Revisting Simeon Shepard

This afternoon I received a nice email from Mary Whitmer that I would like to share regarding Simeon Shepard:

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My connection is that my 3 greats grandfather married a Sarah Sheppard as his first wife.

I think Simeon probably was her father. If you read the article about the finding of the headstone dated Aug. 20, 2011, it says the headstone is inscribed Died in 1864 at age 82 years and 16 days. This matches what is inscribed on the marble monument in the Andress cemetery. I think it was the same person! What I have to wonder is why there were two monuments, and of course, how the second one wound up in Lorain. What do you think?

Sincerely,

Mary Whitmer

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Now, here is the best part!

!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"Speculation continues over headstone"

Saturday, August 20, 2011

By ALLISON STROUSE

astrouse@MorningJournal.com

"LORAIN — After two days of searching and calling, the mystery behind why Simeon Shepard's headstone is in the back yard of a West 23 Street, Lorain, home isn't known, but there is a plausible theory.

"It was either replaced or stolen," Diane Wargo Medina said.

Since she was 19 years-old, Medina has been helping care for the Charleston Village Cemetery on West Sixth Street, Lorain.

So when she heard about the backyard tombstone she was determined to discover where Shepard came from and belonged.

Her investigation ended up being very fruitful, as she studied U.S. Census and death records.

"The date of death matches and they were from the Lorain County area," she said.

There is a monument at Andress Cemetery with Simeon and his wife, Aseneth, names.

Aseneth passed away a few years after Simeon.

Which is one of the reasons, Medina believed that the headstone could have been replaced.

Whether the stone ended in the West 23rd Street back yard by accident or on purpose, she believes it belongs in one place only.

"I personally think that (the headstone) should go back over there (cemetery)," she said.

Medina, who repairs headstone at the West Sixth Street cemetery, stated that she would be happy to help relocate and repair the stone.

"I will gladly repair it," she said. "It should go back."

While the mystery of how the headstone ended up in the backyard may never be solved, the mystery of who Shepard was has been.

Shepard was a farmer, born in Massachusetts, who moved to Henrietta with his wife, Aseneth and their daughter, Sarah Shepard, according to the website familysearch.org.

He died in 1864 at age 82 years and 16 days, according to the grave stone.

URL: http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2011/08/20/news/mj4931603.prt

© 2011 morningjournal.com, a Journal Register Property

Finding the Tombstone of Simeon Shepard in a Lorain Backyard

Click on title to read the story and view the video about how a Lorain, Ohio man found the old broken tombstone of a man named Simeon Shepard while cleaning his back yard. 

The homeowner did the right thing by contacting authorities. 

Often times, when stones like Simeon Shepard's are found on private property it is not because they were buried there.  A thin tablet gravestone like Simeon Shepard's seen in the video most likely is an original stone.

Later, a new stone was purchased by someone who took the old one home, or it was discarded and picked up by someone else. 

I checked the website "Find A Grave" for a Lorain area man named Simeon Shepard and found five memorials posted for men with his name in America. 

One is for a Simeon Shepard buried in Lorain County at the Andress Cemetery in Henrietta, Ohio.   He died on June 16, 1864 and a photograph of his white marble monument is included in the memorial.

With the current information available, I feel it is possible that there could be either a reinterment involved or simply a new headstone that replaced the original stone for Simeon Shepard. 

The original tablet gravestone also with the death date of June 16, 1864 for Simeon Shepard, was at some point brought to Lorain - but the reasons behind the move will likely remain a mystery.

Below is an updated story that sheds more light: 

Friday, August 19, 2011

By ALLISON STROUSE
astrouse@MorningJournal.com

"LORAIN — The headstone Terrance and Jennifer Scott found in the back yard of their West 23rd Street rental home, has generated lots of interest and speculation as to where it came from.

Some people, including Nesbitt Burton Jr., believe the headstone belongs at Andress Cemetery in Henrietta Township.

He referenced "Cemetery Inscriptions of Lorain County," which was published in 1980. He believes the grave marker was taken after the 1980s but is unable to say for sure.

A picture was sent in by Kevin Myers showing the grave marker of Simeon Shepard at the Andress Cemetery.

The picture shows a tall white stone column, unlike the flat short stone found in the Scott's back yard.

Some readers left comments on The Morning Journal's website."

Weneedchange stated that they too know where the headstone belonged.

"I think I know where that stone came from," they said. "On the corner of 22nd and Pole there use to be a cemetery and the stones there mysteriously vanished."