served as a financial agent for JS and the in , Illinois, from 1839 to 1844. Sherwood joined the church by 1832 and moved to , Ohio, in 1834. From there he relocated to in 1838, but he was expelled from the state along with his fellow Latter-day Saints the following year. After settling in in 1839, he filled important positions in the Nauvoo city government, including marshal, tax assessor, member of the city watch, and guard in the , in addition to working as a financial agent.

’s earliest role in involved surveying land in and around , Illinois, which later became the city of Nauvoo. In October 1839, he was appointed by the Nauvoo to supervise the sale of town lots. The land he was selling had been purchased by JS, , and for the ; JS held it through his position as the church’s trustee-in-trust. While Sherwood transacted the sale of town lots as an agent for JS and the church, it is unclear whether the town lot orders he issued were created before or after bonds for the sale of property were completed. Surviving town lot orders issued by Sherwood have been included in the comprehensive alphabetical list of Illinois land transactions and are not included among his agent papers here.

As a financial agent, appears to have received a range of goods and donations. JS also assigned Sherwood to settle the estate of JS’s scribe , who died in November 1839, and provide for his family. Sherwood oversaw the construction of a home for Mulholland’s family and paid other expenses as they arose. Documents created and received by Sherwood for the construction of the home are included in his agent papers.