Interviewer: Chelsea Quesenberry
Interviewee: Nancy Harper
Relationship: Grandmother
My oral tradition report was on my Great Grandpa. My Great Grandpa’s name was
William George Schaeffer, Sr. He was born in Rahway, N.J., March of 1924. He was my
Nana’s Father and my Mom’s Grandpa. He had a stepsister, June; she was 3 years older than
him. He married my Great Grandma Audrey when they where just out of high school. He
served in the Navy. After duty was over, he took a job with General Motors. William and
Audrey had 6 children. One child, a boy named Gilbert, died at only six months because of heart
complications. As my great Aunts and Uncle where growing up, no matter where they went,
people would always remark on how much William looked like John Wayne. William always
loved that compliment. Sometimes a little too much. He would try to imitate his voice.
Many years later when William was 55 years old, his mother got very ill. One night
when he visited her, his mother told him that he was adopted…and then she passed away.
Unfortunately, his mother never got the chance to give him any more information about where he
came from. Everybody on my mom’s side of the family tried to find out more information about
my Great Grandpa William George Schaeffer. Nobody knew anything. His stepsister was too
young to remember anything about that day. All she remembers is that one day her and her
mother went on a drive to a place she was unfamiliar with. When her mother went in she sat
there wondering what she was doing, then she came out and got back in the car with a baby boy
in her arms. You see, back in the days when my Great Grandpa was adopted, it was a sin to have
a baby out of wedlock. If a young girl got pregnant before she was married, she was sent away
from home so no one would find out. After the baby was born they would take the baby from
the mother. The mother was never allowed to speak of it, they didn’t want anyone to know about
the baby. If people found out they would turn against you and you would be marked no good.
So, everything was a secret. I think that’s why William’s mom adopted him. Although my
family was never able to find any information about William G. Schaeffer, he was happy with
the parents he had.