Orator George Shafer and brother Taylor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The 3 best known missing players are Hugh "One Arm" Daily, Charles Wesley Jones and Orator George Shafer. I guess it must be the difficulty dealing with Philadelphia and Baltimore Vital Records because I have at least 10 19th century players I could find if those records were in easy reach and open to the public. . . . . . . . . . Regarding the spelling of the last name. Originally he was called George Schaeffer, later George Shaffer, then George Shafer, In the Phialdelphia City Directories George ball player was listed as all 3. But later it was consistently George W Shafer. ...... . . .. . . . . . . . . . ..George W Shafer was born around 1851 in Philadelphia, Pa. He played in the National Association, National League, Union Association and American Association from 1874 to 1890. The famous nickname came from the fact that he was of the habit of talking profusely when he went to bat. ......................................................... In 1884, Taylor Shafer first appeared as a ball player in Philadelphia. While Orator was deciding whether he was going to play base ball anymore, Taylor was playing locally, then going to Coatesville,Pa to play with the local team. ............................................................. .................. ..................... ...................In the early 1890s, George W Shafer ball player and Taylor Shafer ball player were listed as living together in the Philadelphia City Directories. While George continued at the same address for another 10 years or so, there was a note in The Sporting Life that Taylor was clerking in a small hotel in Coatesville,Pa. ............................................................................ ............................................................................ . .........He appears in the 1900 census Taylor Shafer born Sept 1870 Pa living with his mother Elizabeth Gravell, a widow, in Coatesviile in a hotel. She was the owner. born October 1837 Pa. Christian Shafer born March 1866 Pa was Hotel Manager. Sister Annie Ridgeway born April 1864 married 1 child , living. Elizabeyh Gravell had 5 children, all living In a couple of years, he returns to Philadelphia. George W appears up to around 1905 and then is no longer identifiable. He still appeared at base ball celebrations in Philadelphia, like dinners for the AL Champ Athletics in 1905 and Philadelphia Sportswriter dinners in 1908 and 1909. ............................................................................ ......................................................................Nov 1, 1911 an item from Philadelphia appeared. "George and Taylor Schaffer, who played on the old Athletics team during the Sharsig regime the other day were bequeathed $12,000 each by a deceased sister, the wife of a pawnbroker of this city (Philadelphia) This is the last I have of Orator Shafer. Taylor reappears in Philadelphia, first as Taylor, then as Taylor Z Shafer and Zachariah T Shafer. . After 1917 he disappears. A Zachariah T Shafer then appears in Atlantic City, NJ. I don't know if he is the same man. Since Taylor was pinpointed in the 1900 census but was 4 years too young to be 18 in 1884, which is the age ball players tended to begin as pros, I knew that he should have been born in 1866. A search of the Caliornia Death Index resulted in this Zachary Taylor Shafer born Sept 13, 1866 Pennsylvania (Sept 1870 Pa in the 1900 census) died October 27, 1945 Los Angeles County, Cal He did not appear in Los Angeles City Directories which ended in 1942. So far, no obituary has been found. But I have no doubt that he is the ball player. What is amazing is that Orator's obit never appeared in the Sporting News. He was as well known as any veteran ball player who had lived in a big city his entire life could be. |
