c 1772 John Sherk was born. [1]
1794 On 8 August, John's uncle Joseph Sherck of Hempfield Twp and his father Jacob's friends Henry Neff of Manor Twp and Andrew Gerber of Hempfield Twp, all of Lancaster County, executors of the last will and testament of Jacob Sherk, late of Hempfield Twp, sold land to John Sherk. The land had been granted in 1741 to Joseph Sherck (by the name of Joseph Sherrock), the grand-father of the said John Sherck deceased and his heirs, a tract of 244 acres in Hempfield Twp [2]. Joseph Sherck granted the land to his son Jacob and the deed was dated 30 September 1783. Jacob's will was dated 24 March 1788 and directed that his five sons: Joseph, Jacob, John, David, and Christian; should have all his lands according to the needs of their trades, as determined by the executors. Jacob died soon after writing his will. Son John Sherck was granted a large tract of the estate. [3]
1794 John Sherck sold land to Henry Neff, on May 16, that he had inherited from his father Jacob. [4]
1795 John Sherk moved to Washington County. [5]
1795 The six heirs of Jacob Sherk, deceased, signed a release related to his estate, on August 1. The estate, administered by Joseph Sherck, Henry Neff, and Andrew Gerber, was valued at £2979.18.3 in gold and silver coin, or £423.19.9 for each heir. Andrew Gerber was guardian of minor son, Christian Sherck. [6] The six heirs were:
Joseph Sherck of Hempfield Twp;
Jacob Sherck of Leacock Twp;
John Sherch of Washington County, Maryland;
David Sherck of Hempfield,
David Rohrer of Hempfield Twp and his wife Mary, late Mary Sherck; and
Andrew Gerber of Hellam Twp, York County and wife Susanna, late Susanna Sherck;
1798 John Sherk married Nancy Wyant on February 15, at Washington County, Maryland. [7]
1816 John Sherk moved to Stark County, Ohio. [8]
1840 John Sherk died. [9]
The following biographies are for two grandsons and mention John Sherk and Anna Wyant as grandparents:
John H Sherrick [10]:
In the fair little mountain republic of Switzerland was born the paternal great-grandfather of the subject, and he it was who figures as the original representative of the family in America, whither he emigrated when a young man, taking up his abode in Maryland, where he passed the remainder of his days. His son John, grandfather of the subject, was also born in Switzerland, and was a boy when brought to America. He married Annie Wyant, who was of German descent. He owned and operated a mill in Hagerstown, Maryland, for a number of years, the property finally being destroyed by fire, after which, about the year 1812 or 13, he came with his family to Stark county as a pioneer, making the long overland trip with teams and wagons, while he also drove a number of cattle through to the new home. He secured a tract of six or seven hundred acres of land just east of the present village of Waco, in Canton township, and there erected a log dwelling of the primitive type common the locality and period, and a few years later he erected a substantial brick house and barn. He cleared and placed under cultivation a considerable portion of his land in addition to farming also owned a distillery, which was among the first in the county. He hauled his whiskey by wagon to Cleveland, where he received in payment for the same partly cash and partly supplies of various kinds. He was a man of energy and good business ability and was prominent in the affairs of the community, continuing to reside of his homestead until his death, which occurred about the year 1845, at which time he was seventy-five years of age. His wife survived him by about two years and was seventy-three years of age at the time of her death. They were folk of sterling character and both were members of the Mennonite church, while he gave his support to the Democratic party. We are able to offer the following data in regard to the children of these honored pioneers: Joseph died in Canton, Mississippi, where he was a planter and slaveholder; Jacob, who died in Canton, Ohio, in 1896, remained a bachelor and was nearly eighty years of age at the time of his demise; David was the father of the subject of this sketch; John died at the age of twenty-six years; Christian, who was a farmer, died in Canton, about the year 1880; Elizabeth married Michael Rohrer; and Sarah became the wife of Conrad Booze. There were several other children, none of whom lived to attain maturity.
David Sherrick was born in Hagerstown, Maryland, on the 18th of January, 1807, and accompanied his parents on their removal to Stark county, where he was reared to manhood on the old homestead farm, having received limited educational advantages in the subscription schools of this city. He was, however, a man of alert mentality and by personal application and careful reading effectively supplemented the training of his boyhood, having been a particularly zealous biblical student, although he was never formally identified with any religious body. He married Miss Rebecca Longsdorf, who was born in Womelsdorf, Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, being a daughter of Henry Longsdorf, one of the pioneers of Stark county and of German lineage. Prior to this he had run a raft of lumber down the Ohio to Cincinnati, where the cholera epidemic was raging at the time, and he was compelled to remain there for six weeks before he could effect a sale of his stock. After his marriage he removed to Dayton, Ohio, from which point he was engaged in boating on the canal for two years, at the expiration of which he returned to the old home farm, but shortly afterward came to Canton and took up his residence at the corner of Third and Walnut streets, and on the same lot he operated a pottery about four years. He then sold this property and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land adjoining Canton on the south, and there he continued to devote his attention to farming for the ensuing five years, at the expiration of which he returned to town and established his home at Walnut and Fourth streets, where his devoted wife died in the year 1861, while later he resided on the corner of Walnut and Tenth streets, and he was engaged in the buying and shipping of live stock for eighteen years, doing a large and profitable business. He then returned to his farm, where he remained for a few years, finally returning to the farm, where he died in 1887, secure in the esteem of all who knew him and known as an able and progressive business man. He was a Democrat in his political proclivities and his wife was a devoted member of the Lutheran church. He served one term in the city council and ever took a deep interest in local affairs of a public nature. Of his children we record that Sarah, who became the wife of Lewis Miller, died in Canton, in 1873; David died at the age of twenty years, and William at the age of twenty-six years; and Emma, who became the wife of Bet Kitzmiller, died in 1885. Thus the subject of this review, who was the eldest of the children, is now the only survivor. ..
The same book has the biography of another grandson, with different "facts" about John Sherk [11]. Hon. Johnson Sherrick:
Among Canton's prominent citizens, few, if any, have had a more active and successful career than has the Hon. Johnson Sherrick, who is a native son of old Stark, and who for over thirty years has been closely identified with the commercial, financial and public interests of this city. Mr. Sherrick was born on a farm near the city of Canton, on August 28, 1841, the son of Christian and Mary (Danforth) Sherrick. His grandfather was John, a native of Washington county, Maryland, and who was one of the pioneers of Stark county. He married, in his native state, Nancy Wyant, and with his family came to Ohio in 1816, settling in Stark county, near the present city of Canton. Christian, father of the subject, was born in Washington county, Maryland, on November 8, 1812, and was but four years of age when his parents made the long and tedious journey from Maryland through Pennsylvania into Stark county. He remained with his father in Stark county until 1839, when he went to Dayton, Ohio, and engaged in packet canal boating between Dayton and Cincinnati; he also visited New Orleans, spending a winter in the south. In the fall of 1840 he married Mary Danforth, of Hamilton, Ohio, and soon afterwards returned to Stark county. He then located on one of his father's farms, where he resided for two years, and then removed to the old Sherrick homestead. In 1873 he retired from active life, and removing to Canton, resided here until his death, in 1892. His wife died in 1866. Seven children were born to Christian and Mary Sherrick, as follows: Johnson, the subject; Louisa married Charles Spangler, of Stark county; Joseph died at the age of twenty-four years; Elvian, unmarried; Jacob D. resides in Seattle, Washington; Ida married West Jersey Hartzell, resides at Ballard, Washington, and Alwyn B., who resides in Canton...
[1] Richard Warren Davis, Mennosearch.com Family Notes, Shirk 83555, [Website].
[2] Pennsylvania Land Patent, A9-370, [PAPatentBookLinks].
[3] Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Deed UU-25 to 31, [FamilySearchImage], [FHLCatalog].
[4] Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Deed WW-256 to 263, [FamilySearchImage], [FHLCatalog].
[5] Richard Warren Davis, Mennosearch.com Family Notes, Shirk 83555, [Website].
[6] Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Deed 3K-494 to 497, [FamilySearchImage], [FHLCatalog].
[7] Richard Warren Davis, Mennosearch.com Family Notes, Shirk 83555, [Website].
[8] Richard Warren Davis, Mennosearch.com Family Notes, Shirk 83555, [Website].
[9] Richard Warren Davis, Mennosearch.com Family Notes, Shirk 83555, [Website].
[10] John Danner, Old Landmarks of Canton and Stark County, Ohio (1904), 453, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].
[11] John Danner, Old Landmarks of Canton and Stark County, Ohio (1904), 1478, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].