Peter Shaver
Posted by: SerenityNow
N 38° 51.529 W 079° 41.488
17S E 613535 N 4301923
Found on a small back country road leading to the town of Glady, this single gravesite is also a memorial to this Revolutionary War Patriot.
Waymark Code: WM2GT3
Location: West Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 11/01/2007
Views: 66
I haven't been able to find any information on-line about Peter Shaver, but according to the memorial, he was a Revolutionary War Patriot who lived from 1747-1781 and was killed by Indians on this mountain where he is buried. The nearby Shavers Fork River was named in his honor. We discovered this site on our way to visit my fathers birthplace in Glady, WV. The scenery in this area is truly magnificent!
Update: Peter settled near Mill Creek in Randolph Co, WV about the year 1772 and built a homestead at the mouth of Shaver's Run. He served in the Virginia Militia during the Revolutionary War as an Indian scout and spy. In 1781, shortly after returning home from the war, Peter was killed and scalped by Indians along with his father in law, Francis Riffle, and many others in what was known as the Tygarts Valley Indian Massacre. Shaver's Mountain and Shaver's Fork River, located in Randolph Co., WV, were named in his honor.
Story has it that his family consisted of three sons, his wife Sarah, who would soon give birth to their forth child, and another man who is thought to be Paul Shaver Jr. They had spent the day visiting and towards night went home. Peter took a near way. His wife and the other man (Paul Jr) rode the same horse. When near home the body of Peter was seen lying across the path. His wife put her hand to her face to hide the sight and exclaimed that her husband had been killed. The other (Paul Jr) man tried to calm her by saying it was a log across the path, but it was soon seen that he had been killed and scalped only minutes before. The rest of the family escaped to a neighbor's home and from there fled the valley. Within a few months, his wife gave birth to a child, a son, and on his face was a large red birthmark like the mark of a hand. It was always attributed to his mother placing her hand to her face after seeing the tragic sight of her husband being dead and scalped. This son was Francis Shaver the great grandfather of Clement L. Shaver, a noted politician in West Virginia.
Tradition says that Peter Shaver's father, Paul Shaver , was the old man that was present when the body of Peter was found, killed and scalped by the Indians. This would be impossible since his father died nine years prior in 1772 which is documented in the "Chronicles of the Scotch Irish Settlement ". Others believe it to be his brother Paul Shaver II. Paul was 22 and was disabled from a wound in the leg that he received during the war. (Source: MAGAZINE of HISTORY and BIOGRAPHY, Number Eight 1936, Randolph County Historical Society, Elkins, West Virginia).
Location type: Single Grave
Date of Birth: 1747
Date of Death: 1781
Cause of death: Died Later
Grave Marker Text: Peter Shaver
Revolutionary War Patriot
Captain Simpsons Co
Augusta Co VA
1747-1781
Placed by Brazos Valley Chapter
NSDAR
June 23, 2007
Ranks: Captain
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Visit Instructions:PLEASE NOTE: This category is for American Revolutionary War Veterans only. Veterans of other revolutions are not part of this category.
I have allowed one entry for a grave of British solders, but it was an exception. Please only list graves for Colonial soldiers.
Simply visit the locations. Please provide as much information as possible. Pictures would be a great addition.