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Isaac Shepard

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Isaac Shepard

Birth	:	20 Jun 1639 Weymouth, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA
Death	:	12 Feb 1676 Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA
Burial	:	Power Burying Ground, Littleton, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate	:	42.5324500, -71.4454900
Inscription	:	1676 THE BURIAL PLACE OF THE FIRST WHITE SETTLERS IN LITTLETON IS 1300 FEET EAST OF THIS TABLET ERECTED BY THE TOWN 1937
Description	:	Killed by Indians at Nashobo or Concord Isaac and Jacob's death On Saturday, Feb. 12, 1676, the sons Isaac and Jacob were killed by the Indians on the south side of Quagana hill. They, at the time, were threshing grain in the barn on the Shepard homestead. Being aware of the perilous times,—this was during King Philip's War—the sons had set their sister (niece?) Mary on the summit of the hill to watch for Indians. The ground was covered with deep snow and the Indians traveled with snowshoes. Eluding the vigilance of Mary who was only about thirteen years old, they... Read More	Killed by Indians at Nashobo or Concord Isaac and Jacob's death On Saturday, Feb. 12, 1676, the sons Isaac and Jacob were killed by the Indians on the south side of Quagana hill. They, at the time, were threshing grain in the barn on the Shepard homestead. Being aware of the perilous times,—this was during King Philip's War—the sons had set their sister (niece?) Mary on the summit of the hill to watch for Indians. The ground was covered with deep snow and the Indians traveled with snowshoes. Eluding the vigilance of Mary who was only about thirteen years old, they swooped down up on the Shepard barn before she was aware of their presence and slew Isaac and Jacob. S he was taken captive and carried to Nashawa,—now called Lancaster, or some place in that vicinity. During the first night after her capture she escaped and reached home the next morning. In the dead of night, Mary took a saddle from under the head of her Indian keeper who was sunk in sleep increased by ardent spirits, put the saddle on a horse which the Indians had stolen at Lancaster, mounted it, swam it across the Nashawa river, rode through the forest to her home.The leader of the Indian band is supposed to have been Netus, sometimes called Nipmuck Captain.(Ancestors and Descendants of Albro Dexter, p, 27-28) Ralph Shepard married Thankslord Perkins in 1632 in London. They emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony about 1635, with their eldest child, Sarah. They moved often between the early towns of the colony, having children in Dedham, Weymouth, and Malden, before buying the farm in 'Concord Village', which became Littleton. He was also one of the founders of Rehoboth, in Plymouth Colony, but he never lived there, so he his land was taken back by the town. Late in his life, he established a farm in what is now Littleton, but was then part of Concord, bordering on the Praying Indian town of Nashoba. That is where the marker you included is located. Thankslord Shepard was famous for having signed a petition to the General Court in 1651, along with other highly educated women of Malden, supporting their minister. Her signature on this petition can be found online. Women rarely appeared in government records for that time, certainly not in a petition that would seem to be critical of the Court's actions, so those who signed it are still noted in history. Unfortunately, in 1920 those who erected the marker in Littleton were misinformed about the original families in the area. Ralph and Thankslord Shepard did not have a daughter, Mary. They did have two sons, Isaac and Jacob Shepard, who were killed by attacking Natives in February, 1676. They had placed a young girl on a rock nearby, to keep watch, but the Natives were able to surprise her before she was able to give an alarm, taking her back to the Lancaster area after killing the Shepard men. The teenaged girl is now thought to have been Mary Power, daughter of Ralph and Thankslord Shepard's daughter, Triall, who married Walter Power in 1661. The Power farmstead was next to the Shepard farm in Littleton (then called Concord Village). The age of the girl on the marker is probably close to correct - Mary Power was born in 1663, and would have been about 12-13 at the time of the attack on her uncles, Isaac and Jacob Shepard. Thankslord Perkins Shepard was born about 1612 and would have been too old to have had a daughter Mary about 1663-64. Her last child was born in 1653. Mary Power was the second child born to Walter and Triall Shepard Power, born about two years after their marriage. Mary Power's adventure was surely traumatic to her. When she escaped and returned home, she tended to 'run wild' by Puritan standards. Her parents were tried for at least one of her misdeeds while she was young, but she did eventually marry and settled down to lead a responsible life. Mary Power married Joseph Wheeler in 1681, but she was dead by the time their daughter, Ruth, administered her father's estate in 1705. However, another family source said she died in 1740. Either way, no burial places were noted. As both of them were from Concord Village, which became Littleton, they may well have been buried in the Power Family Cemetery on the Walter Power farm. Several generations were buried here before the farm went out of family hands and was purchased by the Reed brothers. To the horror of the community, the Reeds plowed over the old burying ground in 1850, using the surviving tombstones to build a fence and leaving no trace of the graves. There was no law at that time about descecrating graves - there is now. Married at Concord 10 Dec 1667 to Mary Smedley born 7 Jun 1648 Concord. She Married 2nd 9 June 1676 to Nathaniel Jewell born Braintree,Mass 15 April 1648 Died in Plainfield Conn. March 1712

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Isaac Shepard's memorial?
Isaac Shepard's memorial is located at: Power Burying Ground, Littleton, Middlesex County, USA.
When did Isaac Shepard death?
Isaac Shepard death on 12 Feb 1676 in Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Isaac Shepard's memorial?
Latitude: 42.5324500
Longitude: -71.4454900

Family Members:

Parent

Spouse

Siblings

John Shepard

(1637 - 1699)

Tryall Shepard Powers

(1641 - 1708)

(1642 - 1716)

(1651 - unknow)

(1653 - 1676)

(1659 - 1697)

Children

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Power Burying Ground
Littleton, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5324500, -71.4454900

2. Old Burying Ground
Littleton, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5451060, -71.4764600

3. Old Pioneer Burying Ground
Westford, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5508490, -71.4166670

4. Forest Cemetery
North Acton, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5237503, -71.4003601

5. Westlawn Cemetery
Littleton, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5407486, -71.4979706

6. Westlawn Cemetery
Westford, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5716019, -71.4668808

7. Davis Monument
Acton, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4855800, -71.4334100

8. Russian Brotherhood Cemetery
Westford, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5780907, -71.4705200

9. Pine Grove Cemetery
Westford, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5806900, -71.4720700

10. Saint Catherine Cemetery
Westford, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5867081, -71.4644775

11. Woodlawn Cemetery
Acton, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4787700, -71.4231000

12. Saint Marks Episcopal Church Memorial Garden
Westford, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5883210, -71.4548420

13. Fairview Cemetery
Westford, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5868034, -71.4216919

14. Heart Pond Cemetery
South Chelmsford, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5700520, -71.3851480

15. Mount Hope Cemetery
West Acton, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4684868, -71.4735718

16. Central Burying Ground
Carlisle, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5297200, -71.3490000

17. North Cemetery
Boxboro, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4917908, -71.5271149

18. Concord Reformatory Cemetery
Concord, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4662290, -71.3999390

19. Hillside Cemetery
Westford, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6074333, -71.4444809

20. South Cemetery
Boxboro, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4758377, -71.5134506

21. James Chandler Gravesite
Concord, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.4729100, -71.3811000

22. Green Cemetery
Carlisle, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5251400, -71.3412900

23. Wright Cemetery
Westford, Middlesex County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6091537, -71.4668121

24. Shaker Burying Ground
Harvard, Worcester County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5309900, -71.5554600