Adam's ancestors are believed to have come to Pennsylvania in the early 1700's from Saxony-Germany and may have originally followed the Jewish Religion. He was born in Schaefferstown, Lebanon County, PA and later moved to Washington County, MD, near Hagerstown. In 1788, he settled in the Brookside area of Preston County (then Virginia). Adam married his wife here in 1789 and they became the pioneer ancestors of the prolific Shaffer Family which spread throughout this region. He served as a U.S. Post-Master in Brookside in 1820 and was a Justice of the Peace from 1818 to 1825. He reportedly later bought some property from the heirs of Nicholas Gauer and then settled on the Maryland side of the state line in Allegany (later Garrett) County.

He married Catherine Elizabeth Wotring (1772-1850), a daughter of Abraham Wotring and Margaret Troxell. Adam and Catherine had 13 children who eventually lived in Preston, Tucker, Grant and Randolph Counties, WV, as well as Garrett County, MD. They all had numerous offspring of their own.

Adam Johann Shaffer and Catherine Elizabeth Wotring Shaffer's 13 children were:

Thebold Teevalt Shaffer (1790-1850) m. Elizabeth Whetzell (1792-1841)

Susan Barbara Shaffer Ridenour (1792-1870) m. John Henry Ridenour (1789-1875)

Mary Margaret Shaffer Timmerman (1793-1841) m. John Timmerman (1789-1835)

George Shaffer (1794-1834)

Elizabeth Shaffer Grimes (1795-1841) m. Henry Grimes (1793-1841)

Julia Ann Shaffer Hobbs (1798-1844) m. Edmund Hobbs (1793-1879)

Johannes (John) Adam Shaffer (1799-1880) m. Hannah Sophia Beard (1803-1876)

John Adam Shaffer (1801-1866) m. Catherine Beard (1803-1870)

Jacob Rhodes Shaffer (1803-1888) m. Roseanna Isenhart (1804-1872)

Daniel Shaffer (1805-1863) m. Elizabeth Isenhart (1810-1891)

Samuel Shaffer (1806-1850) m. Lucinda ? (1805-?)

William Shaffer (1809-1891) m. Rebecca Fries (1813-1892)

Abraham Adam Shaffer (1812-1902) m. Abagail Hopkins (1812-1892)

The above biographical information, dates and names were obtained from a combination of Mary Grace Bachtel-DePollo's "History of the Bachtel Family of Preston County, WV and Garrett County, MD-1986" and current FamilySearch.org listings. - Ray Sant. (Sept 2020)

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Ron Mullins (FAG Mem. # 48727738) has supplied information for the parents of Adam Johann Shaffer (1770-1834). There are no FAG Memorials for them at present time. (April 2021 - Ray Sant.)

Father: Frederick Theobald Shaffer - born, 1730 in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany and died-1805, in Washington County, MD, USA

Mother: Catherine (Kissinger) Shaffer - born, 1730 in Germany and died-1784, in either Pennsylvania or Washington County, MD, USA.