The documents behind the story, grouped by kind. Each one is shown as an image beside its transcription, with a note on where it came from.
Church books
Baptism, marriage and burial records from St. Nikolai, Elmshorn, from the 1770s to 1865. Courtesy of the Landeskirchliches Archiv der Nordkirche, used with permission.
Civil records and census
- Katie O’Connor Sharmer: Quincy birth register, Massachusetts and U.S. census pages
- The family tree and its sources
Wills, notes and business papers
- A Note for $150, 1893
- Uncle Joe’s Will, 1898
- Figs — Food for Fighting Men, 1942
- Joe’s Papers, 1942–1952: ration certificate, war-bond appointment and citation, the dehydrater accounts, the hospital letter, campaign cards
- Joe’s Papers, Part Two: the 1940 bank loan, the 1948 letter to voters, the 1949 county W-2, the Shrine circus and the Planada house advertisement
- You Put Up a Good Fight, 1952
Obituaries
- Uncle Joe and Katie: The Sidney Obituaries, 1898 and 1907
- Services Held for Joseph Sharmer, 1954
- Joseph Sharmer III, 2017 (the Nevada Appeal death notice, on his page)
- Hannelore Sharmer, 2023 (her obituary, on her page)
In Memoriam, 1954
After Joe died in February 1954, the county, the court and the State Assembly each marked his death.
- The Court Adjourns in His Memory
- A Friend Whose Memory Will Always Dwell with Us (Merced County Board of Supervisors)
- House Resolution No. 22 (California Assembly)
- One of Your Prized Keepsakes (letter from the Chief Clerk)
Still to find
Each person’s page ends with a list of the records still being looked for. If you can help with any of them, please get in touch.
