Individual Details

The genealogies of Edmund Sherman found online are unbelievably confused and scrambled. There were several men of the same name, father & son, cousins, nephews, etc. What seems to be the most accurate source for placing these men and their wives in the proper order is Sherman Genealogy, Including Families of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk, England; Descendants of the Immigrants Captain John Sherman and Rev.John Sherman, etc. Thomas Townsend Sherman, Published by T. A. Wright, New York, 1920. The book is online by subscription at the Family & Local Histories section of Ancestry.

Edmund's grandfather Henry Sherman, in his will dated 20 Jan 1590, gave a bequest to "Edmonde Shearman, the son of my son Edmonde", a little over 13£ to be given to him when he reached the age of "two and twenty". Edmund's father's will, dated 1 Aug 1599, gave to "son, Edmond, after decease of my wife all the houses and lands before given to said wife and a house and seven acres called Ryes where he now dwells" [Will is printed in the NEGHS Register, Vol 50, p.283]

Some place Joan Makin, daughter of Tobias Makin of Fingringhoe, as the wife of Edmund. Tobias Makin named Edmund Sherman in his will. He also named a daughter as Grace Sherman but he did not state that she was married to Edmund. It is suggested likely Grace was the wife of John Sherman - he died and Grace apparently married three more times - to Thomas Rogers, William Palmer, and lastly to Roger Porter. Various records referring to children of Grace suggests she was not the mother of the children of Edmund Sherman. The article in The American Genealogist, cited next, proves that Grace was still a Sherman in 1621 when named in her brother's will, and could not have been the wife of John Sherman, Thomas Rogers who had a child baptized in 1617 and Roger Porter. Tobias Makin also named a Richard Sherman in his will - he did not state that Richard was a grandson but did named him as a son of Edmund Sherman - Richard received 5 £ as did a named grandchild. In the Dedham Parish Register is the following baptism entry: "1608 Oct 16, Richard son of Edmund and Jone Sherman" [NEGHS Register, Vol 51, p.313]

The American Genealogist, 61:79-82 [Jul-Oct 1985] has an article stating that Joan, daughter of Tobias Makin, married Richard Stone as her only husband, disputing the above Sherman research. She was also almost a generation younger than Edmund Sherman. So Joan was certainly not the wife of Edmund Sherman.

The possibility remains that Grace could have been called "Joan" in error in the baptismal record in 1608, but that seems a bit odd given that the Richard baptized in 1608 was probably the fifth child of that Edmund & Joan and singling out a 5th child in a will, as did Tobias Makin, seems odd as well. However, the article in TAG goes on to conclude the possibility of an error in the baptismal record and conclude they could not prove Grace was not the wife of Edmund Sherman.
The Great Migration sketch of Edmund Sherman online states that his wife "was not Joan Makin, daughter of Tobias Makin" but notes this is from the above TAG article, Jul-Oct 1985.

Then in the January 2014 issue of the NEHGS Register, p.16-33, the last article on a series regarding the Shermans and their related families, "The Earliest Shermans of Dedham, Essex, and Their Wives: Part 6: Edmund Sherman and His Descendants" by Michael Johnson Wood, there is the following proof of Grace Makin as the wife of Edmund Sherman:
"(Edmund Sherman) married about 1598 Grace Makin, born say 1578, daughter of Tobias and Katherine (Westbrome) Makin of Fingringhoe, Essex. Grace survived her husband and was mentioned in the will of Samuel Sherman (half-brother of Edmond), dated 14 June 1643 as 'my loving sister Sherman, Edmond's widow.' Grace was mentioned earlier in the will of her brother Tobias Makin, dated 7 Feb 1620/1. From the same article quoted earlier, The American Genealogist, 61:79-82 [Jul-Oct 1985]

Immigrant Ancestors, by Frederick Adams Virkus, p.61, states that Edmund Sherman came from England in the "Elizabeth" to Boston, 1634. Passenger lists of the "Elizabeth" do include a John Sherman, age 20, and an Edmond Lewis - but not Edmund Sherman nor any Sherman of the age he would have been. An original proprietor of Wethersfield CT, 1635; Freeman at New Haven, 1640. Also gives his marriage to Joan Makin - obviously copied from some of the above sources.

Edmund Sherman migrated by 1635 - he was elected as a Watertown selectman 25 Nov 1635 and admitted to church membership prior to 25 May 1636 when he became one of eight freemen. He lived at Wethersfield by 1638 and New Haven by 29 Oct 1640 when he was admitted a member of New Haven Court and his name added to the list of freemen.

25 Jul 1636. Edmund Sherman was granted 50 acres in the first division of the Great Dividend at Watertown. 28 Feb 1636/7, he was six acres in the Beaverbrook Plowlands; and on 26 Jun 1636, six additional acres in the Remote Meadows.
Although this Edmund has been confused with his son of the same name, the awarding of the six acres of plowland and remote meadow indicates he had a household of six persons - that would be Edmund, his wife and the four younger children, John, Samuel, Grace & an unnamed youngest daughter. The younger Edmund was not known to be married at this time and there is no indication he left England.

The 1644 Watertown inventory of Grants showed five parcels granted Edmond Shearman: 4 acres of meadow in Pequusset Meadow; 7 1/2 acres of upland; 50 acres of upland being a Great Dividend in the First Division and second lot; 6 acres of plowland in the Hither Plain, and 6 acres of Remote Meadow & the 53rd lot.
In the 1644 Watertown Inventory of Possessions & Composite Inventory, Nicholas Busby held the homestall that had been granted to Andrew Ward and the Great Dividend, Plowland and Remote Meadows lots that had been granted to Edmond Sherman. This implies that Edmond Sherman purchased the homestall of Andrew Ward when the latter left for Wethersfield in 1635, after which Sherman received further grants based on the proprietary share attached to that homestall, and that Nicholad Busby purchased all these parcels from Sherman before 9 Apr 1638 when Busby was granted six acres at the Town Plot, based on the proprietary share attached to the homestall that came from Ward by way of Sherman. [Sketch of Edmund Sherman, The Great Migration online]

24 Apr 1641 Lands of Sam. Sherman, given him by his father Ed. Sherman, lying in Wethersfield on Connecticut River: 1 piece whereon his house & barn stands, 3 acres; one pice of 40 acres lying in the West Field, one pice on the east side of the Great River, 144 acres.

He died in New Haven in 1641 where the New Haven Colony Records, Vol 1, p.52, state "3 Mon 1641 an Inventory and will of Olde Father Shirman was delivered into Court". Neither the will nor the inventory has ever been found.

Edmund's children were baptized in Dedham, in England.

Samuel Sherman, of Dedham, brother of Edmund, left a will dated 14 Jun 1643 in which he made a bequest to his "loving sister Sherman, Edmond's widow, and to her son Samuel...her son John ....her daughters Grace and Ester Ward and her youngest daughter. "Ester" Ward can only be Hester Sherman who married Andrew Ward.

The Great Migration Newsletter; Online
April- June 2004; Vol. 13, No. 2
Edited by Robert Charles Anderson, FASG
"Milford Settlers"
The following list has an entry for each of the 123 proprietary shares in the 1640 List of Estates, in the order given in that document. The names of the Quarters have been assigned based on information found elsewhere in the early New Haven records.
Suburbs Quarter
81) Widow Sherman [2/50]
She was widow of Edmond Sherman, who had lived in Watertown and Wethersfield, and died soon after arrival in New Haven [FOOF 1:540]. John Livermore was his son-in-law. In 1646 this share had passed to John Thomas [BA 43], who was in New Haven by 7 April 1640 [NHCR 1:51]. John Thomas is not known to be related to the Sherman family, and this transfer may indicate that the widow Sherman had died prior to 1646.

Birth	Abt 1572	Dedham, Essex, England
Death	1641	New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut
Marriage		Grace ?Makin

Spouse	Grace ?Makin (1585 - )
Child	Edmund SHERMAN (1599 - 1673)
Child	Ann SHERMAN (1601 - )
Child	Joan SHERMAN (1603 - )
Child	HESTER SHERMAN (1606 - 1665)
Child	Richard SHERMAN (1608 - )
Child	Bezaleel SHERMAN (1611 - )
Child	Rev. John SHERMAN (1613 - 1685)
Child	Grace SHERMAN (1616 - 1691)
Child	Samuel SHERMAN (1618 - 1700)
Child	[Daughter] SHERMAN ( - )

Father	EDMUND SHERMAN (1548 - 1600)
Mother	ANNE Pellett (1549 - 1584)
Sibling	Henry SHERMAN (1570 - )
Sibling	Ann SHERMAN (1575 - )
Sibling	Richard SHERMAN (1577 - 1660)
Sibling	[Child] SHERMAN (1579 - 1579)
Sibling	Anne SHERMAN (1581 - 1625)
Sibling	Bezaliel SHERMAN (1582 - 1618)