John Thomas Scharf (May 1, 1843 – February 28, 1898) was an American historian, author, journalist, antiquarian, politician, lawyer and

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

soldier and sailor. He is best known for his published historical works. Modern historians and researchers

cite A citation is a reference to a source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose o ...

his comprehensive histories as

primary source In the study of history as an academic discipline, a primary source (also called an original source) is an artifact, document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, recording, or any other source of information that was created at the time under ...

materials. Scharf used a formulaic and detailed approach to preparing his historical works. He contacted everyone who could provide information about his subject and used detail questionnaires to capture responses to his inquiries. The J. Thomas Scharf Collection, 1730s–1892, held by the Maryland Historical Society, shows off his massive collection of original source materials. Scharf was one of the first American historians to consistently use newspapers as a primary source. Rather than trying to analyze the source material, he often quoted at length from newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, and state and city documents. His books are written in the flowery style of his day, and several of his works, although long, are still considered among the best primary sources available. When writing about the American Civil War, the central event of his generation, he could not remain objective, and clearly articulated his strong pro-South perspective and prejudice about the war he fought. Still, his ''History of the Confederate States Navy'' remains a particularly valuable contribution to the literature of the American Civil War. At the outbreak of the war, Scharf enlisted with the 1st Maryland Artillery. He fought in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

and

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

. Returning from the war, Scharf helped reorganize the

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

state militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. He practiced law and took positions as a city editor for the Baltimore Evening News and managing editor for the Baltimore Sunday Telegram. He accumulated a mass of papers on the city of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and from these he published his first major work, ''The Chronicles of Baltimore''.Chronicles of Baltimore
Col. J Thomas Scharf, 1874, accessed December 2009 In 1878, Scharf, a Democrat from Baltimore City-District 2, was elected and served one term in the

Maryland General Assembly The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber ...

, House of Delegates. He served as Commissioner of the Land Office of Maryland from 1884 until 1892 and was an active member of the Maryland Historical Society. In the year before he died he was dismissed from his position as "Special Chinese Inspector" for the Southern District of New York, a post charged with enforcing the

Chinese Exclusion Act The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. The law excluded merchants, teachers, students, travelers, and diplo ...

of 1882 and the

Geary Act The Geary Act was a United States law that extended the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 by adding onerous new requirements. It was written by California Representative Thomas J. Geary and was passed by Congress on . The law required all Chinese r ...

of 1892.

Works

* * * * * * * * * * *

References

* References used by – ** Richard J. Cox, ''A Century of Frustration: The Movement for a State Archives in Maryland, 1811–1935'', Maryland Historical Magazine, 78 (Summer 1983): 106–117. ** Francis B. Culver, ''The War Romance of John Thomas Scharf'', Maryland Historical Magazine, 21 (September 1926): 295–302. ** Edward G. Howard, ''Introduction to History of Baltimore City and County'', by J. Thomas Scharf (Baltimore: Regional Publishing, 1971). ** Morris L. Radoff, ''An Elusive Manuscript—The Proceedings of the Maryland Convention of 1774,''

American Archivist The ''American Archivist'' is a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal and the official publication of the Society of American Archivists. It covers theoretical and practical developments in archival science, particularly in North America. The jou ...

, 30 (January 1967): 59–65. ** Radoff, ''Foreword to The History of Maryland'', by J. Thomas Scharf (Hatboro, Pa.: Tradition Press, 1967). ** Frank F. White, Jr., ed., ''Correspondence of Jefferson Davis and J. Thomas Scharf'', Journal of Mississippi History, 10 (April 1948): 118–131. * Tom Kelley, ''The personal memoirs of Jonathan Thomas Scharf of the First Maryland Artillery'', Baltimore: Butternut and Blue, (1992). . . * * Maryland Historical Society, ''Proceedings of the Maryland historical society, in connection with the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the settlement of Baltimore'', Baltimore:J. Murphy & Co, (1880). . * ''Catalogue of aportion of the library of J. Thomas Scharf'', Boston, Mass: C.F. Libbie & Co, (1883). .

External links

*
J. Thomas Scharf Collection, 1730s–1892
preserved by the Maryland Historical Society, H. Furlong Baldwin Library
Maryland State Archives
a Maryland historical agency and central depository for government records of permanent value.

available throug

a website devoted to said topic. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Scharf, J. Thomas Writers from Baltimore People of Maryland in the American Civil War 1843 births 1898 deaths American sailors 19th-century American historians Confederate States Army soldiers Deaths from pneumonia in New York City History of Baltimore Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates American naval historians 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American male writers Historians from Maryland

Works

References

Further reading

External links