Around 1983  Ted Sherwood, a great grandson of Alfred Sherwood  visited Alf Taylor at his home in Forster, NSW.  Alf had a very old Birthday Book which he gave to Ted.  The Birthday Book has in it the names of Sherwood family members and friends.   Inside the front cover the following is written...

"May Sherwood from her Aunt,  Jessie, 16^th  January 1890."

When I read this I was keen to find out who May Sherwood was. I knew that Alf Taylor’s mother Annie Mabel was a Sherwood before she married Thomas Taylor.  She was the daughter  of Charles and Charlotte Sherwood. They had eight  children, six of whom were daughters. I felt that the Birthday Book may have belonged to one of Charles and Charlotte’s daughters. This idea is supported by an entry in the Birthday Book’s  Memoranda.  It reads in part, ‘ In loving memory of my darling mother who died July 15, 1886.’   A check of my records revealed that  Charlotte Sherwood died on this date.

The author of this entry was obviously one of Charlotte’s children and quite possibly also the owner of the book.   

I  then checked the dates of birth of Charles  and Charlotte’s children and found that a Charlotte May Sherwood was born on the 16 January.  This was the  same date that the Birthday Book was presented to May Sherwood. On the 16 January 1890, Charlotte May turned 18.   The book may have been given to her as a present on her 18th birthday.

In a letter from Kath Shultz (as a young girl Kath  lived with Charlotte May)  she refers to Charlotte as ‘May Sherwood.’  I am quite satisfied that the Birthday Book was given to Charlotte May, the oldest daughter of Charles and   Charlotte Sherwood.

I can only speculate as to who aunt Jessie was.  A Jessie Sherwood signed the Birthday Book on December 31.  The handwriting is identical to that of aunt Jessie who wrote

"May Sherwood from Aunt Jessie, 16 January 1890."   

It is quite possible that ‘Aunt Jessie’ was Jessie Sherwood nee McInnes, wife of Alfred Sherwood. (Alfred was the brother of Charles junior, Charlotte’s father.)  She is the only aunt of Charlottes who I have been able to find who was named Jessie.  The following entries are also made in the same handwriting style.

October 25 Archie Watson Sherwood 1889

November 30 Jenny W  Sherwood.  

Archie Watson  was Jessie Sherwood’s grandson. He was the son of Archibald Ewen Sherwood. All this leads me to suspect that Charlotte May was given the Birthday Book by Jessie Sherwood nee McInnes.

The full title of the Birthday Book is  ‘The Birthday Scripture Text Book.’  It measures  10.5 cm x 13 cm x 2.5 cm thick.  It has a  limp calf cover and guilt edges.  It’s UK price was 2s 6 d. 

The book was published by...

LONDON: W. MACK, 28 PATERNOSTER ROW,
(also ND 38, Park Street, Bristol);
Simpkin, Marshall and Co;
Hamilton, Adams and Co;
Jarrold and Sons;
And all Booksellers

The Preface reads

‘This Book is intended to serve a threefold purpose.  Besides its general use for Daily Texts, it is so arranged so that it may be made a Book of Autographs, and a Record of the Birthdays of Friends.  It is handed by its owner to friends, that they may inscribe their names on the blank leaves opposite to the pages bearing the date of their respective birthdays; so that on these occasions they may be especially remembered in prayer...’

  Autographs 

  In the ‘Autographs’ section of the  Book on the 16 January the entry   ‘C. M. Sherwood singer’ appears.  The initials C. M most likely stand for Charlotte May. Charlotte May Sherwood  was born 16 January 1872, in Mt Gambier, South Australia.  
The ‘Autographs’ section of the book has the signatures of three of our original settlers Alfred, Charles, and Stephen Sherwood.   The three brothers were the sons of Charles and Mary Sherwood.    Their birthdays appear opposite their signatures and  match with their birthdays in the Sherwood Family Bible.  The book has the signatures of Mary Sherwood daughter of Arthur Sherwood senior and  several of Allen Sherwood’s children as well as the signature of Allen’s wife Melinda.    Samuel and Elizabeth Meek nee Sherwood’s daughter  Maud Meek signed the book as did   Charlotte May’s five sisters.

I found that most of the Sherwoods who appear in the book were the grandchildren of Charles and Mary Sherwood.

In the memoranda section of the book an American one cent stamp is pasted onto the page. The following entries also appear.

 In loving memory of my darling mother who died July 15^th 1886.
Not dead but gone before me.  I know she is at rest and I will meet her gladly in the Realms of the Blest.   

The mother referred to here is Charlotte Sherwood, mother of Charlotte May.  She was born 19 July 1845 and died 15 July 1886, at Nhill, Vic.

On another page headed memoranda the dates when two of Charlotte’s younger sisters were married are recorded.

Agnes Mary Sherwood married 20  October 1899

Annie Mable (Sic) Sherwood  married 10 November 1897.

Alf  Taylor’s mother  Annie Mabel Sherwood  married    Thomas Duston Taylor at Kinimakatka, near Nhill, Victoria in 1897. They moved to Holbrook NSW where Alf was born in 1901.  The family later moved to Culcairn, NSW. 

According to Alf, Charlotte May took him to Nhill when he was 17. (Ted’s letter 83) No doubt other relatives and friends of the Charlotte May Sherwood’s family also appear throughout the book.  (For instance   Alf   Taylor mentioned that the Haycroft family  were related to his mother.)

It would seem that Charles Sherwood junior’s home at Haycroft near Nhill was a popular meeting place for  family and friends.  The visitors no doubt were obliged to sign the Birthday Book.

An interesting twist in the story is that Alf Taylor gave the Birthday Book to Ted Sherwood.  Ted’s grandmother Jessie Sherwood  is the person who I believe gave the book to Charlotte as a birthday present in 1890.     Ted  was kind enough to give the Birthday Book to me in 1999.

© R J Sherwood. 2001

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