He spent his early years apprenticing as a printer, working on Arctic whalers, and serving in the United States Army.
From 1878 to 1882, Sheran lived common-law with a Peigan woman named Mary Brown, and they had two sons together: Charles and William.
In 1899, the Supreme Court for the North-West Territories ruled that Sheran's two sons were ineligible to inherit his estate.
[5] This ruling was made because the court believed Sheran could have legally married Mary Brown, but did not.
[6] A park, leisure centre with ice rink and swimming pool, and an elementary school in Lethbridge are named after Sheran.