The Sisters Who Married Shepherds

 

Shepherding is a profession nearly as old as humanity itself. It's not hard to imagine someone with the surname of Shepherd having descended from an ancestor of this profession. Many surnames, developed centuries ago to distinguish between one John and another, as one name perpetuated itself to the point that one was not enough, dervived from occupations. This way, one could identify Thomas the Taylor separate from Thomas the Butcher.

In 1840, Jacob Ford showed up for the first time in a  Richmond County, North Carolina census record and found himself on a page with many Shepherds. Archibald McNair had begun the page in Black Jack District with a James Davis, then Wilson Meachum, and then Thomas Shepherd, whose daughter, Hannah, Jacob had married. A few more names down you will see Mastin Shepherd, an Ingram, a Bolton, a Watkins and a Bostick before finding Sandy Shepherd and Richard Shepherd, with Jacob Ford just after. Richard and Sandy were brothers, and Richard would migrate on to Mississippi and Sandy, short for Alexander, would remain in Richmond County. 

It was no surprise then, that a few of the Ford children would marry a few of the Shepherds. Due to South in the Mouth or perhaps phonetic spelling, the name of Shepherd in the early years was seen spelled 'Sheppard' more commonly than Shepherd, although it would revert back to its correct spelling at times. 

This post is to take a close look at two of the daughters of Jacob Ford who married Sheppard men. I've already shown that two of his sons, Solomon and Thomas, would take wives from the Sheppard clan. 

The Ford Brothers

Thomas Ford would marry Martha Sheppard in 1867, she being the oldest daughter of  Noah Richard Sheppard, oldest son of the aforementioned Richard who moved to Ole Miss. Thomas's older brother Solomon would take a widowed daughter of Sandy Sheppard, Eliza, as his wife, when his own first spouse, Martha (Covington?) Northam Ford had passed away, Martha a possible widow herself when she married him. 

Analiza Ford Sheppard

The first Ford daughter to marry a Sheppard was Analiza, or Ann Eliza, depending on what document you are looking at. Annie looks rather unfriendly in the above photo from her latter years, but that doesn't mean she carried a loathsome personality. We know she was born around 1845 in Richmond County and married John Thomas Sheppard, son of Alexander "Sandy" and Mary McCaskill Sheppard, in her early twenties. Richmond is a burned county, so many of its records, land, marriage and others, no longer exist.

Name:	Ann E Ford
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Birth Place:	North Carolina
Home in 1860:	Rockingham, Richmond, North Carolina
Post Office:	Dockerys
Dwelling Number:	434
Family Number:	434
Household Members Age Jacob Ford 50 Hannah Ford 41 Ann E Ford Thos Ford 13 Rebecca Ford 11 Elizabeth Ford 9 Martha J Ford 7 Chuny Ford 5 Angus Ford Sallie Ford 1

She shows up in the home of her parents at 15 in the 1860 census. Her sister, Martha Jane, who would also marry a Sheppard, is aged 7 here. Also note that Chaney, misspelled 'Chuny' here, is 5 years old and a separate child altogether from Martha Jane.

Name:	John Shipperd[][]
Age in 1870:	21
Birth Date:	abt 1849
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Dwelling Number:	96
Home in 1870:	Rockingham, Richmond, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Post Office:	Rockingham
Occupation:	Field Hand
Cannot Read:	Yes
Cannot Write:	Yes
Male Citizen Over 21:	Yes
Inferred Father:	Alexander Shipperd
Inferred Mother:	Mary Shipperd
Household Members Age Alexander Shipperd 69 Mary Shipperd 57 John Shipperd 21 Stephen Shipperd 17

John was in his parents home in 1870 and Ann Eliza does not. She may have simply been missed, or she could have been hired out and was working for a neighbor. That happened quite a bit in poorer families. Another possibility is that she was married to someone else at the time. She was about 25, so could have been a young widow when marrying John Sheppard.

Another coincidence is that Martha Jane Ford is not in the 1870 census, either. Martha married Stephen Tebe Sheppard, the youngest son of Sandy and Mary McCaskill Sheppard, shown as 17, above. There must be a story about the whereabouts of  Ann Eliza and Martha Jane at this time.

Stephen and Martha Jane were married in 1872, according to the 1900 census and John and Analiza were married in 1870. No wedding document can be found for either one. Again, in a burned county, this can happen.

Ten years later, in 1880, both couples are married and living next to each other. As this excerpt, when enlarged is difficult to read, I will reiterate it below.

Black Jack District, Richmond County, North Carolina

112  John Sheppard 31 Marrried Farmer

       Eliza 31 Married Keeping House

       Julia  6   Daughter

       Puss 4    Daughter

       John 3    Son

113  Stephen Sheppard   27   Farmer

       Martha  26   Wife   Keeping House

       Jane   9   Daughter

      Calvin  6   Son

      Stephen   4  Son

      Willie   3     Son

       Trass  2      Son

There seems to be some confusion in family trees about some of the children, for example, who Calvin belonged to. Here, he is clearly in Stephen and Martha's home. Also, Trass, the youngest son of Stephen and Martha, was actually named Tristram, like his uncle I featured in my last post, The Eighth Ford, Tristram.

http://www.jobschildren.com/2022/03/the-eighth-ford-tristram.html 

Black Jack Township, where the Sheppard-Ford siblings lived, was on the western border of Richmond County. The Pee Dee River separated it from Anson County and the county seat and largest town, Rockingham, was too its south. The twenty years between the 1800 census and the 1900 census was a big jump in time, but not a great deal of change for the Sheppards. They remained renters, never owning their own farms, and living a rather hard scrabble life. During this time, the wo sets of siblings with their double-cousined children would move from living side by side. John and Anneliza would relocate to the mysterious Grassy Island secition, closer to the river and would attend the Old Bethel Methodist Church there. Annie would report that she had given birth to 6 children, yet only half of them had lived. The deceased three were unknown as the three who were mentioned in the 1880 census lived, Julia, Florence aka "Puss" in 1880 and John Jr. Some list Puss as a separate child, but Florence was born before 1880 in the same year as "Puss", so it was simply a nickname and one and the same.

A younger Annie Eliza

Speaking of nicknames, Martha Jane and Chaney were two separate girls as children, the former born in 1853 and the latter in 1855. Martha Jane was always seen as Martha or Martha J. in every census. However, several of her 7 children called their mother "Chaney" in their records. As it appears the original Chaney died quite young, before 1880, Martha Jane must have acquired the name as her nickname.

Name:	Annie E Shepard
Age:	55
Birth Date:	Jan 1845
Birthplace:	North Carolina, USA
Home in 1900:	Black Jack, Richmond, North Carolina
Sheet Number:	9
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:	148
Family Number:	148
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Wife
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	John Shepard
Marriage Year:	1870
Years Married:	30
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina, USA
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina, USA
Mother: number of living children:	3
Mother: How many children:	6
Can Read:	No
Can Write:	No
Can Speak English:	Yes
Neighbors:
Household Members Age Relationship John Shepard 50 Head Annie E Shepard 55 Wife Flornce Shepard 23 Daughter John T Shepard 22 Son Eddie A Shepard 3 Grand Son (Grandson) William Shepard 0 Grand Son (Grandson)

This is the John and Anneliza Sheppard family in 1900. They had been married for 30 years and were renting a farm and trying to survive. Julia had married and was out on her own, but the younger two children, Florence and John Jr. were still at home. Eddie and William were their grandsons and in reality, their surnames were not Sheppard. 

Name:	Julia Liles
Age:	26
Birth Date:	Aug 1875
Birthplace:	North Carolina, USA
Home in 1900:	Williamson, Scotland, North Carolina
House Number:	335
Sheet Number:	20
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:	400
Family Number:	415
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Wife
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Sandy Liles
Marriage Year:	1882
Years Married:	18
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina, USA
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina, USA
Mother: number of living children:	3
Mother: How many children:	4
Can Read:	Yes
Can Write:	Yes
Can Speak English:	Yes
Neighbors:
Household Members Age Relationship Sandy Liles 30 Head Julia Liles 26 Wife David Liles 16 Son Frank Liles 14 Son Charlie Liles 11 Son

Julia had married Alexander Sandy Liles, son of  Malcom C. Liles and Bettie Galloway Liles. The first three of their five children had been born and Julia indicated she had had an unknown child who had died. Sandy and Julia would go on to have two more chidlren, George in 1903 and Annie Liles Jacobs Collins in 1908. She died at the age of 38 of an unknown cause and was buried at the ancient Bethel Methodoist Church in the Pee Dee Hills area. The Church was founded in 1775 and deeded in 1795.

Sandy Liles would go on to marry again , to Ebbie Eliza Chavis, who would give him 6 more children. Julia had been his second wife. He married first to Isbell Evie Eudy, who died less than two years later, leaving no living children.

Name:	Martha J Shepard
Age:	47
Birth Date:	Jan 1853
Birthplace:	North Carolina, USA
Home in 1900:	Black Jack, Richmond, North Carolina
Sheet Number:	5
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:	74
Family Number:	74
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Wife
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Stephen Shepard
Marriage Year:	1872
Years Married:	28
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina, USA
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina, USA
Mother: number of living children:	7
Mother: How many children:	7
Can Read:	No
Can Write:	No
Can Speak English:	Yes
Neighbors:
Household Members Age Relationship Stephen Shepard 48 Head Martha J Shepard 47 Wife William Shepard 23 Son Trussey Shepard 21 Son Turner Shepard 17 Son Sallie Shepard 12 Daughter Tempy Shepard 18 Daughter in Law (Daughter-in-law)

The other set of married siblings, Tebe and Chaney, were still in Black Jack, but closer to Ellerbe. The younger four of their 7 children lived with them and Turner, only 17, was married to Tempy 18 and still at home.

Nearby was Hannah Sheppard Ford, Anneliza and Chaney's mother, living with her daughter Rebecca and Rebecca's husband, Arnold Purdue. Several houses down was Tebe and Chaney's oldest son Calvin, living beside Stephen Paul, as he had married the Paul's daughter, Sallie.This must have been the old Ford property of Jacob that they were living on. 

The area where they lived began to be called by the name of Cognac. A Post Office was established there in 1900 and remained well into the 1950's. It was northeast of Hamlet and Rockingham and southeast of Ellerbe.According to Wikipedia, the community garnered it's name after the liquor Cognac, as this was a 'wine-growing' district. Newspapers of the times would report that it was also a moonshining district. The above map shows Cognac near the Scotland County line.

Name:	John Sheppard
Age in 1910:	60
Birth Date:	1850[1850]
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1910:	Black Jack, Richmond, North Carolina, USA
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Amflera Sheppard
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Native Tongue:	English
Occupation:	Farmer
Industry:	General Farm
Employer, Employee or Other:	Own Account
Home Owned or Rented:	Own
Home Free or Mortgaged:	Free
Farm or House:	Farm
Years Married:	38
Neighbors:
Household Members Age Relationship John Sheppard 60 Head Amflera Sheppard 61 Wife John Sheppard Jr. 31 Son Edd Nettles 15 Grandson

1910 was the last census record we find the older Sheppard/Ford matchup in. Here, they are in their 60's and finally are no longer renters. They own their own farm. Only son, Jr. is helping them on at as well as Grandson Edd, whose last name was Bittles, not Nettles. 

John Sheppard courtesy of Hilda Jacobs

Anne Eliza Sheppard died on April 5, 1914. She was 69 years old. Her husband, John, who was 5 years her junior outlived her by 5 years. He died on April 7, 1919, nearly 5 years to the day of Anne Eliza's death. He, too, was 69. Both are buried at the old Bethel Church in the Grassy Islands area of Richmond County. 

Sometime after the death of Anneliza, John Sr., along with his son, Jr. moved to Scotland County. John Jr.'s  World War I draft registration states that Jr. was 40 years old and worked as farm labor for a Currie out of Clio, South Carolina. His address was RFD 2, Laurinburg, Scotland County, NC. He was of medium height and weight, with blue eyes and dark hair. His nearest relative was John Sr. of the same address.

They were living in Scotland County when John Sr. passed away. His remains were taken back to the Pee Dee Hills of Richmond to be buried with beside his wife at Old Bethel.

The children of John Thomas Sheppard and Anneliza (Ann Eliza) Ford Sheppard were:

Julia Anna Sheppard (1872 -1910) Married Alexander Sandy Liles. 5 children.

Florence "Puss" Sheppard (1876-1951) Florence led a long and complicated life. She had a number of relationships and a number of childen. Folks had even merged her with a totally different and significant Florence. She needs her own post.

John Thomas Sheppard, Jr. (1878-1936) was the only son of John and Anneliza. He remained at home with his parents until both had passed away. Afterwards, he remained in  Laurel Hill in neighboring Scotland County, where he is found in 1920, working as a farm laborer and had an older woman named Alice Brant living with him. Jr. was 42 at this time. His sister Florence was also living nearby, probably on the same farm, with an African American family by the name of Graham, also living on the property.

John Thomas "Bud" Sheppard Jr. courtesy of  T. Bittle

He would eventually marry, at the age of 48, to a woman named Larcenia Graves Parham. She had been born in South Carolina in 1873 and was the daughter of Tobias and Jenny Graves. 'Larceny', as she was called, married first to a William S. Parham and became the mothe of 4 children: Bessie, Walter Odell, Willie F. and Henry A. 

Name:	John T Shepard
Birth Year:	abt 1878
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Age in 1930:	52
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Married
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Home in 1930:	Black Jack, Richmond, North Carolina, USA
Map of Home:
Dwelling Number:	2
Family Number:	2
Home Owned or Rented:	Rented
Home Value:	2
Radio Set:	No
Lives on Farm:	No
Age at First Marriage:	48
Attended School:	No
Able to Read and Write:	Yes
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Fisherman
Class of Worker:	Working on own account
Employment:	Yes
Household Members Age Relationship John T Shepard 52 Head Larcency Shepard 57 Wife William J Parham 17 Stepson (Step Son) Henry A Parham 15 Stepson (Step Son)

Junior took his bride back to Black Jack District in Richmond County, where he was most comfortable. There, he is found in 1930, working as fisherman and his youngest two stepsons, Will and Henry, lived with them. John's marital bliss and return home did not last long. He died in 1936 of angina at the age of 58. He was buried at Old Bethel along with his parents. The person reporting on his death certificate was his niece, Bessie, daughter of Florence. John Sheppard Jr. never had children of his own. His widow, Larcenia, lived another 6 years, passing on in 1942 in Richmond County. Her sons took her back to Laurel HIll, in Scotland County, for burial.

Find a Grave, shared by Terri

That left only the younger pair of Sheppard/ Ford siblings, Tebe and Chaney. When we last saw them, they were still living in Black Jack on the old Jacob Ford property, near Chaney's mother, Hannah and her sister Rebecca Ford Perdue.

After Hannah's death, it appears the property may have been divided. We find them living on Walls Ferry Road near Rockingham, the largest town in Richmond County. They are no longer in Black Jack.

Name:	Martha J Sheppard
Age in 1910:	58
Birth Date:	1852[1852]
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1910:	Rockingham, Richmond, North Carolina, USA
Street:	Walls Ferry Road
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Wife
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Stephen Sheppard
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Native Tongue:	English
Able to read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Years Married:	40
Number of Children Born:	7
Number of Children Living:	7
Neighbors:
Household Members Age Relationship Stephen Sheppard 60 Head Martha J Sheppard 58 Wife Tristy L Sheppard 29 Son Sallie Sheppard 20 Daughter

They are renting a farm and their son, Tristram Coon Shepherd is living with them, as is their daughter, Sallie, who never married. Shtephen Tebe Sheppard and Martha Jane Sheppard had a robust pack of children. All 7 of their kids were adults now, and all still living. Now is a good time to look at the Sheppard 7 who have flown the nest.

Calvin Sheppard was born on January 19, 1870. He appears in the family home in 1880 and is married by 1900. He was the firstborn and lived a rather quiet life. His parents were 17 when he was born, but he waited unitl he, himself was 29 to marry. On June 1st, 1899, he married his first cousin, Sallie Paul, who was only 19. Sallie was the daughter of Stephen Paul and Elizabeth "Betsy" Ford. Betsy and Calvin's mother Martha Jane were sisters. The Sheppards, Fords and Pauls were intrinsically entangled. While two Ford daugthers had married Sheppard brothers, Three Ford daughters had married three Paul brothers.

Name:	Rena Sheppard
Birth Date:	30 Aug 1900
Death Date:	11 May 1901
Cemetery:	Zion Methodist Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place:	Rockingham, Richmond County, North Carolina, United States of America

In 1900, the couple were shown livng right next door to her parents, while his and his grandmother were also close by, being on the same page. Sallie must have been heavily pregnant because she gave birth to their first child, a little girl named Rena on August 30th of that year. Little Rena probably fell ill to one of the many ailments that plagued little ones in those days, as she only lived to be 10 months old. She was buried at Zion , the family church.

Name:	Calvin Shepherd
Age:	48
Birth Year:	abt 1872
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Rockingham, Richmond, North Carolina
House Number:	Farm
Residence Date:	1920
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Sallie Shepherd
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Farm Laborer
Industry:	Works Out
Employment Field:	Wage or Salary
Home Owned or Rented:	Rented
Able to Write:	No
Neighbors:
Household Members Age Relationship Calvin Shepherd 48 Head Sallie Shepherd 42 Wife Lonnie Shepherd 12 Son Connie May Shepherd 5 Daughter

The 1910 census had them living on Henson road, near Rockingha, with a 2 year old son, Lonnie and in 1920, Lonnie had been joined by a little sister, Connie. These are the only two children they would have that lived to grow up. In 1930, they were renting a farm on the Clay Road north of Rockingham and only Connie remained at home. 

Name:	Calvin Shepherd
Age:	68
Estimated Birth Year:	abt 1872
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Married
Relation to Head of House:	Father
Home in 1940:	North-West and South Rockingham, Richmond, North Carolina
Map of Home in 1940:
Street:	Garrett Street
House Number:	33
Inferred Residence in 1935:	North-West and South Rockingham, Richmond, North Carolina
Residence in 1935:	North-West and South Rockingham
Resident on farm in 1935:	No
Sheet Number:	3A
Occupation:	Laborer Highway
Industry:	Wpa
Attended School or College:	No
Highest Grade Completed:	None
Hours Worked Week Prior to Census:	16
Class of Worker:	Wage or salary worker in Government work
Weeks Worked in 1939:	35
Income:	210
Income Other Sources:	No
Neighbors:
Household Members Age Relationship Lonnie Shepherd 32 Head Janie Shepherd 25 Wife Archie E Shepherd 5 Son Pegg Jayce Shepherd 9/12 Daughter Calvin Shepherd 68 Father Sallie Shepherd 66 Mother

By 1940, 68 year old Calvin was working as a highway laborer and they were living with their son, Lonnie and his young family. Calvin died just 4 years later , at the age of 73, of cancer and was buried at Eastside Cemetery in Rockingham.

Sallie had a long widowhood,. She is shown in the 1957 City Directory living on Greene Street in Richmond County.

Name:	Sallie P Shepherd
Gender:	Female
Residence Year:	1957
Street Address:	38 W Green
Residence Place:	Rockingham, North Carolina, USA
Spouse:	Calvin Shepherd  (Widow of)
Publication Title:	Rockingham, North Carolina, City Directory, 1957

Just one year later, she's in  Newark, New Jersey, as reported by the Charlotte Observer, and died there in February of 1958, at the age of 86.

CLIPPED FROM

The Charlotte Observer

Charlotte, North Carolina

20 Feb 1958, Thu  •  Page 26

Annie Jane Sheppard

The second child of  Tebe and Chaney was Annie Jane "Jenny" Sheppard. Born November 15, 1872, she shows up as 9 year old Jane in the 1880 census in her parents home. On December 29, 1895, 23 year old Annie Jane married 42 year old Pleasant Paul. Yes, there is that "Paul" name again, and it gets more complicated. Pleasant Paul's first wife was Agnes "Aggie" Ford, the sister of  Jenny's mother, Martha Jane Ford Sheppard. Yes, she married her Uncle by marriage, and this was by far, not the most incestous leaning relationship in this gourp of families.Remember  one of the Ford boys married his neice.

1910 Census Black Jack District

Pleasant had had two children by Aggie, Robert Lee and Annie. He and Jenny had just one daughter, Lela Clifton "Lee" Paul, in 1901. In the 1900 census, Pleasant and Jenny were seen in a home with his son, Robert and Robert's then wife, Nannie. Nannie will play a roll in a future post. Pleasants daughter, Annie, is shown as a servant in the house next door, working for a Zach Ellerbe. Ten years later, Pleasant and Jenny are living next to her tparents, Stephen and Martha Sheppard and their daughter, Lela, is 8. Also in their home is an 18 year old named William Paul and the relationship given is a brother of Pleasant. I haven's quite figured that one out yet, but I will. They have been married for 13 years and had only the one child. Next to them is Jenny's brother, William F. "Willie" Sheppard with one of his three wives., Heeln Covington Sheppard.

Pleasant V. Paul died November 22, 1913. He was buried at the family church, Zion. Little morethan 2 weeks later, before Pleasnt ahd settled well into the grave, Jennie had married Jesse Abraham Hopkins, from nearby Scotland County, N.C., also seen as Abrahma Jesse, or A J Hopkins. A J was a younger man, and Jenny was 42, so they had no children, besids Lela Paul, aka "Lee", Jenny's daughter.

Name:	Jennie Shipherd
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Age:	42
Birth Year:	abt 1871
Marriage Date:	9 Dec 1913
Marriage Place:	Richmond, North Carolina, USA
Father:	Shipherd
Mother:	Martha J Shipherd
Spouse:	A Jesse Hopkins
Spouse Gender:	Male
Spouse Race:	White
Spouse Age:	34
Spouse Father:	Wm Hopkins
Spouse Mother:	M A Hopkins
Event Type:	Marriage

In 1920, their first census together, the are living in Laurel Hill in Scotland County, which, if you scroll up to view one of the above maps, was not that far from where the Sheppards lived.With them was an interesting character, who will also come into paly in another post, Tom Simpson and his son, Henry. Tom was from Stanly County and does he have a story to tell.

Name:	Jesse Hopkins
Age:	40
Birth Year:	abt 1880
Birthplace:	South Carolina
Home in 1920:	Laurel Hill, Scotland, North Carolina
House Number:	Farm
Residence Date:	1920
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Annie Hopkins
Father's Birthplace:	South Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	South Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Farmer
Industry:	General Farm
Employment Field:	Employer
Home Owned or Rented:	Rented
Able to read:	Yes
Able to Write:	Yes
Neighbors:
Household Members Age Relationship Jesse Hopkins 40 Head Annie Hopkins 46 Wife Tom Simpson 46 Servant Henry Simpson 14 Boarder

Lela, or Lee, had by this time, at the tender age of 17, married William Henry "Willie" Melton. Sounds like a new name coming into the mix, right? Not a Sheppard, Ford or, Paul, right? Think again. William Henry Melton was one of the sons of Florence Sheppard, daughter of Anneliza Ford and John Thomas Sheppard.

Name:	Lee Clifton Paul
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Age:	17
Marriage Place:	Richmond, North Carolina, USA
Spouse:	Willie Melton
Spouse Gender:	Male
Spouse Race:	White
Spouse Age:	18
Event Type:	Marriage

Let's see, how close was that relationship? 

Generation One : Jacob Ford & Hannah Sheppard        Alexander Sheppard and& Mary McCaskill

Generation Two:  Ann Eliza Ford & John Sheppard         Martha Jane Ford & Stephen Sheppard

Generation Three:      Florence Sheppard   - Double 1st Cousin  -     Annie Jane Sheppard

Generation Four:        Will Melton      - Married to -           Lela  Paul   Double Second Cousins.

Newspapers told of visits and moves of the family. Tebe and Chaney moved closer to Rockingham.

8 Jan 1920

Rockingham, North Carolina

A J and Jenny came to visit. They took in Calvin's son , Lonnie.

11 Aug 1921

Rockingham, North Carolina

They moved from Laurel Hill in Scotland County working on the Livingston  farm to work on the  farm of William Steele.

8 Jan 1920

Rockingham, North Carolina

However,  the 1930 census found them back in Scotland County. The Hopkins, like many farm families of the day, suffered from poor nutirtion and a diet of too much corn. Annie Jane "Jenny" Sheppard Paul Haopkins died i n1931 at the Stet Hospital in Morganton, Burke County of complicaitions of Pellagra. Her husband, A. J. followed her two years later and died in 1933.  They, too, were buried at Zion.

3 Stephen Tebe Sheppard, II was the third child born to Tebe and Chaney. Stephen built his home upon an a rock and his wheat grew tall. Born September 17, 1874, Stephen married at the age of 20, in 1894, to Emma Paris Lassister, a girl not related to him in any way, and they settled just out side of Rockingham on Henson Road and there is where they stayed. Together, over the course of 26 years, from 1895 to 1921, they raised a large family of 11 children. Those were Harvey, James, Maggie, Lizzie, Jaspar, Stephen Tebe III, John, Clyde, Thomas Leak, Anna May, and RuthE. Sheppard.

Courtesty of J. Evans, Emma and some of her grands.

The only deviation was when his beloved Emma died in 1939, at the age of 67, he remarried to a lady named Ida Russell and she was his companion until the end of his days, when in May 1, 1947, at 72, he joined Emma at her final resting place at the families home church of Zion, where other Sheppards lay.

Find A Grave contributed by Dawniebell

Stephen and Emma's tombstone reads like a family tree and shows that Hannah Sheppard Ford and Sandy Sheppard were both descended from Little Bird Sheppard .They were first cousins.

4  William F. "Willie" Sheppard was the fourth child born and unlike his calm and steadfast older brothers, Calvin and Stpehn, Willie had a bit of a reputation as a scoundrel. He lived with his parents until at least 1900, but gained a reputation as a 'man about town'. Short and stocky in build, his WWI draft papers described him as having dark hair and gray eyes.

Will Sheppard

Willie gave up the playboy life in about 1903, when at 28, he married Mary Helen Brigman, daughter of Frank and Martha Brigman. Will shows up in the 1910 census twice,. The first time, he is in the home with 'Helen' and they have no children and two months later , he is boarding with  and shows up as divorced.

Name:	William Sherbert[William Shepperd]
Age in 1910:	32
Birth Date:	1888[1888]
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1910:	Steeles, Richmond, North Carolina, USA
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Divorced
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Native Tongue:	English
Occupation:	Laborer
Industry:	General Farm
Employer, Employee or Other:	Wage Earner
Able to read:	No

I don't know what happened to Helen after that, but Will may have found happiness by marrying his cousin.

On March 30, 1912, Will Sheppard married Loula Ford, daughter of Thomas and Martha Ford. Thomas was the brother of Will's mother, Marth Jane Ford Sheppard. Will was 35 and Loula was 27 on this date.The wedding was in the town of Cordova in Wolf Pit Township. They wasted no time starting their family. In Fact, it was pretty clear by checking dates tha theri fmaily had alreasdy started.

Name:	Willie Shepherd
Age:	42
Birth Year:	abt 1878
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1920:	Rockingham, Richmond, North Carolina
House Number:	X
Residence Date:	1920
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	Lula Shepherd
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Laborer
Industry:	Public Work
Home Owned or Rented:	Rented
Able to Write:	No
Neighbors:
Household Members Age Relationship Willie Shepherd 42 Head Lula Shepherd 35 Wife Frances Shepherd 7 Daughter William Shepherd 5 Son Nezzie Shepherd 3 Daughter Clarence Shepherd 0 Son

Will is working a a laborer in public work in the 1920 census. By then all of their 4 children had been born. There was Frances, Will Jr., Nezzie and Clarence

Loula Ford Sheppard

Will lost his beloved Loula in 1928. She was 45 and died of a postpartum infection. It appears the child died as well, but no reocrd is found of its name. 

.Loula's sister, Lillie, now a widow herself, moved in to help with the care of the children.

Name:	Will Shepard
Birth Year:	abt 1879
Gender:	Male
Race:	White
Age in 1930:	51
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Widowed
Relation to Head of House:	Head
Home in 1930:	Rockingham, Richmond, North Carolina, USA
Map of Home:
House Number:	apr 14
Dwelling Number:	152
Family Number:	156
Home Owned or Rented:	Rented
Radio Set:	No
Lives on Farm:	Yes
Age at First Marriage:	27
Attended School:	No
Able to Read and Write:	No
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Farmer
Industry:	Farm
Class of Worker:	Working on own account
Employment:	Yes
Household Members Age Relationship Will Shepard 51 Head Frances Shepard 15 Daughter William T Shepard 14 Son Nizzie Shepard 12 Daughter Clarence Shepard 9 Son Lillie Starns 38 Sister-in-law

Will lived until 1950 and the age of 72.  His unmarried daughter, Inez, died with in days of her father.

4  Tristram Coon Sheppard was complicated. First, there was the many incantations of his name. He was obviously named for his uncle, Tristram C. Ford, and had inherited the many nicknames, Truss, Trussie, Tristy, etc. T. C. Ford's middle name was never known, but was probably also "Coon", not a nickname, as I had seen other boys with the name or middle name Coon in Richmond County, so I suppose it was an actual surname of someone in their combined family trees. 

Coon, as we will refer to him, remained in his parents home, as we have seen, for quite awhile. His first step as an adult was to get married, which he did in  March 6, 1915 to ""Cora Lee Marsh", 17, daughter of 
Will and  'Vertie' Marsh. Sounds cut and dried, doesn't  it, oh, but it isn't.

First of all, in 1920, Coon is found in his paretns home,again, but his wife is no where to be found. No where. Again, in 1930, there's Ol Tristy Coon in his parents home, but no wife and children.. He claims to be married, as he did in 1920, but where is his family?

Name:	Carolee Shepard
Birth Year:	abt 1899
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Age in 1930:	31
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Widowed
Relation to Head of House:	Sister-in-law
Home in 1930:	Rockingham, Richmond, North Carolina, USA
Map of Home:
Street Address:	Ledbetters Village Richmond Street
House Number:	185
Dwelling Number:	204
Family Number:	193
Age at First Marriage:	17
Attended School:	No
Able to Read and Write:	No
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Occupation:	Wash women
Industry:	for Private f??
Class of Worker:	Wage or salary worker
Employment:	Yes
Household Members Age Relationship Frank Liles 33 Head Juanita Liles 33 Wife Josephine Liles 14 Daughter Berta Liles 14 Daughter Nancy M Liles 12 Daughter Annie B Liles 10 Daughter Juanita Liles 7 Daughter Frank Liles 5 Son Hazel Liles 2 Daughter Geneva Liles 0 Daughter Carolee Shepard 31 Sister-in-law Gladys Shepard 12 Niece Turner Shepard 9 Nephew George Shepard 7 Nephew Betty Shepard 4 Niece Robert Shepard 1 Nephew

In 1930, They do appear. They are living with Frank Liles and his family and Core Lee Sheppard, Coon's wife, is listed as his sister-in-law. The Liles, however, are no random couple. Frank Liles was the son of Alexander "Sandy" Liles and Julia Anna Sheppard. Julia was the daughter of John Thomas Sheppard and Anna Eliza Ford, making her Coon Sheppard's double first cousin. Cora Lee, shown here as 'Carolee', had been busy having 5 children with Coon Sheppard.. So, how was she related.

Frank Lilies had married Juanita, 'Onita'  Marsh on April 11, 1915, daughter of Will Marsh and Bertha Marsh. The bride's father was living, but her mother had died.  The wedding had taken place at the home of Will Marsh in Rockinghame. I had to konw who these Marsh sisters were.

Name:	Bertha Marsh[Borta Marke]
Age in 1910:	40[30]
Birth Date:	1870[1870]
Birthplace:	South Carolina
Home in 1910:	Smithville, Marlboro, South Carolina, USA
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Wife
Marital Status:	Married
Spouse's Name:	William William
Father's Birthplace:	South Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	South Carolina
Native Tongue:	English
Occupation:	Laborer
Industry:	Home Farm
Employer, Employee or Other:	Wage Earner
Able to read:	No
Able to Write:	No
Years Married:	4
Number of Children Born:	4
Number of Children Living:	4
Out of Work:	Y
Number of Weeks Out of Work:	12
Neighbors:
Household Members Age Relationship William William 30 Head Bertha Marsh 40 Wife Neat Marsh 16 Daughter Cora Marsh 14 Step Daughter Elmore Marsh 12 Step Son Mary Marsh 3 Daughter

From the further records of Juanita and Cora Lee, I discovered they were the daughters of a John Morrison and their mother was Bertha, Berta, or Bertie. No other information is known about her, except that around 1906, she married William Marsh, who took in her three children, the 2 sisters and their brother, Elmore Morrison, who was born in 1905,  and then had one child with Bertie, Mary Marsh. They are found in Smithville,  Marlbor County in 1910. Will Marsh married an Alice Brown in Scotland County, NC, in 1916 and was said to be living in Richmond County in his WWI draft papers. He died there in 1937.  Elmore, Cora Lee and Juanita Morrison all lived out fairly long lives in Richmond County, despite their early years being obscure.  Mary Marsh, their half-sister, only appears in the 1910 and 1940 census records, never married, and was buried at Pleasant Hill Church in Marlboro County, SC with Sandy Liles and others, when she passed away at 60 in 1967. Juantia Morrison Liles died in 1969, Elmore Morrison in 1974 and Cora Lee Morrison Sheppard lived the longest, until 1976, but it doesn't appear she ever lived with her legal husband, Truss Sheppard.

Tristram Coon "Trussie" Sheppard died in January of 1933, of insanity due to Nephrititis at 54, and was buried at the Old Zion Church, alongside others of his family. The 5 children of Coon and Cora Lee were: 1917, Gladys, 1919, Turner, 1925, George, 1926, Bettie Ann and in 1928, Robert.

6 Turner McCaskill Sheppard

Turner Sheppard, unlike his older brothers, was steadfast. No drama, no mystereis. Born in 1881, he married in 1900 at 19, to 19 years old Mary Tempie MCQauge. He only shows up with his parents in the 1900 census, just months before his marriage. That does not mean his life was without tragedy and heartache.

Turner and Tempie settled on Warburton Road in Rockingham and had three children: Wiliam Glenn (1908), Tobe McCoy (1910) and Gracie (1912). Turner worked as  a caretaker for the City Cemetery and at one point they had a train nurse from Cananda living with them. I had never heard of a Train nurse, but I can see the need for one.

CLIPPED FROM

Rockingham Post-Dispatch

Rockingham, North Carolina

01 Jun 1922, Thu  •  Page 2

At some point between census records, the family must have moved to Charlotte, where tragedy struck, and they lost their eldest child, Willie. He was 14 years old. They returned to Rockingham in Richmond County, where they are found in all other reocrds.

Turner, himself did not live a long life. He died of a heart attack at 62 and was buried at the Eastside Cemetery in Rockinham, instead of the traditional Zion Church, where his son and family are buried on March 25, 1944. Tempie outlived him by over 20 years.

7) Sarah 'Sallie' T. Sheppard 

Sallie was the youngest of Tebe and Chaney's children. Born about 1888, much of her life remains a mystery. She's always seen within the family home, But as single in 1920 and as divorced in 1930, living with her mother and Truss, who was married but not living with his wife, Cora Lee. Tebe had died in 1926 and Chaney would die in 1934. It is unknown to whom she was married and divorced. 

Name:	Sallie T Sheapard[Sallie T Sheaford]
Birth Year:	abt 1888
Gender:	Female
Race:	White
Age in 1930:	42
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Marital Status:	Divorced
Relation to Head of House:	Daughter
Home in 1930:	Rockingham, Richmond, North Carolina, USA
Map of Home:
Street Address:	Zian Road
House Number:	apr 16
Dwelling Number:	190
Family Number:	195
Lives on Farm:	No
Attended School:	No
Able to Read and Write:	No
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Able to Speak English:	Yes
Household Members Age Relationship Martha J Sheapard 85 Head Trussie Sheapard 50 Son Sallie T Sheapard 42 Daughter

Sallie is living in the County Home in Rockingham in 1940 and it is unknown when she passed away, or where she was buried. 

Stephen Tebe Sheppard and Martha Jane Ford Sheppard rest at Zion.