James Sherman was my 3rd great-grandfather. His daughter, Cora E. Sherman, married Lewis Leonard, a son of Charles Russell Leonard. Little is known about James Sherman, however. He was a son of Levi Sherman and Eleanor Sparks. From the census, he appears to have been born between in New York between June and August of 1840.
The little I have found about him is from the census. In 1850, he was living in Sennett, Cayuga County, New York. Then in 1855, 1860, and 1865, he was counted in Venice, same county. In 1870 and 1880 he was living in Ledyard, very close to Venice, same county. From there, I lost his trail.
Being that James was born about 1840, we know he was probably drafted or enlisted for the Union's cause during the Civil War, so I searched various Civil War records to see what could be find. I discovered there were several other men sharing his name, living in central New York at the time, which is important to know! In fact, there was another father and son named Levi and James Sherman living very close to my Levi and James Sherman, which could potentially cause a lot of confusion. (Read about that in my previous blog here).
The following records for men named James Sherman in New York during the Civil War are worth noting:
James M. Sherman of Butler, mentioned in my previous blog, enlisted Aug. 6, 1862, NY 9th Reg. Co. G.
James Sherman who enlisted at Auburn on Feb. 24, 1862. He deserted on July 30, 1862.
James Sherman who was born in Moravia, enlisted at Auburn, mustered in NY 9th Heavy Artillery, Co. E, on Dec. 9, 1863, and deserted July 2, 1865.
James Sherman who enlisted at Springport, New York, August, 1864.
James Sherman born 1841 in Herkimer County, enlisted March 19, 1867 in Detroit, Michigan, Reg. 1 Cav. Co. E., deserted Sept 3, 1868.
James Sherman listed under "men subject to do military duty in the 24th Cong. District" . He lived in Venice, New York (Sub. Dist. 29), and his age as of July 1, 1863 was reported as age 20. The list is dated June 30, 1863. This is the one that is almost certainly my ancestor. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find more information on his service.
On the 1865 census, my ancestor, James was single and living as a "Servant" in the home of Simon Perigo in Venice. His occupation was "farmer" and "soldier" and he was marked "now in army". There were several other men in the town with the same status.
Between 1865 and 1868, James married Amy Dow (or McDowell) and they started their family. In 1870 and 1880, he was counted on the census in Ledyard, where he remained at least until 1880. Amy died around 1886, based on newspaper accounts. (See my next blog post for details).
A search of the 1890 veterans census produced the following results for James Sherman in New York:
Of these, the only likely match, James Sherman in Candor, was found there again on the 1892 New York State Census. He was age 44 and living with Celia Sherman, age 36, Mattie A. Sherman, female, age 15, and Eddie F. Sherman, age 10. They were also there in 1880, proving it is not my ancestor, James Sherman who lived in Ledyard in 1880.
When and where James died remains a mystery so far, as does his burial place. Stay tuned for updates as I share new finds! If you have any information to contribute, please contact me or comment below.
See more:
Sources:
1. James M. Sherman of Butler, NY [Blog]
2. Muster Roll Abstract (#4522)
3. New York Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts [Ancestry].
4. Civil War Records and Profiles (Report of the Adjutant General 1893-1906). [Ancestry]
5. Findmypast Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865, M551 roll 128
6. U.S. Registers of Deaths of Volunteers 1861-1865 [Ancestry]
7. New York, U.S., Registers of Officers and Enlisted Men Mustered into Federal Service, 1861-1865 [Ancestry]
8. U.S. Register of Army Enlistments
9. Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1835 [Ancestry]