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General Shep Related Chatter

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Jean Shepherd, Sr., family history Date: 04-10-2007 By: Wallace T.	Shep's paternal roots run deep in rural Indiana, and before that, Kentucky, New York, Delaware, and Ireland. His interest in George Ade may have come from sharing similar roots in the Hoosier State. His great-grandfather was born in the same county in Kentucky that Abraham Lincoln was born. Genealogical research indicates that the Old Man's family lived in the vicinity of Terre Haute, Indiana, for several generations. The Old Man's father was Emmet (or Emmitt) Shepherd, born in June 1850 and raised on a farm in Vigo County, Indiana, of which Terre Haute is the county seat. His mother was Flora Alvis Shepherd, whom Emmet married in 1881. She was a native of Indiana, with her father, Richard Alvis, a native of Kentucky born of parents themselves born in Kentucky. Emmet and Flora had three children: Glenna (b. 1886), Paul (b. March 16, 1894), and Jean, Sr. (b. 1899 or 1902). Emmet's father was (Thomas) Fielding (or Fielden or Fulden) Shepherd. Fielding was born in 1811 in Hardin County, Kentucky; his father, Thomas Shepherd, was born in Ireland and his mother, Elizabeth Cowan (or Blackburn) Shepherd, was born in Kentucky. His brother, James Washington Shepherd, was born on January 5, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky, the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, who was coincidentally born in the same year. He died on March 5, 1883, and is buried in the Shepherd Cemetery in Sheppardsville, Vigo County, Indiana. Land for this cemetery was donated by James Washington Shepherd, and there are 1,177 persons buried there, including 33 Shepherds. Fielding was a farmer and was recorded in the US Census in Vermillion County, Indiana, in 1840, and in Vigo County in censuses from 1850 to 1880. He married Hester (Esther) Hedges in Vermillion County on March 12, 1835. She was born in New York in 1811 and died in Vigo County, Indiana, in 1883; her parents were natives of Delaware. Fielding Shepherd's father, Thomas Shepherd, was born in Ireland and his mother, Elizabeth Cowan (or Blackburn) Shepherd, was born in Kentucky. His brother, James Washington Shepherd, was born on January 5, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky, the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, who was born in the same year. The Thomas Shepherd family migrated to the Wabash Valley in Indiana around 1812. Here is information from Ancestry.com and other web sites: 1930 US Census, Chicago, Cook County, IL 11253 S. Hermosa Avenue Paul K. Shepherd, head, male. white, 36, married, first marriage at 30, born Illinois, parents born Illinois, occupation salesman, milk, renter, $60 per month, veteran of World War I Louise H. Shepherd, wife, white, female, 32, married, first marriage at 26, born Indiana, father born Indiana, mother born Ohio, no occupation Louise may be the "aunt, drunken" on the flicklives Web site. 11253 S. Hermosa Avenue, Chicago, IL, is 15.9 miles northwest of 2907 Cleveland Street, Hammond, IN, where Jean Shepherd, Sr. and Jr. lived in 1930. Like Jean Shepherd, Sr., Paul worked for a milk company in 1930. 1920 US Census, Chicago, Cook County, IL 5118 S. Calumet Avenue Flora Shepherd 57, head, white, female, widowed, born Indiana, parents born Indiana, no occupation Paul Shepherd 26, son, white, male, single, born Indiana, parents born Indiana, clerk, office Jean Shepherd 18, son, white, male, single, born Indiana, parents born Indiana, clerk, office Flora may be "Grandma Flora" described as "hooked on tonic" on the flicklives Web site. The location is near Washington Park, mentioned in the Studs Lonigan trilogy. World War I draft records (June 5, 1918): Paul Kenneth Shepherd, 24, 5118 Calumet Avenue, Chicago, IL, born March 16, 1894, birthplace Vermillion, IL, occupation, clerk, Albert Dickinson Company, 2750 W. 35th Street, Chicago, IL. He stated that he has no mother, father, or sister or brother under the age of 12 who is dependent on him for support. He is single, Caucasian, short, slender, brown hair, brown eyes, not bald, and without any disabilities. He reports three years prior military service with the 7th Regiment of the Illinois National Guard, with the rank of corporal. Vermilion, Edgar County, Illinois, Paul Shepherd's birthplace, is immediately west of Vigo County, Indiana, where his (and Jean Shepherd, Senior's) father, Emmitt (or Emmet) Shepherd, lived. Vermilion is about 20 miles northwest of Terre Haute, the Vigo County seat. 1910 US Census, Chicago, Cook County, IL 6605 S. Union Avenue Emmitt E Shephard 69, Male, married 25 years, born Indiana, father born Kentucky, mother born New York, occupation Salesman, livestock Flora E Shephard 47, Female, married 25 years, had 4 children, 3 still alive, born Indiana, father born Kentucky, m. born Pennsylvania, Paul K Shephard 16, Male, single. born Illinois, parents born Indiana, at school Jean P Shephard 8, Male, single. born Illinois, parents born Indiana, at school This location is within 1� miles of Washington Park mentioned in the Studs Lonigan trilogy 1900 US Census, Chicago, Cook County, IL 4429 Lowe Avenue Emmell Sheppard 49, white, male, born June 1850, 49, m 19 years, born Indiana, parents born New York, occupation Horse trader, renter Flora Sheppard 38, w. female, born May 1862, m. 19 years, born Indiana, parents born Pennsylvania, 3 children, 2 alive Glenna Sheppard 14, white, female, born Dec. 1885, born Kansas, parents born Indiana, at school Hall Sheppard 6, white, male, born Mar. 1894, born Illinois, parents born Indiana Glenna may be the "Aunt Glenn" married to Uncle Tom, the bootlegger who "ran off" according to the flicklives Web site. 1880 US Census, Fayette Twp., Vigo County, IN Fulden Shepherd 69, white, male, married, farmer, born Kentucky, father born Ireland, mother born Kentucky Ester Shepherd 63, white, female, married, wife, housekeeper, born New York, father born New York, mother born Delaware Orra Shepherd 24, white, male, married, son, helps on farm, born Indiana, father born Kentucky, mother born New York Amilia Shepherd 30, w female, married, daughter in law, housekeeper, born Minnesota, father born Indiana, mother b New York Emmet Shepherd 29, white, male, single, son, laborer, born Indiana, father born Kentucky, mother born New York There is a Melvin Shepherd, 44, white, male, farmer, born Indiana, father born Kentucky, mother born New York living nearby. The Indiana Marriage Collection shows a Charles N. Shepherd marrying a Flora N. Alvis in Vigo County, Indiana, on April 7, 1881. 1880 US Census, Lost Creek Township, Vigo County, IN Richard Alvis 60, head, white, male, married, laborer, b, Kentucky, parents born Kentucky Susan Alvis 56, wife, white, female, married, keeping house, born Indiana, parents' birthplace not known Albert Alvis 15, son, white, male, single, laborer, born Indiana, father born Kentucky, mother born Indiana Flora Alvis 18, daughter, white, female, single, housework, born Indiana, father born Kentucky, mother born Indiana 1870 US Census, Fayette Township, Vigo County, IN Fielding Shepherd 59, white, male, married, farmer, born Kentucky, owns land valued at $20K and personal property valued at $2K. Esther Shepherd 53, white, female, married, wife, keeps house, born New York Orra B. Shepherd 14, white, male, single, son, at home, born Indiana Harry Shepherd 16, w female, single, works on farm, born Indiana Emmet Shepherd 19, white, male, single, son, works on farm, born Indiana Effie L. Shepherd, 12, white, female, single, at home, born Indiana 1860 US Census, Fayette Township, Vigo County, IN Fielden Shepherd 49, male, white, born Kentucky, occupation farmer, owns land valued at $4K and personal property valued at $2K. Esther Shepherd 43, female, white, born New York, occupation farmer Walter Shepherd 19, male, white, born Indiana, occupation farmer Emmet Shepherd 9, male, white, born Indiana Harry Shepherd 6, male, white, born Indiana Orval Shepherd 4, male, white, born Indiana Effie Shepherd 2, female, white, born Indiana Rebecca Hedges 69, female, white, born Delaware, occupation farmer 1850 US Census, Fayette Township, Vigo County, IN Fielden Shepherd 39, male, white, born Kentucky, occupation farmer, owns land valued at $1,500 Esther Shepherd 33, female, white, born New York Melvin Shepherd, 14, male, white, born Illinois Walter Shepherd 9, male, white, born Indiana, Mary Shepherd, 2, female, white, born Indiana Rebecca Hedges 60, female, white, born Delaware James W. Shepherd, 41, farmer, white, male, born Kentucky, married to Catharine Shepherd, is living on an adjacent farm with seven children. 1840 US Census, Clairton Township, Vermillion County, IN Fielding Shepherd, household with one male under 5, one male between 21 and 30, one female under 5, one female between 21 and 30, and one female between 51 and 60. Indiana marriage records show Fielding Shepherd marrying Hester Hedges in Vermillion County on March 12, 1835. Kentucky marriage records reflect Thomas W. Shepherd marrying Elizabeth Blackburn on April 6, 1806, in Clark County, Kentucky. The 1810 US Census for Hardin County, Kentucky, lists Thomas Shepherd having a household with two free white males under 10 and one free white male between 25 and 44, and two free white females between 16 and 25. They held no slaves. The 1820 US Census for Washington County, Indiana, lists Thomas Shepherd, having a household with two free white males under 10, one free white male between 26 and 45, one free white female under the age of ten, and one free white female between the ages of 26 and 45. One person in the household is engaged in agriculture. The 1830 US Census for Washington County shows Thomas Shepherd with one free white male under 5, two free white males between 15 and 20, one free white male between 20 and 30, one free white male between 60 and 70, and three free white females between 20 and 30. There are also listed a William Shepherd and an Abraham Shepherd listed in the 1830 Census for Washington County. The 1840 US Census shows a Thomas Shepherd in Vernon Township, Washington County, with one free white male between 60 and 70, one free white female between 5 and 10, one free white female between 15 and 20, and one free white female between 30 and 40. A 1796 census of linen growers lists a Thomas Shepherd living in County Down, Ireland.	7

Replies

Date	Member	Message
04-11-2007 ( Reply#: 1151 )	m10bob	You have done excellent research..Thank you.. In that some of the relatives were born in Kentucky as early as 1811 indicates they were early white settlers,(within about 50 years of the first real white settlement.) Native Americans did not live in Kentucky, they kept it as a game preserve and only sent parties there for hunting purposes. This is why the Native Americans fought so hard against the whites who entered Kentucky. (For Native Americans, it was considered holy ground).. Many of the whites who prospered on the frontier of that era were relatives of members of George Rogers Clark's army, (which stole the Northwest Territory from the Brits, fair and square), with the capture of Fort Sackville,(Vincennes).. In the early days of Indiana, Vigo county was part of Knox county,and the inhabitants were indeed a hardy stock,very prone to learn to stand their ground, to survive. Early Chicagoland was made up of these people, migrants from the south,by way of Delaware,Virginia,North Carolina,Maryland,mostly.. When the Continental Congress was bankrupt after the American Revolution, land grants were offered the soldiers of that war, and Clark's army provided that land. As a result, hsi army was given 1st "dibs", and to this day, the land surrounding Vincennes is still owned by the descendents of George Rogers Clark's army. BTW, Clark's younger brother was William Clark, the first territorial Governor of Missourri, and famous for the Lewis and Clark expedition. A list of Clark's army includes at least 3 "Shepherd"s, (spelled the same way.)They too, had been residents of Virginia and Kentucky. In Hoc Agricula Conc In Est Spittle Louk
04-11-2007 ( Reply#: 1157 )	Wallace T.	Shep was a man with a very American background, with his father's side going back to English and Irish (probably Scots-Irish) settlers who came to this country before or immediately after the American Revolution and his mother's side being later (probably late 19th Century) immigrants from Germany. As you point out, the Old Man's family has a Southern (Kentucky and possibly Virginia) line as well, not unlike Lincoln's family, who lived in the same Kentucky county where Shep's great grandfather was born during the same time frame. There is then a little irony in the description of the Bumpus neighbors, who were from the same background as the Old Man's more distant relatives.
04-11-2007 ( Reply#: 1159 )	Dave	As an aside, the Hammond high school in the Robertsdale (Whiting) neighborhood is named for George Rogers Clark.
04-12-2007 ( Reply#: 1169 )	m10bob	Shep mentions GRC High school as a rival school to his..[:D] In Hoc Agricula Conc In Est Spittle Louk
06-22-2007 ( Reply#: 1649 )	mjnyc	Holy smokes; I'll bet our late hero didn't know half of that!
07-05-2007 ( Reply#: 1657 )	Wallace T.	Since Shep is gone, as is Randy, it would be hard to tell how much he knew about his family background. It appears that his parents kept in touch with their respective families, so I would imagine he heard some of the family stories. But since his grandfather Emmett Shepherd probably died in the 1910s, he would never have met him and any stories about Emmett's youth in rural Indiana and Illinois would have been at best second hand. However, Shep's interest in George Ade may be partly due to the similarity in background, as both Ade and his father's family had roots in rural Indiana and migrated to the big city of Chicago.
07-05-2007 ( Reply#: 1658 )	Dan	Superb research job. I can only trace my family back to about the 1860s in Italy. Two world wars destroyed many of the public and Catholic church records there. In fact in the 1950s when my late grandfather applied for social security he had to send to Italy for a letter attesting to his birth date, as the originals were destroyed during WW2.