Bio of John H. Sheppard, Miller Co, AR

From "The Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas,"
Published 1890 by Goodspeed.  Chicago, Nashville, and St. Louis:
The Goodspeed Publishing Co.  1890

Submitted by: Becky Hargett <bhargett@cityscape.net>

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John H. Sheppard was born in Harris County, Ga., on July 26, 1834, and is the
son of William and Jane (Oliver ) Sheppard, both of whom  were natives of
Georgia.  They were married in their native State and soon after the birth of
their son, John H., they moved to Barbour County, Ala., and there made their
home until their death, which occurred in 1854 and 1868, respectively, the
father dying at the age of sixty-five years and the mother at the age of sixty
years.  She was a member of the  Missionary Baptist Church.  The father was a
soldier in the War of 1812 and in politics was a Whig.  There were fourteen
children born to this marriage, three of whom are still living - the subject of
this sketch and his two sisters.  John H. Sheppard spent his school days in
Barbour County Ala., remaining at home until his father's death, and then
engaging in agricultural pursuits on his own responsibility, in which he has
ever since continued.  In 1861 he joined the Fifth North Carolina Battalion,
afterward transferred to the Sixtieth Georgia Confederate Infantry, in  which he
served until the close of the war as corporal, participating in many battles,
the most important of them being Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, Darksville, Rapidan
River, the Wilderness, Hatches Run, Mine Run,  Petersburg and around Richmond.
He was with the army at the surrender at Appomattox.  At the battle the
Wilderness he received a gunshot through the left thigh which disabled him for
duty; at Pittsburgh he was knocked from the  breastworks by the bursting of a
shell, and at Gettysburg, was taken prisoner but escaped the same day.   After
the war he returned to Georgia and remained there until 1867, at that time going
to Barbour County, Ala., where he made his home until 1870.  He then came to
Arkansas and located on his present farm, which comprises 315 acres of as good
land as can be found in Miller County, with 10 acres prepared for cultivation.
He was a heavy loser by the later war, and when he came to Arkansas, his means
were extremely limited, but by his industry and good management he has
accumulated a fine property, and as a result of his own hard labor, has one
of the best improved farms in this section.  He was united in matrimony on
January 8, 1861, to Miss Louisiana Phelps, daughter of William and Judy Phelps,
and their wedded life has been blessed with seven children:  John H. (a farmer
of this county), Thomas F. (a merchant of Atlanta, Tex.), Lonvenia (wife of A.
B. Hemperley, a merchant of Collins Bluff, Ark.) and Millie T.,  Elmira,
Josephine, and William H. at home.  Mrs. Sheppard was born in Georgia on March
3, 1837.  Her husband is one of the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church
building at Bright Star, of which denomination they are both members, and is one
of the most enterprising citizens of this county, at all times supporting the
cause of education and religion, as well as all laudable public enterprises.  In
politics he is a Democrat.