Sherman Stickney was born on April 19, 1838, in Essex County, New York, to George and Lydia Stickney. He grew up and attended school in Jay, New York, and by 1860, he was working as a teacher in Taylor, Iowa.
He married Kate Boynton around 1871, and they had at least two children: Eugene, born around 1873; and Ella, born around 1879. At some point in life, he lost the use of his legs. By 1880, he was working as a lumber dealer in Vinton, Iowa. By 1900, he was working as a poultry dealer. According to a local writer, he had “always been active in the city’s development; has always been laboring for the betterment of his fellow men and community at large.” He died in Vinton on March 7, 1908.