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From letter written in 1954 to my grandmother Zella Rae Hoyer, it states that John Wesley Sherman #1 was the son of Benjamin Sherman.
Benjamin Sherman who migrated from Bennington,VT in the later part of 1700 to a small settlement called Murder Creek, 20 miles East of Tonawanda,NY. We do not have a name for the wife of Benjamin Sherman.
Information on John Wesley Sherman #1 was that he died 1 mile west of Climax,Mi. Which was called Climax Prairie Twp. This was before Michigan became a state. It is also said that he suffered a Heart Attack. In an old letter from his son it states that his dad's heart exploded.
John Wesley Sherman died at age 58 on the present Herbert Pierce Farm in "Toad Hollow", 1 mile west of Climax, Michigan.
As of 2003, the only thing that is named with Toad Hollow is an old Cemetery which is probalby where the settlement was in 1861.
When John Wesley and Mila Sherman came to Climax, they lived in a log cabin just out side of Climax Prairie (The cabin is no longer there.)
John W. and Mila's son John Wesley #2, lived on a farm 1 mile east , and 1/4 mile north of the West Leroy Church. Their children: Daniel Eldred, Mila Effie, Albert Austin, Ida Mae, Eber Rolfe, and Walter Ray were born in the "old house down the lane,"on the Climax Farm. (Now the Fred Root Farm). They bought is from either Caleb or Wellington Eldred.
John Wesley's(#1,) playmates were Indian Boys. One of them , Sammy Kay, was the Pottawatomy Chiefs son. He later became Chief of his tribe at the Indian Village near Athens, Michigan. Norris Sherman remembered of Old Sammy visiting them at Climax on different occasions. He and John Wesley Sherman (#1) always remained great friends.
From a story written by Betty Lillie Timmerman/ The Pioneers of Climax Prairie,Michigan
Bumping through wilderness in covered wagons across tree covered plains came a small band of pioneers headed by Judge Steven Eldred. Ahead of them they saw an open space. This spot was the highest point between Chicago and Port Huron.
They decended the rise in the ground and looked around. They were looking for the small settlement of Kalamazoo. They looked over the beautiful ground and Judge Eldred exclaimed, " This caps the Climax."
Thus came into being the town of Climax Prairie.
There were Indians in the territory who traded with the new settlers. They would say,"Bush-Ap" when they wanted apples. They would march into the settlers houses and exchange beads and mossosins for bread. The settlers could shoot deer or bear within 10 feet of the houses. Before long, they were erecting buildings and a school.
The town of Climax is a very pretty little village, because the pioneers were far sighted enough to line their streets with trees, and now in the summer time the Maples form an arch over the street.
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