GENERATION 15

GENERATION 14

Biography

The Sherman Genealogy by Thomas Townsend Sherman documents the ancestors of the immigrant EDMUND⁵ SHERMAN (HENRY⁴, THOMAS³, JOHN², THOMAS¹) to the villages of Diss, Norfolk, England and Yaxley, Suffolk, England. These two villages are about five miles from each other.

THOMAS¹ SHERMAN of Diss and Yaxley died in 1493. He had considerable property, leaving land to his wife, AGNES, and to both his children. ".... JOHN² my son shall have my lands and tenements in Dysse and Yaxle ....". THOMAS¹ left a bequeath to the Parish church of Diss, where he was buried. He also left food to churches in neighboring Reydon, Stuston, and Burston.

Bequeaths to Guilds Of particular interest are two of the bequeaths by THOMAS1 SHERMAN. They were small amounts given to "the gilde of St. Nicholas 20d" and "the gilde of Corpus Christi 12d." During the middle ages it was common to belong to tradesmens guilds, paying small weekly amounts or giving a small amount at death. In return, the guild promised to pray for the member's soul after death. The gifts to the churches in the neighboring villages may have been for the same reason. In those times it was thought that the prayers would lessen the time in Purgatory. The English Reformation, started by King Henry VIII, invalidated the concept of Purgatory and eliminated the practice of praying for souls after death.

JOHN² SHERMAN of Yaxley married AGNES FULLER, daughter of THOMAS FULLER. JOHN² died in 1504 and AGNES married second Robert Hendry. JOHN² divided his land and dwellings between his wife and children, He provided for prayers from "the gilde of Saint Thomas in Yaxley." He asked, "To be buried in the parish yard of Lady Saint Mary of Yaxle ..." and offered to the church 3s4d, "... for tithes forgotten, or for too little paid."

THOMAS³ SHERMAN of Yaxley, was under the age of 16 on Aug. 10, 1504, according to his father's will. He was probably born about 1490. He married JANE WALLER, daughter of JOHN WALLER of Wortham, Suffolk, probably about 1512. He died in 1551, after May 5.His will was proved in London on Nov. 16, 1551. JANE married second, probably John Gardiner of Stoke Ash, Suffolk. She died a widow in 1573. She was buried at the Parish church in Yaxle.

HENRY⁴ SHERMAN was a shearman of Colchester, Essex, formerly of Dedham, Essex. He was born about 1520 and married probably AGNES BUTTER. AGNES BUTTER was mentioned in the will of THOMAS BUTTER clothier of Dedham, as his daughter and wife of HENRY⁴ SHERMAN. HENRY⁴ was serving his apprenticeship when his father made his will, dated Jan. 20, 1551. HENRY⁴ was apparently then in Dedham learning his trade or "craft," as he calls it in his will, of "shearman" (pronounced sherman) or clothier or cloth maker.

EDMUND⁵ SHERMAN, clothier of Dedham, Essex, was born about 1548. He married ANNE PELLETT Apr. 25, 1570. She was buried at Dedham, June 8, 1584. EDMUND⁵ married second Anne Clere, Sep 11, 1584, at Dedham. He was buried Dec. 22, 1600, at Dedham. His will gave the use of his land and personal property to his second wife Anne during her lifetime, and then to his oldest living son, EDMUND⁶.

The father of ANNE PELLETT was WILLIAM PELLETT (also spelled Pellatt). The name of his wife is unknown. WILLIAM was from Steyning, Sussex, England. He received land in Steyning when his father died in 1531. He bought the Manor Charlton cum Ashurst in 1581, which was passed on to his oldest son, Sir Benjamin Pellett.

Source: New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vols. 166-167.