Amidst the stacks of material in the basement of my grandparents’ house at 87 Morton Road, was this lovely (I think) daguerreotype. When I opened it, an enclosed slip of paper fell out. In a single line of spidery handwriting, it read, “Niver Ancestors – there are no records”
After some work in Photoshop, here’s a slightly more visible view of the sitters…
By way of background, the Nivers were the family of Howard T. Swain’s mother, Millicent or “Nellie” Niver. I always presumed that these people are/ were Millicent’s parents, Jeremiah Niver and Atty Shufelt Niver, but that was fairly superficial conjecture. Looking more closely at the images, I wonder if they were not Atty’s parents, Peter Shufelt (1776-1840) and Elizabeth (Huych) Shufelt (1791-1865). Why, you ask? First off, the man in the photo is older. Older than 40, even accounting for a hard life. He looks to be more in his 50s or 60s. Secondly, this is a daguerreotype. A precursor to the modern photograph, the process was introduced in 1839, and had faded out of use by the 1860s. Jeremiah’s father, Johannes, was dead by 1824, and his wife Elizabeth was dead by 1836. That rules them out. Atty’s father, though, Peter Shufelt, died in 1840 at the age of 64. His wife, Elizabeth (Huych) Shufelt, would have been 49 at the time. That seems to match the ages of the couple in the images above pretty well. We’ll never know, but as of 2021, this strikes me as the most reasonable guess.
Since these images were found, my cousin Elisha and I have made some progress on the records front, but not a huge amount. Here’s what we now have…and I’ll say at the outset, it’s tentative and always subject to revision.
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1 Millicent “Nelly” Niver. Born on 26 June 1846 in Schodack, New York. At the age of 8, Millicent was baptized in Muitzekill, New York, on 21 December 1854. Millicent died in Copake, New York, on 10 January 1922; she was 75. Buried in Methodist Episcopal Churchyard, Copake, NY.
In 1866 when Millicent or “Nelly” was 19, she married William Dexter Swain.
They had the following children:
i.Howard Townsend (1868-1936)
ii.Franklin Niver (1869-1873)
2 Jeremiah Niver. Born on 22 March 1821 in Kinderhook, Columbia County, New York. Jeremiah was baptized in the Reformed Dutch Church, Kinderhook, New York, on 3 May 1821. Jeremiah died in Stuyvesant, Columbia County, New York, on 6 June 1864; he was 43. Buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Valatie, New York.
On 26 October 1842 when Jeremiah was 21, he married Atty Shufelt in St. Luke’s, Valatie, New York.
They had the following children:
i.Elizabeth Ann (1844-)
1 ii. Millicent “Nelly” (1846-1922)
iii.Worthy (1848-1922)
iv.Sarah Catharine (1850-1933)
v.Esther (1856-1872)
vi.Franklin S. (Shufelt?) (1859-1927)
vii.Mary (1863-1867)
3 Atty Shufelt. Born in July 1821 in Kinderhook, New York. Atty died in Valatie, New York, on 12 March 1897; she was 75. Buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Valatie, New York.
4 John M. (Michael?) Niver. Born on 5 February 1774 in Kinderhook, Columbia, New York. John M. died in Kinderhook, Columbia, New York, on 15 March 1824; he was 50. Buried in Valatie, Columbia County, New York.
John M. married Elizabeth Shoemaker in Columbia County, New York.
They had the following children:
i.Sarah “Sally” (1798-)
ii.Maria (1800-1839)
iii.Margaret (1802-1840)
iv.Michael (1804-1854)
v.John (1805-1865)
vi.Elizabeth (1808-1876)
vii.Catherine (1818-)
2 viii. Jeremiah (1821-1864)
5 Elizabeth Shoemaker. Born on 1 January 1777 in New York. Elizabeth died in Columbia County, New York, on 30 July 1836; she was 59. Buried in Valatie, Columbia County, New York.
6 Peter Phillip Shufelt. Born in 1776 in Holland. Peter Phillip died in Kinderhook, Columbia, New York, on 12 September 1840; he was 64. Buried in Kinderhook Cemetery, Kinderhook, Columbia, New York.
On 28 July 1816 when Peter Phillip was 40, he married Elizabeth Huych or Huyck or Houck in Nassau Reformed Church, Nassau, NY.
They had the following children:
i.Margaret (1817-)
ii.Catharine Eliza (1820-)
3 iii. Atty (1821-1897)
iv.John Henry (~1825-)
v.Suanna or Susan (1832-1909)
7 Elizabeth Huych or Huyck or Houck. Born about 1791 in New York. Elizabeth died in Kinderhook, New York, on 14 August 1865; she was 74. Buried in August 1865 in Kinderhook Dutch Reformed Church Cemetery, Kinderhook, NY.
8 George Niver. [Note: He was the first ancestor, and the “last” in this list, to anglicize the name. Prior to George, it was Neuffer. See no. 16 below.–LSL] Born on 23 April 1751 in Kemnat, Biberach, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. George died in Claverack, Columbia, New York, on 8 September 1833; he was 82. Buried in West Copake, Columbia County, New York.
In 1774 when George was 22, he married Anna Margaretha Kreisler in Dutchess, New York.
They had the following children:
4 i. John M. (Michael?) (1774-1824)
ii.Michael G. (1776-1853)
iii.Henry C. (1777-1828)
iv.Elizabeth (1779-)
v.Catharina (1781-)
vi.Margaretta (1783-1844)
vii.Peter (1788-1846)
viii.Philip (1792-1870)
ix.George (1794-1874)
x.Frederick (1798-1846)
9 Anna Margaretha Kreisler. Born on 20 July 1755 in Rhinebeck, Dutchess, New York. Anna Margaretha was baptized in Poughkeepsie (The Flats), Dutchess, New York, on 3 August 1755. Anna Margaretha died in Old Chatham, Columbia, New York, on 13 March 1813; she was 57.
10 John Peter Shoemaker or Schumacher. Born about 1749 in New York. John Peter died in Kinderhook, Columbia, New York, on 29 April 1821; he was 72. Buried in Valatie, Columbia County, New York.
On 13 August 1782 when John Peter was 33, he married Sarah Johnson in Greenbrier, West Virginia.
They had the following children:
5 i. Elizabeth (1777-1836)
ii.Henry
iii.Eli
iv.John A (1782-1830)
v.Sarah (1784-)
vi.Abigail (1786-)
vii.Adam (1789-1826)
viii.Peter (1792-)
ix.Sarah (1795-1870)
11 Sarah Johnson. Born about 1756. Sarah died in New York, on 5 December 1819; she was 63. Buried in Valatie, Columbia County, New York, USA.
16 Johann Michael Neuffer. Born on 23 May 1722 in Kemnat, Biberach, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Johann Michael died in Livingston Manor, Sullivan, New York, in 1802; he was 79.
On 23 July 1743 when Johann Michael was 21, he married Margaretta Gehrung in Kemnat, Biberach, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany.
They had the following children:
i.Phillip Jacob (1744-1745)
ii.Johann Michael (1745-1826)
iii.Johann David (1748-1816)
8 iv. George (1751-1833)
v.Phillip Jacob (1753-1820)
vi.Abram (1754-1754)
vii.Johann Henrich (1755-1824)
viii.Marcus (1756-1813)
ix.John (1757-1827)
x.Christopher (1752-1835)
17 Margaretta Gehrung. Born on 20 October 1717 in Kemnat, Biberach, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Margaretta died in Livingston Manor, Columbia, New York, in 1790; she was 72.
18 Johannes Kreisler. Born on 1 December 1728 in Loonenburg, Greene County, New York. Johannes was baptized in New York City, New York, on 26 January 1729. Johannes died in New Amsterdam, New York, about 1790; he was 61.
In 1755 when Johannes was 26, he married Susanna Stickel or Stikkel in Rhinebeck, New York.
They had the following children:
9 i. Anna Margaretha (1755-1813)
ii.Elisabetha (1757-1836)
iii.Catharina (1759-1813)
iv.Magdalena (1765-1827)
v.Nicklas (1765-1825)
vi.Johannes (1767-1831)
vii.Petrus (1772-)
viii.Hendrich (1777-1812)
19 Susanna Stickel or Stikkel. Born on 5 April 1730 in Red Hook, Dutchess, New York. Susanna died in Rhinebeck, Dutchess, New York, in 1773; she was 42.
32 Christian Neuffer. Born on 24 December 1680 in Plieningen, Neckar, Germany. Christian died in Kemnat, Neckar, Germany, on 14 April 1757; he was 76.
On 22 November 1701 when Christian was 20, he married Anna Keller in Kemnat, Neckar, Germany.
They had the following children:
i.Anna Catherina (1702-1762)
ii.Magdalena (1703-1742)
iii.Zacharias (1705-1706)
iv.Anna (1707-)
v.Christian (1709-)
vi.Thomas (1711-)
vii.Joseph (1715-1715)
viii.Joseph (1716-)
ix.Christina Barbara (1720-1731)
16 x. Johann Michael (1722-1802)
33 Anna Keller. Born on 7 December 1681 in Kemnat, Neckar, Germany. Anna died in Kemnat, Neckar, Germany, on 30 December 1742; she was 61.
34 Ulrich Gehrung. Born on 22 June 1677 in Kemnat, Neckar, Wuerttemburg, Germany. Ulrich died in Kemnat, Neckar, Wuerttemburg, Germany, on 12 March 1760; he was 82.
On 13 February 1703 when Ulrich was 25, he married Anna Magdalena Weber in Kemnat, Neckar, Wuerttemburg, Germany.
They had a child:
17 i. Margaretta (1717-1790)
35 Anna Magdalena Weber. Born on 14 February 1680 in Kemnat, Neckar, Wuerttemburg, Germany. Anna Magdalena died in Kemnat, Neckar, Wuerttemburg, Germany, on 21 January 1751; she was 70….
[I’ll stop there]
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The above list looks pretty dry, I admit. No war stories, or tales of industrial takeovers, or comedic anecdotes. It is all very German. But there is one more small thing that might make them seem a little more real…a little more human: the record of baptisms of Jeremiah’s and Atty’s children at the Schodack Reformed Church in Muitzeskill, New York. Imagine those days. Families in their best. Wiggling, squirming, crying infants. Heat. Cold. The sound of pages turning. As I have said so often here, at one point this was the present, and these children were the future.
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Kinsmen and Kinswomen 