John Shepherd (abt. 1801 - 1849)

Born about 1801 in Buncombe, North Carolina, United States [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died Nov 1849 at about age 48 in Yancey, North Carolina, United States

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Biography

John Shepherd lived in Appalachia, in North Carolina.

John Shepherd was a son of Elizabeth Shepherd Elizabeth (Shepherd) Wilson (abt.1780-bef.1860), who later married George Wilson. He was likely born in Buncombe County (or possibly Burke) as Macon County was not formed until 1828 and Yancey County not until 1833. (His mother's family were mostly in what became Macon County but also had interests in what became Yancey County.)

Who was John's father? [Answering that question will require, at least, a direct male descendant of John Shepherd's to take a Y-DNA test. If anyone is interested in doing so and needs assistance, or anyone can shed light on the question, please contact the profile manager.]

Pauline Shepherd Chandler, writing for the Heritage of Old Buncombe County, Volume 2, 1987:

John Shepherd, born 1801, was the son of Elizabeth Shepherd who later married George Wilson . . . . John's half-brothers, with whom he grew up, were (a) Edward Wilson, born 1806; d. 1856; (b) Elijah Wilson, born 1811 . . .; (c) Sarah Wilson, born in 1811 . . . . Several records in the Burnsville Courthouse, Yancey, N. C. show that John Shepherd and Edward Wilson, his half brother, sold slaves, etc., and cared for the well-being of their mother Elizabeth Shepherd Wilson. These transactions followed the death of John's grandfather, Thomas Shepherd Sr., in 1842.

John Shepherd married Dorothy Jones, born 25 March 1804, daughter of the Rev. William and Dorothy (Dolly) (Hampton) Jones of Wythe County, Virginia. Following their marriage they lived on about 400 acres of land located on Indian Creek in Yancey County, N. C.. . . They had a family of ten children. John died in November, 1849, and was listed in the 1850 Mortality Schedule for Yancey County^[1]

He died at the age of 48 of typhoid fever, an illness which lasted 21 days. He was probably buried in the Horton Hill Cemetery located in Yancey County at the junction of Horton and Indian Creeks. ^[2]

The federal census of 1850, listed for Yancey County, North Carolina on 24 October, found this family: Dorothy Shepherd (listed first as the head of the family), age 46, born in Virginia, Her children still at home were Melissa E., age 15; Elizabeth L., 14; Ephraim M., 12; William, 10; John W., 8; Mitchell G., 6; and Thomas E., 3. Also present were Dorothy's mother, Dorothy Hampton Jones, 79; and Dorothy’s nephew William B. J. Metcalf, 15. Nearby neighbors were William Wilson, 37; Ephraim Piercy, 56; and Andrew Grigery, 35.^[3]

The slave enumeration taken on 5 October 1850 listed Dorothy Shepherd as owner of one female slave, age 17.^[4]

At the time of the 1860 census (6 June, Post Office was Paint Gap), Dorothy Shepherd was head of household (census house #72), with four sons still at home: William, 20; John Wesley, 18; Mitchel G, 16; and Thomas E., 13. Older son Grandison, 33, lived at house #71 with wife Serena and four children. The value of Dorothy's real property was listed as $2000 and personal property was listed as $400. Son William had real property valued at $400 and personal property of $200. ^[5]

As Dorothy Jones Shepherd was not listed in the 1870 census, we assume that she had died by then.

Sources

1. ↑ National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Non-population Census Schedules for North Carolina, 1850-1880: Mortality and Manufacturing; Archive Collection: M1805; Archive Roll Number: 1; Census Year: 1849; Census Place: Yancey, North Carolina; Page: 701. Ancestry.com. U.S., Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. A portion of this collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.
2. ↑ Pauline Shepherd Chandler, "John and Dorothy (Jones) Shepherd," Heritage of Old Buncombe County, Vol II, 1987 (Doris Cline Ward, Editor), p. 335, item 531.
3. ↑ Year: 1850; Census Place: Yancey, North Carolina; Roll: M432_649; Page: 453A; Image: 413. Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
4. ↑ The National Archive in Washington Dc; Washington, DC; NARA Microform Publication: M432; Title: Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29. Ancestry.com. 1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1850. M432, 1,009 rolls.
5. ↑ The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Yancey, North Carolina; Roll: M653_919; Page: 375; Family History Library Film: 803919. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

US Census, 1850, 1860, 1870, Yancey County, NC; US Census 1850, Slave Schedules, Yancey Co NC; US Census 1880, Caney River, Yancey Co NC; US Census 1900, Prices Creek, Yancey Co NC; US Census, 1910, Madison Co NC; NC Death Certificate, James Robert Shepherd, 1962; Stephen A. Shepherd, "Descendants of Presley Blankenship" (rec'd 28 Jun 2007); Ancestry.com's Shepherd's Flock; Ancestry.com's Hurst Raby Shepherd family tree.