Abraham Sheppard was a merchant-planter, sheriff, legislator, and officer during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

from North Carolina. He lived in Dobbs County, North Carolina on a plantation called Contentnea.

Civilian career

Abraham's ancestors were from Surry County, Virginia, where he may have been born. The date of his birth is not known for sure but could be about 1730. Abraham Sheppard was a merchant-planter and owned a plantation, Contentnea, in Dobbs County, North Carolina. He had at least three sons (Benjamin, Abraham Jr., and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

), and four daughters, one of whom (Pherebe or Phoebe Sheppard) married Colonel James Glasgow, a fellow colonel in the North Carolina militia. Abraham became a widower with three small daughters by his first wife and married the sister of James Glasgow, Martha Jones Glasgow. They had a large family. Abraham died in or after 1790. His civilian career included the following offices: * 1759, appointed as justice of the peace for

Dobbs County, North Carolina Dobbs County, North Carolina was a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. History Dobbs County was formed in 1758 from Johnston County, though the legislative act that created it did not become effective until April 10, 1759. It w ...

* 1760 and 1769 served in the

Province of North Carolina Province of North Carolina was a province of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712(p. 80) to 1776. It was one of the five Southern Colonies, Southern colonies and one of the Thirteen Colonies, thir ...

Assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

* 1775, 1776, served in Third, Fourth, and Fifth

North Carolina Provincial Congress The North Carolina Provincial Congresses were extra-legal unicameral legislative bodies formed in 1774 through 1776 by the people of the Province of North Carolina, independent of the British colonial government. There were five congresses. They ...

* 1780-1781, served in the

North Carolina House of Commons The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

* 1784, served as member of the

North Carolina Council of State The North Carolina Council of State is the collective body of ten elective executive offices in the state government of North Carolina, all of which are established by the state constitution. The Council of State includes the Governor, Lieut ...

* 1783 to 1790, served as chairman of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions for Dobbs County

Military service

Sheppard served during the American Revolution: * 1777-1778,

Dobbs County Regiment The Dobbs County Regiment was a unit of the North Carolina militia that served during the American Revolution. The regiment was one of thirty-five existing county militias that were authorized by the North Carolina Provincial Congress to be organ ...

* September 9, 1775, promoted to Colonel in the North Carolina Militia. * November 23, 1776, Colonel/ Commandant of the newly-created 1st Battalion of Volunteers, which was disbanded on 4/10/1777. * April 17, 1777, Colonel/ Commandant of the

10th North Carolina Regiment The 10th North Carolina Regiment was authorized on 17 April 1777, as a unit of the North Carolina State Troops named Sheppard's Regiment. The regiment was organized from 19 April to 1 July 1777, at Kinston, North Carolina from men from the northe ...

* June 1, 1778, retired from military service His son, John Sheppard, served with him as a Captain, Major and Lieutenant Colonel in the Dobbs County regiment and as Major in the 10th North Carolina Regiment. He was given the command as colonel of the

Wayne County Regiment The Wayne County Regiment was a unit of the North Carolina militia that served during the American Revolution. The North Carolina General Assembly created Wayne County and its regiment of militia out of part of Dobbs County and its regiment of ...

established in 1779. His son Abraham Sheppard Jr. also served with him in the 10th North Carolina Regiment as a Captain.

References

Bibliography

* Fred A. Berg, Encyclopedia of Continental Army Units (1972) * John L. Cheney Jr., ed., North Carolina Government, 1585–1974 (1975). * Walter Clark, ed., State Records of North Carolina, vols. 11–13, 16, 22 (1896–1907). * Talmage Johnson and Charles R. Holloman, The Story of Kinston and Lenoir County (1954). * Military Collections (North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh). * Hugh F. Rankin, North Carolina Continentals (1971). * Phillips Russell, North Carolina in the Revolutionary War (1965). * William L. Saunders, ed., Colonial Records of North Carolina, vols. 8–10 (1890). {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheppard, Abraham North Carolina sheriffs North Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution People from Dobbs County, North Carolina Members of the North Carolina Provincial Congresses Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Continental Army officers from North Carolina