Geoff, A few tidbits from "Three Centuries of the Keator Family in America" by Alfred Decker Keator (New York: American Historical Co., 1955): p.24 GIDEON KEATOR (CATOR), b Marbletown, bpt. Jan., 1750/51; d. probably ca. 1810 in New York, as the 1811 New York City Directory lists his wife, Sarah, as "widow." Gideon was a rope maker by vocation, associated wih his brothers-in-law, William and Moses Sherwood in the famous rope-walk on First Street near First Avenue, New York, which served so well the infant U.S. Navy. Gideon m. ca. 1778, SARAH SHERWOOD, b. ca. 1750. p.41 RACHEL KEATOR, bpt. 6 Mar. 1764, d. 22 July 1817; m. WILLIAM SHERWOOD, d. 25 July 1793, Augusta, Ga. Listed as "ropemaker, late of New York City" no doubt associated with his brother, Moses and GIDEON KEATOR. child: Moses, b. 17 Sep., bapt. 15 Nov. 1786. [note: yes, Augusta, Georgia] p.69 MOSES SHERWOOD, b. 17 Sep. 1786. Sharpshooter in War of 1812. Credited with the slaying of General Isaac Brock in the Battle of Queenston; m. SARAH KEATOR, b. 22 July 1786, Marbletown. The KEATOR book says that the above Gideon KEATOR had a brother named John T. KEATOR (b.1737, d.1825 Roxbury, NY)--both being sons of Thomas KEATOR. John T. KEATOR was the father of Rachel KEATOR, wife of William SHERWOOD. So, according to Mr. KEATOR's book, William SHERWOOD had a brother Moses and a sister Sarah (as well as a son Moses). Also, William's son Moses' wife Sarah KEATOR was the daughter of John C. KEATOR (b.1756, d.1847 Roxbury, NY) who was the son of Cornielius KEATOR who was a brother of the above mentioned Gideon and John T. The New York City directories do list a William SHERWOOD as a ropemaker in the early 1790's as well as a Moses SHERWOOD--but as a grocer (in 1790 they're both listed at the address "3 Catherine Steet"). I think the reference to the SHERWOOD family of Roxbury, NY being German probably refers (as you theorize) to the maternal line, which is embedded with Dutch of the Holland variety (Dutch, of course, is a word which in the context of Pennsylvania is a corruption of Deutsch, or German--maybe the author of the Delaware Co. book got confused--its hard to tell). Another possibilty (albeit, I think, improbale regarding the Roxbury SHERWOOD's) is that SHERWOOD is an anglicization of a German surname. "Wald" is a common German surname suffix meaning woods or forest. A German word for shear is Schere. There is a German surname Scherwald which could be translated as Shearwood and then phonectically morphed into SHERWOOD (there are probably other German surnames that could be rendered SHERWOOD in English). Dean