Sgt. John Shepard, I

John Shepard , son of Edward, was born in England in 1627. He married (first) October 1, 1649, Rebecca, daughter of Samuel Greenhill. She died December 22, 1689. He married (second) Susannah, widow of William Goodwin Sr., of Hartford. He made a marriage contract with her dated August 3, 1691. William Goodwin died October 15, 1689. His wife's will, dated March 7, 1698, mentioning three children by name of Goodwin, was proved April 14, 1698. William Goodwin and John Pratt were appointed administrators. He married (third) September 8, 1698, Martha, widow of John Henbury, who survived him. John Henbury was buried August 1, 1687. John Shepard died June 12, 1707.

He was made a freeman at Cambridge, May 22, 1650. It is supposed that he moved to Hartford after the birth of Thomas in 1666, as this is the last birth record at Cambridge. The first mention of him in Hartford is found in 1654. Hinman says that he was "a man of consequence in the colony." He was known as Sergeant John Shepard. He lived in Hartford on what is now known as Lafayette street, just south of the new State House, and owned lands to the Wethersfield bounds.

Sources:

• New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation, Volume 3

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From Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England: Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862), 4:74-75.

JOHN, Cambridge, prob. br. of Edward, m. 4 Oct. 1649, Rebecca, d. of Samuel Greenhill, had Rebcca; Sarah, b. 5 Mar. 1656; John, 22 Jan. 1658; Violet; Elizabeth bapt. 29 July 1660; Edward, b.31 July 1662; Samuel, bapt. 3 July 1664; Thomas, b. 30 Apr. 1666; Deborah; Abigail; and Hannah. His w. d. 22 Dec. 1689, and he m. Martha, wid. of Arthur Henbury, aft. Aug. 1697. Rebecca m. Jonathan Bigelow; Sarah m. Benajah Stone; Violet m. John Stedman; Elizabeth m. William Goodwin, Deborah m. Jacob White; Abigail m. 6 Aug. 1691, Thomas Butler; and Hannah m. 1 Dec. 1692, Thomas Ensign.

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John Shepard was born in England and came to Massachusetts with his parents, who settled in Cambridge in 1642. He was made a freeman of the Massachusetts Bay Colony on 22 May 1650. He was a cooper and was so described in deeds to land in Cambridge. The list of the members of the Church of Cambridge, 1658-1776, written by Rev. Jonathan Mitchell includes "John Shepard (son of Edward Shepard before named) & his wife both in full Comm." In connection with the estate of Thomas Greenhill, sister of John Shepard's wife Rebecca, there was still unpaid a portion of the purchase price of land that Thomas Greenhill had bought from Rebecca Shepard. Calling himself John Shepherd of Cambridge, cooper, with his wife Rebecca he gave a power of attorney to Jeremy Adams of Hartford to collect from the executors what was still owing from this land transaction. Distribution of the estate of Thomas Greenhill had not been completed by 11 Feb 1679, and as the executors had died, Sergeant John Shepherd was appointed administrator with the will annexed. The family probably moved to Hartford, CT in the summer of 1671, as on 4 May 1671 he sold his home in Cambridge to John Stedman, Jr. and on 4 Jun 1671 sold land in Cambridge to Justinian Holden. In Hartford, John Shepard was chosen sealer of weights and measures in 1673 and 1679, and was often called Sergeant in the records. The inventory of his estate was exhibited on 7 Jul 1707 by his son John and widow Martha and his sons John and Thomas were appointed administrators. The debts were greater that the movable estate, so some real estate was ordered sold. See Vol. 2 of "The Shepard Families of New England," compiled by Gerald Faulkner Shepard. It was edited by Donald Lines Jacobus (New Haven Colony Historical Society, 1972). !LOCATING BAPTISM AND ANCESTRY FOR JOHN SHEPARD: Lawrence I. Shepard details his search for the origins of Edward Shepard of Cambridge, MA in an article carried in Issues 22/4 of Heritage Quest (l989). It is his conclusion that this John Shepard is the same as the John Shepard baptized 5 Nov 1623 in Lawford, Essex, England. This is the parish listed for Edward Shepard in the 1636 Ship Subsidy List and is adjacent to the parish of Mistley, Essex, where a baptism for "Elizabeth Sheppard, daughter of Edward Sheppard and Violett was baptized Nov. 4, 1621" and where "Violet Charnould, daughter of John Charnould, was baptized Sept. 26, 1595." Just across the Stour River estuary, the boundary between Suffolk and Essex, is the parish of Ewarton, where the marriage of "Edward Shepard and Violet Charnel" is recorded for Dec 6, 1620.

death: 12 June 1707; Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States christening: burial: 12 June 1707; Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States birth: 5 November 1623; Lawford, Essex, England, United Kingdom

She md. (1) 24 Apr 1627 Walter Baseden; (2) 24 Jun 1628 Samuel Greenhill or Grinnell, both at Cranbrook, Kent, England, and (3) Jeremy Adams, 1639 at Hartford, Hartford, CT. She could not have been the mother of Sarah, as Sarah was 19 yrs. old when Rebecca married her father.

• Reference: WeRelate Genealogy - SmartCopy: Oct 26 2016, 18:11:57 UTC