The photo I posted at this link, of Charles Schulz and Donna Johnson, was taken in April, 1950, before he met his wife Joyce. Yet in the video at this link, Schulz’s daughter Meredith is said to be 14.
The numbers don’t add up. The reason is that Joyce already had Meredith when she met Sparky. They married on April 18, 1951, a year after the picture with Donna was taken.
In David Michaelis’ controversial new biography, Schulz and Peanuts, he states on page 235…
Sparky now stepped forward and legally adopted Meredith, and from then on, an he was called upon to tell the story of his life to an eager public, he and Joyce lied about the year of their wedding in order to assimilate and protect Meredith’s place in their marriage. Even in official notarized documents, they ever after gave April 18, 1949, as their nuptial day, placing Meredith’s birth (on February 5, 1950) just within the bounds of propriety as Sparky’s daughter.
My friend, the diligent researcher Mr. D.F. Rogers, has uncovered proof of the document backdating, in the form of a California court listing of divorce filings. Click the picture to enlarge, and look for the yellow highlight.
If your browser reduces the image, click to see it full size. The stated year of marriage was 1949. By the time of the divorce, Meredith was an adult and knew the truth, yet the deception continued.
