Person:Thomas Sherman (11)

Josiah and Daniel were born in Portsmouth, the other children supposedly in South Kingstown, Wash. RI. There are no entries in the Vital Records of South Kingstown for the birth of the last four children. Thomas Potter's will 3 June 1727. Will -- codicil, 1727, 4 June -- Proved 1728, 3 June. Executor, son Thomas. To wife, Lydia, #100. To daughter Susan Sheldon, #70. To daughter Sarah Earle, #70. To granddaughter Mary Sherman, #100. To sons Ichabod and Nathaniel, all the farm I bought of Joseph Knight, Nathaniel having the dwelling house in his share. To sons John and Benjamin, east end of farm where I live. To son Joseph, rest of farm, and also the farm bought of Thomas Hazard. To son Thomas #300. In codicil he gives to wife a riding beast and feather bed. To daughter Martha Potter, #100. and a feather bed. Inventory, #4,092. Ss. 7d. viz.: wearing apparel, #22 16s, book, cane, 5 oz, 17 pwt silver money, warming pan, pewter, spinning wheel, linen wheel, gun, 18 horses, mares and colts, bull, 14 oxen, 4 steers, 12 cows, 3 calves, other cattle #19, 72 ewes, 72 lambs, 62 dry sheep, 36 year-old sheep, negroes, Harry, #20, Scipio, #45, Pero #55, apprentice and an Indian boy, #16, etc.

This sketch presents some of the interesting interactions of the Thomas Sherman and Thomas Potter families in the early 1700's. Thomas Sherman and Thomas Potter are my seventh greatgrandfathers and the grandfathers of Mary Sherman who married Benjamin Baker in 1742.

    Thomas Sherman was born 8 Aug. 1658 in Portsmouth, Newport, RI. He was the son of Peleg Sherman and Elizabeth Lawton.  He married Lydia Wilcox 26 May 1702 in Portsmouth.
    Thomas and Lydia were the parents of six children as follows:

Josiah b. 2 Mar 1702 Daniel b. 26 Nov 1706 Ruth b. abt 1707 George b. abt 1710 Benjamin b. abt 1712 Susannah b. abt 1714

Josiah and Daniel were born in Portsmouth, and the other children were supposedly born in South Kingstown, Washington, RI. There are no entries in the Vital Records of South Kingstown for the birth of these last four children.

    Thomas Potter was born about 1663, probably in Portsmouth, Newport, RI.  He married Susanna Anthony Tripp on 20 Jan. 1686/7 in Portsmouth. There were the parents of nine children as follows:

Susannah b. 28 Jan. 1687/8 Sarah b. 25 July 1690 Ichabod b. 23 Sep. 1692 Thomas b. 8 Feb. 1695 John b. 2 Oct. 1697 Nathaniel b. 15 Apr. 1700 Benjamin b. 19 Jan. 1703 Joseph b. 30 Jan. 1706 Mary b. 16 Aug. 1708

The first three children were born in Portsmouth and the other children were born in North Kingstown, Washington, RI. This indicates that the family moved from the Island where Portsmouth is located to the mainland and North Kingstown to the West about 4 or 5 miles across the Narragansett Bay between 1692-1695.

By 1707 both the Thomas Sherman family and the Thomas Potter family were living in Washington County. The Sherman's in South Kingstown and the Potter in North Kingstown. These two towns are separated by 8 or 9 miles.

In 1719 Thomas Sherman died leaving his widow Lydia Wilcox Sherman with the six children to raise. Josiah the oldest was 17 and the youngest, Susannah was only 5 years old.

In 1720 Thomas Potter's wife, Susanna Anthony Tripp passed away leaving Thomas Potter with his young children to raise. Their four eldest children were now married leaving the five younger children, ranging in age from 23 to 12, at home, and the responsibility fall on Thomas to raise them without a wife.

On 8 Dec 1720, Thomas Potter married Lydia Wilcox Sherman, the widow of Thomas Sherman. Thomas Potter was now about 57 years old and Lydia about 45 years old. There was only one child born to this union - a daughter, Martha, born about 1721.

It is most likely that the family resided in South Kingstown inasmuch as there are a considerable number of entries concerning the family in the South Kingstown town council records. It is possible that there were now as many as 11 children in the family - six from the Sherman family, four from the Potter family, and one from the Potter/Sherman family.

Of special interest are the children Josiah Sherman and Mary Potter. Josiah Sherman was the oldest child of the Sherman part of the family being eighteen when his mother re-married. Mary Potter was the youngest child in the Potter family and she was twelve when her father re-married. On 4 Jan 1726 Josiah Sherman and Mary Potter, his step-sister were married in South Kingstown. It was from this marriage that a daughter, Mary Sherman, was born on 16 Sep 1726, who later married Benjamin Baker on 16 Sep 1742.

This was not the only marriage between the children of Thomas Potter and Lydia Wilcox Sherman Potter. On 1 Feb. 1727/8, Thomas Potter's seventh son, Benjamin Potter, married Ruth Sherman, the third daughter of Thomas Sherman and Lydia Wilcox Sherman Potter.

There are several other interesting events concerning this family that are derived from the town council records of South Kingstown.

On 11 Mar 1727/8, George Sherman and Benjamin Sherman ages 17 and 15 respectively appeared before the town council and requested that a man by the name of John Sheldon be appointed their guardian. This was approved and John Sheldon accepted his responsibility. This action is a little strange inasmuch as these two boys had apparently been living with their stepfather, Thomas Potter, and their mother, Lydia Wilcox Sherman Potter for the past eight years.

On 15 Apr 1728, the South Kingstown town council ruled that Josiah Sherman (now 25 years old and married for almost 2 years) should receive 2/3 of the real estate that belonged to his father Thomas Sherman, who had died nine years before. He was to divide the estate among his brothers and sisters according to the estate inventory. The remaining 1/3 of the real estate was to go to Josiah's mother Lydia. On this same date, Thomas Potter, the present husband of the widow of Thomas Sherman appeared before the town council and declared that he had no demand against the estate of Thomas Sherman for bringing up his children.

(The Ancestral File indicates that Thomas Potter died 23 Jun 1728. This is probably an error inasmuch as the South Kingstown town council records indicate that his son, Thomas Potter, JR., was appointed executor of his father's estate on 10 Jun 1728. The record states that Thomas Potter SR, was already deceased. The source and accuracy of the 23 Jun 1728 date needs to be checked)

Josiah Sherman, the eldest son of Lydia, and the executor of his father's estate died sometime between 15 Apr 1728 and 1 Oct 1729. This is evident from the town council records of that date which indicate that Lydia Potter, widow of Thomas Potter requested that some man be appointed guardian of Josiah's daughter, Mary, age 2 years, because Josiah had died leaving no wife. Jonathan Sherman and Abial Sherman were appointed to be Mary's guardian, but both of them refused. (The relationship of Jonathan and Abial Sherman to the orphan Mary Potter has not yet been established). On 8 Dec. 1729, Joseph Potter appeared before the town council and accepted the guardianship of Mary Sherman. It is very likely that Joseph Potter was the uncle of Little Mary Sherman. Her mother, Mary Potter Sherman, had a brother, Joseph, who was just two years older than her. On 12 Jan. 1729/30 Joseph Potter, (probably the same Joseph Potter) was appointed administrator of Josiah Sherman's estate.

Lydia again appeared before the town council probably some time in Feb 1729/30 and requested that someone be appointed to lay out the 1/3 of her first husband's (Thomas Sherman) estate to which she was entitled. (It appears that things moved pretty slowly in those days. Her husband had only been dead ten years now, and this was the second time that the town council ordered this to be done).

On this same day, Lydia's two sons, George and Benjamin Sherman, who had previously requested that John Sheldon be their guardian, now requested of the town council that Lydia be re-instated as their guardian. The council allowed this.

Josiah Sherman had been appointed to distribute his father's estate in April of 1728, but he died before 1 Oct 1729 without having accomplished this task. On 9 Mar 1729/30 the town council appointed Josiah's brother, Daniel Sherman, to be responsible for the distribution of the estate. Josiah's daughter Mary Sherman, was to receive 2/7 of the 230 acres and the surviving brothers and sisters were to receive the remaining 5/7. It appears that Daniel received the land and was to pay his brothers and sisters for their interest in the land.

There appears to be some discrepancies concerning the time of death of Thomas Potter. Emma Baker Sorensen in her book on Simon Baker indicates that Thomas Potter was alive in 1741. The following is a quote from this book. "In 1741 Lydia Potter petitioned the council to have the guardianship of Thomas Potter to Mary Sherman (dau. Of Josiah Sherman, dec.) removed as he had made waste of her estate." This is not consistent with the South Kingstown Council Records of 1728 and 1729.

These records indicate the following:

1) 15 Apr 1728 Thomas Potter appeared TC and declared that he had no demand against the estate of Thomas Sherman, late of Kingstown dec for bring up the children of the said dec Thomas Sherman.

10 Jun 1728 Thomas Potter of Westerly appeared TC SK and accepted executorship of the estate of his father Thomas Potter late of SK dec-allowed.

19 May 1729 Lucy Potter (probably should be Lydia Potter) widow of Thomas Potter late of SK dec appeared TC SK and swore that she will present to the executor all the estate of her sd dec husband.

1 Oct 1729 "...Information given to TC this day that Lydia Potter widow of Thomas Potter Late of SK dec..."

According to these records, Thomas Potter, the second husband of Lydia Wilcox Sherman Potter and the Grandfather of Mary Sherman, died between 15 Apr 1728 and 10 Jun 1728.

In addition these town records indicate that Joseph Potter appeared before the town council on 13 Oct 1729 and accepted responsibility of being guardian to Mary Sherman, the daughter of Josiah Potter. There is also the possibility that the Thomas referred to in 1741 was Thomas Potter, Jr. Who was the executor of Thomas Potter Sr's estate. No entries have been found to date indicating that Thomas Potter Jr. was ever the guardian of Mary Sherman.

It is possible that Lydia Potter petitioned the Town Council in 1741 to have Joseph Potter, not Thomas Potter, released as the guardian of Mary Sherman. Additional research is required to resolve this discrepancy.

It appears that Lydia Wilcox Sherman Potter continued to have difficulties in her life. She had lost two husbands, a son, Josiah, who died at a young age leaving an orphan daughter, Mary Sherman. She now had a young daughter, Martha Potter, by her second husband that she had to raise alone. In addition to all of this, it also appears that she had problems with her stepchildren in obtaining what was rightfully hers from the estate of her late husband Thomas Potter. This is evident from several entries in the Washington County Court of Common Pleas Record from 1731 to 1741. In Volume A of this record we find the following information:

Page 85 (1733) Martha Potter of SK an infant by Lydia Potter of SK widow her mother & guardian, plaintive vs. Thomas Potter (Jr) of Westerly, yeoman Executor of the will of Thomas Potter (Sr) late of SK yeoman dec'd. (Thomas Jr was the step son of Lydia). Page 112 (1733) Lydia Potter of SK widow vs. Thomas Potter of Westerly yeoman & Executor of will of Thomas Potter late SK. Page 205 (24 June 1735) Lydia Potter of SK widow plaintiff vs. Joseph Potter of SK yeoman in an action for her dower. Said Lydia was widow of Thomas Potter her late husband dec. (Joseph was Lydia's step son) Page 206 (24 June 1735) Lydia Potter of SK plaintiff vs. Benjamin Potter of SK yeoman defendant-that he render to her her dower of the endowment of Thomas Potter her late husband dec. (Benjamin Potter is Lydia's step son, but his wife Ruth Sherman is Lydia's daughter. Page 258 (29 Jun 1736) Lydia Potter of SK widow plaintiff vs. Benjamin Sherman of SK yeoman defendant for land as the dower of said Lydia of endowment of Thomas Potter late of SK yeoman deceased her late husband. (Benjamin Sherman could be Lydia's son by her first marriage-why this suit was brought is not clear unless it had to do with the estate of her first husband, Thomas Sherman)

There is also contained in these court records some suits in behalf of Mary Sherman, the daughter of Josiah Sherman and Mary Potter both deceased, at the instigation of her guardian and uncle Joseph Potter. Extracts from these are as follows:

Page 256 (29 June 1736) Mary Shearman of SK infant by Joseph Potter of SK yeoman her uncle and guardian vs. Isaac Sheldon of SK esq. (Isaac Sheldon was probably the husband of Susannah Potter, Joseph's oldest sister. Page 260 (1736) Mary Shearman of SK infant by Joseph Potter of SK yeoman her uncle and guardian plaintiff vs. Benjamin Shearman of SK yeoman. (This Benjamin Shearman was probably Josiah Sherman's younger brother and hence another uncle of Mary Sherman). Page 317 (28 Jun 1737) Mary Shearman of SK an infant by Joseph Potter of SK yeoman her uncle and guardian plaintiff vs. Benjamin Shearman of SK yeoman defendant.

    The above extracts from the Washington County Court of Common Pleas Records are only "extracts" as recorded in the Rhode Island Genealogical Register.  More complete information concerning these suits could be obtained by consulting the original court records.

1. ↑ Portsmouth Births and Deaths, in Arnold, James N. Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636–1850: First series, births, marriages and deaths. A family register for the people. (Narragansett Hist. Publ. Co., 1891)
   90.

   SHEARMAN, Thomas, of Peleg and Elizabeth, [born] Aug. 8, 1658.