Clara is said to be born in 1854, but in two censuses, Clara's age indicates a birth in 1852/3.
Frederick is said to be born in 1862, but he is three years old in the 1860 census.
If Florence was born in 1858 or 1859, where is she in the 1860 census?

1.  Marriage Record:

2.  1840 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  Our subject's father, William SHARON (æ 50-60), is living in Smithfield, Jefferson Co., OH (p. 123B); he is the only William SHARON in the entire 1840 census.

3.  1850 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  Our subject's father, William SHARON (æ 62, b. PA), is living in Smithfield Twp., Jefferson Co., OH, (p. 181A) with his (second?) wife Ester (æ 62, b. MD), et al.  I cannot find our subject.  Based on his bio, he should be in Sacramento, CA, but if he is actually living in San Francisco, it explains my inability to find him because the 1850 San Francisco census was lost.

4.  1860 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #128 of 195):  San Francisco P.O., Tenth District, San Francisco Co., CA, Roll M653_67, p. 292, 1067/1093, enumerated 5 Jul 1860, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1860 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

Wm Sharon	39	M		Real Estate Broker	40,000	3000	Ohio
Maria A "	30	F					Canada
Clara A "	7	F					Cala
Fredk W "	3	M					"
Abby Daugherty	23	F		Servant			Ireland

5.  1870 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #170 of 176):  Virginia City P.O., Virginia City, Storey Co., NV, Roll M593_835, p. 452A, PN 141, 9/9, enumerated 26 Sep 1870, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1870 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

Sharon Wm S	49	M	W	Supt of Bank	500,000	100,000	Ohio
Martin Bell	22	F	W	Keeps House			Ky
do   Wm B	1 8/12	M	W	At Home			Nev

Our subject seemed to like having young women around him.  The question is, was William B. BELL his son?

6a.  1880 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  I can't find William or Maria or the children.  They are supposed to be living in the Ralston Mansion in Belmont.  I also did page-by-pages searches of ED's 83, 113, and 114 in San Francisco (locations of the Palace and Baldwin Hotels).

6b.  1880 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #23 of 28):  Baldwin Hotel, Market Street, City and County of San Francisco, CA, Roll T9-0075, p. 260C, PN 23, SD 1, ED 83, enumerated 10 Jun 1880, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1880 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

1880:  for an explanation of the column headings, please see What the Numbers in the Federal Census Mean (missing columns contained no data).
	1	2	3	4	5	6	8	9	13	24	25	26
*	84	104	Hill Morgan	W	M	30	Boarder	/	Fancy Goods	MO	MD	MD
			____ S. A.	W	F	27	Boarder	/	At home	MO	MD	MD
*Market

S.A. is Sarah Althea and Morgan is her brother (both have shaved three years off their age); their parents were born in NC, not MD.  The legend is that William SHARON lived in the Palace Hotel and "kept" Sarah in the Grand Hotel, across the street, both of which hotels he owned, and that the aerial bridge between the two hotels was built to facilitate his visits to her.  However, I can't find William enumerated at the Palace Hotel and Sarah is here enumerated at the Baldwin, which I think shoots a hole in that myth.

7.  Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (online at bioguide.congress.gov).

8.  U.S. Congressional Delegations from Nevada (online at www.reference.com):  One secondary source says our subject was the first Senator from Nevada, but that is not the case; he was the fourth.

9.  In the Matter of David Neagle (online at the U.S. Marshals web site, www.usdoj/marshals/history/):  Briefly describes the spectacular "palimony" suit brought by Sarah Althea HILL against William S. SHARON.

...The result was a dead husband, an insane wife, and a landmark Supreme Court decision that substantially expanded the powers of the executive branch and affirmed the authority for U.S. Marshals and their Deputies to use force in the performance of their lawful duties...

10.  San Francisco History: Chambliss Diary (article copied from The San Francisco Examiner and online at www.sfgenealogy.com).  Excerpt...

Hesketh.--Lady Fermor-Hesketh was Miss Florence Emily Sharon, daughter of the late Senator William Sharon of Nevada.* She married, in 1880, Sir Thomas George Fermor Fermor-Hesketh, and took to England $2,000,000. [*Note : Senator Sharon's contract wife (Sarah Althea Terry) is now in an insane asylum in California. Old "mammy" Pleasant still lives, also.]

11.  J. A. CALDWELL.  1880.  History of Belmont and Jefferson Counties, Ohio.  Historical Publ. Co., Wheeling, WV (Broderbund CD-450).

12.  LDS.  Family Search: Internet Genealogy Service: Pedigree Resource File (index to CDs, online at FamilySearch.org).

13.  Breckinridge Memorial and Tevis/Sharon Estate History (online at the Woodstock Nation web site).

14.  Mary K. Pendergrass.  Descendants of John? Sharon (Sherran).  FamilyTreeMaker User Pages (online at familytreemaker.genealogy.com).

15.  Bill Putnam.  The Sharon Families in Califorrnia.  (online at www.billputman.com).

16.  Robert Kroninger.  1964.  Sarah and the Senator.  Howell-North, Berkeley, CA.  [not seen]