Individual Details
William Andrew Sherrill
(25 Nov 1909 - 27 Oct 1984)
Autobiography of William Andrew Sherrill, Jr.
I spent my childhood years, until age 15, in Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia and North Carolina. I joined the Boy Scouts of America at age 12 in Wetumpka, Alamaba and during the next 21 years I was active in all positions up to that of Field Commissioner, in the Golden Empire Council, Sacramento, California, earning along the way the Eagle Award with silver and bronze palms.
My formal education was rather sporadic, however, by completing many courses at various universities and extensive reading of non-fiction and home study, I have acquired a good education.
On May 13, 1927, I joined the U.S. Navy, to "learn a trade," was assigned to the Naval Electrical School in San Diego, California, until the fall of that year when I was transferred to one of the ten modern 4-stack flush deck destroyers for sea duty, where I served in the engine room. On Nov. 16, 1930, I was honorably discharged.
Some of you will remember that at that time the entire world was in a deep depression, but based on what I had leaned while in the Navy, I took an examination to operate a steam plant. I was surprised that they allowed me a license to operate a high pressure steam plant of any type.
However, there was no such work, so I went to work as maintenance engineer in leading hotels in Sacramento and survived.
In 1934, I married Idaona Oakdan and we had two children. Unfortunately for their sakes this ended in divorce.
I took a California State Examination and was fortunate to be high on the list and obtained an appointment at Preston School of Industry at Ione, California. This was a State Reformatory for criminal young, between 16 and 23 years of age, who had been sent there by the Courts. I served approximately five years at Preston, instructing in steam/hydro electrical engineering.
I then took a federal examination, covering physical and mental abilities, as well as a personal interview to determine "common sense." This, I passed, to be an Immigration Border Patrol Inspector. I was then sent to El Paso, Texas, to attend the Border Patrol Academy, where I was required to learn to read, write and speak the Spanish language; international, criminal, and immigration law, as well as a host of other subjects. I graduated from the Academy in Sept., 1942. I was then assigned to the California/Mexican Border, where I served as Patrol Inspector, Senior Patrol Inspector, and Patrol Inspector in Charge. For a while I was a member of the Special Board of Inquiry, (where cases are heard to determine the right of a questioned person to enter the United States.)
Later, I was appointed Intelligence Officer for the Border Patrol, the first to hold that position in that organization. A few weeks later I was sent to Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, to attend a training session for Intelligence Officers. Upon completion of that course, I was assigned to the El Centro, California Sector Headquarters with my area of responsibility covering the State of Nevada, south-eastern California and eastern Baja California, Mexico.
I then requested and obtained a change of classification to that of Investigator and a transfer to the San Francisco, California District Office of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, in 1955, where I was a Special Investigator, responsible for Criminal, Immoral and Narcotic Cases, which I developed through liaison with all other law enforcement agencies. Because of the type of cases that I dealt with, my department was termed the C.I.N. (Sin) Branch. I retired Sept. 16, 1962.
In 1948 I was married to Catherine Ann Coleman. After my retirement, my wife and I did extensive ocean cruising in our 55 foot ketch Romayne which we had purchased in Vancouver, Canada, and sailed to San Francisco, where we put her under U.S. Registry.
A few years later we sold the Romayne and spent a year in Mexico, after which we returned to the United States. While on a trip, we bought a home on Lake Hamilton, near Hot Springs, Arkansas and while maintaining that home, we decided to drive over the Pan-American Highway, criss-crossing through Mexico several times and visiting all the countries of Central America and to Cristobal, Canal Zone. From there we cruised the Caribbean Sea for about 4 months before returning home. A year later, we took a freighter from New Orleans to Europe where we roamed about for a year before returning home via Newfoundland. While in Germany, we bought a car that we used to cover Europe and Scandinavia, and which we brought back with us, using it to tour the Eastern United States.
Upon our return from Europe, we sold our Lake Hamilton home and returned to California where we owend and operated a fine, rare mineral shop as a hobby. This was located in Volcano in the old Mother Lode gold mining area. We kept that for about four years, and decided that it really was not retirement so we sold it along with our home in 1974 and moved to Leisure World in Mesa, Arizona, where we had a nice home built. We are now enjoying our retirement in this secure, resort-like atmosphere.
While living here we took an extended trip covering approximately 44,000 miles and lasting a little under a year, covering Iceland (a really enjoyable place to visit) Europe, including such "back of the Iron Curtain" places as East Germany and Czechoslovakia, as well as other European countries. We visited Greek Islands, many countries of Africa, dodging guerrilla warfare along the way. We had our own car and we saw a lot of Africe including some countries that Americans do not visit. We left Capetown and crossed to Buenos Aires, and returned home through South America. But that is another story.
As we travel we always use our own car, a rented one or public transportaion. We stay in clean neat places such as we would in this country and stay away from the tourist gathering places so that we can really see how the people live. We NEVER go on planned tours. We travel as we like, go where we wish and say as long as we care to. We have visited some forty-five countries and principalities in this way.
Regarding my civic and fraternal affiliations, I have been involved in: Honorary Member of Chanber of Commerce, Calexico, California; Rotary Club, Calexico and El Centro, California; Seven Seas Cruising Association; World wide Master Mason.
President of the Ridgeview, California, Water Co., Elected on the California Primary to Chairman of the Ridgewood Acres Community Services Dist.; Member of the Board of Directors of the Sacramento Mountaneers (A large Conservation Organization).
Member; Board of Directors, Sierra Club; Past President of Palo Verde Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution and am serving my fourth term as Arizona State Historian of that hereditary organization. (Eight known ancestors having been involved in the American Revolution.) Past President of the Leisure World Hiram Club (A Masonic organization).
I am a registered genealogist and I have published on 500+ page book entitled Captian William Sherrill, Son of Adam and Elizabeth, and Some of Their Descendants. It is expected that there will be a third edition.
William A. Sherrill
Mesa, Arizona, 1981
I spent my childhood years, until age 15, in Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia and North Carolina. I joined the Boy Scouts of America at age 12 in Wetumpka, Alamaba and during the next 21 years I was active in all positions up to that of Field Commissioner, in the Golden Empire Council, Sacramento, California, earning along the way the Eagle Award with silver and bronze palms.
My formal education was rather sporadic, however, by completing many courses at various universities and extensive reading of non-fiction and home study, I have acquired a good education.
On May 13, 1927, I joined the U.S. Navy, to "learn a trade," was assigned to the Naval Electrical School in San Diego, California, until the fall of that year when I was transferred to one of the ten modern 4-stack flush deck destroyers for sea duty, where I served in the engine room. On Nov. 16, 1930, I was honorably discharged.
Some of you will remember that at that time the entire world was in a deep depression, but based on what I had leaned while in the Navy, I took an examination to operate a steam plant. I was surprised that they allowed me a license to operate a high pressure steam plant of any type.
However, there was no such work, so I went to work as maintenance engineer in leading hotels in Sacramento and survived.
In 1934, I married Idaona Oakdan and we had two children. Unfortunately for their sakes this ended in divorce.
I took a California State Examination and was fortunate to be high on the list and obtained an appointment at Preston School of Industry at Ione, California. This was a State Reformatory for criminal young, between 16 and 23 years of age, who had been sent there by the Courts. I served approximately five years at Preston, instructing in steam/hydro electrical engineering.
I then took a federal examination, covering physical and mental abilities, as well as a personal interview to determine "common sense." This, I passed, to be an Immigration Border Patrol Inspector. I was then sent to El Paso, Texas, to attend the Border Patrol Academy, where I was required to learn to read, write and speak the Spanish language; international, criminal, and immigration law, as well as a host of other subjects. I graduated from the Academy in Sept., 1942. I was then assigned to the California/Mexican Border, where I served as Patrol Inspector, Senior Patrol Inspector, and Patrol Inspector in Charge. For a while I was a member of the Special Board of Inquiry, (where cases are heard to determine the right of a questioned person to enter the United States.)
Later, I was appointed Intelligence Officer for the Border Patrol, the first to hold that position in that organization. A few weeks later I was sent to Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, to attend a training session for Intelligence Officers. Upon completion of that course, I was assigned to the El Centro, California Sector Headquarters with my area of responsibility covering the State of Nevada, south-eastern California and eastern Baja California, Mexico.
I then requested and obtained a change of classification to that of Investigator and a transfer to the San Francisco, California District Office of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, in 1955, where I was a Special Investigator, responsible for Criminal, Immoral and Narcotic Cases, which I developed through liaison with all other law enforcement agencies. Because of the type of cases that I dealt with, my department was termed the C.I.N. (Sin) Branch. I retired Sept. 16, 1962.
In 1948 I was married to Catherine Ann Coleman. After my retirement, my wife and I did extensive ocean cruising in our 55 foot ketch Romayne which we had purchased in Vancouver, Canada, and sailed to San Francisco, where we put her under U.S. Registry.
A few years later we sold the Romayne and spent a year in Mexico, after which we returned to the United States. While on a trip, we bought a home on Lake Hamilton, near Hot Springs, Arkansas and while maintaining that home, we decided to drive over the Pan-American Highway, criss-crossing through Mexico several times and visiting all the countries of Central America and to Cristobal, Canal Zone. From there we cruised the Caribbean Sea for about 4 months before returning home. A year later, we took a freighter from New Orleans to Europe where we roamed about for a year before returning home via Newfoundland. While in Germany, we bought a car that we used to cover Europe and Scandinavia, and which we brought back with us, using it to tour the Eastern United States.
Upon our return from Europe, we sold our Lake Hamilton home and returned to California where we owend and operated a fine, rare mineral shop as a hobby. This was located in Volcano in the old Mother Lode gold mining area. We kept that for about four years, and decided that it really was not retirement so we sold it along with our home in 1974 and moved to Leisure World in Mesa, Arizona, where we had a nice home built. We are now enjoying our retirement in this secure, resort-like atmosphere.
While living here we took an extended trip covering approximately 44,000 miles and lasting a little under a year, covering Iceland (a really enjoyable place to visit) Europe, including such "back of the Iron Curtain" places as East Germany and Czechoslovakia, as well as other European countries. We visited Greek Islands, many countries of Africa, dodging guerrilla warfare along the way. We had our own car and we saw a lot of Africe including some countries that Americans do not visit. We left Capetown and crossed to Buenos Aires, and returned home through South America. But that is another story.
As we travel we always use our own car, a rented one or public transportaion. We stay in clean neat places such as we would in this country and stay away from the tourist gathering places so that we can really see how the people live. We NEVER go on planned tours. We travel as we like, go where we wish and say as long as we care to. We have visited some forty-five countries and principalities in this way.
Regarding my civic and fraternal affiliations, I have been involved in: Honorary Member of Chanber of Commerce, Calexico, California; Rotary Club, Calexico and El Centro, California; Seven Seas Cruising Association; World wide Master Mason.
President of the Ridgeview, California, Water Co., Elected on the California Primary to Chairman of the Ridgewood Acres Community Services Dist.; Member of the Board of Directors of the Sacramento Mountaneers (A large Conservation Organization).
Member; Board of Directors, Sierra Club; Past President of Palo Verde Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution and am serving my fourth term as Arizona State Historian of that hereditary organization. (Eight known ancestors having been involved in the American Revolution.) Past President of the Leisure World Hiram Club (A Masonic organization).
I am a registered genealogist and I have published on 500+ page book entitled Captian William Sherrill, Son of Adam and Elizabeth, and Some of Their Descendants. It is expected that there will be a third edition.
William A. Sherrill
Mesa, Arizona, 1981
Events
| Birth | 25 Nov 1909 | Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, United States | |||
| Marriage | 1934 | Living | |||
| Marriage | 1948 | Living | |||
| Death | 27 Oct 1984 | Arizona, United States | |||
| Burial | Sherrill Cemetery, Gladeville, Wilson, Tennessee, United States | ||||
| Reference No | 16157 |
Families
| Spouse | Living |
| Spouse | Living |
| Father | William Andrew Sherrill (1884 - 1936) |
| Mother | Mary Ella England (1888 - 1968) |
| Sibling | Mary Elizabeth Sherrill (1912 - 2004) |