A GEDCOM or GED file stores info in text form which enables you to transfer genealogical information from one site to another. The one I've posted here contains the info from the John Shepherd book.
Two different years are stated for John Shepherd’s birth. The History and Genealogy of the John Shepherd Family book says 1728 and his testimonial of 1832 says 1729. The calendar change in 1752 accounts for those differences.
"In England, Wales, Ireland and Britain's American colonies, there were two calendar changes, both in 1752...”
Wikipedia: Old and New Style Dates
I have run across several files which say that Isaac and Sarah (Cheney) Shepard were the parents of John Shepherd, but that information is incorrect. I first found this file on a "Rootsweb: Harrison LaTour" website many years ago. It is still being repeated by other researchers on Ancestry and Family Search.
Isaac Shepard and Sarah (Cheney) Shepard
Shepherd and Shepard are two different names. Yes, they are similar and are often mixed up.
Isaac and Sarah Shepard lived in Massachusetts. John Shepherd grew up near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as stated in the John Shepherd Family History Book.
Isaac and Sarah didn't get married until 1729. Our John Shepherd was born in 1728.
If you have Isaac and Sarah Shepard as the parents of John Shepherd born in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania around 1728, please remove them. They are NOT his parents. I am still looking for John's parents in the Philadelphia area.
"For a time they dwelt in Blackhole Valley, Pa. Then they moved to Williams Post. For a number of years their home was in Laurel Sock, Northumberland County, Pa. Here several of their children were born."
"Lycoming County was formed from Northumberland County on April 13, 1795." Black Hole Valley, Williamsport (Williams Post) and Loyalsock (Laurel Sock) are all places in Lycoming County.
"In 1816 Mr. Shepherd, who was then 88 years of age, emigrated with the family of his daughter, Mrs. Margaret Engle, to Royalton, Ohio. Mr. Shepherd drove the first team that ever entered Royalton. Mr. Engle's family was the first one to settle in Royalton township."
The History and Genealogy of the John Shepherd Family on Page 10 states: "After his return from the French and Indian War (1754-1763) he married, but the name of his wife is unknown. At the beginning of the American Revolution he was a widower with one little girl. He left his little daughter in charge of a neighbour and enlisted as a soldier in Captain Caleb Armitage's company..."
"On leaving the army he sought his little girl, but the neighbour in whose care he had left her, had moved away and he never again heard from his child.
John Shepherd-Priscilla Wood Possible marriage to Priscilla Wood. No Date or Place.
John Shepherd-Eleanor Creen Possible marriage to Eleanor Creen: May 7 1767, Swedes Church, Philadelphia
Around 1790 John was married to Elizabeth Gould and the John Shepherd book is the story of their descendents.
The History and Genealogy of the John Shepherd Family on Page 10 states: “John Shepherd was born on Olmstead Ridge, on the Lancaster road, ten miles from Philadelphia, March 16, 1728.”
There is a Lancaster Road north of Philadelphia, but I could find no Olmstead Ridge in that area or on any map of Pennsylvania from the 1700's.
Olmstead Ridge does not appear in the Gazetteer of the State of Pennsylvania, published in 1832.
In June of 2010, Charles Phebus asked the town of North Royalton, Ohio, (where John Shepherd last lived), to help celebrate John's life. He had a website, JohnShepherd.us, and stated that he was related to John Shepherd.
The JohnShepherd.us website is no longer online, but I was able to download all of the pages and information from the website in 2010. Phebus' website had several documents about John Shepherd but so far, I have been unable to find the sources for any of them.
Original: John Shepherd's Testimonial re: Revolutionary War Service
Full Transcription: John Shepherd's Testimonial re: Revolutionary War Service
The first sentence in the testimonial reads, “Your humble petitioner John Shepherd, now residing in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, beg leave to represent that I was born at a place near the city of Philadelphia, called Chesnut Hill on the 16th of March 1729.”
Map: Chestnut Hill is about ten miles north of Philadelphia.
The "John Shepherd Family" is on Facebook at John Shepherd Family History
The current Genealogy Trees are at WikiTree: Nilsen Family and Ancestry: Nilsen Family