Truman Jerome Sherman

On November 27, 1922, Truman Jerome Sherman was aboard a steamship called the Berengaria as it docked in Southampton, England, the final destination of a trans-Atlantic voyage that began in New York City. Accompanied by his son, Harry Clarence Sherman, Truman soon boarded another ship bound for southern Africa. Harry was a machinist and foreman for Francis A. Cundill & Co., a copper-mining firm that operated in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). Harry supplied two reasons for bringing his father along with him to Africa: 1) at 57 years old, Truman found the cold winters of northern New York state increasingly difficult to bear, and 2) Harry wanted to keep an eye on his aging father. Harry eventually had multiple reasons for being there: in addition to his employment, he became a missionary. Truman apparently found much to like in the climate and setting of his new residence. He spent all or most of the 1920s in Northern Rhodesia. Truman ultimately died on May 31, 1931 at the rural mining outpost of Bwana Mkubwa, near the city of Ndola, Zambia, a long, long way from his family and farm in northern New York.

The red tag marks Bwana Mkubwa in Zambia, where
Truman Jerome Sherman died  and is buried.
(From: Google Maps)

Truman was born 31 July 1855 on Wolfe Island, Frontenac, Ontario. His father, John B. Sherman, owned a 75 acre farm on the St. Lawrence River island. Truman's father and mother, Lucinda M. Pettingell, had seven children together: Edgar Adelbert, Helen M., Susan E., Willard D., Truman, Fred, and Mary Jennette (all in order of birth). All the children were born on Wolfe Island. 

Truman's was a working childhood. A Canadian agricultural census of 1851 provides us with a brief snapshot of the John B. Sherman farm's annual production: 40 bushels of barley, 25 bushels of rye, 15 bushels of peas, 60 bushels of oats, 10 bushels of wheat, 40 bushels of Indian corn, 100 bushels of potatoes, 7 bushels of beans, 12 tons of hay, and 40 pounds of wool. A good likeness of Truman's farming childhood can probably be found in Laura Ingalls Wilder's classic children's book, Farmer Boy. Almanzo Wilder was only two years younger than Truman. The book is set in the year 1866-1867 on a farm in nearby Malone, Franklin, N.Y. Although Truman, like Almanzo, had his share of hard work, with so many brothers and sisters, he probably had a fair bit of rural fun mixed in too.

An article about Truman from the
July 19, 1912 edition of the Watertown
Re-union newspaper.
(From: nyshistoricnewspapers.org)

Sometime in the early 1860s, John B. moved his family across the river to a large farm on House Road in Clayton, Jefferson, N.Y. Among his new neighbors was the James Henry Corbin family. Truman undoubtedly met his future wife, Carrie Ida Corbin, when both were yet children. The Shermans endured a tragedy soon after arriving in Clayton. Lucinda and her daughter Susan E. both passed away on December 17, 1866. I have not yet discovered the cause of their deaths, though it seems likely to have been an accident rather than disease.

By late 1867, John B. had re-married and was expecting a child. He married Cordelia Ann Balcolm, who gave birth to their first child Carrie A. in August 1868; they would have two more children together, Charles J. and Minnie. Truman's home life changed dramatically during the 1860s. At the beginning of the decade, he lived with his parents and five siblings on a Wolfe Island farm. By the end of the decade, Truman lived with his father, stepmother, and a still-growing family of step-siblings on a Clayton farm. This was clearly fertile ground for cultivating one of Truman's defining attributes of character: stubbornness or, more positively, he was strong-willed. This attribute would not reach its culmination until a few more decades yet (as will be demonstrated below).

Truman moved out of his father's house by 1875 and worked as a farm laborer in Clayton. On June 2, 1880, he married his childhood neighbor Carrie. They had their first of six children, Harry, in June 1881. Over the next thirteen years, Truman and Carrie had five children: Ina May, Pearl Jerome, Lena Adel, James Corbin, and Roswell Preston. Truman's family probably lived and worked on a farm in Clayton, though I have yet to find his residence in the 1880s and 1890s or in what year he began to own property. He probably acquired property in 1894 upon the death of his father. Over the years, John B. had built substantial wealth that, upon his death, was distributed to all of his children and grandchildren. The last record I have seen of his wealth was in the 1870 U.S. Census. Even at that early date, he'd amassed considerable property: in 1870, John B.'s real estate was valued $10,000 and personal estate at $2400--all of which would be worth more than $200,000 in the present.

If Truman owned any Clayton property in 1900, he was not living on it. By 1900, his life's circumstances were significantly changed compared to just one decade ago. John B. had of course passed away six years earlier. Even more life-altering, Truman had separated from Carrie. In 1900, the U.S. Census-taker found him boarding with neighbors Henry and Emma Grant in the vicinity of his childhood home on House Road in Clayton. Four of Truman's children Harry, Ina, James, and Roswell lived with their mother in downtown Clayton--Carrie found work there as a hotel cook. Carrie informed the census-taker that she was "widowed." The residences of their other two children, Pearl and Lena, were not accounted for in the 1900 U.S. Census. Ten years later, Truman was working a House Road farm with his son James. The 1910 whereabouts of Roswell, his only under-18 child at the time, are unknown.

Truman at age 57. This photo was attached
to his 1922 U.S. Passport application.
(From: U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925
(database), Ancestry.com)

Truman's family was broken. As bad as this was, the first in a long series of Truman's financial difficulties began in April 1901. Truman owned two properties in Clayton, both mortgaged with the same lender. A foreclosure process on both properties began in April. I have not yet found evidence that he lost the property at this or any other time. In 1910, Truman owned a farm on House Road that was free and clear of a mortgage. But his financial troubles were not over. July 1911 found him in a Jefferson County (N.Y.) court room. He may have still been encumbered by an unpaid mortgage on other property, or he may have been behind in paying his property taxes--this is a question requiring further research. In any case, two facts are clear: 1) the judge ordered a full examination of his property, 2) Truman did not believe that he was indebted to anyone. Truman refused to comply with the judge, answering all the judge's questions with one of two words--"yes" or "no." County Judge E.O. Emerson fined him $37.62 for contempt of court. Several weeks later, Truman had still not complied with Judge Emerson's demands, so the judge had him arrested on August 4 and placed in the Jefferson County jail.

$37.62 was not a small fine to pay. It would be around $1000 in today's dollars. But it was not an impossible fine to pay either, especially with the help of supportive family and friends, of which Truman had many. Yet, Truman believed that the fine was unjust and therefore refused to either pay it himself or have anyone else pay it on his behalf. For the principle of the matter, Truman remained in the Jefferson County jail in Watertown, N.Y. for the next year. During this time, his family visited him and offered to pay the fine, but Truman persisted. Finally, on 15 June 1912, his sons Pearl and Roswell prevailed. They paid the original fine plus the costs of the legal action--a total of about $60. And Truman was free again. But perhaps we would be harsh in conceiving of Truman primarily as a stubborn man. At this point, we know little about the rest of his character; perhaps further research and other documents yet to be revealed will enable us to better understand him. I would not be the first person to volunteer that my character be understood by future generations primarily based on newspaper articles and court records!

A July 1920 Watertown Daily Times article demonstrates that Truman at least had competition as the most headstrong man in Jefferson county. I'll quote the entire short article here, entitled "Coax and Threaten, But Lee Kong Still Has Laundry":

"Lee Kong, Chinese laundryman of 211 Court Street, who has been in trouble several times recently because he could not [?] laundry left to be washed when customers called for it, ran afoul of the police department again this morning.

Truman Sherman, who works on a farm a few miles from the city, sent a number soft collars to Kong about three months ago to be laundered. Kong said he would have them ready the following week. Since then the collars have been called for several times, but on each occasion the Celestial claimed the collars had not yet been washed.

This morning the aid of the police was solicited and assigned to the case. Patrolman John Gaffney has had experience with Kong, but more than experience is required in dealing with this particular Chinaman. When the officer entered Kong's shop he was sorting collars. He cast one glance at the patrolman and then proceeded to ignore him while he continued at his work. Patrolman Gaffney requested, coaxed and demanded that Kong search for and produce the collars, but all without results. Finally the officer stationed himself between Kong and the basket from which he was picking the collars and held the laundry check before him. After a few minutes more of silence Kong snatched the check from Patrolman Gaffney's hand and went behind the counter. He compared the check with that on several bundles of laundry and then consulted a book made of loose wrapping paper after which he said in his own pronunciation, 'not done.'

Further efforts were without results and finally the task was given up as hopeless."

Lee Kong vs. Truman Sherman. Now that appears to have been a Watertown match-up for the ages!

In 1922, Truman's children were all grown. At 57, he called himself a "retired farmer." As was noted above, he began to feel more acutely the bitter cold of northern New York winters. Traveling to Africa with his son Harry therefore seemed an attractive option. Truman applied for a passport in early November 1922. By the end of the month, he was well on his way toward the copper mines of southern Africa. He stated on his passport application that he planned to stay in Africa only one year. If indeed he remained true to his plan and returned to New York, the enticements of Africa were strong in drawing him back. He was back in Africa by the late 1920s and passed away there, as noted above, in 1931. My current research is inconclusive on whether Truman simply remained in Africa from 1922 to 1931, or if he returned to New York for some of these years.

Truman Jerome Sherman's lifespan encompassed immense changes in United States society, its economy, and its connectedness to the world. He was born before the Civil War, when the United States and Canada were primarily nations of small scale farmers. Over subsequent decades, the scale of heavy industry, big business, and international economics increased many times over. These factors combined with the new European colonialism of Africa to make it possible for a boy to begin life on a humble farm on a St. Lawrence River island and reach the end of his life in a rural, copper mining outpost in Northern Rhodesia. Perhaps some degree of principled obstinacy was required in order to hold his own in such a rapidly changing economy and society. If this was true, then Truman did not come up short on this score!

There is a great deal of research still to be done on Truman's life. The Land Records collection at the Office of the County Clerk in Jefferson County, N.Y. should yield more details on Truman's land transactions in Clayton. The county's court archives should also provide more information on Truman's 1911-1912 legal problems. Finally, there may be archival information, possibly in church archives, about Truman and Harry's activities in Northern Rhodesia.

Truman was my second great-grandfather. If you're interested in viewing the family tree I've created on Ancestry.com, please send me an email; it's easily shared!

Frances (Shaver) Wilkins

Frances Shaver passed away on October 6, 1911 after a bout of pneumonia. She was only 41 years old, leaving behind six children, a mother, and a husband. Although there must have been times of great happiness in Frances' life, one gets an overall impression of hardship and tragedy.

Frances was born in July 1870 in Waddington, St. Lawrence, N.Y. to John M. Shaver and Sarah Hitsman. Sarah was John's second wife. He married a woman named Sabrina A. sometime before 1850 and had two children, Julia A. (b. 1850) and William A. (b. 1859), with her. However, he must have had an extramarital affair with Sarah in late 1869. In August 1870, census-takers found John living with Sabrina A. and his son William in Waddington. An affair would be my best interpretation of the facts.

First Congregational Church of Norwood, N.Y. ,
where Frances's funeral was held in October 1911.
(From: Susan C. Lyman,
The Story of Norwood:A Nice Place to Live, 1850-1995)

It is possible that John's traumatic experiences as an artilleryman in the Civil War caused his marriage to deteriorate after the war. It was while serving in Company U, 14th Regiment, New York Heavy Artillery that John suffered an injury on 30 May 1864 near Bethesda Church, Virginia. Although I have not yet found any records showing what the injury was, it must have been severe; John was still in a Washington, D.C military hospital six months later on 1 December 1864. On that day, he escaped the hospital and deserted the military.

John married Sarah, who was 24 years younger than him, sometime after 1870. In addition to Frances, they had another child, Edward John, in 1880. John and Sarah eventually had marital difficulties of their own. By 1900, they lived apart from one another in Waddington, with John claiming that he was a widower. Unfortunately, the marital strife in the family would not end with this generation.

18-year-old Frances married George Franklin Wilkins in 1888. Over the next eleven years, Frances and George Franklin had six children: Nellie M., Eva Pearl, George Franklin, Bernice R., Florence M., and Henry E. In 1900, they lived in the village of Norwood in Potsdam, St. Lawrence, N.Y. George Franklin was a saw filer in nearby Raymondville. They lived near the intersection of Ridge Street and Blanchard Avenue on the west side of Norwood.

George Franklin suffered from typhoid fever in 1902, a sickness for which he must have been bedridden and required nursing for a time. It seems likely that Frances and his children cared for him. If they did, their care did not prevent him from leaving his family less than two years later. By 1904, George Franklin had separated from Frances and married his Norwood neighbor, Margaret (Hess) Crowder, who had also recently separated from her husband. Together they moved to Jackson, Livingston, Missouri, starting a new family there. Why Missouri? George Franklin had spent several years living there as a child with his family. George Franklin's actions are a difficult historical fact to interpret without judgement. However, it is important to recall that there are numerous details that we do not know from this present vantage point more than a century later. What were the dynamics of George Franklin and Frances's relationship? George Franklin had his own troubled family past going back to his father and grandfather--more on that another time.

Frances remained living with her six children in roughly the same location in Norwood. However, by the 1910 U.S. Census, she was renting her residence--in 1900, George Franklin owned their house. It must have been no easy task to raise a family of six children as a single woman in the first decade of the 20th century. This was before FDR's New Deal safety nets were in place. This was an age when women's wages were still well below those of men performing the same work. Frances found work as a servant cleaning houses. In 1909 Frances married George A. Scott of Prescott, Grenville, Ontario. At 39 years old, she must have felt optimistic about her prospects for happiness. She could not have known that only two years later, a bout with pneumonia would prove to be fatal.

Frances faced her life after George Franklin left her with a great deal of courage. She certainly did not allow her mean circumstances to affect her relationships with her children. The affection of her children for her was so substantial that eight years after her death, they published a memorial poem in the Norwood News.

"What is home without a mother;

  All the things a world may send.

For when we lost our mother,

  We lost our dearest friend.

She wore a crown of patience

  Through the years she struggled on.

And those hands at rest forever,

  Were the hands that made a home.

Mother dear, we are lonely,

  How we miss your smiling face.

But you left us to remember,

  None on earth can fill your place."

For Frances to face such hardship, yet retain such strong relationships with her children, was an amazing testament to her character. Frances was survived by her mother, her six children, and second husband George. One of her legacies in our family is her name. Her name was given to her granddaughter Frances (Wilkins) Bradley, who in turn gave her (modified) name to her son, Francis W. Bradley. And Francis gave his name to my mother, Margaret Frances (Bradley) Noll. 

Frances (Shaver) Wilkins was my 3rd great grandmother. If you're interested in viewing the family tree I've created on Ancestry.com, please send me an email; it's easily shared!

Sergeant William Harlow

On August 25, 1691, Sergeant William Harlow died at the age of 67 years. For most of his life, Harlow was a prominent and active citizen of Plymouth, Mass., having served in multiple political offices and the local militia. William was a farmer, a cooper, and a carpenter.

Harlow Old Fort House (From: Wikipedia)

William was born in England in 1624. He emigrated to America sometime after 1638. William settled in Plymouth and married Rebecca Bartlett, the first of three wives, on December 20, 1649. As a granddaughter of Mayflower passenger Richard Warren, Rebecca was a native of Plymouth. Rebecca bore four children before she passed away following the birth of her last child, William, in 1657. The 21st century family of Patricia (Deladurantay) Bradley is descended from William and Rebecca's son Samuel, born in 1652. William married twice more, to Mary Faunce in 1658, and to Mary Shelly in 1666. William had a total of 14 children.

William became a freeman in 1654. This marked the beginning of a long career of participation in the civic life of Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colony. He served as a Plymouth selectman for a total of 15 years between 1666 and 1691. William served the town in other capacities as well, including rater (assessor) and excise (tax) collector, at various times. The pinnacle of his political service was as a Plymouth county deputy to the Massachusetts General Court in 1673 and 1675.

As if this were not enough service to his community, William served as a militia sergeant during King Philip's War (1675-1678), the terrible conflict between English colonists and Indians. He served in the South Company militia under the command of Captain William Bradford. As a respected older member of the community (at least 50 years old), he may not have participated in any violent encounters with Indians--though the extant records tell us little about his service. He was listed as armorer and drill sergeant for the Company.

William remains a tangible presence in Plymouth today. He built a house in 1677 that remains standing today. In that year, William was permitted by the town to salvage materials from the demolition of a fort that had been built on Burial Hill before King Philip's War. Originally built on Court Street, the house has been relocated to Sandwich Street. It is now known as the Harlow Old Fort House. The house contains period furnishings for visitors to view. It is well-known for its hand-hewn beams that are said to have been salvaged from the Burial Hill fort.

There is much yet to be discovered about William's life. He served on the Massachusetts General Court during crucial years in the lead-up to King Philip's War. Research in the General Court records for 1673 and 1675 could provide evidence of his political views and perspectives on New England Indians.

There was another man named William Harlow who lived in Plymouth colony at roughly the same time as "our" William Harlow. The other William Harlow at first lived in Lynn, Mass., then in Sandwich on Cape Cod. There has been considerable confusion among historians and genealogists trying to distinguish between the two. Some believe that the older William Harlow of Sandwich was Sergeant William Harlow's father. For records of the 1630s and 1640s, it is very difficult to determine which person is being referenced. In any case, further research may distinguish the two and provide more information on Sergeant William Harlow's pre-1949 life. So... ask me the next time you see me if I've discovered anything more about William!

William Harlow was my 10th great-grandfather. Having a family tree helps readers to understand my posts a little better. If you'd like to view the family tree I've created on Ancestry.com, send me an email: aarongnoll (at) gmail.com. I'd be happy to share it!

Richard Pettingell

Richard Pettingell was received into the church at Wenham, Essex, Massachusetts on August 4, 1649. Born in Shottesham, Suffolk, England in 1610 to Matthew Petingale and Mary Cooke, Richard emigrated to America in 1641. His first American residence was in Salem. It was likely his search for affordable land that compelled him to purchase ten acres in Wenham in 1642. A year later, he married Joanna Ingersoll, the daughter of Richard Ingersoll, a ferry operator in Salem.

The Spencer-Pierce-Little Farm in Newbury, Mass. This is a
preserved 17th century farmhouse located just a
few hundred feet from where Richard Pettingell's land was.
(From: Historic New England) 

I've not yet determined why it took Richard seven years to be accepted into the Wenham church. In 1644, he was appointed with his brother-in-law John Ingersoll to a church-related town office: "At a general towne meeting held the sevent day of the fifth month 1644, ordered,--That twoe be appointed every Lords day to walke forth in the time of Gods worshippe, to take notice of such as either lye at home, or in the fields wthout giving good account thereof, and to take the names of such psons, to present them to the magistrate, whereby they may be accordinglie pceeded against; the names of such as are ordered to doe this service are: [here follows a list] on the seventh day Richard Pettingell and John Ingersoll." Richard and Joanna raised their young family of two sons, Samuel and Matthew, in Wenham. However, by the time of his reception into the church, he had his sights set northward.

In April 1651, Richard bought fourteen acres of marsh land in the new "plantation" town of Newbury, Essex, Mass. His land was located to the east of the present-day intersection of High Road and Rolfe's Lane in Newbury. In Newbury, Richard and Joanna added two more children, Mary and Nathaniel, to their family. Richard spent the rest of his life in Newbury, passing away there in July 1695. 

Of course, I have only scratched the surface of Richard's life here. There is still a great deal of information about his life to discover and digest. He is frequently mentioned in histories of Salem and Newbury--often for random facts such as jury service. But putting all these facts together should eventually tell us more about Richard. There is also a need to contextualize his life in the broader history of the region. This would enable us to make guesses at answering the many questions raised by even the small quantity of information above. Why did Richard decide to emigrate to America? Why did he choose Salem, rather than Boston or New Haven? If he was a Puritan, all would have been reasonable options. How did he respond to major regional events that occurred during his lifetime, such as King Philip's War? How did owning salt marsh land change the practices of a 17th century New England farmer?
By the next time I write about Richard Pettingell, I hope to have answered many of these questions! At this point, I think there is one point of gratitude I would like to stress: I am glad I do not live in 1640s Wenham, because I think Richard would have to take action against me on many a Sunday morning.    


*Richard Pettingell was my 10th great-grandfather.

Alanson Clark Corbin

Alanson Clark Corbin, the son of Elkanah Corbin Jr. and Lucy A. Clark, was born on July 16, 1807. His birthplace is uncertain. Alanson's father was from Charleston in Montgomery County, N.Y.; Lucy was probably born in Connecticut. They moved to northern New York as early as 1820, settling in Ellisburg (Jefferson), bringing young Alanson with them. Elkanah and Lucy may not have moved directly to Ellisburg from downstate. They may have lived in one or more locations along the way. Thus, one account has Alanson being born in Russia, Herkimer, N.Y. However, Alanson himself told census-takers that he had been born in either Schoharie or Montgomery County, N.Y.

The cooper shop at Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts.
The Village is a reproduction of 1830s New England. Thus,
this shop probably has a similar look to Alanson's.
(From: Wikimedia)

Alanson spent his teenage years in Ellisburg. By 1830, the newly married Alanson was still living in Ellisburg, but not for long. After marrying Eliza Bowe, Alanson moved to Clayton (Jefferson), N.Y. His farm was located on the south side of House Road, just east of its intersection with Deferno Road.

Alanson was a farmer and cooper. He apparently had multiple shops, located in Depauville and Watertown, according to Jefferson County and New York State business directories. Alanson's brother, Simeon James, was also a cooper and worked in Depauville--it's unclear whether they worked together in the same shop, or separately. Alanson responded to an 1850 U.S. Census of New York industry, providing us with excellent insight into his occupation. From the summer of 1849 to the spring of 1850, he built 1,420 barrels with the help of one other shop worker--possibly his brother. For the census column "Kind of Motive Power, Machinery, Structure, or Resource," Alanson responded "hands." This seems almost like a joke from our 21st century perspective of engines and electricity. But it has its own kind of beauty to it--everything he built, he built unassisted, with his hands. If you'd like to learn more about 19th century coopering, check out Old Sturbridge Village's cooper shop.

Unfortunately, Alanson had a tragic family life. He and Eliza had ten children together, but only five reached adulthood. Five children died between the ages of just a few months and thirteen years old. I don't know enough about child mortality rates in rural New York during the 19th century to determine whether Alanson's situation was unusual, but I doubt that parents in any historical period were not profoundly affected by their children dying so young.

Hannah Eastman

On July 15, 1752, Hannah Eastman died in Dudley, Massachusetts. Born in 1679, Hannah spent much of the first half of her life on the New England frontier, first in Haverhill, Massachusetts, then in Woodstock, Connecticut and nearby Dudley. Hannah was the daughter of Philip Eastman and Mary Barnard. Philip was the son of Roger Eastman, who emigrated to America from Langford, England in 1638.

England and its colonies were at war with France during most of Hannah's teenage years. King William's War raged from 1688 to 1697. When Hannah was seventeen years old in 1697, Haverhill was attacked by a band of Abenaki Indians allied with France. The Eastmans' home was among five houses burned to the ground. Philip and possibly Hannah herself were taken captive but escaped shortly afterward. But the 1697 Haverhill raid is famous for another Hannah. Hannah Duston escaped after killing ten of her captors during their long journey northward. For more on this event, see the recently published Massacre on the Merrimack: Hannah Duston's Captivity and Revenge in Colonial America by Jay Atkinson.

A new marks Hannah and James Corbin's grave in
Dudley, Mass. (FindAGrave.com)

Within a few weeks, the Eastman family moved to safer territory near the southern perimeter of the Massachusetts colony. Woodstock was a frontier village that had been settled eleven years earlier by emigrants from Roxbury near Boston. In Woodstock, Hannah met James Corbin. They were married in April only a few weeks after the Haverhill attack. James was a respected Woodstock citizen in his early 30s. However, despite moving to Woodstock, Hannah was not free of her fears regarding Indian attacks. Just one year before her arrival, an entire family had been killed in a surprise attack on the settlement of Oxford a short distance north of Woodstock. In the following year, Woodstock residents feared that some residents of the Wabbaquasset (Nipmuc) village adjacent to Woodstock had allied with hostile Indians from the north--the threat appears to have been unfounded. By this time, Hannah had experienced enough Indian violence that she was likely wary of them for the rest of her life--despite the fact that the Wabbaquassets were consistently peaceful and even allied themselves with the English against other native aggressors.

By the summer of 1697, Hannah was pregnant with the first of her eleven children, a son named Clement. She would be intermittently pregnant for many more years, finally giving birth to her last child, Hannah, at 41 years old. Shortly after that, Hannah and James moved a few miles north to the new settlement of Dudley (now in Massachusetts). Hannah survived her husband by 16 years, spending her final years in the household of her son, Samuel, in Dudley.