaited the event with a calmness which was heroic. His funeral on Monday, with services in the M. E. Church, was one of the largest ever known here, the large auditorium of the church being wholly inadequate to contain the large crowd which, notwithstanding the downpour of rain, assembled from all the country around, to pay their last tribute of respect. The impressive services were conducted by Rev. J. J. Hill, pastor of the church, assisted by Rev. D. H. Pollock, pastor of the U. P. Church, and Rev. C.A. Holmes of Pittsburgh. In accordance with the Doctor's wish, his remains were carried to the cemetery, and the whole concourse walked. He was laid to rest in Elizabeth cemetery, his brethren of the Odd Fellows, of which order he was for many years a member, bearing his body to the tomb.