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Jack Howell Sheppard July 14 1929-Oct 20 1997 This page is dedicated to the memory of Jack Sheppard The following autobiography was written by my father for me as a genealogy project on Jan 4, 1995. JACK HOWELL SHEPPARD Jack Howell Sheppard was born on 14 July 1929 northeast of Wetumka, Hughes County, Oklahoma, the firstborn of Argus and Nora Ozella (Turpin) Sheppard. At an early age the family moved to Sasakwa in Seminole County, Oklahoma where the children, Jack and Betty Louise, attended both elementary and high school. Jack participated in both high school baseball and basketball activities, lettering in both sports. At graduation in May 1947, he was valedictorian of the senior class. After graduating from high school, Jack enlisted in the U. S. Army and received basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Following completion of basic training, he was promoted to Private First Class and selected for specialized personnel management training at The Adjutant General's School in Camp Lee, Virginia. Following completion of this training, Jack was selected for overseas duty and reported to the overseas replacement depot at Camp Stoneman, California in January 1948. He was then assigned to duty in the Phillipine Islands, arriving in Manila on 19 February 1948. He was given a duty assignment in Headquarters, Phillipines-Ryukus Command located in the old Phillippine University area (Camp Rizal) in Quezon City outside Manila. There he worked in the classification and assignment of enlisted personnel and was shortly made NCOIC of the branch. By November of 1948 he had been promoted to the permanent rank of Sergeant (old Staff Sergeant). The command headquarters was subsequently moved to Fort McKinley in 1949 and later, in May 1949, the headquarters moved once again, this time to Camp John Hay in Baguio, located off the Lingayen Gulf in the mountains of northern Luzon. On 12 September 1949, after completing his eighteen months tour, Jack was returned to the U. S. for subsequent reassignment. After travel and leave he was assigned in November 1949 to the 2nd Armored Division in Camp Hood near Kileen, Texas. There he served as administrator of personnel tests in the 502nd Replacement Company until honorably discharged on 27 April 1950. After a brief period out of service, Jack re-enlisted in the U. S. Army on 7 June 1950 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He was assigned to Headquarters Battery of the 18th Field Artillery Battalion (Self-propelled 155mm gun) as a personnel management specialist. On 23 June 1950 Jack married Janice Joy Jones in Wewoka, Seminole County, Oklahoma. Janice Joy Jones is the daughter of Thurman Jackson ("TJ" or "Jack") Jones and O.Z. Fauncie Brantley and was born 1 July 1930 near Wewoka, Oklahoma. Joy worked as a telephone operator in Okemah where she remained for a short time until rental quarters could be found in Lawton, outside Fort Sill. While in Fort Sill, Jack was selected to attend a Field Artillery Intelligence Chief training course in 1951 and was assigned as the Intelligence Chief in the S-2 Section of the 18th FA Battalion. He was serving in this position when the battalion was selected for service in Europe during the Korean War. The unit arrived in Europe on 25 July 1951 and was assigned to the 36th Field Artillery Group of V Corps in Babenhausen, West Germany. The battalion was assigned to alert positions along the Fulda Gap on a rotational basis during the height of the Cold War. This mission continued throughout Jack's service in Europe. In early 1952 Joy arrived in West Germany where she joined Jack and they were assigned government housing in Babenhausen. They remained in these quarters until their return to the U. S. In March 1952 Jack was selected for attendance at an eight week NCO Combat Intelligence course in Oberammergau, West Germany. While he was attending the course, Joy resided in the village of Oberau between Oberammergau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Jack graduated from the course 15 May 1952 as the Outstanding Student and returned to his unit in Babenhausen. He received a Top Secret clearance in June 1952 and was subsequently commended for a special Top Secret assignment at Headquarters of the 36th Field Artillery Group in January 1953. On 3 January 1954 a son, David Andrew, was born at the 97th Army General Hospital in Frankfurt-am-Main, West Germany. Jack's three year tour in Europe was completed in July and he and his family arrived back in the U.S. on 31 July 1954 aboard the USNS "Patch". Upon return Jack received assignment back to Fort Sill, Oklahoma in the 548th Field Artillery Battalion. Jack and his family resided in Lawton until April 1955 when he was selected as cadre for the 3rd Armored Division which was being activated in Fort Knox, Kentucky. His family joined him there and resided in Elizabethtown and Vine Grove, Kentucky while he was stationed there. On 22 December 1955, a second son, Michael Anthony, was born in the base hospital at Fort Knox. After completing his enlistment, Jack was honorably discharged on 6 June 1956 and the family moved to Redondo Beach, California. Jack enrolled at the Northrop Institute of Technology in Inglewood in an Aircraft Engineering Technology (AET) course. While attending this 24 month course, a third son, Phillip Eugene, was born in Hawthorne Hospital on 18 February 1957. A fourth son, Howard Dean, was born 26 July 1958 at the same hospital. Upon completing the AET course in September 1958 Jack was hired as an engineer by North American Aviation in Downey, California. His initial employment was for work in flight testing of the GAM-77 and 77A "Hound Dog" airborne standoff missiles. In October 1959 Jack and Joy purchased their first home at 518 Ruby Drive in Placentia, California where they resided until June 1975. Jack subsequently worked on the Apollo command/service modules, the Saturn S-II second stage, the Paraglider and Space Shuttle programs while in Downey. During the early years of employment at Downey Jack attended night school at Northrop Institute where he received a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering in 1960. In April 1975 Jack was assigned to the B-1A flight test project at Edwards Air Force Base and the family moved to Palmdale, California where they purchased a home. Jack worked on the B-1A project both in production at Palmdale and flight testing at EAFB. For approximately six months he was on loan to the Boeing Aircraft Company (BAC) where he worked on the Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) fly off competition and subsequently supported avionics testing of the B-1A by BAC. Upon the authorization of production of the B-1B aircraft by the new Reagan administration, Jack returned to Rockwell production flight test in Palmdale for the B-1B aircraft. After approximately 5 years on the B-1B production program, Jack retired on 31 January 1987 after 28+ years employment with what was now Rockwell.

Sheppard Home Page

To all those who knew my father through his genealogy work, I would like to inform you that I now have a copy of his latest updated Reunion files copied to my Macintosh hard drive from his. This information is shared freely with anyone interested in it or any of the of the other lines my father was researching.
My name is David Sheppard.

I am constantly updating files on the Sheppard and Jones genealogy. We come from William Shepherd (bn 1744), his son Isaac Sheppard (bn 1775), his son Elisha Sheppard (bn 1791) all from the area of Anson County North Carolina. Some of them briefly moved to Washington County Georgia in about 1801 and then traveled in a group across the country to gather and settle in Cape Girardeau County Missouri. There Francis Marion Sheppard was born in 1827. Moving to Boone County Arkansas his son George Pendelton Sheppard was born in 1868 in Clarksville, Johnson County, Arkansas. Our ancestors (before or possibly including William in Anson County, NC) reportedly come from England.

The Sheppard Line

William Sheppard (Shepherd) c.a. 1744-July 1801
William Sheppard was born about 1744 and died around July 1801 in Anson County, North Carolina. He was the progenitor of the Sheppard families of Missouri. William married Jemima (Deason Johnson?). William and Jemima had the following 8 children:
1. Jacob Sheppard was born in Anson County, NC and grew up there. He married Ann Wilson. On the 1800 Anson County, NC census, they had one boy under 10. They may have come to the Spanish Territory (now Cape Girardeau County) around 1808. In 1809 Jacob purchased 300 arpents of land from John P. Edninger and James Arnel. The land was described as near Round Pond and Whitewater River. This deed was dated 16 Jan. 1809, and he paid $2,000.00 (Book C page 123). There is a Jacob Sheppard paying taxes in 1814 & 1815 for land on Whitewater River. Again on 27 April 1818 Jacob purchased 255 90/100 arpents of land from John P. Aidener (sp) (Book D page 248-9). On 11 June 1821 Jacob Sheppard signed a bill of sale to James Wilkinson for one Negro man named Noah (Book F page 126). Nothing on Jacob was found in the 1830 Cape Girardeau County census. The Militia of the Territory was enrolled for active service in the War of 1812 and Jacob Sheppard is shown as a Lieutenant in companies of the Second Battalion of the Fourth Regiment, county of Cape Girardeau during 1812-1813 (Ref. Houck's History of Missouri, pages 104-106).
2. John Sheppard was born 16 June 1765 in Anson County, NC where he grew up. He married Nancy Wicker born 1773 in NC, the daughter of Robert H. Wicker & Hannah K. Holley. After their marriage they moved to Washington County, Georgia where they lived until around 1805 at which time they moved on to Missouri and settled in Cape Giradeau County near Jackson, Missouri. John Sheppard died there on November 22, 1836 and his wife, Nancy died about seven years later on August 5, 1843. They were both buried in the Old Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery near Jackson, Mo. of which they were both members. Markers can be found there marking their final resting place. They were the parents of 15 children:
  - I Jemima Sheppard, born 17 Oct. 1792 in Washington County, Georgia. On 5 April 1810 she was married to William Wilkerson. They had 11 children. She died 20 Jan 1857 in Cape Girardeau Co., Mo. and is buried in the Wilkerson Family Cemetery near Millersville, Missouri.
  - II Hannah Sheppard, born 19 Aug. 1794 in Washington Co., Georgia. She married 1) James Wilkinson 2) Joel Ferguson. She had 12 children. She died 7 Sept. 1873 and is buried in the Ferguson Family Cemetery near Millersville, Missouri.
  - III Mary "Polly" Sheppard, born 22 Nov. 1795 in Washington Co., Georgia. She married Jonathan Johnson and had 6 children. She died 1 Mar. 1830 and is buried in the Old Bethel Cemetery near Jackson, Missouri.
  - IV Dorcas A. C. Sheppard born 29 Oct.. 1797 in Washington Co., Georgia. She married her cousin William Sheppard, the son of Isaac and Margaret (Cox) Sheppard, and had 11 children. She died 20 Jan. 1876 and is buried in the Sheppard Family Cemetery on the banks of the Mississippi River north of Bainbridge, Mo.
  - V William Sheppard, born 1 June 1799 in Washington Co., Georgia. He married Sally Matthews on 11 May 1820 and died Sept. 1821. He is buried in the Old Bethel Cemetery near Jackson, Missouri.
  - VI John H. Sheppard Jr., born 14 Jan. 1801 in Washington Co., Georgia. He married 1)Polly Renfro 2)Dorcas Sheppard, daughter of Isaac and Margaret (Cox) Sheppard. John and Dorcas were first cousins. He had 5 children by his first wife and 9 children by his second marriage. He died 24 Sept. 1866 in Jackson Co., Texas and is buried there.
  - VII Sarah Sheppard, born 4 Dec. 1804 in Washington Co., Georgia. She married 1)________ Baker 2)James W. Bennett. She died 13 Sept. 1870 and was buried in the Bennett Cemetery south of Jackson, Mo.
  - VIII Unica "Nicey" Sheppard, born 4 Oct. 1805 in Washington Co., Georgia. She married 1)Wm. Bennett 2) Wm. Anthony. She had 5 children with William Bennett and 7 with William Anthony. She died 3 Oct. 1865 and was buried at Fredricktown, Mo. You may e-mail Norma R. Farmilo about this line at: norma@naples.net
  - IX Elisha W. Sheppard born 1809 in Cape Giradeau Co. , Missouri and died 6 Sept. 1846.
  - X Nathaniel W. Sheppard born 10 Feb. 1814 in Cape Girardeau Co. Missouri and died 19 Nov. 1836. Buried in Old Bethel Cemetery near Jackson, Missouri.
  - XI Isaac Newton Sheppard, born 16 Sept. 1816 in Cape Giradeau Co. He died 27 Nov. 1886 and is buried in the Howard Family Cemetery near Jackson, Missouri. He married 19 July 1842 to Mary Francis Randol, daughter of John and Mary (Hitt) Randol Jr. They had 12 children.
  - XII Thomas G. Sheppard, born 1817 in Cape Giradeau Co. Missouri. Died unmarried on 18 Dec. 1846.
  - XIII Joel R. Sheppard, died unmarried in Nov. 1848.
  - XIV Nancy Marzilla Sheppard born 30 June 1823 in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri married 5 Aug. 1841 to Christopher Columbus Green. They had 3 children. Nancy died 6 Jan 1847 in Madison County, Missouri.
  - XV Arena Adeline Sheppard born about 1825 in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri and married 8 Oct. 1846 to Solomon Caruthers. She died about 1847.
  3. Thomas Sheppard married Jemina White, daughter of Joseph & Sarah White. Thomas' Will: "being weak of body but of sound mind & memory 22 July 1810 leaves his beloved companion Jemina the farm where I now live. At the expiration of her widowhood to be divided amongst my children". Exec. Wm. Sheppard, Henry White, witness; Wm. Mendenhall & Benjamin Ashcraft. Probate Oct. 1811. On the 1800 Anson County, NC. census he is listed with 2 boys under 10, 1 girl and 1 slave.
  4. William Sheppard Jr. married Elizabeth Yerby. Elizabeth was the daughter of William Yerby born 1728 and Frances Margaret McTyre. William Jr. and Elizabeth were the parents of 15 children, all born in North Carolina, as follows:
  - I Michael Sheppard was born about 1793 and married Adeline ________. They had 7 children. Michael died around 1850 in Fayette County, Alabama.
  - II John Sheppard was born about 1795 and married Jane_______. They were the parents of at least 4 children. The family settled in Henderson County, Tennessee where John died about 1862.
  - III Isaac Sheppard was born about 1800 and married Martha Poe. The family moved to Fayette County, Alabama about 1826 where 8 children were born. Isaac died in Dec 1884 in Arkansas and is buried there.
  - IV William Sheppard III was born about 1800 and was probably the father of at least 10 children.
  - V Hughley Sheppard was born about 1803 and married Elizabeth Reed about 1829 in Tennessee. They were the parents of 7 children. Hugh died in 1852 in Panola County, Texas and is buried there.
  - VI Frances Sheppard was born about 1805 and married Daniel Watts. She died in Holmes County, Mississippi.
  - VII Nancy Sheppard
  - VIII Jerimirah Sheppard married a ___ Stack.
  - IX Sarah Sheppard was born 15 July 1811 and married Griffen Trull about 1835. They were the parents of 9 children. Sarah died 20 June 1892 in Lamar County, Alabama and is buried there.
  - X Jacob Solon Sheppard was born 5 Nov 1812 and married Mariah Nall about 1839 in Monroe County, Mississippi. They were the parents of 9 children. Jacob died about 1877 in Newtonville, Fayette County, Alabama.
  - XI Robert Sheppard was born about 1815 and married Sarah Bivens. They had 10 children.
  - XII Mary Louisa Sheppard
  - XIII Thomas Sheppard
  - XIV Richmond M. Sheppard was born about 1820 and married a Susan _____. He died about 1859.
  - XV Elizabeth Sheppard who died about 1857 in Fayette County, Alabama. She never married.
  William Sheppard died in NC in 1823. His will dated 6 Dec. 1822 leaves to his wife the land, mill and plantation, plantation tools, household furniture, and money to buy stock. Names of children are William, John, Michael, Hugh, Isaac, Franky and Nancy Sheppard. Executors:. Elizabeth, Jesse Lewellyn, & Michael Shepherd. Probated April 1823. His widow, Elizabeth (Yerby) Sheppard, moved to Fayette Co., Alabama from Anson Co., NC about 1845. The Fayette Co. home 1&1/2 miles northwest of Newtonville on Bear Creek was an old two story log house. Her son Isaac had settled across the creek in 1825. Another son, Jacob, had lived at Newtonville since 1836. Elizabeth was murdered by a young slave woman named Pherebe. The murder was committed in the late afternoon just before dark as the old widow sat on the back doorsteps feeding her chickens. The young slave woman slit her defenseless mistresses throat with a butcher knife. After two years in jail (trial and appeals) she was hung in 1851. It is said Pherebe believed that if she murdered her mistress she would be free.

Will of Wm. Shepherd Sr.
dated 21 May 1801

"I, William Shepherd being weak in body but perfect in mind and memory. To my son John land on both sides of Wicker branch joining Thomas Stewarts place and Rosses Lands, 202 acres. To son, Thomas part of the three tracts that now remains including the plantation I now live on, only the house I value to $400 which he is to keep and an equal division of the price to be made amongst them all. To wife Jemima the Negroes and as much other property as she thinks proper to keep on the place she now lives on for her freely to enjoy with the assistance of my son Thomas Shepherd.

Witness: Enoch Deason, William Ross, David Ross William Sheppard His Mark X Rebated July 1808-Witness Enoch Deason"

5. Jasper Sheppard
6. Elizabeth Sheppard married 28 May 1799 to Thomas White
7. Isaac Sheppard
8. Dorcas Sheppard married Rev. Jesse Lewellyn

You may e-mail David Sheppard at: davidsheppard6@q.com

Genealogy Line Interests and Locals

Sheppard/Shepherd/Shepard (North Carolina, England)
Blount, Blunt (Kentucky, Missouri)
Bradley (North Carolina, Missouri)
Wilcox, Willcox (Virginia)
Turpin (Alabama, South Carolina)
Vanderburg, Vanderberg, Funderburg (North Carolina)
Lewellen, Lewallen (North Carolina)
White (North Carolina)
Jones (Illinois, Texas)
Cox (North Carolina)
Harris (North Carolina)
Johnson (Virginia, North Carolina)

Jones Home Page

Email: davidsheppard6@q.com