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Welcome! This website was created on Mar 02 2013 and last updated on Jan 24 2024. The family trees on this site contain 4675 relatives and 3169 photos. If you have any questions or comments you may send a message to the Administrator of this site.
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About The Sherman Family
The Sherman name first appeared among some Saxony people living along the Rhine River as far back  as the 10th century.  The earliest record found of the Sherman name in England was June 8, 1274  when a license to trade in wool was granted at Westminster to Richard le Sherman, a merchant of  Huthe in Essex County.  There are also records of William le Shereman of London in 1281, John  Sherman of Suffolk in 1327 and Philip Shareman of Essex also in 1327.  Before the 12th century  most people only had a first name.  Later their occupation was often added and became their last  name (surname).  Middle names did not appear until the early 1800s.

The origin of the name Sherman came from some early progenitor whose occupation was a cloth- finisher, one who trimmed the surface of the finest cloth with shears to remove any excess nap.   They were cloth dressers and workers with cloth, commonly called clothiers.  This kind of  tradesman was referred to as the "Shearmancraft."  The Shermans of the city of York in the 14th  century formed one of the most ancient of all guilds, to which only the most highly skilled would  be accepted as members.

Names were seldom written in the 1300-1500s, but when they were, they were generally spelled as  the recorder saw fit.  Alternate English spellings are Shearman, Sharman, Shereman and Shurman.   German and Dutch spellings are Schuerman, Schuermann and Schuurman.  French spellings have the "le" prefix ("le Sherman").  The common spelling seen in early documents for our family name is  Shearman until about the mid 1800s when it changed gradually to Sherman.

The Shermans in England were middlemen who bought lengths of cloth from cottage weavers.  Then  they dressed or sheared it, dyed it if they had a woadhouse, sorted it for quality, baled it,  marked it with their trademark, and sold it at weekly auctions to the clothes makers.

In the early 19th century the name Sherman was well known in England with the building and  operation of fast mail and stage coaches.

Our Sherman ancestors of England were wealthy landed gentry and yeomanry.  They lived mostly in  the area northeast of London called East Anglia.

The coat of arms for the Shermans of Yaxley in Suffolk County, England shows a black rampant lion  between three green oak leaves.  The family motto is "Mortem Vincere Virtute" (Conquer Death by  Bravery).  The crest is a sea lion.

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Getting Around
There are several ways to browse the family tree. The Tree View graphically shows the relationship of selected person to their kin. The Family View shows the person you have selected in the center, with his/her photo on the left and notes on the right. Above are the father and mother and below are the children. The Ancestor Chart shows the person you have selected in the left, with the photograph above and children below. On the right are the parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. The Descendant Chart shows the person you have selected in the left, with the photograph and parents below. On the right are the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Do you know who your second cousins are? Try the Kinship Relationships Tool. Your site can generate various Reports for each name in your family tree. You can select a name from the list on the top-right menu bar.

In addition to the charts and reports you have Photo Albums, the Events list and the Relationships tool. Family photographs are organized in the Photo Index. Each Album's photographs are accompanied by a caption. To enlarge a photograph just click on it. Keep up with the family birthdays and anniversaries in the Events list. Birthdays and Anniversaries of living persons are listed by month. Want to know how you are related to anybody ? Check out the Relationships tool.

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