The digitized content of the Sheffer Family Papers consists of materials documenting the lives of George K. Sheffer and his extended family across the Midwest and West. The materials date primarily from 1836-1911, with items dated as late as 1993, and include family correspondence, Civil War military service documents, financial and family records, and miscellaneous photographs and newspaper clippings.

George K. Sheffer was born in Williamsport, Indiana in 1840. He served in company K of the 33rd regiment of Indiana Infantry during the Civil War and was wounded at the Battle of Peach Tree Creek. In 1866, he and his family moved to Champaign where Sheffer was a member of the G.A.R. and served multiple terms as the Champaign Township Clerk.

The digitized content primarily consists of letters exchanged by family members across the Midwest and Western U.S., as well as military, financial, and family records. The military service materials relate to George K. Sheffer's service in the Civil War and include discharge papers and pension documents. The family records include George and Martha's marriage certificate from 1864, with a list of their children on the reverse side. There are also mixed materials with items relating to various organizations and clubs to which different family members belonged, photographs, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous ephemera.

The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Sheffer Family Papers (MS 304). The collection was completely digitized (with the exception of one especially fragile item) in 2016. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.