The actual first name of Sonny Boy Melcher has never been recorded by the Olson family, to whom he was most closely related. He was the son of Evert Melcher, resident of Shanghai and of Ellen (Nellie) Melcher, youngest daughter of the retired Swedish tavern owner, John Olson snr and his Chinese wife, Ching Ah Fung (later Ellen Olson). Sonny Boy was youngest grandchild of the elder Olsons and probably born in 1917, as his mother was still named in 1916 passenger lists as Miss E. Olson. Sonny Boy appears in Hong Kong family photos that show John Olson snr with all his grandsons. The above photo shows him as a baby. His father, Evert Melcher was posted to Indonesia with the East India Company and the family later returned to Holland, Evert's native country. Nellie visited her brother John Olson and his wife, Annie in England after the war but without Sonny Boy. She emigrated to the U.S. and may have remarried, but lost touch with the Olson family, who were subsequently unable to trace her. Without knowing his real name, Sonny Boy Olson has also been impossible to trace. It is possible that his first name was Evert or Everett like his father's. He was thought to have been born in Hong Kong, but that has not been confirmed by a birth certificate. He may also have fought in the war, but again, possible records of his war service have not been followed up.