JARED  HAFER  owns  the  large  farm  in  East  Brunswick  township  on
which  he  resides,  but  he  is  not  now  actively  engaged  in  its  operation,  having
practically  retired.  Most  of  his  mature  life  has  been  spent  in  this  portion  of
Schuylkill  county,  but  he  is  a  native  of  Berks  county.  Pa.,  born  March  11,
1842,  in  Upper  Bern  township.  The  name  Hafer  is  an  old  one  in  that  county.
One  Matthias  Hafer  settled  there,  a  mile  east  of  Reading,  in  Alsace  town-
ship, upon  his  emigration  to  this  country  from  the  Province  of  Alsace,  on
the  borders  of  the  Rhine.  He  carried  on  farming  until  his  decease.  His
wife  was  Julia  Schmid,  and  they  had  eight  children,  seven  sons  and  one
daughter,  namely :  John,  Matthias,  George,  Benjamin,  Isaac,  Daniel,  Henry
and  Maria  (Mrs.  Jacob  Hill).  We  do  not  know  whether  the  son  Daniel
was  the  grandfather  of  Jared  Hafer  or  not.
Daniel  Hafer.  grandfather  of  Jared,  was  born  in  Oley  township,  Berks
county,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  all  his  life,  and  died  when  over  seventy-
seven  years  old.  His  children  were :  Nathan  married  Rebecca  Blatt :  Daniel
married  Polly  Spatz ;  Samuel  married  a  Miss  Reeser ;  Jacob  is  mentioned
below ;  Julia  married  Jacob  Hoak ;  Polly  married  Samuel  Dunkelberger.  The
parents  are  buried  at  Bellman's  Church  in  Berks  county.  Daniel  Hafer  was
a  member  of  Spiess's  German  Reformed  Church  in  that  county,  and  highly
respected  as  a  good  Christian  man.  Politically  he  supported  the  Democratic
jiarty.
