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James Henry Shepard

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Birth	:	14 Apr 1850 Lyons, Ionia County, Michigan, USA
Death	:	22 Feb 1918
Burial	:	Greenwood Cemetery, Brookings, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate	:	44.2966995, -96.8163986
Plot	:	Block 4 Lot 99 Grave 3
Description	:	James Henry Shepard, Sr Biography by: William A Piper (great grandson) 11 July 2015 James Henry Shepard was born on 14 April 1850 in Ionia County, Michigan. His parents were Daniel E Shepard and Lydia M Pendell. He was listed on the 1850 census dated 11 September in Lyons, Michigan with his parents. His age was given on that census as one month. His birth date was taken from a biographical sketch in the History of South Dakota by Doane Robinson (Volume II). Unfortunately James father died in Pewamo, Michigan in 1855 while farming. He left... Read More	James Henry Shepard, Sr Biography by: William A Piper (great grandson) 11 July 2015 James Henry Shepard was born on 14 April 1850 in Ionia County, Michigan. His parents were Daniel E Shepard and Lydia M Pendell. He was listed on the 1850 census dated 11 September in Lyons, Michigan with his parents. His age was given on that census as one month. His birth date was taken from a biographical sketch in the History of South Dakota by Doane Robinson (Volume II). Unfortunately James father died in Pewamo, Michigan in 1855 while farming. He left his widow and two sons: James H and William E. Lydia (Pendell) Shepard remarried on 29 October 1856 to Hiram J Barton. James lived with relatives for a few years until he was taken in by Albert W Reynolds and his wife Mary E Murray. It was probably from Albert and Mary Reynolds that James obtained his desire for education. James lived with Albert Reynolds for seven years until 1868 when he was old enough to go to college at Albion, Michigan (where Albert Reynolds had attended). He attended Albion College from 1868 until about 1871. In 1871 he left Albion and moved to Athens, Michigan. He became the principal of schools at Athens. Later he entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He graduated with the class of 1875 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry. James Shepard worked at a variety of school superintendent positions in Michigan. About 1881 he returned to the University of Michigan for a year of graduate school and then moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan where he began teaching natural science and chemistry at the high school (he was also principal). In his spare time he raised English Setters. He was also proficient in shooting clay pigeons. During this period of time he published numerous articles on chemistry including one dealing with the purity of drinking water and safe siting and construction of water wells. It was at Ypsilanti that he developed and wrote his text on experimental chemistry. Elements of Inorganic Chemistry, Descriptive and Qualitative was published in 1885 by D C Heath & Company of Boston and was widely acclaimed. James H Shepard became well known across Michigan. On 28 June 1888 James Shepard married Clara Rosalie Durand, the daughter of Seneca Alonson and Helen Rosalie (Phelps) Durand. That same year James was offered a teaching position with the State College in the Dakota Territory. Dakota Territory was split into North and South and they became states in November of 1889. Clara was pregnant with their first child and the couple decided that James would go to Dakota Territory for the new job and Clara would remain in Ypsilanti with her parents. James left for the new job in Brookings on 15 February 1889. They planned on the separation to be six months. In Brookings, South Dakota he became involved with Dakota Agricultural College, which became South Dakota State College, now known as South Dakota State University. His involvement lasted from 1889 until his death in 1918 a period of nearly 30 years. Shepard Hall was named after James H Shepard. James was a chemist and sometimes the director of the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. He published numerous articles from that position. He continued his work on clean drinking water and added the issue of purity in food. This topic began to be important about this time because the economy was changing from agrarian to industrial. Where people had previously lived on farms and mainly ate what they grew or raised; now people were beginning to depend on others to supply their food. He established a simple menu for three meals a day and pointed out the various impurities (preservatives and coal tar dye). He extended the impurities to the amount consumed daily and annually. His message became famous: 40 doses of poison in one day. Another constant theme was his criticism of bleached flour. His message was spread across the United States; he traveled widely to provide expert witness testimony on the issue; and he even traveled to London to provide expert witness testimony in a case there. His message was also displayed at an exhibit of adulterated foods at the St. Louis worlds fair in 1904. James Shepard bought an 80-acre farm in Brookings that he named the Red Crest Stock Farm. It was located at the edge of town in those days. Now the site is the location of the Wal-Mart Supercenter. He sold the farm and auctioned off the equipment and animals in 1915. One of the pure-bred Jersey cows named Spot Shepard was later registered as Class A, Register of Merit. The cow gave over 6,000 pounds of milk in a year with almost 7% fat. Another major topic James Shepard worked on while with the Agricultural Station was developing and commercializing sugar beets as a crop in South Dakota. His work on the topic began as early as 1888 when he first arrived in South Dakota. That work lasted for a few years and was discontinued with short periods of reprisal. In 1907 the work was resumed in earnest. In 1913 the Agricultural Station published Bulletin No. 142 entitled; Sugar Beet Culture in South Dakota Results to Date. His work indicated that the production of sugar beets would be a more profitable crop than grain crops, but unfortunately the advice was never followed. South Dakota now raises grain crops for grazing animals which is the main agricultural industry. They rank 42nd out of the 50 states in cash yield of $189 per acre according to recent statistics. James Henry Shepard and Clara Rosalie Durand had three children: Helen Bernice Shepard, born 25 July 1889 in Ypsilanti, Michigan; Albert Durand Shepard born 27 June 1891 in Brookings, South Dakota; and James Henry Shepard born 12 April 1896 in Brookings. James Henry Shepard, Sr. died 21 February 1918 in St. Petersburg, Florida while on vacation for his health. He was returned to Brookings for burial in Greenwood Cemetery. His daughter Helen died of a stroke on 19 December 1940 in Long Beach, California. Her cremains were returned to Brookings for burial in Greenwood Cemetery in June 1941. On the cemetery file it only says Miss Shepard. It appears there is no marker.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is James Henry Shepard's memorial?
James Henry Shepard's memorial is located at: Greenwood Cemetery, Brookings, Brookings County, USA.
When did James Henry Shepard death?
James Henry Shepard death on 22 Feb 1918 in
Where are the coordinates of the James Henry Shepard's memorial?
Latitude: 44.2966995
Longitude: -96.8163986

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Helen Bernice Shepard

(1889 - 1940)

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Nearby Cemetories:

1. Greenwood Cemetery
Brookings, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2966995, -96.8163986

2. Saint Thomas More Catholic Cemetery
Brookings, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2970500, -96.8151500

3. First Lutheran Cemetery
Brookings, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2979590, -96.8247740

4. Prairie Cemetery
Brookings, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2828616, -96.7981652

5. Kirby Cemetery
Volga, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3120300, -96.8883000

6. Scandinavian Lutheran Cemetery
Brookings, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3486860, -96.8485590

7. First Lutheran Cemetery
Volga, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3139000, -96.9289017

8. East Lake Campbell Cemetery
Medary, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2171100, -96.8664600

9. Bergh Cemetery
Sinai, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2681007, -96.9360962

10. Sterling Lutheran Cemetery
Volga, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3842900, -96.8540700

11. Trinity Cemetery
Volga, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3264008, -96.9421997

12. Lake Campbell Cemetery
Volga, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2109300, -96.8850400

13. Hillside Cemetery
Volga, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3342018, -96.9443970

14. Saint Wiliams Catholic Cemetery
Aurora, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2833460, -96.6681920

15. Fairlawn Cemetery
Aurora, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2831001, -96.6678009

16. Oslo Lutheran Cemetery
Volga, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2246700, -96.9284300

17. Deer Creek Cemetery
Bruce, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.4136009, -96.8685989

18. Fountain Cemetery
Bushnell, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3657990, -96.6667023

19. Yeo Cemetery
Flandreau, Moody County, USA
Coordinate: 44.1815900, -96.6929400

20. Bruce Cemetery
Bruce, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.4371986, -96.8839035

21. South Lake Campbell Cemetery
Nunda, Lake County, USA
Coordinate: 44.1672600, -96.9182300

22. Elmwood Cemetery
Bruce, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.4372000, -96.8866000

23. Midway Lutheran Church Cemetery
Flandreau, Moody County, USA
Coordinate: 44.1388550, -96.7785645

24. Sterling Methodist Cemetery
Brookings, Brookings County, USA
Coordinate: 44.4560000, -96.7863600