Oh, those French...

The sons of Jacques Charon aka James Sharrow

My father’s mother was 99% French… which I kind of knew but it hit me in the in the face when my son discovered that we have an ancestor through this family who may have come over on the Mayflower. We have to dig for it, but more research needs to be done.

Pictured are my great-grandmother’s father and five of her brothers. I’ve only been able to identify the two on the right. Seated: Unknown and James Sharrow. Standing back, l to r: Unknown, Unknown, James Arthur (aka Arthur James) and Albert Percy (aka Percy) Sharrow. These two were identified by  my father. Based on looks for age, the youngest looks about 20, I’d guesstimate that seated is Alexander; and standing, l to r, are Louis and Thomas. This would make the photo from about 1907 or so.

James was an interesting character. When he  married Euphemia in 1851 in Canada, he fathered at least four children…  James who died in infancy, Eli, Josephine and Helen. Following her death in 1862, and with at least three children to care for, James then married Martha Jane in 1863.  Together they had 11 children… Jane, Jenny, Thomas, Alexander, Ellen, aka  Ellen, Minnie, Pauline, James Arthur, Louis and Albert Percy. Jane and Minnie died in childhood. With the death of Martha in 1895, and children still at home, James then married Zoe in 1895, who died in 1903. Apparently not one to be alone, there is a record of a marriage between James and Mary in 1897, 25 years his junior. There’s yet another record out there linking him to Kada, 30 years his junior, also in 1897. Ah, another mystery to research!