Robert Sherrod raised a large family in Lauderdale County. John S. Sherrod, the oldest son, crossed the Tennessee River about 1854 and married Sarah Penick, whose family farm was on Little Bear Creek. She was the daughter of Edward Penick and Polly Jennings Hamblin, who had come from Prince Edward Co, Virginia about 1820. Bradshaw gives a great deal of information on the Penicks and Hamblins in his book, "History of Prince Edward County, Virginia."
John Sherrod is listed in the Franklin Co (now Colbert) census as a farmer with real property valued at $5000 and personalty valued at $15,290.
Portions of this farm may have been purchased by J. C. Waddell, Sr. Edward and Polly Penick are bured in the Sherrod family cemetery.
Fought in the Civil War, was with the 35th Alabama Infantry Regiment, CSA. Captured at Champions Hill outside Vicksburg in May, 1863 and was exchanged when Vickksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863. Was a private. He was sent away to Camp Morton Indiana as a prisoner of the Yankees.
At the time the family lived ten miles from town at Smithsonia and Agnes had four children living during the war.
Martha Keith says her father John Henry Sherrod, told her that McHenry never really recovered from the Civil War either physically or financially. His health broken, his children often went hungry and without adequate clothing in the post war years
Eventually he became overseer of the Coffee Plantation and worked for Captain Coffee until he could afford to buy a farm of his own.
His farm was located in the "bend of the river" area of Lauderdale County, near Walston Cemetary. Before Wilson dam was built the river could be forded on foot to the property of John Sherrod in Colbert County, just across the river.
