Farmer and breeder  born in Woodside Township, Sangamon County, Illinois in 1841.  Purchased 188 acres of the Strawbridge Estate in 1883 including the homestead  built by Thomas Strawbridge Jr (1798-1880) in the 1840's.  UIS now stands on that farm.  Photocopy of a diary kept by Shepherd in 1878 regarding his farming and hunting activities, and trips to Springfield and the weather.  Also contains a student paper written by R-Lou Barker discussing the family history, a transcript of the C.M. Shepherd diary with copied photographs of members of the Shephard family and their homes, 1975; a student paper by  John H. Jones regarding Strawbridge/Shepherd and its residents, 1975;  a memorandum and letter regarding SSU's plans for the Shepherd properties; copies of photos and various county records pertaining to the Strawbridge-Shepherd House; and a pen and ink sketch of the house made in 1995 by James Murray, a faculty member from Lincoln Land Community College.