The following biographical sketch of Peter Shepherd, father of Adam Shepherd for whom Shepherdsville is named, is taken from A Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland Legislature 1635-1789 by Edward C. Papenfuse, et. al., Volume 426, Pages 729-730. It was located at this link on 12 Mar 2014.
It is shown below both as an image of the original, and with its transcription.
SHEPHERD (SHEPHARD), PETER (?-1787) BORN: probably in Pennsylvania. IMMIGRATED: ca. 1774 from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. RESIDED: in Baltimore County ca. 1774-ca. 1780; Baltimore Town, Baltimore County, ca. 1780 until death. FAMILY BACKGROUND. FATHER: Adam Shepherd (?-ca. 1736) of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. MOTHER: Ann (ca. 1700-1786), who died at her son Peter's residence in Baltimore Town. MARRIED Elizabeth. CHILDREN. SONS: Adam; Michael. DAUGHTERS: Margaret (Peggy), who married in 1782 Capt. John Agnew Hamilton (Hambleton); (first name unknown), who married in 1780 John Keenor, a merchant; and Mary (1771-1787).
PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCATION: literate. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Esq., by 1777. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: farmer, by 1774; millowner, by 1778; speculator in Baltimore Town lots, 1782-1783; probably surveyor. PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: 9th Convention, Baltimore County, 1776; Lower House, Baltimore County, 1777, 1777-1778. LOCAL OFFICE: justice, Baltimore County, 1777-1786. OUT OF STATE SERVICE: member, General Assembly of Pennsylvania, dates unknown. WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY: petitioned for relief as an insolvent debtor in August 1787, stating that otherwise he "must go into gaol at a very advanced age" even though his troubles were not "Extravagance or Misconduct but the Times." His schedule of personal property included books and surveying instruments. ANNUAL INCOME: at least £90.0.0 per year in rent from lots in Baltimore Town, 1787. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: ca. 79 acres in Baltimore County (all through purchase). SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: purchased 308 acres in Baltimore County in 1777, but sold all of his Baltimore County land in 1780; took 99-year leases on numerous lots in Baltimore Town in 1782 and 1783, and agreed to build houses on many of them; purchased an additional 11 acres in Baltimore Town, which had been divided into lots, in 1782; sublet, leased out, mortgaged, or released his claim on most of his Baltimore Town lots, 1783-1786. Shepherd's schedule of property at the time of his insolvency petition listed lands in Kentucky, a house and lot on Market Street in Baltimore Town, and an unspecified number of additional lots in Baltimore Town, some subject to ground rents. WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: on November 12, 1787, in Baltimore Town. Shepherd's obituary described him as "A gentleman of an amiable benevolent Disposition, and whose Probity and Patriotism justly gained him the confidence and Applause of his countrymen...."
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The Bullitt County History Museum, a service of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is located in the county courthouse at 300 South Buckman Street (Highway 61) in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. The museum, along with its research room, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday appointments are available by calling 502-921-0161 during our regular weekday hours. Admission is free. The museum, as part of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and is classified as a 509(a)2 public charity. Contributions and bequests are deductible under section 2055, 2106, or 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code. Page last modified: 12 Sep 2024 . Page URL: bullittcountyhistory.org/bchistory/peter_shepherd.html
