William Shepherd, born about 1794, was in Washington County by 1815. He was probably the William Shepherd listed on the 1820 census, Washington County, in the household with "J." Shepherd, who had been born between 1770 and 1775. This was John Shepherd who first appeared on the Washington County personal property tax books in 1812. Circumstantial evidence indicates that John was William's father. When John first appeared in 1812 there were two white male tithables in his household; the same was true for the next two years. Then, in 1815, John is shown as having only one white male tithable (himself), and William first appeared. Apparently William was the second of John's tithables and was probably his son. It is not yet known from where either William or John had moved when they appeared in Washington County.

Apparently John's household was an "extended family": in addition to John (born between 1770 and 1775) and a woman (born between 1776 and 1780) who was presumably his wife, it contained three males and three females aged sixteen to twenty-five years old (three husbands and wives?) and two girls under two years old (John's granddaughters?), as well as one male aged sixteen to eighteen and one aged ten to fifteen. Four in the household were engaged in farming. Probably William was the eldest son; this may account for his being named on the 1820 census in addition to John. John was possibly alive as late as 1840.

William Shepherd married for the first time sometime between 1819 and 1824, aged between approximately twenty-five to thirty years, to a woman born circa 1800 whose name is not known. Presumably the mother of his eight known children, she died some time between 1840 and 1850. By 1850 William had remarried, this time to a younger woman, Frances, who had been born between 1816 and 1820. Her maiden name may have been Moore. William and Frances apparently had no children, at least none who lived to appear on a census.

The name of five of William's eight children are known: John W., born circa 1828; James, born circa 1829; Sarah, born circa 1831-1832; Isabella, born circa 1833-1835; and Thompson R., born circa 1834-1837. Early census records also reveal a boy born between 1829 and 1825, a girl born between 1820-1825, and another girl born between 1825 and 1830.

The family was poor. Although William Shepherd was a farmer he owned no land, nor is there record of his father having owned land in either Washington or Smyth counties. Apparently they were tenant farmers.

William's personal possessions were also meager. The number of horse he owned fluctuated from none to four over the years in which he appeared. the number of cattle, sheep, or hogs varied: twelve in 1853, twenty in 1854 and 1855, and one in 1861. The years 1855 and 1856 were evidently good years; in addition to his livestock, he also owned one clock and in 1855 had household furniture valued at $17--a high for him. In 1865, the last year in which he appeared, he owned no taxable livestock. The 1869 census shows that he then had a personal estate valued at $100; his twenty-three-year-old son Thompson, who was then still living at home, has a personal estate of $200.

No evidence is available concerning his level of education, if any, or his religious affiliation.

William Shepherd died sometime after the 1865 personal property taxes were collected and before the 1870 census was taken. Unfortunately, no record of his death appears on the Smyth County death records.

John W., the eldest of William's children whose names are known, was married by 1858 to Susan Harris (born circa 1837), daughter of Henry and Lucinda Harris. Their children included Eliza, born circa 1859; James, born circa 1860; Mollie, born circa 1864 or 1866; Sallie, born circa 1866; Mattie, born 10 December 1868; Nannie, born circa 1871; Lizzie, born 12 May 1874; and a born in 1877. John's wife, Susan died 9 September in 1877 of a fever, possibly childbirth fever. Their son James married Carrie Chapman Patrick, a widow, on 1 or 8 September 1886, in Smyth County; she was the daughter of James and Sallie Chapman.

James Shepherd, son of William Shepherd, had married Rachel (born circa 1839) by 1841. They had William T., born circa 1852; America E., born circa 1853; Sarah, born 26 March 1853; John A., born 6 August 1854; James, born circa 1857; Amarida, born circa 1858; Eliza, born circa 1859-1860.

William's youngest son, Thompson R. Shepherd, was born circa 1834-1837, probably in Smyth County. As with his father, nothing is known as to his level of education or religious affiliation.

In Smyth County on 16 September 1860, at the age of twenty-six, Thompson married Mary J. Ward in a service preformed by Richard Roberts. Mary, born circa 1839-1840 in Virginia, was the daughter of Alexander Ward and his wife Mary Buchanan Ward.

Like his father, Thompson had no land and little personal property and was also quite poor. His occupation given on various sources as either farmer or laborer, he was apparently also a tenant farmer. Before his marriage, starting in 1856, he was taxed on one horse; one cow, sheep or hog; from 1857, one clock (was it the clock his father had had?) and from 1858, one clock and one watch. At the time of his marriage in 1860 the census shows that he had $200 worth of personal property. According to the personal property tax book for that year he had a horse valued at $85, a cow at $15, a watch at $10, a clock at $5, and $150 in cash or liquid assets.

Although he did not enlist in the Confederate army until 1 April 1863, he did not appear in the Smyth County personal property books in either 1861 or 1862. In 1863, the only year during the war in which he appeared, he had no taxable property, nor did he in 1866 when he reappeared in the tax books. Thompson then disappeared again until 1870 when he was taxed on one cow of $15 value, farming implements of $5 taxable value, household furniture valued at $20, and one clock valued at $5. Perhaps he then sold, or possibly bartered the clock, for in the next year he no longer had the clock but instead had five hogs valued at $5. In 1872, when he last appeared on personal property tax records, he had three hogs, one horse, and no cows.

It is interesting that although he owned no land to farm, in 1870 his household included not only his wife, children, and stepmother Frances, but also two young black males. These were William Tate, aged fifteen, and M. Taylor, aged seventeen, whose occupations were given as "work[ers] on farm." At this time the family was living in the neighborhood of Chatham Hill post office.

Thompson served in the Confederate army as a private in Company E, 23rd Virginia Infantry Battalion, Echols' Brigade, Breckenridge's Division. He enlisted 1 April 1863 in Smyth County for the duration of the war and probably spent most of his time in service in western Virginia. During September and October 1863 he was serving in the horse artillery. In November and December of that year he was sick and in an unnamed hospital. By 1 April 1864 he was again with his company and in that year he was wounded at the battle of New Market on 15 May and at the third battle of Wichester on 19 September. Strangely, there is no evidence of a pension for Thompson.

Apparently seven children were born to Thompson and Mary Shepherd: Aurelia V.; Laura J.; Mathew Keffner, though whom the line being traced descends; Ellen J.; Samuel A.; Edward C.; and Stephen.

The date of death of Thompson has not yet been pinpointed. He disappeared from the Smyth County personal property tax books after 1872 and he was not found by spot checks in neighboring Washington County records. Since his wife appears as widowed on the 1880 census, it would appear that he died sometime between 1872 and 1880. However, with Mary on the 1880 census was a two year old son, Stephen. Either Thompson was alive at least nine months before Stephen's birth (in which case, where was he living?) or Stephen was not Thompson's son.

Mary J. Sheppard, who could read and write, was alive at least as late as 1910. In that year, at the age of 73, she was living in a house which she owned. With her was her daughter Aurelia V.

The first of Thompson's and Mary's children, Aurelia was probably born circa 1862. She received enough education, source unknown, to be able to read and write. Never married, she supported herself, and probably also her mother with whom she lived, as a seamstress. In 1900 she and her mother had been living with Auralia's brother Samuel, who had not yet married. Aurelia was alive as late as July 1936.

Laura J., the second child, was born circa 1863 and married Thomas Henderson, a Smyth County farmer, on 25 November in Smyth County. Ellen J., the fourth child, was born circa 1867 and never married.

Samuel A. Sheppard, second son of Thompson and Mary, was born circa 1871-May 1873. He married circa 1901 at the age of thirty to thirty-two to Sallie whose last name is currently unknown. They had children May (born circa 1902), Thomas (born circa 1906), Janie (born circa 1907), and Howard (born circa December 1909-January 1910). A farmer as his father and grandfather had been, Samuel was the first of the Sheppard family to own any land. In July 1897 he inherited 276 acres in Rich Valley, eighteen miles northwest of Marion, from a great-aunt, Jane B. Buchanan, who had apparently never married. He had, as she put it, been very kind to her in her old age, for which she left him all her real and personal property. Subsequent to his receipt of this property, he and Sallie began selling small parcels of it to his brothers and sister Aurelia.

Edward C., nicknamed Dool, was born circa 1873. About 1900, at the age of twenty-seven, he married Susan Chapman, daughter of John R. and Matilda Chapman. Also a farmer, he bought his first land, ten acres, in 1901 from his brother Samuel. He and Susan had at least the following children: Kattie (born circa 1902), Lucy (born circa 1903), Johnie (born circa 1905), Bertie (born circa 1908; alive March 1983; married first Mr. Cohill, second a Mr. Sword), and possibly also Hattie May (married a Mr. Short). As of 1910 Dool could not read or write. He was still alive in 1955 and apparently as late as 1960.

Stephen was born about 1878. Nothing is known about this child beyond his appearance on the 1880 census with his widowed mother. No living member of the family has ever heard of him, and probably died as a child.

The eldest of Thompson and Mary's sons and their third child was Mathew Keffner Sheppard, born 28 February 1866 (Funeral records give birthplace as Buchanan Co.), in Saltville. Thompson died before Mathew was thirteen years old, leaving Mathew as the "man of the family," working as a laborer for Hamil S. Poston and living in Poston's household. Mathew learned to read, but not write; the source of what education he has is not known.

On 21 September 1899, at the age of 33 years, he and Mary Pennington were married by E. Bertigans in Washington County. Born about 1870-1871 in Ashe County, North Carolina, Mary was the daughter of William and Carrie Pennington. During the year following their marriage Mary's sister Lottie Pennington lived with them.

As with earlier generations, Mathew's occupation was listed variously as farmer or laborer. Until acquiring his first property in 1905, he was probably, like his father and grandfather, a tenant farmer. The nice acres, valued in 1910 at $54, that he purchased in 1905 from his brother Edward C. were located on the North Ork of the Holston River, near Quarry, about two miles southeast of Saltville and fifteen miles northwest of Marion. It adjoined land his sister Aurelia had purchased in 1897 from their brother Samuel S. Sheppard. All of this land was part of Samuel's bequest from their great-aunt Jane Buchanan. As late as 1910 no buildings were on any of the property belonging to the Sheppards. Mathew's total tax on that land in 1910 was nineteen cents and one cow was the extent of his livestock. The last job Mathew held before his retirement was as a laborer for Mathieson Chemical Company in Saltville.

In 1917 Mathew acquired from W. G. Buchanan twenty-four additional acres on the north side of Walkers Mountain--land which was part of a tract Edward C. Sheppard had sold to Buchanan. Over the next two decades Mathew purchased one additional acre (from his sister Aurelia) and gradually sold most of his land.

Mathew died at the age of 84 on 22 August 1950, at 8:30 a.m., in Saltville, Washington County, of the heart disease he had suffered for several years. A year earlier he had fractured his right hip. he was buried 25 August 1950, in the family cemetery at Quarry, by the D. R. Henderson Funeral Home, in Saltville. Services held at Quarry Methodist Church. His wife, Mary, had died many years earlier, sometime between 1931 and 1938, and also, it is said, is buried in the cemetery at Quarry.

Mathew and Mary had at least seven children. the oldest child, Edward M. or Edward Nathan, was born 11 July 1900 and married Alice. V. (last name not known) on 19 April 1930. They had seven children (Willie, Margaret, Annie, Mary, Gladys, Josie, and Elizabeth), and Ed is living near Glade Springs, in poor health (as of 1983)

The second child was William "Bill" T. Sheppard, born circa 1903. He married Rebecca sometime after 1938 and died about 1972. The third child was Mary E. Sheppard, born circa 1904, who died as a child, sometime after 1910; she is said to be buried with her parents, in the family cemetery at Quarry. Another child, whose name is unknown, apparently died before 1910. The next child was Mathew K."Slim" Sheppard, Jr., born circa 1907. He married Mary Frances (last name unknown) by 1938 and died about 1981. the sixth child was Robert Lee Sheppard, 10 July 1909. He married Kate (last name unknown) by 1938 and died 23 November 1994.

The youngest child was a son, Luther Ray "Shep" Sheppard, born at Quarry, at 3:30 p.m., 14 August 1912, when his father was forty-seven and his mother forty-two. He was later nicknamed Shep. He received a seventh grade education. He had brown eyes, black hair, and grew to a height of five feet nine inches.

Drafted on 2 May 1941, Shep entered the army in Roanoke, Virginia. He became a private, first class, in HQ company, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division. His military occupational specialty was listed as Pioneer 729. On 27 September 1942 his company departed for Scotland, arriving there the 3rd of October. While overseas he served in Northern France, Rhineland, Central Europe, and Normandy. At the invasion of Normandy, he was in the second boatload of men to land at Omaha Beach. While in service he received several decorations or situation: Bronze Star Medal, Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal, European African Middle Eastern Service Medal, Bronze Star Distinguished Unit Badge and Oak Leaf Cluster to Distinguished Unit Badge. Returning to the United States on 2 July 1945, he was discharged on 10 July from the Separation Center at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.

On 31 October 1946, at the age of 34, he and Ora Juanita Gilbert Coe, were married by H. Olin Troy, a Methodist minister, in Marion, the county seat.