BIOGRAPHY: 
From the A.T. Andreas Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa, 1875

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SAMUEL SHERWOOD, ESQ. – This gentleman, who is one of the earliest settlers of 
Independence, where he resided for nearly thirty years, and who was formerly known 
throughout Northern Iowa, as one of the most accomplished practical jokers in the West, 
is a native of the Green Mountain State, where he was born in the Town of Fairfield, 
October 18, 1820, which makes him at the present time in the fifty-sixth year of his age.  
The incidents of his childhood did not differ materially from those of many other active, 
wide-awake Yankee boys whose after lives have fully sustained the peculiar traits of 
character for which the descendants of New England have become somewhat notorious.  
His education was received at the common district school in his native village, which he 
attended a portion of the time after he was seven until he became of age, receiving, as he 
says of himself, "more marks of honor and appreciation from his teachers than any other 
boy in school," as he was very often allowed to occupy that conspicuous seat known as 
the "dunce block."  He also claims to have made more rapid progress in mechanics than 
his associates, owing to the fact that he was more familiar with, and better understood the 
practical working of the master's "experimental rule," which was thoroughly calculated 
to sharpen his ideas in circular work, obtuse angles, etc., as well as to give him a practical 
knowledge of the power of the lever, and the necessity of avoiding unnecessary friction.

When he was twenty-one he determined to make a practical use of his mechanical turn of 
mind, and commenced learning the millwright's trade, putting himself under the 
instruction of T. B. Hill, with whom he worked most of the time for four years, 
thoroughly mastering every detail of that rather difficult trade.  Becoming dissatisfied, 
and desiring a larger field of operation, he concluded to try his fortune in the West, and 
locating at Jamesville, Wisconsin, he remained some two years working at his trade, and 
assisting in fitting up some of the largest and best mills in Southern Wisconsin and 
Northern Illinois.  In the Winter or early Spring of 1847 he was induced by S. S. McClure 
and others to remove o Independence, Iowa, and take charge of the erection of a dam and 
saw mill on the Wapsipinicon River at that point.  After completing these he built a 
flouring mill with two run of stone, just below the saw mill, which stood for many years 
doing excellent work.

After coming to Iowa he became acquainted with Dr. Edward Brewer, who had been in 
the county a number of years, and was then engaged in the somewhat novel enterprise of 
catching wild deer, elk and buffalo, and training them for New York market.  Mr. 
Sherwood was greatly interested in the experiment, and it is generally understood 
invested something in a race horse to be used in assisting to catch the valuable game.  
The experiment proving a failure, owing to the low market price of this kind of stock, he 
concluded not to invest further.

Mr. Sherwood has a pleasant family, consisting of a wife and four children, is the 
principal stockholder in the Independence Mill Company and always keeps a good shot 
gun, a number of well trained pointers, and other hunting paraphernalia, with which he 
frequently takes a day's sport, seemingly enjoying it as much as in his younger days 
when the country was new and game more plenty, while he has not lost any of his 
appreciation of a "good story well told."