Divorce Action in Williams Co, OH - Shaffer (Howard)

Howard W. Shaffer v Eldora M. Stoner Shaffer (Journal 11 p105 - 22 Feb 1881; Roll 36 case number 849 - Dec 1880) –see Jacob Zoller (when posted)

By Pamela Pattison Lash (updated 2010)

The couple was married on 10 Feb 1879 in Camden, Hillsdale Co, MI (Marriage E p260). Dora, the daughter of Henry and Malinda Craig Stoner, was born c1861 in Reading, MI. In the 1870 Reading, Hillsdale Co, MI federal census p469B the Henry Stoner family was enumerated as Henry 42 OH blacksmith, Malinda 41 NY, Euphemia 12 OH, Eldora 8 MI, and Charles 6 MI.  On 10 Sept 1876, her widowed mother married Jacob Davis; the Davis family was listed in the 1880 Reading, Hillsdale Co, MI federal census p270 along with Dora’s maternal grandmother, Temperance Craige 69 VT, but Dora is not enumerated with them.  Dora went on to marry Jacob Zoller and more information is found in their divorce.

Howard was the son of John and Frances Bordner Shaffer, who came to Wms Co c1860 from Doylestown, Wayne Co, OH where they were married on 22 July 1849. The Shaffers were listed in the 1870 St. Joseph Twp, Wms Co, OH federal census p2, as John 40 MD, Frances 42 PA, Mary 20 OH, Howard 19 OH, Caroline 14 OH, and Anson 6 OH, and in the 1880 St. Joseph Twp federal census p36, as John 50 MD, Frances 52 PA, Howard 28 OH farm worker, Cal (f) 22 OH, and Anson J 15 OH.  Note that Howard lived with his parents after his marriage. Frances, the mother died on 23 Sept 1887 and in 1892 John married Mrs. Amelia Engel.  He passed away on 31 May 1901 (Butler Record, Butler, DeKalb Co, IN, 7 June 1901) and was buried in Maple Grove Cem, Edgerton, OH, next to his first wife.

Howard, b 1851-1853, a resident of Wms Co for a year or more, charged that on 1 Jan 1879 Dora committed adultery with an unknown man in the Bloomer Hotel, Clear Lake, IN.  On 8 Aug 1880 she committed adultery with Dick Tompson at the Long Hotel in Waterloo, IN.  On 13 Dec 1880 at the house of prostitution kept by Jonnie Stoner of Kendalville, IN, she did the same with John Wilkes, on 19 Dec 1880 with Joseph Berhalter and Coonrod Schwartz, and on 24 Dec 1880 with Charles Graner.  The entire month of December 1880 she conducted herself as a common prostitute at Johnnie Stoner's place.  A legal notice appeared in a local paper and Howard was granted a divorce as stated in The Bryan Democrat, 24 Feb 1881 p3.   Howard was still living in 1901 according to his father’s obituary; nothing currently is known of Dora.