John D. Sherman (abt. 1795 - 1866)

Born about 1795 in Islesboro, Hancock County, District of Maine, Massachusetts, USA [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Sara (Scott) Sherman — married 4 Aug 1818 in St. Stephen and St. David Parish, Charlotte, New Brunswick, Canada

Husband of Ann Maria (Smith) Sherman — married 6 Jun 1832 in Perry, Washington County, Maine, United States

Descendants

Died 21 May 1866 at about age 71 in East Machias, Washington County, Maine, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Chase Ashley [send private message]

Biography

This is the profile for John D. Sherman/Sharman who appears in records in St. David, New Brunswick and various towns in northern Maine from 1818 to 1866.

Middle Name

No record has been found that establishes what John's middle name was. It is perhaps most likely that it was Dunton, which was the maiden name of John's maternal grandmother.

Parentage

John was very probably the son of Stephen Sherman/Sharman and his wife Patience (Grant) Sherman/Sharman. No birth or baptismal record, deed or will has been found, however, that definitively establishes the relationship. The assertion that John was the son of Stephen Sherman/Sharman is supported by (1) the fact that John's estimated date of birth is consistent with his being the son of Stephen and Patience; (2) the fact the family bible of Stephen's brother Calvin does not show John as one of Calvin's children;^[1] (3) the fact that Stephen's brother Calvin was probably too young and married too late to have been John's father;^[1] (4) the fact that, other than Stephen and Calvin Sharman/Sherman, there was no other known Sharman/Sherman in St. Stephen or St. David, New Brunswick who could have been John's father; (5) the fact that John and his Stephen's presumed son-in-law James Brown Jr. witnessed a deed by Stephen Sharman of Saint David, New Brunswick in 1821;^[2] (6) the fact that Stehen Sharman, John Sharman and Elisha Sharman all appear in the 1823 St. David, New Brunswick tax list;^[3] (7) the fact that shortly after John Sharman disappears from the records in St. David, John D. Sharman appears in the records just over the border in Robbinston, Maine; (8) the fact that Stephen's brother Calvin Sharman was also living in Robbinston, Maine by 1830;^[4] and (9) the fact that a Patience Sherman of the right age to have been Stephen's wife Patience, was living in John's household in Marion, Maine in 1850.^[5]

Date and Place of Birth

The 1850 US Census states that John was 55 years old at the time, which would mean that John was born in 1795,^[5] 1860 US Census states that he was 68 which would mean that he was born in 1792,^[6] while the Machias Union Newspaper article about his death in May 1866 stated that he was 72 years old when he died which would mean that he was born in 1793 or 1794.^[7] However, since John's parents were married in April 1794, John was probably not born until 1795. Since records show that John's father was a resident of Islesboro at the time of his marriage in 1794 and was still a resident there in 1795,^[8] it is probable that John was born there.

First Marriage and Children

According to an unsourced DAR application^[9] and an unsourced online family tree,^[10] John Sherman of St. Stephen married Sally Scott (marriage record says Mary Scott) of St. Stephen on August 4, 1818 in the parish of St. Stephen and St. David, New Brunswick.^[11]

According to unsourced family trees, John and Sallie had the following children:

1. John D. Jr, d. at 1 year (no supported records yet found)
2. Dean, d. at 1 year (no supported records yet found)
3. Caroline K., b. say 1822, m. June 11, 1843 Joseph L. Day in Machias, Maine^[12][9]

Based on the 1830 US Census, John and Sallie appear to have had 4 daughters and possibly one son living at the time of the census: two daughters under 5, two daughters 5-10 and possibly one son 15-20.^[13]

Residency in St. Stephen and St. David, New Brunswick

After moving to New Brunswick by October 1800, John's father, Stephen Sherman/Sharman, originally lived in St. Stephen before moving to adjacent St. David by 1802.^[8] Since the record of John's first marriage in 1818 states that he was "of St. Stephen," it appears that John continued to live in that town after his father had moved to St. David, perhaps living on his father's former property in St. Stephen. By the early 1820s, however, John appears to have moved to St. David.

John and his brother-in-law James Brown Jr. witnessed a deed by his father, Stephen Sharman of Saint David, New Brunswick in 1821.^[2]

John appears to have continued to live in St. David, New Brunswick until at least 1823. The St. David Parish tax list for that year shows Stephen Sharman taxed at 6 shillings, John Sharman taxed at 2 shillings 8 pence, and Elisha Sharman taxed at 3 shillings and 3 pence.^[3]

Residency in Robbinston, Maine

John moved across the St. Croix River from St. David to Robbinston, Maine sometime before 1827.

By a deed dated September 25, 1827, John D. Sharman of Robbinston, yeoman, purchased from Henry Bond of the same town, 88 acres of land in Robbinston bordered on the east by the St. Croix River for $700.^[14]

By a deed dated July 14, 1828, John D. Sherman of Robbinston, yeoman, sold to Robert Huston of Eastport, for $850, the lot that Sherman had purchased from Henry Bond in 1827,^[15] and, by a deed dated the same date, Sherman purchased from Robert Huston, for $500, lot number 2 in the first range in Robbinston containing 90 acres of land.^[16]

By a deed dated October 16, 1829, John D. Sharman of Robbinston, yeoman, sold to Zachariah Cutter of Boston, shipwright, for $415, lot number 2 in the first range that Sherman had bought in 1828 from Robert Huston, excepting two acres where Sherman's house and mill stand. The deed was also signed by Sally Sharman.^[17] This deed probably indicates John's transition from being a yeoman to being a mill wright/owner.

The 1830 US Census for Robbinston, Maine (just across the St. Croix River from New Brunswick, Canada) includes a household heading by John D. Sherman that contained 1 male 15-20 (possibly a son), 1 male 30-40 (John), 2 females under 5 (probably John's daughters), 2 females 5-10 (probably John's daughters), and 1 female 30-40 (probably John's first wife).^[13]

By a deed dated July 9, 1833, John D. Sharman of Robbinston, yeoman, sold to Lorenzo Sabine of Eastport, for $250, a parcel of land in Robbinston containing 91 acres.^[18]

By a deed dated November 20, 1833, John D. Sherman of Robbinston purchased from Joseph Whitney of Calais, for $300, a parcel of land in Calais containing 1/2 acre.^[19] By a deed dated November 20, 1833, John D. Sherman of Robbinston sold to Joseph Whitney of Calais, for $300, a parcel of land in Calais containing 1/2 acre. The deed was also signed by Ann Maria Sherman.^[20]

By a deed dated December 14, 1833, John D. Sherman of Robbinston, mechanic, sold William Pitt Low of Robbinston, mechanic, for $204, a parcel of land in Robbinston containing about two acres, including a house and a barn. The deed was also signed by Ann M. Sherman.^[21]

By a deed dated December 20, 1833, John D. Sherman of Robbinston purchased from Joseph B. Hewes of Calais, for $200, the dwelling house in which Hewes lived on the lot of land that Sherman purchased from and sold to Joseph Whitney in November 1833.^[22]

Second Marriage and Children

John married Ann Maria Smith of Saint David on June 6, 1832 in Perry, Maine (just across the Passamoquoddy Bay from New Brunswick).^{[23][24][25][26]} At the time of their marriage, John was a resident of Robbinston, Maine and Ann was a resident of St. David's, Brunswick.^[25]

John and Ann had the following children:

1. James B., b. February 15, 1833^[27] in Robbinston, Maine,^[28] m. Elizabeth McGuirk,^[29] d. July 20, 1909 in Laconia New Hampshire^[27]
2. Dean R., b. 1837, Robbinston Maine, d. 1891, Scottstown P.Q. Canada.
3. Mary Robinson, b. June 28, 1840 in Marion, Maine,^[30] m. John L. Bryant,^[30] d. August 27, 1910 in Northampton, Massachusetts^[30]
4. Elvira R., b. 1842, d. date unknown.
5. Clara H. , b. about 1846 probably in Marion, Maine, m. January 1, 1867 James E. Dow in East Machias, Maine, d. 1924 in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. (See discussion and sources in Clara's profile.)
6. Ella M., b. April 30, 1850 in Marion, Maine,^[31] never married,^[31] d. September 27, 1905 in Knox, Maine^[31]
7. John D., b. September 29, 1854 in Marion, Maine,^[32] m._________,^[32] d. January 16, 1908 in Enfield, Maine^[32][26]

Residency in Calais, Maine

John moved from Robbinston to Calais, Maine (the town adjacent to the north) in December 1833, per the deeds referenced above dated that month pursuant to which John sold his homelot in Robbinston and purchased a homelot in Calais.

By a deed dated October 23, 1837, John D. Sherman of Calais sold to Samuel W. Collins of Calais, for $300, the 1/2 acre parcel of land in Calais that he purchased from Joseph Whitney in 1833.^[33]

Residency in Machias

By 1840, John had moved from Calais to Machias, Maine. The 1840 US Census for Machias, Maine includes a household headed by John D. Sherman that contained 1 male under 5 (son Dean), 1 male 5-10 (son James), 1 male 40-50 (John), 1 female under 5 (daughter Mary), 1 female 5-10 (probably a daughter from his first marriage), 1 female 10-15 (probably a daughter from his first marriage), 1 female 15-20 (probably a daughter from his first marriage), and 2 females 20-30 (wife Ann and probably a daughter from his first marriage).^[34]

By deed dated March 1, 1844, John D. Sherman of Machias, mill wright, purchased from Charles C. Stiles of Machias, house wright, for $500, a farm in Marion, Maine containing 100 acres.^[35]

Residency in Marion, Maine

Based on the fact that John purchased land in Marion, Maine in 1844, he probably moved to Marion about that time.

The 1850 US Census for Marion, Maine (20 miles north of Machias) includes a household headed by John D. Shermon that contained John D. Shermon (55), wife Ann M Shermon (42), children James B. Shermon (16), Dean R. Shermon (13), Mary R. Shermon (10), Elvira R. Shermon (8), Clara H. Shermon (4) and Ella L. Shermon (1) and John's mother Patience Shermon (84). John was listed as being a millwright and owning real estate worth $500.^[5]

Residency in East Machias, Maine

John moved from Marion to East Machias, Maine (15 miles south of Marion) sometime between 1850 and 1860.

The 1860 US Census for East Machias, Maine includes a household headed by John D. Shermon that contained John D. Shermon (68), Ann M. Shermon (49), Mary R. Shermon (20), Elvira R. Shermon (17), Clara Shermon (13), Ellen Shermon (11) and John D. Shermon (7). John was listed as being a mill wright and owning real estate worth $75 and personal property worth $100.^[6]

Occupation

John was described as a yeoman in deeds in 1827-1833,^[36] as a mechanic in a deed in 1833,^[21] and as a mill wright in the 1850 US Census^[5] and 1860 US Census.^[6]

Death

John died in East Machias on May 21, 1866.^[7]

The 1870 US Census for East Machias, Maine includes a household headed by James E. Dow that contained James E. Dow (23), Clara S. Dow (24), Oscar L. Dow (2), Rebecca E. Dow (59), Eliza L. Dow (2) and Anna L. Sherman (59).^[37]

^{[1] [2] [4] [23] [7] [3] [11] [28] [29] [27] [35] [21] [20] [18] [33] [22] [19] [15] [17] [16] [14] [8] [12] [9] [10] [32] [31] [30] [26] [25] [24] [37] [6] [5] [34] [13]}

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} "Some Descendants of Calvin SHARMAN," rootsweb.com. Accessed 5 April 2020.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} New Brunswick, Charlotte County, Deed Registry Book I, p. 199. FHL Film #004152631, image 202 of 553. Link to image at familysearch.org.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} 1823 Tax Assessments for St. David Parish
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHPG-V5R : 24 August 2017), Calvin Sherman, Robbinston, Washington, Maine, United States; citing 216, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 47; FHL microfilm 9,701.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4} US Census for 1850, Marion, Washington, Maine. Link to image at familysearch.org; Link to image at ancestry.com.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3} US Census for 1860, East Machias, Washington, Maine. Roll: M653_455; Page: 377; Image: 152; Family History Library Film: 803455. Link to image at familysearch.org; Link to image at ancestry.com.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Vital Records, Machias Union Newspaper Excerpts, 1865-1867. p. 49. FHL Film # 004246831, image 104 of 149. Link to image at familysearch.org.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} See the profile for Stephen Sherman.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage Book : NSDAR : Volume 064 : 1907 Lineage is tracked through daughter Caroline to Sara to her father and beyond.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} "Descendants of Richard Scott," genealogy.com"
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Register of Marriages in the Parish of St. Stephen and St. David, p. 29. Link to index of parish register.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Machias, Maine Vital Records 1825-1890. p. 135. FHL Film #007595755, image 219 of 404. Link to image at familysearch.org.
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1 13.2} "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHPG-VRN : 24 August 2017), John D Sharman, Robbinston, Washington, Maine, United States; citing 217, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 47; FHL microfilm 9,701.
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} Washington County Deeds, Vol. 18, p. 121. FHL Film # 008297517, image 68 of 594. Link to image at familysearch.org.
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Washington County Deeds, Vol. 19, p. 38. FHL Film # 008297517, image 324 of 594. Link to image at familysearch.org.
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} Washington County Deeds, Vol. 20, p. 353. FHL Film # 008297518, image 191 of 574. Link to image at familysearch.org.
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} Washington County Deeds, Vol. 20, p. 353. FHL Film # 008297518, image 192 of 574. Link to image at familysearch.org.
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} Washington County Deeds, Vol. 26, p. 2. FHL Film # 008297521, image 9 of 591. Link to image at familysearch.org.
19. ↑ ^{19.0 19.1} Washington County Deeds, Vol. 28, p. 243. FHL Film # 008297522, image 139 of 585. Link to image at familysearch.org.
20. ↑ ^{20.0 20.1} Washington County Deeds, Vol. 27, p. 48. FHL Film # 008297521, image 327 of 591. Link to image at familysearch.org.
21. ↑ ^{21.0 21.1 21.2} Washington County Deeds, Vol. 27, p. 53. FHL Film # 008297521, image 329 of 591. Link to image at familysearch.org.
22. ↑ ^{22.0 22.1} Washington County Deeds, Vol. 28, p. 244. FHL Film # 008297522, image 140 of 585. Link to image at familysearch.org.
23. ↑ ^{23.0 23.1} Perry, Maine Town Record Book. p. 162. FHL Film #007595786, image 100 of 339. Link to page at familysearch.org. See image attached to this profile.
24. ↑ ^{24.0 24.1} "Maine, Marriages, 1771-1907," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F46G-5LW : accessed 20 March 2015), John D. Sherman and Ann Maria Smith, 06 Jun 1832; citing , reference ; FHL microfilm 11,735
25. ↑ ^{25.0 25.1 25.2} "Maine Marriages, 1771-1907", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F46G-RLZ : 14 January 2020), Mr John D Sherman, 1832.
26. ↑ ^{26.0 26.1 26.2} Perez, Nancy. "The Sharman Family of Littleton, NH Genealogy". 2002.
27. ↑ ^{27.0 27.1 27.2} "New Hampshire Death Records, 1654-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FSN7-DLK : 10 March 2018), James B. Sherman, 20 Jul 1909; citing Laconia, Belknap, New Hampshire, Bureau Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord; FHL microfilm 2,130,581.
28. ↑ ^{28.0 28.1} The record of James' death states that he was born in Marion, Maine. However, that is no doubt incorrect, as John D. Sherman was living in Robbinston, Maine until at least December 1633.
29. ↑ ^{29.0 29.1} "New Hampshire Death Records, 1654-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FSN7-D8Z : 10 March 2018), James B. Sherman in entry for Elizabeth Sherman, 02 Jan 1917; citing Lakeport, Belknap, New Hampshire, Bureau Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord; FHL microfilm 2,130,581.
30. ↑ ^{30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3} "Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N43X-6RP : 22 May 2019), John D Sherman in entry for Mary Robinson Bryant, 27 Aug 1910; citing Northampton,,Massachusetts, 202, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,314,528.
31. ↑ ^{31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3} "Maine Vital Records, 1670-1921," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-RRT4-J?cc=1803978&wc=71R8-F84%3A1029440301%2C1029480501 : 20 May 2014), Vital records 1892-1907 > Shedd-Simmons, 1899 > image 1322 of 3960; multiple sources, Maine.
32. ↑ ^{32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3} "Maine Vital Records, 1670-1921," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q24J-Q9HT : 13 March 2018), John D Sherman in entry for John D Sherman, 16 Jan 1908; citing Enfield, Penobscot, Maine, United States, multiple sources, Maine; FHL microfilm.
33. ↑ ^{33.0 33.1} Washington County Deeds, Vol. 36, p. 524. FHL Film # 008297522, image 276 of 568. Link to image at familysearch.org.
34. ↑ ^{34.0 34.1} "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHT6-DKK : 15 August 2017), John D Sherman, Machias, Washington, Maine, United States; citing p. 14, NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 152; FHL microfilm 9,709.
35. ↑ ^{35.0 35.1} Washington County Deeds, Vol. 54, p. 550. FHL Film # 008297531, image 290 of 602. Link to image at familysearch.org.
36. ↑ See "Residency in Robbinston, Maine" in this profile.
37. ↑ ^{37.0 37.1} "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6D7-67T : 19 March 2020), Anna L Sherman, 1870.