Seven generations, from the 1700s to today: the Scharmers and Peterses of Elmshorn in Holstein, the Conners and Caldwells of Ireland and Massachusetts, the Wilsons of Texas and California, and the Sharmers of Nebraska and California who joined them. Joe’s direct line is in the boxes with the darker border; brothers, sisters and other relatives are in the plainer ones. Click a name to read more.
⚭ = married. Dates come from the church books, civil records and censuses gathered on this site; “about” means the year is worked out from an age. Living members of the family are listed without dates.
Holstein, 1700s
Jacob Peters
Night watchman of Klostersande, Elmshorn
died 11 March 1777
⚭ Catharina Wehrmann
Children: Hinrich, Johann, Jacob, Jochim, Christian, Magdalen
Jochim Scharmer
of Glindesmoor, Hohenfelde
died before 1823
⚭ Anna (or Elsabe) Timmermann
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their son
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their son
Holstein, about 1774–1830
born 29 August 1774, Klostersande
of the Wehdenkamp, Elmshorn
⚭ Catharina Margaretha Kock (Koch)
Children: Catharina, Anna, Margaretha, Magdalena, Matthias Jacob
of Elmshorn, sailor
very likely drowned in a shipwreck off the Elbe, 1847
⚭ (1) 1823 Magdalena Peters, died 1825
children Catharina (1823–1824), Hinrich (1825–1840)
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their daughter
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Johann Scharmer ⚭ (2) Anna Peters
married 8 February 1829, Elmshorn
Anna born 8 April 1798 on the Wehdenkamp
probably died 19 February 1865, Elmshorn
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their children
Elmshorn → America
born Jochim Scharmer, 25 May 1829, Elmshorn
sailor, gold miner, cattleman, banker
died 14 June 1898, Sidney, Nebraska
Anna Magdalena Scharmer
born 18 November 1831
⚭ 1859 Johann Thede
⚭ 1871 Georg Heinrich Hoffmann
Anna Scharmer
born 9 November 1834
died 17 December 1874, Elmshorn
Johann Scharmer
born 29 July 1837
later life not known
Ireland
of Ireland
Mathew Caldwell ⚭ Alice
of Ireland
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their son
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their daughter
Massachusetts and Nebraska
Peter Conner (O’Connor) ⚭ (1) Catherine Caldwell
married 25 June 1853, Roxbury, Massachusetts
Peter: born Ireland; ropemaker, stone mason; died 9 September 1881, Fremont, Nebraska
Catherine: born Ireland about 1836; died 1 November 1864, Braintree
Peter ⚭ (2) Ellen Sheedy, born Ireland about 1838
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their children
Alice
born 2 October 1856, Plymouth
⚭ Frederick Nirk; ⚭ 1894 John Higgins
died 10 June 1921, Los Angeles
Anna (Annie)
born about 1858
Mary E.
born about 1861
born 20 November 1863, Quincy
died 11 April 1907, Sidney, Nebraska
Lizzie (half-sister)
born 7 December 1865, Braintree
daughter of Peter and Ellen
⚭ Jacob Heintz, Chicago
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Sidney, Nebraska
Joseph Sharmer I ⚭ Katie O’Connor
married 10 November 1884, Sidney, Nebraska
witnesses: Lizzie Conner and Jacob Heintz
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their children
Laura “Aunt Larry”
born December 1885
⚭ Myron O. Sager
daughter Catherine Sager (Briscoe)
26 September 1887 – 28 October 1969
⚭ 1918 Earl Kratz
lived in Sidney all her life
born 22 November 1889
⚭ Clair Van Slyke
children Gretchen and Jacy
died 10 March 1943
born 10 November 1897, Sidney
fruit salesman, fig grower, Merced County supervisor
died 26 February 1954
Texas and California
James William Wilson ⚭ Nettie A. Holt
James: 14 November 1882 – 2 April 1944
Nettie: 14 February 1890 – 5 September 1956
both born in Texas, buried in Merced
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their daughter
Joseph Sharmer II
Florence M. Brennan
born February 1897, California
daughter of Thomas Brennan and Margaret Fox
⚭ Joseph Sharmer 13 October 1928, San Francisco
his first wife
Joseph Sharmer II ⚭ Ruby E. Wilson
Ruby: 1 February 1909 – 18 May 1981
Planada and Merced, California
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their children
born and died 27 September 1939, Merced
30 April 1941, Fresno – 30 November 2017, Dayton, Nevada
⚭ Hannelore Ahrens
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Cousins in the letters
24 April 1912 – 16 November 1998
daughter of Dodie
⚭ 1937 Jim Welsh
Cpl. Joseph C. “Jacy” Van Slyke
17 January 1921 – 25 January 1945
son of Dodie; killed in action in the Philippines
Catherine Sager Briscoe
born 1910, daughter of Laura and Myron Sager
lived on Octavia Street, San Francisco
buried with her mother in Woodlawn Cemetery, Colma
Sidney Frederick Nirk
8 September 1880 – 8 December 1957
son of Katie’s sister Alice
Where the branches are told
The Scharmer and Peters families of Elmshorn, back to the night watchman Jacob Peters: Joseph Sharmer I: From Elmshorn to Sidney and Jochim Scharmer of Elmshorn. The Conners and Caldwells: Katie O’Connor Sharmer: From Quincy to Sidney. Everyone in the letters: People.
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