James L. Sherman, known as Jim, was the second oldest of nine children of Michael and Martha (Barrington) Sherman. He was born in Wiota, Lafayette Co., WI. Jim and the former Nancy J. Giggee were married on Dec. 12, 1887 in Yankton, Dakota Territory. Nancy was born in Iowa and was the daughter of John A. and Mary A. (Kinney) Giggee. Nancy's brother was Theodore Hardin Giggee who married Mary Almina Sherman. Children from Nancy Giggee Sherman and Theodore Giggee are double cousins.

Jim drowned while catfishing on the Missouri River near their home in Springfield, SD. He was twenty-seven years old. A news article in the Springfield Herald newspaper on Sept. 5, 1895 tells what happened that day as reported by F.B. Riggs who was on the boat when the accident happened.

"At about 12:30 Thursday noon I rode down to the Springfield ferry landing, and then a few rods below to Mr. Sherman's house. He was just coming from dinner. We walked back to the boat laughing and chatting together, as those who have been acquainted with Mr. Sherman's kindly and genial nature always do. As we stepped onto the boat I noticed that the skiff was not attached and remarked about it. 'Oh, yes', said Mr. Sherman, 'Some fellows stole it Saturday night.' As soon as the boat was started off I lay flat down on my back for a rest on the seat across the bow of the boat with my hat over my eyes. A strong south wind soon pushed us into shore. Mr. Sherman ran forward and with the boat hook pole shoved the boat out as far as he could throw it remarking as he did so, 'I guess I will get her off this time.' He ran back to his pilot wheel and I pulled my hat over my eyes. Soon I heard Mr. Sherman run across the deck and, turning my head, I saw him throw down the gangplank door, because it caught too much wind. Then he went back to his pilot wheel. Pretty soon I heard Mr. Sherman jump down, look about the cabin a little and then run to the large oar at the side. I was still lying stretched out on the bowseat and giving very little attention to what was going on. Mr. Sherman must have made about two or three strokes with the long steering oar when his foot slipped off the edge of the boat. He had the oar in his left hand and his right hand on the railing of the boat. I was lying with my head turned slightly sideways and saw this only indistinctly. But I caught a glance of his hold slipping from the railing and at the same time heard a scramble. I quickly raised up. It never entered my thought that Sherman could actually have fallen from the boat. He is one of the very last men of whom I would expect such a mishap. He was always so cool-headed and certain in everything about a boat. As I raised up Sherman had disappeared below the edge of the boat. I sprang to my feet and saw him in the water with his left hand on (unreadable) and caught again at about the middle of the oar. But before I could reach him he again let go and almost instantly slipped back to the tip of the oar, way to the rear of the paddle wheel. I grasped at a rope, but it was fast to the railing post and too short to reach to the rear of the boat. Mr. Sherman seemed to have his hand clear over the end of the oar which is roughened there with some bolt heads and other irons. I was amazed when I saw him let go. The current seemed to carry him to the rear of the boat like a shot. I sprang to the top of the cabin. Mr. Sherman was facing toward the boat and swimming high out of the water and up stream. He shouted something that, above the noise of the machinery sounded to me like 'Shut her off.' I sprang to the lever back of the wheel and threw it hard over to the other side. I had never touched the thing before, but that instantly responded with the desired effect. The paddle wheel stopped and the boat drifted. I supose that it was Mr. Sherman's intuition to have it do so and as it (drifted downstream) he would swim up til it came to him. The boat had been running at full speed against the current and when I shut off the engine it seemed to fall back very slowly. By that time Mr. Sherman was a long ways down stream and swimming well toward the shore. I instantly thought that big boat could never overtake Mr. Sherman by just letting it drift. So I turned on the engine at full force and tried my very best to turn the boat around. But the pilot wheel had no effect on it at all and right there had been the trouble but I didn't know it. The rudder was out of order. I jumped from the wheel to the big steering oar but could make no headway at all against the wind. Then I happened to think that I was trying to do just what Mr. Sherman had fallen on. Then I was in despair. I jumped up on the cabin again and grabbed the wheel. I looked down stream for Mr. Sherman and at the same time I saw Mr. McAllister on the Nebraska shore. He motioned to me and shouted what sounded to me like 'run ashore and go for Hutton'. I could think of nothing better to do. Of course, if the skiff had been attached I could have cut that loose and reached Mr. Sherman almost instantly. I turned the wheel hard down for the shore, and it took enough effect so that by the help of the wind I soon ran the boat into the bank. I threw the rope over the only stake within reach so loose a thing that I scarcely expected to see the boat again. Without stopping to try to shut off the engine I ran up the hill for Mr. Hutton. Just about then Mr. McAllister who was watching Sherman from the other shore heard him shout and saw him sink. Mr. Sherman shouted to me within five or six rods of shore when I saw him last. He was swimming so well that I had scarcely a doubt but that he would land safely a little below. Finding no one in Mr. Hutton's dwelling I immediatlely ran for town. Very soon a large company of men was at the landing. We turned the disabled boat down stream and searched as best we could till about half past four o'clock., but to no avail. The boat was unmanageable and the high wind made the work very difficult"

Twenty-eight days later his body was found, by Charles Melick, about a mile below the point where he sank. Mr. Melick had gone to the river to get a barrel of water according to the account in the Oct. 4, 1895 Springfield Times.

When Jim died, Nancy had three children between one and seven years old and she was two months pregnant. The new baby, named after his father, was left with Jim's aunt and uncle, Phoebe and Ed Richards. They lived near Kimball in Brule Co., SD at that time and the boy lived with them for about ten years. The three older children, who could look after themselves, stayed with Nancy. She worked as a midwife and housekeeper to support her family.