Dear Sherwoods and Kin, I am having a heckuva time trying to figure out how the Sherwoods of Roxbury, Delaware County, NY, fit into the larger Sherwood family. I have traced these Sherwoods back to a Moses Sherwood of Roxbury, but no farther. He is an intriguing character, born circa 1787, in New York State (In the 1850 Federal Census, Roxbury, NY, he is age "63", farmer, with 500 acres of land, nativity NY). According to the 12th Section of the "Biographical Review - 1895: The Leading Citizens of Delaware County, NY", Biographical Review Publishing Company, Boston, 1895: The Sherwood family of Roxbury "is of German ancestry, the father of James Sherwood being Moses Sherwood, a pioneer of Roxbury, and a sharpshooter in the War of 1812. It has always been said that he was the man who killed General Brock (GS: British General Isaac Brock), and his own explanation of the affair was, "I don't know as I killed him, but I took good aim and saw him fall." Moses Sherwood settled in Roxbury at the beginning of this century, his first habitation being a log cabin with a blanket for a door. The wolves and other wild animals howled about the house at night, and many a time while her husband was at war, the wife of this sturdy pioneer was obliged to lift her oldest boy to the horse's back that he might go to the mill. He (Moses) lived to be over ninety years of age, active and rugged to the end, being able to read without glasses. His wife, Sarah Cator Sherwood (GS: Sarah's maiden name was KEATOR, but is often spelled "CATOR" in documents and census records which mention her), was born in Roxbury. Their son, James, the father of Mrs. Jenkins, was a successful farmer of Roxbury, following that occupation throughout his life. His children were: George, Mary, Elizabeth, James, Sarah, Eleanor, Chloe, Peter and Melissa. He (James) died at Roxbury in 1894, at the age of eighty-four years, having been for many years a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church." Moses' wife, Sarah "Sally" KEATOR was born in Roxbury, c1789 (age "66" in the 1855 Census, Roxbury, NY), dau. of John C. Keator and Rebecka. It is said that John Keator and his brother, Joseph, were the first settlers of Roxbury, in 1794. Children of Moses and Sarah: 1. James, b. 1 NOV 1809, d. 12 FEB 1894; lifelong farmer in Roxbury, NY. Married Marilda Chloe STEWARD (var. sp. STEWART.) His wife's name appears variously as "Marilda", "Chloe", "Marilda C.", and even "Klorinda." She was born 13 AUG 1816. Both James and Marilda are buried at the Vega Old School Baptist Cemetery, Roxbury, NY. 2. Moses, Jr., b. c1819 (age "36" in the 1855 Census, Roxbury, NY) 3. Joel, b. c1827 (age "23" in the 1850 Federal Census, Roxbury, NY) 4. Irena, b. c1831 (age "24" in the 1855 Census, Roxbury, NY); it is possible that she is the wife of Moses, Jr., and not a dau. of Moses and Sarah. There is reason to believe that Moses, Sr., is a son of William Sherwood (d. 1793) and Rachel KEATOR (b. 6 MAR 1764). William died in 1793. His will mentions his children, Moses and Mary. William had married a second time, to a woman named "Charity" of unknown surname. The will of a John KEATOR of Roxbury, dated 5 JUL 1824, probated 11 MAY 1826, mentions a grandson named Moses Sherwood (which could very well be Moses, Sr.), and a granddaughter named Polly Inman. (Book A, p. 70, Abstracts of Delaware County, NY, Wills). William Sherwood and Rachel Keator had a daughter, Polly (Mary), who married Isaac INMAN, Jr. This is pretty compelling evidence that William is Moses, Sr's father. Polly was born 17 AUG 1789, in NY State (a diary entry of her son, John M. Inman, on 17 AUG 1869, says "Mother is 80 years old this day.") Polly died 4 OCT 1870 (from the same diary: "Mother died this morning at twenty minutes past three in the morning in the 82d year of her age.") Polly (Sherwood) Inman is buried in the old Eden Cemetery, Eden Twp., Benton Co, Iowa. This all leads me to several questions: 1. Who are William and Moses Sherwood and where are they from? Are they father and son? 2. Why would a Delaware county historian refer to the Roxbury Sherwoods as "German"? There are several possibilities: a) A paternal ancestor was a German boy adopted by a Sherwood family, b) The Roxbury Sherwoods considered themselves German based on maternal lines (the Keators?), c) The historian mistakenly calls them "German" when it is only the maternal line that is German, d) Scot, Irish, English or Welsh Sherwoods emigrated at one time to Holland or Germany, and some time later to America. Any other theories? Does anyone know anything at all about these Sherwoods? I have plenty more information about their descendants, if anyone is interested. Oddly enough, there were some Canadian Sherwoods in Ontario who, in 19th century censuses, identified themselves as German. I'll have to see if there is any connection between them and Roxbury Sherwoods. My hunch is the Roxbury Sherwoods originally came from the Mount Pleasant / Phillips Manor, NY, area. Many Philipsburgh Sherwoods inter-married with Germans and Dutch, so if an adoption occurred, that is the most likely place. Furthermore, there were several "Moses Sherwoods" in that area. Some of the families that Sherwoods intermarried with: ROSENCRANZ, AERTSE, YOUNGS, JACOCKS, ORSER, VAN TASSEL. Best Wishes to all of our Cousins to the North, Down Under, and Across the Pond, and Happy Birthday, America. Kind Regards, Geoff Geoffrey Sherwood Towaco, NJ ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! 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