Conrad Heyer

Conrad Heyer (April 10, 1749 – February 19, 1856) was an American farmer, veteran of the American Revolutionary War, and centenarian who is notable for possibly being the earliest-born American to have been photographed.[1]

Conrad Heyer
Heyer in 1852, aged 103
Born(1749-04-10)April 10, 1749
Waldoboro, Massachusetts Bay
DiedFebruary 19, 1856(1856-02-19) (aged 106)
Waldoboro, Maine, U.S.
Burial placeGerman Church and Cemetery
Military career
BranchContinental 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.[2]

During the American Revolution, Heyer fought for the Continental Army under the command of George Washington. He was discharged in December 1776.[3] 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.[3]

In 1852, at the age of 103, Heyer posed for a daguerreotype portrait. He thereby became the earliest-born person of whom a photograph is known to exist.[4] The claim is not without dispute, however, as the following men were also photographed: a shoemaker named John Adams, who claimed to be born in 1745; a Revolutionary War veteran named Baltus Stone, with a claim of 1744; and a slave named Caesar, with a claim of 1738.[5]

References
  1. Schultz, C. (November 11, 2013). "Conrad Heyer, a Revolutionary War Veteran, Was the Earliest-Born American To Ever Be Photographed". Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  2. "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.
  3. Maine Historical Society. "Conrad Heyer, Waldoboro, ca. 1852". Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  4. Frank, P. (May 27, 2014). "This Is Conrad Hayer, A Man Who Made Photographic History At 103 Years Old". Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  5. Beck, B. "First photo". Retrieved April 12, 2018.
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