Bios: ROBERT M. SHERER, 20th Century History of New Castle and Lawrence County Pennsylvania and Representative Citizens
  
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       ROBERT M. SHERER,
   
   [p. 527] a leading citizen and prominent farmer of North Beaver
   Township, residing on his valuable property which contains 125 acres of
   excellent land, lying two miles west of Mt. Jackson, on the Small's
   Ferry road, belongs to an early pioneer family of this section. Mr.
   Sherer was born October 25, 1830, in the brick house in which he
   resides, in North Beaver Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, and is
   a son of Joseph and Nancy (McFarland) Sherer, and a grandson of Richard
   Sherer.
   
   Richard Sherer came to North Beaver Township as one of the earliest
   settlers. Almost all this fertile country was then covered with timber
   and very few cabins had yet been erected in the little clearings.
   Richard Sherer acquired 200 acres. He was a man of more ambition and of
   better business perceptions than his neighbors and, in addition to
   building a log house in which to shelter his family, he opened up a
   store in the upper part of the spring house, and with the assistance of
   his son Joseph, conducting it very successfully. He subsequently
   purchased for the latter the farm which his grandson, Robert M., now
   owns, paying $500 for the 125 acres. Joseph Sherer was a boy when he
   accompanied his father from Eastern Pennsylvania to the wild regions of
   Lawrence County. He served as a soldier in the War of 1812. He assisted
   his father in clearing up the farm on which the latter had settled,
   about one mile distant from the present one, which later became his, and
   with his father went often into the forest in search of game. Robert M.
   Sherer owns the rifle with which his grandfather formerly shot deer, on
   the present farm. In 1823 Joseph Sherer built the standing barn, its
   dimensions being 80 by 45 feet, and it was a notable structure in its
   day, being the largest barn in Beaver County, North Beaver Township then
   being included in that county. Every part of this old and still stanch
   building was hewed out of solid timber, not a stick was sawed. In 1826,
   when Joseph Sherer built the present brick house, it attracted attention
   far and near. There were very few brick houses in the county at that
   time. Like his father, Joseph Sherer was a man of business enterprise
   and acquired a large estate. He was married twice, first to a Miss
   Forbice and second to Nance McFarland. There were four children born to
   his first union and six to the second, Robert M. being the youngest son
   of this marriage. In addition to his other enterprises, Joseph Sherer
   operated a teaming route between Pittsburg and Erie. His death took
   place April 13, 1869, and he was survived only three days by his widow.
   
   Robert M. Sherer grew to manhood on his present farm, attended the
   country schools and later became his father's main helper on the farm.
   He has devoted himself to agricultural pursuits ever since, and although
   he has reached an age when many men feel like laying aside business
   cares and responsibility, he still takes an interest in managing a large
   part of his farming operations as of old. For over seventeen years he
   also engaged more or less in threshing.
   
   Mr. Sherer was married (first) to Elvira Wallace, who was a daughter of
   James Wallace, and they had six children, namely: Frank Z., Alice, Eva,
   William, Hiram and Charles. Frank Z. was married twice, first to a Miss
   Welker. They moved to North Carolina, where she died and left two
   children, Jennie and Ruth. Frank Z. married again and resides with his
   family on a farm near Salisbury, North Carolina. Alice is deceased. She
   married John Inman and left two children, Robert and Tod, the former of
   whom is married and lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Eva died in girlhood.
   William lives at Struthers, Ohio. Hiram and Charles both live on the
   home farm. For some time the former was foreman of the Lawrence Laundry
   at New Castle. Charles married Maude Taylor, daughter of Lee Taylor of
   Little Beaver Township, and has two children, Eva Margaret and Robert
   Lee. After the death of his first wife Mr. Sherer married Nancy Jane
   Sparrow, a widow. She died in December, 1907. Mr. Sherer and son Charles
   are both members of the Westfield Presbyterian Church, in which the
   latter is a deacon.
   
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   20th Century History of New Castle and Lawrence County Pennsylvania and
   Representative Citizens Hon. Aaron L. Hazen Richmond-Arnold Publishing
   Company, Chicago, Ill., 1908
   
   Updated: 2 Nov 2001