Shaffer, Thomas Jefferson, 1842-1915
Biography
Thomas Jefferson Shaffer (1842-1915) was born and raised in Terrebone Parish, Louisiana. He is the
son of William Alexander Shaffer (1797-1887) and Emily Milette Bourgeois Shaffer (1807-1874).
Shaffer attended Centenary College of Louisiana’s preparatory department (1858-1860) and college
(1860-1861), then served as a soldier in the Confederate army during the American Civil War. After
the war, he owned and operated Anna plantation in Saint Mary Parish. During the last years of his life,
Shaffer served as the major general of the Louisiana Division of the United Confederate Veterans.
In 1868, Shaffer married Ann Powers Pelton (1846-1897); they had five children. In 1900, he married
Harriet Jones (1877-1941); they had two children.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Thomas Jefferson Shaffer autograph album
This collection consists of pages removed from an autograph album belonging to Thomas Jefferson Shaffer when he attended Centenary College of Louisiana. Shaffer’s classmates at Centenary signed most of the autographs in 1861. Lengthier messages were written by Henry E. Cockerham, J. P. Hudson, and J. S. Leoron.