Adam Sherrill

Adam Sherrill
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Corzine
Children	9 (William B.; Samuel; Uriah; Adam Jr.; Aquilla; Isaac; Jacob; Moses; and Catherine)

Adam Sherrill (Cherokee:ᎠᏓᏫ; a da wi), or Adam "The Pioneer" Sherrill (1697 - May 4, 1774) was the first European to permanently settle on the West side of the Catawba River in North Carolina.

Adam Sherrill was one of the six children of William "The Fur Trader" Sherrill . His wife's name remains unknown despite much searching on the part of many genealogists. However, it is certain that it was NOT Margarette Rudisil.

In 1722 Sherrill married "Elizabeth". Her surname is unknown, and to date, there is no evidence that it was either Corzine or Preston-Davidson. Soon after their marriage they lived in West Donegal Township, Chester Co. PA, then southern Lancaster County, PA until about 1735. Adam then followed his father and brother to western MD until about 1740-41, after which he moved to the southern end of newly-formed Frederick County, VA Augusta County, Virginia. After finding out that is land was not in Augusta County when the line was surveyed in 1746, Adam left VA in 1747, and migrated to North Carolina where he became the first European to settle on the west side of the Catawba River.

Adam and Elizabeth had nine children, eight sons and one daughter. The children were: William B.; Samuel; Uriah; Adam Jr.; Aquilla; Isaac; Jacob; Moses; and Catherine.

In 1747, Adam and his family moved from Augusta Co., Virginia and became the first Europeans to permanently settle on the west side of Catawba River in North Carolina. Adam spent two days scouting the Catawba River when he crossed it at a shallow area thereafter called Sherrill's Ford (located just north of modern-day Charlotte, NC). Adam's later received a land patent in 1749 on acreage located on the west bank of the Catawba River.

Adam had an advantage that other early settlers didn't, which was that he spent several years of his childhood living with the native Susquehanna Tribe near Conestoga, PA. The Susquehanna spoke an Iroquoian dialect, and Adam became fluent in the language. Later in life, the area Adam settled in west of the Catawba River was populated by the Cherokee and Catawba tribes, who also spoke an Iroquoian dialect. Certainly, understanding the customs and language of the native inhabitants was a huge advantage to Adam. In fact, Adam apparently negotiated a lease with the Cherokee that allowed him to stay while other settlers were harassed or even killed.

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Wikipedia