Harry J. Shepherd

Birth: August 6, 1886 - Racine, Wisconsin
Marriage: July 24, 1911 - Spokane, Washington
Death: January 26, 1978 - Spokane, Washington

Harry James Shepherd
1907

The following is an excerpt from a family history written by May E. Anderson.

Dad was born in Racine, Wisconsin, on August 6, 1886. His parents moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, when he was about six years old. He attended school and graduated from high school there. He played in the high school band and sang in the church choir. Dad and his parents belonged to the Congregational Church. He played all wind instruments.

Dad’s father died in a train accident on October 13, 1916 (see newspaper article). He had one sister, Rhoba Ann Shepherd, and one brother, Willie. His sister died from asthma when she was in her mid-forties. Willie and his wife, Selma, adopted a baby left on their porch just a few days after her birthday. They named the baby after Dad’s sister. They never found out who the birth mother or father were. This happened in Wabasau, Illinois.

This baby, Rhoba Ann Shepherd (married name Loomis), was born May 3, 1920. Dad’s brother, Willie Shepherd, died on December 8, 1959, of a heart attack in Wabasau.

Harry and Sadie Shepherd playing music in the
home of Harry's father, Frank Shepherd.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 1912

When Dad’s sister died, we were living on the farm and had no money. However, Dad did go back to the funeral. Her husband remarried, and he got all Dad’s folks’ estate. Dad did have silver napkin rings (which I gave to Dale). Dad’s mother, Jennie  McGraw, was Scotch-Irish. I don’t know anything about her family. Not ever being around our grandparents, I guess we were never too interested.

After graduating from high school Dad started working for the Milwaukee Railroad as a timekeeper for the section crews. He was sent to St. Maries, Idaho, where the railroad crews were laying track to Mullan, Idaho.

That is where he met Mother, who was working at a restaurant in Mullan.* They must have gone together about a year before they were married in Spokane on July 24, 1911. They went back to Minneapolis and lived a short time before moving to Miles City where Dad had a new job being in charge of the commissary for the railroad. I was born there two years later on May 2, 1913, and Frank was born on August 25, 1917. Dad was manager of a large commissary that kept all supplies for the Milwaukee Railroad crews.

Mother and Dad and stayed on the farm until about 1940 when they sold it and moved to Spokane. They rented a home on North Stevens, and Raymond and I continued to live with them until our house was built at 4212 N. Stevens around 1941.

Harry and Sadie Shepherd with their grandchildren,
(from left to right) Nancy, Dale and Darlene Anderson.
Spokane, Washington, exact date unknown.

Dad had rented a space on Trent and opened an employment agency. After that he and a man by the name of Kelley got into a machine shop and had a good patent going on a piece
of equipment for working the fields. However, this partner eventually left town with $5,000 of the company money.

Dad went to work at Galena (now Fairchild) during the war and finally had a good job as the superintendent of a large warehouse where supplies for the Air Force were kept (see his letters of recommendation). He stayed there until it closed. He was offered a good job out of town, but neither Mother nor Dad wanted to leave Spokane. He started working for Safeway in the warehouse, but eventually moved into the office where he worked until he had to retire at age 72. Dad excelled in office work.

They moved to a smaller house on West Gordon and then another home on 506 W. Gordon. Mother died on May 12, 1972. Dad lived there for another three years before selling and moving to my home. He passed away January 26, 1978.

Dad died after about a week in Holy Family Hospital, Spokane, around 6 am.

* In her history grandma Anderson tells the story of her parents meeting at a restaurant in Mullan, Idaho. Take a look at Sadie G. Anderson's page for the rest of the story...