SHERMAN CEMETERY - BUSTI

SHERMAN CEMETERY

BUSTI, NY (junction of Baker Street Extension & the Big Tree-Sugar Grove Road)
The Sherman Family Cemetery is a small family plot at the junction of Baker Street Extension and the Big Tree-Sugar Grove Road.  It is the resting place of one of our Sherman families.
Joseph (5) Sherman, the son of Joseph (4) and wife Sarah who was also a Sherman, was born in Portsmouth, RI, 31 Marcy 1762.  He inherited a part of his father’s estate which he sold to his older brother, Samuel.  He lived for a time in Washington County, NY and then came on to Chautauqua County and settled on lot 32 in the Town of Busti, land previously owned by John Deming.  Baker Street runs throug the southern part of his farm.  Here he died, 15 Sept. 1855.  His wife Elizabeth (maiden name unknown) was born in 1776 and died 23 Sept. 1855, age 79, according to the family Bible, but the stone says she was 83-5-15 making her birth in 1772.
Lucy Darrow Peake in her book, "Biographies of the Early Families of Busti," says she was the daughter of Peleg Sherman and his wife Elizabeth Lawton, but their daughter Elizabeth was born 100 years and three generations earlier.
Many Shermans in this area are descendants of Joseph’s half-brother Oliver, the son of Joseph Sr.’s second wife, Ann Sessions.  Oliver came to Chautauqua County a widower and never remarried.  His daughters kept house for him.
Joseph spelled his name without the "a" in the earlier years, but towards the end of his life we find his signature with the "a" - Shearman.
Joseph (5) was descended from the Hon. Phillip Sherman, the emigrant, and his wife, Sarah Odding, through his son Benjamin (2) and wife Hannah Mowry, Joseph (3) and wife Margaret Manchester and Joseph (4) and first wife Sarah Sherman.
The Shearman family of Jamestown is descended from Hon. Philip Sherman through Peleg (2) and Elizabeth Lawton, Daniel (3) and Sarah Jenny, Seth (4) and Ruth Lapham, Humphry (5) a Revolutionary Soldier, and wife Mercy Lapham, Isaac (6) and Mary Gifford.  The latter came to Chautauqua County and resided near Sherman;s Bay in the Town of Busti.
The Loring Sherman family of Kiantone, who rest in the Stillwater Cemetery, are not descendants of the Hon. Philip Sherman, but join his family tree three generations earlier in England.  They are descended from John Sherman of Watertown, MA, through the Brimfield, MA line.
In researching the Sherman family, I found an interesting item on page 22 of the Gideon Sherman Genealogy, a fact too many people do not heed in their searching:
"Chautauqua County occupies the extreme western end of New York State and was first known as part of Northampton Township, Ontario County. On March 30, 1803 the name of Northampton Tp. was changed to Genesee County and Chautauqua was known as Chautauqua Township of Genesee County.  In 1808 by an Act of the Legislature Chautauqua Township was made Chautauqua County."
Perhaps for you many frustrated searchers your records lie in Ontario or Genesee County.
We were unable to find Samuel Clark in any of the history books, so Monday we hiked for the court house in Mayville.  There we found that Samuel bought land from the Holland Land Co. in 1833, 77 acres of lot 24 in the town of Busti bounded by Alexander Young on lot 24 and Harvey Young on lot 23 for which he paid $327.97.  According to his will, dated 3 Feb. 1844, and the probate dated 20 April 1847, he had sons William, John, Samuel and Valentine, and daughters Sarah, Betsey and Anna Eliza, the wife of Aaron Cook.  He left $100 "in good property" to be paid within to years after his death to Betsey, Ann Eliza, William, John and Valentine but not to Samuel.  To Sarah $50 "in good property," a cow, some sheep and some household furniture.  The rest of the property was left to Samuel and Valentine jointly with the proviso that they care for their mother during her lifetime "in comfort and with conveniences."  They were also to pay any debts which Samuel Sr. left.
In April 1862 Samuel and wife Harriet, and mother Wealthy also signing, sold the property to Jonathan Young, probably a son of Alexander Young, their neighbor.
In 1849 Valentine and Samuel bought John’s property.  He does not appear in the 1850 census of Busti.  Since he and William did not share in the homestead, we surmise that Samuel had already given them their share.  Valentine had a large number of children and was a great realtor.  The books are full of his many real estate deals.  In the census he calls himself a merchant.
While William and wife had two children buried on this plot, I do not find them in any neighboring cemetery, neither Valentine nor John.  But Samuel is in the Bentley-Lakewood on half of lot number 13 with Harriet, his second daughter Virginia, and six other Clarks.  Not all could be his children from the dates.  The 1855 census lists Augusta Fargo, age 13, "his wife’s sister."  Lyman C. Fargo, born 1803 and died 1849 is on this lot.  I suspect he is the father of Harriet 1835-1916.  She married secondly, a Cheney.  Samuel was born 1822 died 1875.  The 1822 agrees with the census.  We would be most happy to have descendants contact us.

QUERIES

A66 JOHNSTON, William died 11 Apr 1864.  Buried in Magnolia Cemetery.  One record says his wife was Margarette another record says she was Mary.  Are they one and the same or did he have two wives?  What was her maiden name?  RP

A67  JOHNSTON, Newell 1834-1908 and Merritt died 1906 in Magnolia.  Are they sons of above William?  Newell’s wife was Susan. What was her maiden name?  RP

A68  JOHNSTON, Milton born 1843.  Was he son of William?  Did he die in infancy?  RP

A69  HOLLIDAY-GREEN.  Were Matilda Holliday and Minnie Green Akin sisters?  What relation are they to the above Johnstons?  Did they have two sisters who married a Crandall and a Webber?  RP

A70  HARRISON, Reuben died 17 April 1877 age 47.  His wife Cornelia died 19 June 1870 age 36.  Was she a daughter of Edmund Wells?  They are buried on his lot in Magnolia cemetery.  Does an one have a family history or Bible records of this family?  HTA

A71  CLARE TAYLOR HOWE EATON born Smethport, PA died in town of Chautauqua 10 Aug 1895 age 68.  Where is she buried?  Who were her parents and first names of husbands?  HTA

A72  DAVIS, Blance wife of Taylor Davis died 1 Nov. 1942.  What was her maiden name?

A73  TAYLOR, Alice J., widow of Silas Taylor died 19 Aug. 1931 age 87.  When and where did Silas die?  IS he buried here without a stone?  HTA

A74  CLARK-WHITNEY.  Lucy, daughter of Isaac and Hannah Clark died 1903 age 63, wife of Alexander Whitney.  Who are these Clarks and Whitneys?  NT

A75  TURNER.  Tradition days my ancestor, Theophelus Turner or his father, were the original owners or settlers on what is now known as Chautauqua.  Is this true?  Is there anyone who would be interested in exchanging TURNER data?  G. Glodo of Nevada.

A76  FENTON, George W. born in town of Ellery on Pickard Street.  His father, mother and three sisters and grandmother are buried in Red Bird Cemetery.  His grandfather and uncle are buried across road from Pickard Street School House.  I believe his mother’s name was Avery.  Did they come from Connecticut?  His brother Nelson Fenton is buried in the Fluvanna Cemetery.  EB.

A77  HAVILAND, Washington married whom for this second wife?  Where are they buried?  His first wife was Hannah Haskin daughter of Ira.  EMB

A78  DEVINE.  Wanted are names of parents of Ruth Devine Barry, wife of Heath Barry, who lived on Town Line Road in Harmony.  The Devine family is thought to have lived in the Ellington area.  She taught on the Seneca Indian Reservation before her marriage.  EBS

A79  CLARK.  Can anyone tell us where the sons of Samuel Clark and wife Wealthy are buried?  There was William, Valentine and John.  Also would like to have data on daughters Sarah and Ann Eliza wife of Aaron Cook.  Fenton

A80  KIMBALL.  Who was Philip Kimball?  He was not in the 1850 census of Busti nor in Young’s History of Chautauqua County.  If he had a wife, where is she buried?  Fenton
 

SOURCE: Fenton Historical Society Deserted Cemetery Series.  From the Jamestown Journal 28 September 1968, compiled and written by Edna Ingham