Washington O. SharrerVeteran

Lieutenant Washington O. Sharrer, United States Navy, is the only known Civil War naval veteran buried in Historic Westminster Cemetery. Born in Westminster in 1848, Sharrer entered the U.S. Naval Academy on September 27, 1864, graduating in 1868. Although serving as an active duty naval officer, Sharrer is listed in the 1870 census as living in Westminster. He and his wife, Jeanette Shivers Heap Sharrer had two children, Gwynne and Josephine. The 1880 census lists Sharrer as living in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. Lieutenant Sharrer continued to serve in the Navy until his death on September 8, 1889 in Aurora, Preston County, West Virginia from tetanus developed as a result of Chagres Fever, caught while on active duty in Chile.