THOMAS SHERWOOD (born 1585 in England, died 1655 in Fairfield, CT) and his first wife Alice (Seabrook?) came to America in 1634 on board the "Francis, " which sailed out of Ipswich, England. Their names and ages, and those of several of their children, are recorded on the original ship's register. For a number of years, Thomas was Fairfield, CT's Deputy to the General Court at Hartford. In other words, he represented the colonists of the Fairfield area when the colonial government was in session in Hartford. He was the official escort of "Goody" Knapp to the gallows after her trial for witchcraft in 1653. Thomas's second wife was MARY (FITCH?).

STEPHEN SHERWOOD, son of Thomas and Mary, was born c1642 in Fairfield, CT, and died 1715 in Rye, Westchester County, NY. His wife was REBECCA TURNEY.

NATHANIEL SHERWOOD, son of Stephen and Rebecca, was born in 1672 and died in 1732. He and his wife ABIGAIL ----- were residents of Rye.

NATHANIEL SHERWOOD was born in 1711 and died in 1775. His wife was MARY -----.

NEHEMIAH SHERWOOD was born January 30, 1755, in Greenwich, CT, and died July 15, 1820, in Rye. His wife was MARY SHELLEY, daughter of Gilbert Shelley. They were married September 30, 1784. Mary was born July 25, 1756, presumably in Rye, and died October 5, 1852, in Bedford, Westchester County, NY. Both Nehemiah and Mary are buried in the Sherwood Cemetery in Bedford.

PHEBE SHERWOOD was born September, 1792, in either Rye or Bedford, and married JOHN WILSON. By 1838, John and Phebe, at least three of their children, and many of Phebe's brothers and sisters, had relocated upstate to Butternuts (now known as Gilbertsville), Otsego County, NY. The 1860 Butternuts census has John still alive but living apart from Phebe. Nothing further is known about John. Phebe died in Butternuts on March 2, 1876, and is buried in Unadilla at the Sand Hill Cemetery.

all information above comes from the following sources: Geoffrey Sherwood ( demidave@ix.netcom.com ), The Local History Collection of The Gilbertsville Free Library, and from family records.

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As seen above, JOHN WILSON left no information by which we can trace him. We know he was born c1790 somewhere in Connecticut and that his occupation was that of farmer. Why he led the exodus from Rye to Butternuts, why he was living apart from his wife, and why no further information can be found on him are all unknown.

JOHN WILSON JR was born October 26, 1830, in Westchester County, NY, and was a harness maker. He seemed to have moved around the area pursuing his occupation but stayed mostly in the same general vicinity. I have a photocopy of the family Bible pages of his wife CATHERINE MARIAH COON, daughter of Wilhemus and Catharine Coon. "Catharine Mariah was Born the 23 of November AD 1826." Of her parents it says "Catharine Coon was Born the 26th of May AD 1806. Wilhemus Coon was born the 25th of November AD 1806." "Catharine Coon Died May, the 21, 1881." John and Catharine were married in 1851, place unsure, possibly Columbia County, NY, where Catharine was born. John and Catharine lived a very short distance from the Unadilla border and within walking distance from the farm where Hiram Fisk lived. John died February 22, 1911, and Catharine died January 18, 1915, in Guilford, NY. Both are buried at the Brookside Cemetery in Gilbertsville.

MARY FRANCES WILSON was born in Butternuts on January 25, 1854, and died in Unadilla on December 18, 1927. She was married to HIRAM FISK JR, who was born July 31, 1849, in Unadilla, and died in Unadilla on May 16, 1937. see Fisk genealogy.