Conrad Heyer

Conrad Heyer (April 10, 1749 or 1753[Note 1] – February 19, 1856) was an American farmer, veteran of the American Revolutionary War, and centenarian. He is often credited as being the earliest-born person to have been photographed alive, although several other contenders are known, most notably a shoemaker named John Adams.[3][4]

Conrad Heyer
Heyer, c. 1852 daguerreotype
Born(1749-04-10)April 10, 1749 or 1753[Note 1]
near Waldoboro, Massachusetts Bay
Died(1856-02-19)February 19, 1856 (aged 102 or 106)
Waldoboro, Maine, U.S.
Burial placeGerman Church and Cemetery
Spouse
Mary Weber
​
​
(m. 1776; died 1841)​
Children10
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service/branch Continental Army
Service years1775–1776
Unit25th Continental Regiment
WarsAmerican Revolutionary War

Biography

Heyer was born in the village of Waldoboro, then known as "Broad Bay" and part of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. The settlement had been sacked and depopulated by Wabanaki attacks and resettled with German immigrants recruited from the Rhineland. Among these settlers were the parents of Conrad Heyer, who also may have been the first white child born in the settlement.[5] His father died the winter before he was born. His mother, Catharina, remarried in 1772/1773 to a German immigrant. In his youth, Heyer was a member of the German Lutheran Church.[6]

During the American Revolution, Heyer fought for the Continental Army in the 25th Regiment, according to his pension filed in 1819 and several witnesses. He enlisted in December 1775 and was honorably discharged a year later, in mid-December 1776 at Fishkill. There is no historical record of any other service in the army. Later claims, such as that Heyer participated in Washington's famous crossing of the Delaware in December 1776 or served in the Army until 1778, cannot be confirmed.[7]

Heyer married Mary Weber in 1776, with whom he had ten children. After the war, he returned to Waldoboro, where he made a living as a farmer until his death in 1856. He was buried with full military honors.[6][8]

Around 1852, at the claimed age of 103, Heyer posed for a daguerreotype portrait. He is often credited as the earliest-born person known to have been photographed alive,[3] although several other contenders exist. These include a woman named Mary Munroe Sanderson (1748 - 1852); Dr. Ezra Green (1746 - 1847);[6] a shoemaker named John Adams (1745 - 1849); a Revolutionary war veteran named Baltus Stone, born sometime between 1743 and 1754; John Owen, said to have been born in 1735 or 1741 and an enslaved man named Caesar who, according to the inscription on his marble tombstone, was born in 1737 and died in 1852 — which would mean he lived to be 115 years old.[4]

Notes
  1. Although Heyers date of birth is generally given as April 10, 1749, documents prior to 1850 state that he was born around 1753. According to some sources, Heyers parents arrived in Broad Bay in October 1752, further supporting a birth year of 1753.[1][2]

References
  1. Horlacher, Gary (February 1992). "A Closer Look at Conrad Heyer And the Immigration of 1748" (PDF). Old Broad Bay Bund und Blatt. 1 (2): 4–6.
  2. Taylor, Maureen (2010). The Last Muster: Images of the Revolutionary War Generation. The Kent State University Press. pp. 76–77. ISBN 978-1606350553.
  3. Schultz, C. (November 11, 2013). "Conrad Heyer, a Revolutionary War Veteran, Was the Earliest-Born American To Ever Be Photographed". Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  4. Beck, B. "First photo". Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  5. "New England man had oldest birth date ever to be photographed". July 25, 2013. Archived from the original on November 17, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  6. Taylor, Maureen (2010). The Last Muster: Images of the Revolutionary War Generation. The Kent State University Press. ISBN 978-1606350553.
  7. Hagist, Don (February 28, 2016). "Conrad Heyer Did Not Cross The Delaware". Journal of the American Revolution.
  8. Maine Historical Society. "Conrad Heyer, Waldoboro, ca. 1852". Retrieved April 12, 2018.
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