NEHGS NEXUS, Vol. Vlll, No. 6 20: Sherwin Family
d. Malone 7 April 1864, dau. of Francis and Eunice 1810 Chester, Vt. census; 10-16 in the1820cen.o:;us, (Holden) Harris. C hild ren of Daniel and Mary (Har nnd 2G-30 in 1830. Harriet statcJ in her 1841 lc:>ttcr to her ris), the first b. Shirley, others b. Malone, N.Y.: /01111 M. niece Uiat she had been a schoolteacher "for many Slierwin, b. ca. 1809, d. 16 June 1837; Fra11cis H. Slier years." win, b. 30 Dec. 1814, d. 6 March 1895, m. 2 Nov. 1840 viii. (prub.) Fanny Sherwin, b. at. June 1805, d. Chester 6 Dec. Mary 1\1111 Wilson; Polly Slien11i11, b. ca. 1824; Lerona K. 1805, ae. 5 mos. (VT VRs). (vi.) and (viii.) arc listed ;is Slienuin, b. 25 Jru1. 1827, d . 18 Nov. 1918, m. William daus. of Da niel only because they are bur. in IJrooksklt 5 6 S. Hel111s; Stillman Sl1envin, b. ca. 1829; Rlrorla Slier Ccm., C hester, where Daniel and John were bur. also. win, b. ca. 1833, m. D .E. Hastings (Cram Papers). ix. One other male, s ince Ha rriet referred to not hearing ii. John Sherwin, b. prob. Townsend ca. 1783, d. Chesler, from "either of my other brothers." (Mrs. Fisher sug Vt. 8 Jan . 1808, ae. 24 (in VT VRs called son of "Capt. gests Ulat lhe other bro. mny be Samuel S hCTwin, hcnd Daniel rutd Abigail" Sherwin). of a household in C hester, Vt. in 1810 and 1820, and i11 iii. Bild ad Sherwin, b. prob. Andover, Vt. 29 Oct. 1792, d. Grafton, Vt. in 1830. He died in Grafton .''age 53 yea%' 2 Orlru1d, Steuben Co., Ind iana 21 Dec. 1841 (Gmy, 36); m. June 1840 (VT VRs); news of his death might not have prob. Cheste r or Dorset, Vt. ca. 1811 PhiJinda Rider, reached his sister Ha rriet by May 1841. Samuel's w ifo b. Dorset 20 March 1794, d. Jackson or O rla1ct_1 5 Sept. was Roxa11a - , named on the death l\'C. of thC' ir son 7 6 1837, dau. of Stephen Rider (Ebe11ezer , jolr11 ~ Ziic11- Daniel. 1l1e will of Ira Sherwin, another son of S
the first time, you will have the added benefits of your cousin's familiarity with the language, area, and local customs. Perhaps you can even persuade them to ex plore some of the k>cal record repositories before your arrival. In the fall of 19821 made just such a research trip. Although not of Italian ancestry myself, I have long been interested in a certain fami ly named Del Vecchio that lived in New York City in the early 1800s. In the course of researching a branch of my mother's family, I found that the wedding of my great-grandparents, Mark and Harriet Ann (Irish) Wray, at Flushing, N.Y. 16October1850, was actually a double ceremony. Harriet's sister Emma married Joseph John Paul Del Vecchio the same day (New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, 110 ll979 l: 72). Additionally, I fow1d that an Irish family Bible owned by a cousin showed The comune of Moltrasio, as seen from Lake Como. Photo by that Joseph Del Vecchio died in 1866 (see David Curtis D.C. Dearborn. Dearborn, "The Irish Family of England and New York City," The Genealogist, 3 [19821: 5, 12-13, 21). The more I registers kept by the Roman Catholic Church for bap researd1ed the Del Vecdtios, the more fascinated I became. tisms, marriages and burials. Although I had not made Joseph's faU1er, Charles Del VecdUo (ca. 1787-1854), along a prior appointment to see the local parrocco (priest), I with several of Joseph's uncles, came to New York was anned with letters of introduction. The late geneal City in the first decade of the 1800s and these brothers ogist John Insley Coddington, w ho in 1960 had planned quickly established themselves as makers a nd sellers (but never undertook) a similar research expedition to of looking-g lasses and dealers in prints, frames and the neighboring parish of Ravenna, supplied me with artists' supplies (see Betty Ring, "Check List of Look letters to the local bishop and parish priest written by a ing-Glass and Frame Makers and Merchants Known personal friend, a monsignore attached to the Vatican by Their Labels," Antiques, 119[19811:1182; Desmond Secretary of State. I presented these, along wilh a cover Fitz-Gerald, ''The Dublin Del Vecchios," Antiques, 120 letter written in Italian by John, to the parrocco. Im 11 981]: 910-14). Happily for me, two of the undes, pressed, he generously allowed me full access to the Joseph and John, died unmarried in New York City in registers, wh.id1 were arranged in a series of small books 1815, leaving w ills with nearly identical provisions in fine condition, kept in a cupboard in his office. and naming their mother, Giovanna Del Vecchio, of The priest spoke no English and he had no photo the parish of Moltrasio on Lake Como in Italy. Now I copier, so it was up to me to make w hat sense I could knew w here to look in Italy to find their ancestors. of Ule registers. There were separate books for baptisms, Lake Como is nestled among the Italian Alps on marriages and deaths, a nd a ll were written in a clear, the Swiss border, less than an hour's train ride north ltaJic hand. La ter entries were in Italian, but before of Milan. It is one of U1e most scenic and charming spots about 1800 they were kept in Latin. Because the words imaginable, and has been a popular vacation retreat and phrases used for each entry were repetitious, I had since ancient Roman times. The small city of Como, lo little difficulty in understand ing the text. cated at the southernmost tip of the fjo rd-like Jake, is The registers showed U1e baptisms of twelve children also the capital of the province of Como, and a modest of Giovanni Del Vecd1io, son of Pietro (in Latin, JoatUles, pensione near the waterfront became my base of opera son of Petrus), and his wife Giovanna Donegana, tions. Not knowing anyone in the area and not being daughter of Francesco, between 1765 and 1787. After able to speak the language were handicaps, but pocket the name of each child, the names of godparents were dictionaries and phrasebooks allowed me to commun listed. Giovanni Del Vecchio and Giovanna Donegana icate my needs, and at last I had found a place where had been married at Moltrasio 26 April 1764. Further my somewhat rusty high school Latin could be used! At research showed that Giovanni was baptized there 17 local bookstalls I purchased detailed maps of the area May 1739, son of Pietro (son of Alterio) and Domenica and English-language guidebooks with illustrations. Peduza (daughter of Bernardo), while Giovanna was It was helpful for me to be in a popuJar tourist area, baptized a t Moltrasio 17 May 1744, daughter of Fran but I found that nearly every small village in Italy is cesco Donegani (son of Giovanni) and Cattarina Duri.Jti accessible by bus or some form of public transportation. (daughter of Francesco). TI1e small village of Moltrasio lies about six or seven miles The registers of deaths were equaJly informative. I p the lake, and is accessible from Como via a very pic learned that Giovanni had died at Moltrasio on 14 April iresque ferry ride. Because this area of Italy did not 1809 "aged about 72 years" and that his wife Giovanna <> ~ n keeping civil vital records until after unification died posidente (weaJthy) on 5 February1822, aged 76, of ~60, my main objective was to examine the parish pneumonia. What was most fascil1ating was that the .. /
200 EH NEXUS, Vol. Vil!, ~o. 6
( deaths of several o f their children w ho had emigr 1Rl\NGE COUNTY CALI F O"""'~ · ·.~ Gf 1~E1-\LOGiCA '-- SOC1£ , r ' NEHGS NEXUS, Vol. Vlll, No. 6 201 4. "Either of my other brothers," from whom noth ing has been heard recently. 5. "Sister Morris Iwho I wrote .... i.nfonning us of [the) death of her third daughter, Sarah." 1se nt a copy of this le tler to M rs. Jean Fis he r of Far- 1nington, Conn., who had placed Sherwin queries in the National Genealogical Society newsletter, NEXUS and elsewhere. She replied that Ira and Harrie t were children of Daniel Sherwin and Abigail Maiming, who spent their married life in Massachusetts ai1d Vennont. She had no informa tion, however, about Bild ad or 'l ~~'I{ "Sister'' Morris. Subsequent researd1 indicates that Bil .,, ,.. d ad was iJ1deed a brother of Ira, H arriet, aild "Siste r'' ... ' . Morriss as well as of (probably) five other children of 4 3 2 1 Daniel Sherwin (Da11iel , Ebenezer • , joh11 ) a nd 6 4 3 2 1 Abigai.1 Manning (Sa11111et5, john , Samuc/ , Willia111 - ). "Sister'' Morris can probably be ide ntified as the Nabby lAbigaill Sherwin o f C heste r, Vt., w ho married John Morris there 24 April 1814. A s tandard Regisler form treatment of this family follows. Oaniel5 Sherwin was born in Townsend, Mass. 3 May 1757, and d ied in C hester, Vt. 17 April 1834, son of Daniel and Susannah (Proctor) Sherwin (Sherwin, 1-12). He married at Townsend (int. 24 March 1781) 171e broken lo111bslo11e of Abigt1il (M11111i11g) Shenui11 (1760-1848), Abigail Manning, born at Townsend 25November1760, 11 wife of Bilrlnrl, nl J /nrborcreek, Pe1111sylvn11in. Nole Sl·ptc111/Jer 3"/." daughter of Samuel and Abigail (Avery) Manning. Phutogrnph by Phillip/\. Uiirrl. Abigail (MaimiJ1g) Sherwin was living at Harborcreek, Penn. 25 July 1848 w hen she appeared before a justice of the peace concerning her Revolutionary War vet film #2485, Vt. Recs.). At about this time he moved to eran's widow's pension (W.H. Maiming, 771e Man11i11g nearby Chester, Vt., w here he lived until his death, intes Fm1111ies of New England l1902, henceforth Manni11g J, 208-10; tate, 17 April 1834 (1800-1830 censuses, Windsor Co., Vt.; forthcoming Townsend VRs, 11, 217, 221; Rev. War Pen Ludlow !Vt. I District Probate, 14:41; Vennont VRs). sion File W4510, Daniel Shenvin, Mass., National Arch ives, The widow Abigail and her d a ughte r Harriet moved Washington, D.C.). to Harborcreek, Penn., to be with Abigail's son lra, a Apply iJ1g in 1838 for a Revolutionary War veteran's physician, w ho had resided the re s ince 1825 (Pens ion widow's pension, Abigail said that her maniage to Daniel file W4510; Benjamin W hitman et al., Hist01y of Eric Sherwin took place "the last Wednesday of May 1780" Co., Pe1111. 11884 I, 444). Abigail was s till living there 25 l1781 I? H er brother Samuel Manning of A ndover, Vt., July 1848, aged 87, w hen s he testified before a justice of said that he remembe red "Daniel Sherwin's father the peace concerning her Revolutio na ry War pension coming to my parents and asking for consent to marry "under the new law'' (Pension file W4510). She died in my sister Abigail, w hich they gave. They had several Harborcreek in Septem ber 1848 (broken g.s., Erie Ccm.: children In ames not g iven I." Samuel said that he lived "Abagail ls icl Sl1erwi11 , Bor11 i11 Townsend Mass. 25 Nvv. "a considerable time" in the fa.m.ily of Daniel aild 1760. Died in Harborcreek Pa. Sept. 31, 1848, Aged 88 Abigail Anoth er brother, Joel Maiming of Ludlow, Vt., years .. .)". The impossible date Sept. 31 is clearly carved. said that he was present at the wedding and that he Data on Dr. lra Sherwin's fainily, including cemetery also li ved with the fainily for some time. The widow's data, was supplic