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The saga of the name Shermyn follows a line reaching back through history to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It was a name for someone who worked as a person who worked as a sheep-shearer deriving from the middle English word "sheareman," which meant "shearer." Alternately, and especially in Norfolk, the name was derived from "shireman," that is, a person born outside the county. 1
The surname Shermyn was first found in various counties and shires throughout ancient Britain. In fact, "in [the] Domesday Book the Judge of the County-court was called a Seirman, i.e., Shireman. The Anglo Saxon scirmann is defined by Bosworth as 'a man who superintends, shireman, provincial, an overseer, governor, provost, bailiff of a hundred.' " 1
The earliest record of the name that we could find was Roger Sereman who was listed in 1207 in Leicestershire. A few years later William le Shereman was listed in 1281 and the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk list John Sherman in 1327. In the same year, the Subsidy Rolls of Essex listed Philip Shareman (Sharman.) 2
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shermyn research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1611, 1662, 1670, 1671 and 1687 are included under the topic Early Shermyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Shermyn were recorded, including Sherman, Shearman, Sharman, Shaerman, Shirman and others.
Notables of this surname at this time include: Philip Sherman (1611-1687), an English founding settler of Portsmouth in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations; and Roger Sherman of Connecticut, signer of the American Declaration of Independence.
John Sherman (died 1671), was an English historian of Jesus College, Cambridge, a native of Dedham...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shermyn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Shermyn family emigrate to North America: John Sherman, who settled in Boston in 1634; Phillip, Edmund, Thomas; and William Sherman all settled in Virginia in 1652; Thomas Sherman settled in Barbados in 1634.