[lindsay.FTW]
John Sherrod Sr.
1630-1706The family name at this point may have been "Sherrer", "Sherrard" or"Shearer". The Sherrod name is believed to have evolved from "Shearer."Early Sherrods seem to have been pretty casual about the spellings oftheir names. There is a copy of a handwritten will for one of the earlySherrods and the family name is spelled differently at two places in thesame will.
There is some evidence that John Sherrer Sr. was the son of GeorgeShearer. George Shearer came to Virginia from England in 1637. Hisheadright was claimed by Thomas Hampton, May 19, 1637 when he secured apatent to 700 acres on the Nansemond River in the upper parish of NewNorfolk. In 1688 John Sherrer with John Wakefield received a land grantof 1050 acres. The grant was described as "1050 acres on branches of thefirst SW of the Black Water, adjacent Cook's Lyne and their own land."
The will of John Sherrer was made on January 23, 1705. He deed to"Elizabeth Sherrer, the widow of John Sherrer, Jr., the plantation whichshe now lives on the fall to John Sherrer my grandson." John Sr. and hiswife (daughter of Thomas Parnell) had six children.