October 22, 2023 | observertoday.com
Forestville, NY – As part of the Forestville Fall Festival, a New York State Historical Marker honoring Daniel Sherman was placed at the 19th century Sherman home at the intersection of Pearl and Center streets.
Hanover Historian Vince Martonis designed the marker to help residents remember Sherman’s significance to Chautauqua County and New York State history. His home is part of a proposed historic district which the Imagine Forestville Committee has been working on for several years, so the placement of the marker will help with this proposal.
Sherman held many important positions. He was an attorney in Forestville, later becoming a county surrogate judge. He was also District Attorney for the county.
As an appointed attorney for the Seneca Indians, he helped them win border disputes on the Cattaraugus and Oil Creek reservations. President Grant later appointed him U. S. Agent for the Six Nations.
Besides being Hanover Superintendent of Schools, he helped found the Forestville Free Academy, holding the position of Board of Trustees President for over 20 years.
He was a founding member of the Chautauqua Society of History and Natural Sciences, which evolved into the Chautauqua County Historical Society. In 1885, he delivered a major paper about the Six Nations for the society.
Born in Busti in 1821, he spent his life in Forestville after becoming a lawyer in 1848. He married Mary Covill of that village and was the father of five children. Passing in 1903, he is buried in Prospect Cemetery in Forestville.
