WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT?
(click on a selection below)

• Origin of Sherman Name
• Immigrant Sherman Founders of U.S. Families
• Shermans Of Yaxley (an online family history group)
• Migration (of Lisa's Sherman line)
• Family Tree (of Lisa's Sherman line)

ORIGIN OF SHERMAN NAME

The Sherman name first appeared among some Savony people living along the Rhine River as far back as the 10th century. The Shermans could have come to England during the migration by William The Conqueror in 1066. The Normans ruled England until 1154, and they were Northmen (Norsemen) or Scandinavians who had conquered Normandy, on the coast of France, in the 10th century.

The earliest record of the Sherman name in England was on June 8, 1174, when a license to trade in wool was granted to Richard Le Sherman, a merchant in Huthe, Essex County. Because of their profession as wool merchants, the Shermans could very likely have come to England from Flanders during the 1300's. England used to export raw wool to Europe, especially Flanders, and then import the woolen cloth to make clothing. Immigrant craftsmen skilled in the making of cloth were lured by the English rulers from Flanders to England.

The meaning of the name Sherman apparently comes from some early progenitor whose occupation was a "dresser" or "shearer" of cloth. That profession was referred to as "Shermancraft". (Information obtained from "Our Sherman Saga" by Janet Hess)

IMMIGRANT SHERMAN FOUNDERS OF FAMILIES IN U.S.
Many of the Sherman families in the U.S. today are believed to have descended from the 5 Sherman brothers/cousins listed below, who entered the U.S. between the years 1632-1640.

• Rev. John Sherman - born 1613 in Dedham, England; died 1685. He came on the ship "Elizabeth" from Ipswich, England, in April 1634.
• Capt. John Sherman - born 1612, Great Horkesley, Essex, England; died Jan. 25, 1690/91, Watertown, MA. He came with his mother, Grace, and her second husband, Thomas Rogers. Capt. John was admitted as a freeman in Massachusetts on May 17, 1637.
• Hon. Philip Sherman - born 1610, Dedham, England; died 1687, Portsmouth, RI. He came about 1630-33, first to Roxbury, MA, then to Portsmouth, RI in 1638.
• Samuel Sherman - born 1601, Dedham, England; died 1643, Massachusetts. He came about 1636-37 and settled in Boston, MA.
• Hon. Samuel Sherman - born 1612 in Dedham, England; died April 5, 1700, Fairfield, CT. He came about 1632-33 with his father, Edmund Sherman, first to Watertown, MA, then to Wethersfield and Stratford, CT.

SHERMANS OF YAXLEY

SHERMANS OF YAXLEY is a very friendly online group of amateur family history buffs interested in researching their Sherman roots. They offer a variety of help to fellow Sherman researchers.

• Shermans of Yaxley Home Page - filled with helpful research tips and information
• Tree Shak'ens Online Web Page - where you can post Sherman queries
• Margaret Sherman-Lutzvick's Home Page - Marge is one of the founding members of Shermans of Yaxley, as well as the author of an excellent book on Sherman genealogy entitled "Going to Palmyra: Sherman Deeds".
• Thane Sherm's Family History Web Pages - Thane Sherm is a former leader of the Shermans of Yaxley group, and has done a LOT of detailed research into his Sherman family line.

MIGRATION
Where the heck did these people come from?

Anyway, below is a brief synopsis of my Sherman ancestry. If you'd like more detail, I'd be happy to share .... just zap me an e-mail message.

SHERMAN FAMILY TREE
Some of the "characters" that make up Lisa's family tree.

1. SHERMAN, THOMAS, b. Yaxley, Suffolk, England, d. 1492, Yaxley, Suffolk, England, m. AGNES
2. SHERMAN, JOHN, b. Yaxley, England, d. 1504, Yaxley, Suffolk, England, m. AGNES FULLER
3. SHERMAN, THOMAS, b. Diss, Norfolk, England, d. 1551, m. JANE WALLER
4. SHERMAN, HENRY, b. ca. 1511, Yaxley, Suffolk, England, d. 1589, Colchester, England, m. AGNES BUTLER
5. SHERMAN, HENRY, b. ca. 1547, Colchester, England, d. Dedham, Essex, England, m. SUSAN LAWRANCE
6. SHERMAN, JOHN, b. 1585, Dedham, Essex, England, d. ca. 1616, Great Horkesley, Essex, England, m. GRACE MAKIN
7. SHERMAN, JOHN, b. 1612, Great Horkesley, Essex, England, d. Jan 25, 1690/91, Watertown, Massachusetts, m. MARTHA PALMER
8. SHERMAN, JOSEPH, b. May 14, 1650, Watertown, Massachusetts, d. Jan 20, 1730/31, Watertown, Massachusetts, m. ELIZABETH WINSHIP
9. SHERMAN, JOHN, b. Jan. 11, 1674/75, Watertown, Massachusetts, d. Nov. 11, 1756, Marlborough, Massachusetts, m. MARY BULLEN
10. SHERMAN, JOSEPH, b. March 25, 1703, Marlborough, Massachusetts, d. Oct. 10, 1778, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, m. SARAH PERHAM
11. SHERMAN, JOHN, b. April 8, 1737, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, d. June 14, 1807, m. (1)  CHLOE THAYER, (2)  DINAH DANIELS
12. SHERMAN, JOHN, b. March 27, 1764, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, d. Nov. 28, 1833, Rose, Wayne Co., New York, m. CHLOE DICKINSON
13. SHERMAN, ELIAS DICKINSON, b. ca. 1794, Phelps, Wayne Co., New York, d. Sept. 28, 1870, Galesburg, Kalamazoo Co., Michigan, m. WEALTHY GRISWOLD
14. SHERMAN, WILLIAM, b. April 7, 1822, Butler, Wayne Co., Michigan, d. Feb. 27, 1862, Butler, Wayne Co., Michigan, m. CLARISSA THOMPSON
15. SHERMAN, CHARLES ELMER, b. Aug 4, 1852, Butler, Wayne Co., Michigan, d. Dec. 18, 1921, McGregor, Sanilac Co., Michigan, m. MARGARET ALICE BELL
16. SHERMAN, CLARA ELIZA, b. Sept. 25, 1876, Port Huron, St. Clair Co., Michigan, d. May 29, 1945, Independence, Jackson Co., Missouri, m. WILLIAM HENRY SHEFFER
17. SHEFFER, EVERETT EARL, b. Dec 4, 1897, Carsonville, Sanilac Co., Michigan, d. April, 1977, Farmington Hills, Oakland Co., Michigan, m. ELSIE ELLEN KILBOURN
18. SHEFFER, EVELYN JUNE, b. June 10, 1928, Ferndale, Wayne Co., Michigan, d. June 5, 1995, Plymouth, Wayne Co., Michigan, m. GREGORY IGNATIUS DONOVAN
19. (ME!) DONOVAN, LISA CARIL, b. Sept. 1, 1955, Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan, m. K. SCOTT FLEMING, children: Trisha Ann, Michael James, and Molly Ann