History of Bucks County, Pa Volume 3 by William H. Davis
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 HENRY C. SHEPHERD

 HENRY C. SHEPHERD, of Buckingham, was born in that township, and is a son of John Carlile and Elmina (Shaw) Shepherd.  On the paternal side he is a descendant of the family mentioned in the preceding sketch, being a grandson of Joseph and Sarah (Carlile) Shepherd, and great-grandson of Cornelius and Katharine Shepherd, who migrated from Baltimore county, Maryland , to Buckingham in 1775.

     John C. Shepherd, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born on the old homestead in Buckingham, and in early life learned the trade of a shoemaker and followed that occupation in Plumstead township for several years.  In 1850 he purchased the farm of 126 acres in Buckingham, now owned by the subject of this sketch, where he resided from that date until his death in 1883.  He was an active worker in the Democratic party, and served one term as coroner of the county, 1855-1857.  He was for many years a trustee of the Hughesian Free School, and also a director of the public schools.  In religion he was a Friend.  His wife, Elmina Shaw, was a daughter of Aaron and Susanna (Brown) Shaw, and was born in Plumstead township, May 4, 1814 , and was married to John C. Shepherd, April 4, 1838 .  She died April 29, 1886.

     The pioneer ancestor of this branch of the Shaw family was John Shaw, a native of England , who settled in Northampton township in 1697, purchasing in that year 300 acres of land.  By his wife Susanna he had ten children, who have left numerous descendants in Bucks county and elsewhere.  James Shaw, eldest son of John and Susanna, was born January 9, 1694 .  In 1724 he purchased of his father-in-law, Thomas Brown, a native of Barking, Essex county, England , 200 acres of land in Plumstead township, a part of which remained the property of his descendants until 1903, and settled thereon.  He died December 3, 1761.  By his wife, Mary Brown, he had six children; the sixth, Alexander, born November 24, 1734 , died January 11, 1790 , was the ancestor of the subject of this sketch.  He inherited the old homestead and lived his whole life thereon.  He married Sarah, the widow of Moses Brown, by whom he had eight children.  Aaron Shaw, the eighth child of Alexander and Sarah Shaw, was the grandfather of the subject of this sketch.  He was born on the old homestead, August 19, 1778, and died November 3, 1838.  He lived on a portion of the old Shaw homestead.  He married December 13, 1804 , Susanna Brown, of Plumstead.  The children of Aaron and Susanna (Brown) Shaw were:  Rachel; Amos B.; Charles M.; Harvey; Elmina, the mother of the subject of this sketch; John A.; Aaron and Gilbert.  Both the Shaws and Browns were prominent people in Buckingham and Plumstead township, where they were large landowners.  Both families were members of the Society of Friends, and there was a number of intermarriages between them.  The Browns donated the land upon which the Plumstead meeting house stands.

     The children of John C. and Elmina (Shaw) Shepherd are:  Harvey S., of Chicago , Ill. ; John A., of Buckingham; Henry C.; Charles S., deceased, who was insurance commissioner in Chicago; and Emily, of Buckingham.

    Henry C. Shepherd, the subject of this sketch, was reared on the Buckingham farm and obtained his education at the Hughesian School .  His father was an invalid for many years prior to his death, and, his two brothers having left home to seek their fortunes in the west, the active management of the farm devolved upon him soon after attaining manhood.  In 1884 he purchased the farm, his mother removing to the village of Buckingham, where she died two years later.  In 1891 Mr. Shepherd was appointed clerk of the board of county commissioners and removed to Doylestown, where he resided for four years.  Returning to Buckingham, he again took up the management of the farm.  In 1900 he removed to the village of Buckingham, but still continues the active management of the farm.  In politics he is a Democrat, and takes an active part in the councils of the party.  He has served three years as school director, and in 1899 was elected trustee of the Hughesian School for life.  He is a member of Aquetong Lodge, No. 193. I. O. O. F., of Doylestown.  He married, in 1883, Minnie W. Holloway, daughter of Henry and Ellen Holloway, of Philadelphia , both deceased.  Mr. And Mrs. Shepherd are the parents of one child, Isabelle Emily, born October 18, 1893.

Text taken from pages 481-482 of:

Davis, William W.H., A.M. History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania [New York-Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1905] Volume III

Transcribed February 2004 by Thera Schwenk-Hammond; tsh@harborside.com; http:// www..rootsweb.com/~schwenk as part of the Bucks Co., Pa., Early Family Project, www.rootsweb.com/~pabucks/bucksindex.html

Published April 2004 on the Bucks County, Pa., USGenWeb pages at www.rootsweb.com/~pabucks/


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