The Shepard Family

John Shepherd was born on 12 Sep 1792 in Kentucky. He died on 22 Jun 1863 in Greene County, Indiana. He married (1) Sarah Brandenburg on 15 Apr 1813 in Adams County, Ohio. She was born on 04 Apr 1793 in German, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. She died on 12 Apr 1846 in Greene County, Indiana. He married (2) Elizabeth Dixson on 23 Mar 1851 in Greene County, Indiana. She was born about 1798 in Ohio.

John Shepherd and Sarah Brandenburg had the following children:

William, Charles, Daniel, Francis, Mary, Thomas, and Sarah.

Thomas Shepherd was born on 14 Jan 1832 in Greene County, Indiana. He died on 02 Apr 1856 in Greene County, Indiana. He married Rebecca Dixson, daughter of John Hart Dixson and Elizabeth J. Stalcup, on 18 May 1854 in Greene County, Indiana. She was born on 17 Dec 1841 in Indiana. She died on 04 Mar 1906 in Booneville, Logan County, Arkansas.

Thomas Shepherd and Rebecca Dixson gave birth to Thomas Franklin Shepherd before they were married. For whatever reason, whether it was because Thomas died at an early age, or because they were trying to hide the birth, Thomas Franklin was given to Catherine Finley to raise. Catherine Finley was a member of the Edward Finley household, who were share croppers living next to John Shepherd. Thomas Franklin lived with Catherine until he was about 19 years old. Catherine married Levi Mitchell, and moved to Oblong, Illinois, and Thomas Franklin moved to Vigo County shortly after 1870.

Tom Shepard

Thomas Franklin Shepard was born on 20 Jan 1852 in Greene County, Indiana. He died on 30 May 1928 in Lost Creek, Vigo County, Indiana. He married Elizabeth Bass, daughter of Michael Bass and Catharine Foster, on 28 Apr 1874 in Lost Creek, Vigo County, Indiana. She was born on 17 Mar 1855 in Lost Creek, Vigo County, Indiana. She died on 29 Jan 1929 in Vigo County, Indiana.


Tom lived at 3 different locations within the Lost Creek Settlement. The 1st location was on Haythorne Ave., across from Markle Mill property known as Forest Park. He later moved that house to location #2 using horse teams and wagons. The road did not exist at that time. He had to travel across the fields. In 1902, Tom's sister-in-law, Catherine Bass Estell, passed away. Tom was the administrator of her estate. He purchased her property on Ft. Harrison Road, adjacent to Redden Roberts property. Her property on Haythorne Ave. was sold to his son, George Shepard. Tom and wife Elizabeth, then raised her 4 orphaned children. Later, Tom and Elizabeth moved to the their 3rd location which had been owned by Catherine Bass.

Tom's maternal grandfather, John Dixson, was well known for his love of raising race horses, trotters in particular. Below is a portion of the biography written about him.

John H. Dixson was born in Preble County, Ohio, March 10, 1820, and is the only survivor of eleven children, born to Eli and Rebecca (Hart) Dixson......Eli Dixson became widely known as the owner of some of the best horses in the State, and he was never more at home than on the back of one of his racers with a pack of hounds following up the trail of some bear or fox.....Like his father before him, John is a great admirer of horse flesh, and be it also said that he also keeps the best horses in his locality.

John Dixson died in 1890. Tom's mother Rebecca had remarried and had moved to Iowa by 1890. Tom received part of her share of his estate, including his race horses. By 1894 Tom was raising and selling race horses, as well as charging for stud fees.

Thomas Franklin spelled his surname as Shepherd up until around 1890. The stud fee poster below is the first document we have with his name spelled Shepard.

Tom and Elizabeth were still living at location #1 on East Haythorne Avenue when he was raising his horses, indicated by the location of his barn on the poster. It states that his barn is at the southeast corner of Forest Park, which is the old Markle property, currently owned by First Financial Bank. Tom used his inheritance to build himself a new house at location #3 on Old Ft. Harrison Road. (inset on the left) He also used his inheritance money to build his foster mother, Catherine Finley, a similar house in Oblong, Illinois. (inset on the right) Tom Shepard also owned and operated, a grocery store, a barber shop in Burnett, Indiana, and a saloon in a settlement north of Terre Haute, known as Highland.

T.F. Shepard Home

Catherine Finley Home

Thomas F. Shepard Homestead on Fort Harrison Road
Catherine Finley Mitchell Homestead Oblong Illinois

Thomas Franklin Shepard and Elizabeth Bass had the following children:

Luetta

Luetta Catherine Shepard was born on 28 Feb 1875 in Vigo County, Indiana. She died on 17 Aug 1939 in Vigo County, Indiana. She married 1st, George W. Morton on 31 Dec 1895 in Vigo County, Indiana. He was born in Mar 1868 in Kentucky. She married 2nd, Clarence D. Melvin. He was born on 03 Mar 1886 in Terre Haute, Indiana. He died on 11 Sep 1919 in Terre Haute, Indiana. She married 3rd, Frank Morgan Tuller, son of Wiley Tuller and Charlotte Jones, on 08 Nov 1922 in Clay County, Indiana. He was born on 08 Feb 1875 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Luetta Catherine Shepard and Clarence D. Melvin had the following children:

Clarence Wagner Melvin was born on 25 Feb 1912 in Vigo County, Indiana. He died on 20 Aug 1993 in Norfolk, Virginia. He married Ethel Elaine Blakeney, daughter of James Edward Newkirk and Orion Bertha Hunter, on 06 Dec 1974 in Norfolk, Virginia. She was born on 21 Apr 1930.

James Arthur Melvin was born on 20 Jun 1913 in Terre Haute, Indiana. He died on 02 Mar 1979 in Terre Haute, Indiana. He married Zela Mae Boone, daughter of Walter L Boone and Mattie Clay, on 14 Aug 1937 in Vigo County, Indiana. She was born on 13 Mar 1916 in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Catherine Fisher

Catherine Neoma Melvin was born on 26 Jul 1915 in Indiana. She died on 18 Feb 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. She married Ernest E. Fisher, son of Alec Fisher and Ethel Jackson, on 20 Feb 1933 in Terre Haute, Indiana. He was born on 26 May 1908 in Indiana. He died in Jul 1967.



Hilda Jane Melvin was born on 26 Jul 1915 in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Luetta Catherine Shepard and George W Morton had the following children:

Sheppelle Morton was born on 17 Feb 1897 in Indiana. She died on 15 Oct 1982 in Terre Haute, Indiana. She married Henry Shade. He was born in 1885 in Kentucky. He died in 1952 in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Vinnetta J Morton was born on 09 Aug 1898 in Terre Haute, Indiana. She died on 28 Feb 1917 in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Eliza Morton

Elizabeth A. Morton was born on 25 Aug 1900 in Vigo County, Indiana. She married Moses Smith, son of Theodore Smith and Anna C. Chenault, on 09 Feb 1922 in Vigo County, Indiana. He was born on 19 Jan 1899 in Indiana. He died in May 1965 in Michigan.


Anna Batton

George Shepard

George Franklin Shepard was born on 03 Nov 1877 in Lost Creek, Vigo County, Indiana. He died on 29 May 1952 in Terre Haute, Indiana. He had a child with Leslie Roberts, daughter of Joseph Roberts and Lucy Emily Estell. She was born on 05 Dec 1882 in Terre Haute, Indiana. She died on 28 Jan 1931 in Terre Haute, Indiana. He married Anna Marie Batton, daughter of Joseph Batton and Rebecca Jane Pettiford, on 06 Feb 1902 in Lost Creek, Vigo County, Indiana. She was born on 16 Jul 1881 in Lost Creek, Vigo County, Indiana. She died on 31 Jan 1975 in Terre Haute, Indiana. (more)

Charles Shepard

Charles Frederic Shepard was born on 06 Aug 1879 in Lost Creek, Vigo County, Indiana. He died on 06 Sep 1948 in Terre Haute, Indiana. He had a child with Luetta M. Roberts, daughter of James Albert Roberts and Nancy Ida Alexander. She was born on 21 Apr 1883 in Lost Creek, Vigo County, Indiana. She died on 27 Aug 1951 in Fontanet, Vigo County, Indiana. He married Clara May Wilkinson, daughter of Samuel Wilkinson and Emaline Whorley, on 16 Aug 1906 in Davenport, Iowa. She was born in 1876 in Georgia. She died in 1951 in Terre Haute, Indiana.


Charles Frederic Shepard and Luetta M. Roberts had the following child:

Ruby Elizabeth Shepard was born on 19 Apr 1904 in Lost Creek, Vigo, Indiana. She died on 30 Apr 1999 in Terre Haute, Indiana. She had 2 children by James Niece, son of Abraham Niece and Eliza Jane Ebby. He was born on 09 Mar 1896 in Indiana. He died on 17 Jun 1965 in Terre Haute, Indiana. She married John Lindsey Cooper, son of John Cooper and Ida M. Jackson, on 21 Feb 1922 in Lost Creek, Vigo County, Indiana. He was born on 11 Apr 1894 in Lost Creek, Vigo County, Indiana. He died on 17 Jan 1985 in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Charles Frederic Shepard and Clara May Wilkinson had the following child:

Evelyn Shepard

Bernice Evelyn Shepard was born on 18 Sep 1912 in Davenport, Iowa.





Gertrude Shepard

Gertrude Elizabeth Shepard was born on 07 Jun 1882 in Lost Creek, Vigo County, Indiana. She married 1st, Thaddeus Anderson, son of Malachi C. Anderson and Sarah Elizabeth Pettiford, on 27 Feb 1901 in Vigo County, Indiana. He was born in Jan 1877 in Indiana. He died on 24 Oct 1953 in Yakima, Washington. She married 2nd, William Orville Ross, son of Byron Ross and Emmazilla "Emma" Walden, on 04 Nov 1919 in Vigo County, Indiana. He was born on 15 Apr 1867 in Vigo County, Indiana. He died on 04 Mar 1930 in Terre Haute, Indiana. She died on 12 May 1920 in Vigo County, Indiana, and was buried in the Stewart Cemetery. (more)


The 1946 Shepard Family Reunion Photo

Photo was taken at the house built by Thomas F. Shepard. Photo includes the descendants of Thomas Shepard and his adoptive family.