Sherman, John H.

SHERMAN, SPARKS, SHOOP

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 10/21/2009 at 07:33:54

Sherman, John H.

What characterizes the present age of industry in contrast with all that have gone before is the great and wonderful diversity of pursuits. One merchant of today will handle nothing but hats, another nothing but stationery, another nothing but confectionery, and so on; few manufacturers nowadays turn out more than one product, and in nearly every line of endeavor in this rushing, specializing, industrial age, this fact is traceable. To a considerable extent this holds good on the farm as well as in the city; the modern agriculturist is turning his attention to some specific branch of farming, and only pursues the others so far as they will aid him in making a success of the one.

In following the one he but observes the tendency of the times to concentrate most of his attention on certain lines which are thus sure to be vastly more successful than if his efforts were scattered over many occupations. Thus it is found that some farmers make a specialty of raising certain grades of stock, to the exclusion of general farming except as the latter will aid him with his stock. A good exponent of both general and special farming is to be found in John H. Sherman, one of the best known citizens of the southeastern part of Jasper County, and the son of one of the honored and most influential of the pioneers of Lynn Grove Township, in the development of which the Shermans have been among the most active during the past half century or more, and in which Township occurred the birth of the subject on March 23, 1861, and here he has been content to spend his life. He is the son of Thomas and Peninah (Sparks) Sherman. The paternal grandfather, Harris Sherman, was a native of Massachusetts, and in 1831 this family moved to Portage County, Ohio, and settled among the pioneers there, Mr. Sherman engaging in farming there until his death, at the advanced age of eighty-seven years, his wife also reaching a ripe old age.

The Sparks family originated in Wales, from which country they emigrated to America and settled in Maryland in the early history of this country, later making their home in North Carolina, and still later in Kentucky. The maternal grandparents, John R. and Elizabeth Sparks, were born in Adair County, Kentucky, he on March 16, 1806, and she on January 7, 1806, and there they grew up and were married, and moved to Illinois in the early settlement of that state, and from there came on to Lee County, Iowa, in 1836, making their home there until 1845, when they moved to Jasper County, locating in section 10, Lynn Grove Township, entering about three hundred and twenty acres from the government. Mr. Sparks had little of this world's goods when he arrived here: he had twenty-five dollars in money, a span of horses, three yoke of oxen and two plows. But he liked nothing better than to begin life in a new country, and he made a clearing, built a rude hut and went to work with his usual courage, and soon had a good farm and comfortable home in which he spent the remainder of his life, dying on August 17, 1886, his wife having preceded him to the grave only a short time, her death having occurred on June 7th of that year. Their lives were remarkable in that they began and closed, each within a few days of the other and during a long flight of years they traversed the pathway side by side. They were among the first settlers of Iowa and their like are not frequently met with nowadays.

John R. Sparks built the first saw-mill in Lynn Grove Township, choosing for the site the present village of Lynnville, on the Skunk River, and he also established the first grist-mill here, in fact, this antedated the saw-mill some time, he having established these mills at Lynnville before he began farming in this vicinity.

Thomas Sherman, father of John H., of this review, was born in Massachusetts, on September 6, 1828, and in 1831 he accompanied his parents to Portage County, Ohio, and there grew to maturity on the home farm, receiving such education as those early times afforded in the public schools.

Early in life he manifested an unusual ability as a financier. In 1854 he came to Jasper County, Iowa, reaching here with absolutely nothing, and he began working for John R. Sparks, for two years at twelve dollars per month. On April 10, 1856, he married his employer's daughter, Peninah. She was born in Morgan County, Illinois, on December 3, 1835. He had been economical, saved his money and after his marriage bought two hundred and forty acres of land in Lynn Grove Township, not far from the Sparks homestead, for which he paid only one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, when this Township had a population of less than two hundred. He built a frame house of native walnut trees. Being a man of keen business discernment and good judgment, he prospered from the first, and added to his original purchase from time to time until he owned one thousand and sixty acres of valuable Jasper County land which he divided mostly among his seven children before his death. His home farm was a model in every respect, and he became, one of the County's leading agriculturists and substantial citizens, prominent and influential and a man whom everybody trusted and esteemed. He retained the old homestead until his death, on April 10, 1909, his widow surviving until January 27, 1911, both having reached advanced ages. He was a great reader, kept well advised on current topics and was an intelligent and progressive citizen. He dealt exclusively in land, never refusing to sell when offered a reasonable profit. When the Iowa Central railroad built through this country he aided in organizing and founding the town of Sully. He' gave his children good educations and they are all doing well in life's affairs. In politics he was a Republican and he and his wife belonged to the Methodist Protestant Church, to which their parents before them also belonged.

John H. Sherman, of this review, grew up on his father's farm and when he became of proper age assisted in the general work on the same. After passing through the public schools of his community, he spent four years in Iowa College at Grinnell. In 1886 he returned to his native community and took up his life work. On December 23, 1887, he was united in marriage with Anna L. Shoop, daughter of a highly respected family. They started housekeeping on the farm, which his father had given him. Later he bought a part of the homestead and now owns a valuable, well-improved and productive farm of one hundred and eighty acres in Lynn Grove Township and has met with a large measure of success as a general farmer and stock raiser. He has placed many modern improvements on this land, including a new and attractive dwelling and a good barn, fencing, etc. He has dealt in stock raising all his life, and for some time specialized in breeding Poland-China hogs. In the fall of 1908 he moved to Sully and built a fine modern home in that pleasant village, in the southeast part of town where he now lives retired, leaving the operation of his farm to his sons, though he still maintains general supervision of the same.

Politically, Mr. Sherman is a Republican and he and his wife have always been members of the Methodist Protestant church. Mrs. Sherman was born in Ohio, the daughter of William and Elizabeth Shoop, the father a soldier in the Civil War, dying after returning from the army, of sickness contracted in line of service. About 1867 his widow and daughter came to Iowa and located near Kellogg, Jasper County. Mrs. Shoop lived until 1894. Anna L., wife of Mr. Sherman, was her only child.

To Mr. and Mrs. Sherman three children were born, namely: Emerson, born November 5, 1888; Raymond, born September 9, 1890, and Florence M., born August 6, 1900. Past and Present of Jasper County Iowa B. F. Bowden & Company, Indianapolis, IN, 1912 Page 479.