| Scope and content |
The bulk of the collection reflects the nature of Shepard's diversified business activities: farming; brokering cotton, peanuts, and truck crops; and selling insurance, fertilizer, and fish. Business correspondence describes the cotton market in the post-Reconstruction South. Shepard's financial records largely parallel the business correspondence in content. Bills of lading comprise a significant portion of the financial papers. Daybooks, ledgers, and cashbooks reflect Shepard's trade in cotton, truck crops, and fish, as well as his farming operations, labor costs, and other business expenses. Among the financial records are references to Somerset Place in Washington and Tyrrell counties. Shepard's fire insurance record book records his sale of insurance to homeowners and businessmen in Edenton and surrounding communities. Political correspondence reflects Shepard's election to the North Carolina House of Representatives and his participation in the establishment of the Albemarle guards unit of the North Carolina Guards. Includes a docket book from his term as justice of the peace in Edenton. A relatively small but significant portion of the collection relates to personal and family matters. Prominent relatives represented include the Collins family of Somerset Plantation and the Cameron family of Durham County, N.C. Personal financial papers reflect the lifestyle and living standards of the Shepard family. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
William B. Shepard Papers (#448), Special Collections Department, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. |
| Terms of use | Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of Mrs. John W. Graham. |
| Biographical note | William Blount Shepard (1844-1913) was the son of William Biddle Shepard and Ann Daves Collins, daughter of Josiah Collins II of Somerset Plantation. Following his service as lieutenant in the Civil War, Shepard became an Edenton businessman and farmer. He organized Edenton Cotton Mills, Edenton Peanut Company, and the Bank of Edenton. He served as a justice of the peace and as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. He married three times: to Louise C. Harrison, Pauline C. Cameron, and Mildred C. Cameron. He had three children: Thomas, Louise, and Ann Cameron Shepard. |
