Of the four Shavers, Peter, John, George, and Simon, who settled in Bedford county, page 51, series 6, volume 3, Pennsylvania Archives, gives the following record: John Shaver registered as a resident of Colerain Township, George, a resident of Brother's Valley Township, Simon, a resident of Quemahoning township, and Peter Shaver is listed as inmate (alien or stranger) in Baree township, then in Bedford County. But in 1787 Baree township was carried into Huntingdon county and West township was erected from it in 1796.

From the fact that David Shaver, son of Peter Shaver, was born in Huntingdon County, it was the original opinion of the writer that this Peter Shaver of Baree township might be our ancestor, and a war record was sought from the Department of Historical and Museum Commission, Division of Public Records. The following discouraging reply was received: "Peter Shaver, of Baree township, was one of a party of Loyalists who attempted to join the British and Indians in 1778. Nothing in our records indicates what became of this man, neither in his earlier career described."

Page 78, series 5; volume 5, Pennsylvania Archives gives a list of 31 names of those organized under John and James Armstrong, to fight for the British. Peter Shaver is listed as the twenty fourth member, and is classified as a Taylor. Webster's second edition, unabridged, international dictionary, defines a TAYLOR as a diplomat, traveler, writer, and poet.

A year later some of these Loyalists returned to Bedford County and were arrested. Their names were not recorded. Others vowed they would never return, but would go to Baltimore to await the arrival of the British fleet. There seems to be no further record of this Peter Shaver. But, in 1788 a Peter Shaver is recorded as a taxable in Huntingdon County with one cow. As David Shaver, our closest remote ancestor, states in his autobiography, his father Peter Shaver served in the Revolutionary War as an interpreter of the German language and German papers for the officers under whom he served, and was also a soldier in the fighting line, the above Peter Shaver can be eliminated from our line.

Later developments showed that our ancestor, Peter Shaver, had settled and married in Franklin county, which until 1784 was part of Cumberland County. It is reasonable to believe that Peter Shaver, the progenitor of our line of the Shaver clan, started his American life in Cumberland County following his military career.

Efforts to secure war records from Harrisburg of soldiers of the Revolutionary War were met by the following statements from the Division of Public Records, Pennsylvania Historical Society and Museum Commission: "The armed services, during the early days, maintained no individual service record to reflect the whole military career, neither did it record places of birth, residence or information as to marriage or kinship," It stated also that "there existed a strong probability of a contemporary being registered for each individual soldier."
An example of such a contemporary was located on page 129, series 5 vol 7, Pennsylvania Archives, showing Peter Shaffer as a substitute for Henry Shaffner, serving in the second battalion, Lancaster County Militia. However by searching through many volumes of the Pennsylvania Archives, we have military records of the Peter Shaver whom we believe to be Peter Shaver, our forbearer.

On page 511, series 5, vol. 6, we find Peter Shaver as an Ensign (Color bearer) in the 1st Company, 4th, class, 8th Battalion, July 31, 1777, Cumberland County Militia. On page 524 of the same volume, Peter Shaver is listed, November 14, 1777, as in service in the same company as Ensign, serving under Captain William Long and Second Lieutenant John Riddleberger. Page 532 of the same volume lists him as serving in the same company on May 14, 1778.

The military record of Peter Shaver is missing for the year 1779, but it is probable that during this period his services were that of an interpreter. Officers did not register the names of interpreters in their roster of soldiers.

Further along in the records of Cumberland County Militia, we find Peter Shaver returning to the ranks and on page 557, same volume, Peter Shaver, early in 1780, is listed as serving as an Ensign in Company 4, 8th Battalion, Cumberland County Militia, serving in Captain William Lon's company, under Commander Colonel Smith, 1st Lieutenant Joseph Patton and Lieutenant Samuel McLean.

On August 21, 1780, records show a transfer of battalions, Peter Shaver becoming a member of the 2nd Class 4th Company, 4th Battalion, serving under Colonel Samuel Culbertson, Captain John Orbison, Lieutenant John Scott and Armourer William Duffield. On July 21, 1781, the same volume of Archives, page 293, Peter Shaver is shown as a member of the same company, same class and the same battalion, serving under Colonel John Scott, Captain Orbison and Lieutenant Samuel Culbertson.

Continued