City Directories and History: (House pictured below, not the feature image). This one and a half story house was built about 1853 for and by Andy Hafner or Hefner, and originally consisted of two main rooms and a porch that ran across the front of the house. The upper story was reached by a stairway in the room to the left of the house. Sometime later the stairway was blocked and part of the porch was closed-in to form another room.
The original also consisted of a small shed room to the rear. The windows were of eighteen panes and the mantles were hand-carved and of the popular fluted design. Flooring was of wide, pine boards. The yard was laid out in large circles and half circles, each outlined with boxwoods. Inside the circles were planted hyacinths, violets, and roses. Two large boxwoods, several crepe myrtles, and periwinkle were still at the house site in 1982. To the Rear of the house is a huge walnut tree and two giant oaks.
Andrew Hefner, born in North Carolina in 1821 and died here in 1914, was a carpenter. He built his home and supposedly six others in the immediate area and lived a few miles from his brother, Marcus. Mr. Hefner was married four (4) times and served as a Deacon for Bullocks Creek Presbyterian Church for sixty years. Toward the end of his life, Mr. Hefner became hard of hearing; one elderly citizen of the area said that Mr. Hefner sat on the front pew at church “and couldn’t hear thunder.” This house site was purchased from H. A. Galloway and is part of the old Hillhouse plantation; in fact, just 500 yards South of the house is the camp site of the British General, Lord Cornwallis. About 1848, Andrew Hafner married his first wife, Martha E. Gwin, the daughter of Richard and Polly Whitehead Gwin. They were married for several years when she died. They had one daughter, Mary, born in 1849. His second wife was either Mary Jane or Hannah Abel; like his first wife, she lived only a few months and died without children. His third wife was Keziah Hardwick (1831-1876), daughter of Major William and Mildred Barron Hardwick. [Information provided by J.L. West]
*** The address is approximate.
Ephraim Hafner Sr. married Martha E. Gwin, daughter of Richard & Mary Whitehead Gwin. Ephraim had (at least) 3 sons: (1.) Marcus “Mark” Hafner (1825-1896) he married Mary Ann Wylie, (2.) Andrew Hafner (1821-1914), (3.) Ephraim Hafner, Jr. (1828-1863) he married Mary Ann Feemster and had a son, William Johnston Hafner. Mary Ann Feemster Hafner, widow of Ephraim became 2nd wife of John McKnight.
Following is some loose ends: M. J. Hafner, daughter of M. A. Hafner (1819-1867) married W. H. Abel
James B. Stephenson married Mary Susannah Hafner
Rev. William Alexander Hafner (ARP minister) married (1.) Mary M. E. Parks, she died in 1884 at age 18, (2.) Susie Shannon, (3.) Ida McFadden (married in 1885), (4.) Miss Grery?
Obituary of Andrew Hafner—York County’s oldest citizen died March 16, 1914 at the home of his son-in-law, Dr. S. G. Miller of Chester. He was 92 years and 4 months. Hafner was born in Catawba Co. N. C. but had lived in York County 70 years as a contractor and farmer. He was married 3 times: (1) a Miss Gwinn; two daughters, both died as young women; (2) Kezia Hardwick, six children: Mrs. J. B. Patrick, died at White Oak ca. 1894; R. R. and J. A. Hafner and Mrs. S. G. Miller of Chester; B. W. Hafner of Newport, Ark. and Rev. W. A. Hafner of Fort Mill; (3) Mrs. Sarah West of Newport, Ark. who died ca 1894. Hafner was deacon of Bullock Creek Presbyterian church for more than 50 years and was buried there.
– Fort Mill Times, March 19, 1914. (Information courtesy of and from: YCGHS – The Quarterly Magazine)
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[…] What sets this group of family artisans apart in many ways, was their commitment to excellence and their routine use of Germanic symbols for nearly a century. Enjoy view a few of the “Hafner Built” sites across the pages of R&R:Atkinson House, Samuel Blair Plantation, Ross House, and the Hafner Family Home. […]