Jonathan Shepardson

1734 - 1804  (70 years)

• Name	Jonathan Shepardson
  Birth	19 Jan 1734	Attleboro, Bristol County, Massachusetts   [1, 2, 3]
  	Father: Nathaniel Shepardson (1680-1718) Mother: Mary _____
  History	According to Murder and the Death Penalty in Massachusetts, by Alan Rogers, chapter one, page 28, "Just one year after Bristol's execution [Robert Treat] Paine represented another murder defendant and in doing so effected a change in the rules of criminal procedure. Bail normally was prohibited in a capital case, but in 1764 Paine petitioned Chief Justice Thomas Hutchinson to allow an indicted murderer, Jonathan Shepardson, to remain free until his trial. Paine argued the murder indictment against Shepardson would not be sustained at trial, and, therefore, to hold him until the court's next circuit would violate the defendant's right to due process. Shepardson was an Attleboro resident whose rumored sexual misconduct came under attack by his neighbors. Late in October [Oct. 23, 1764], a group of men in blackface and disguise surrounded Shepardson as he worked in his field.'ride Skimmington,' a wooden horse on which they planned to parade him through town. Shepardson had been warned, however, and he was armed with a knife. During the scuffle that followed, Shepardson killed Benjamin Ide, one of his taunters. Under the circumstances, Paine asked that his client be granted bail and the chief justice agreed, allowing Shepardson to remain free until his trial in October 1765. At trial, Paine argued that Shepardson acted in self-defense and he was acquitted."  [4]
  Moved to	1768 (Age 34)	Templeton, Worcester County, Massachusetts   [3, 5]
  The moved from Cumberland, Rhode Island.
  Moved to	1790 (Age 56)	Royalston, Worcester County, Massachusetts   [3, 5]
  Will	19 Oct 1799 (Age 65)  [3]
  Death	3 Dec 1804	Templeton, Worcester County, Massachusetts   [1, 3, 5]
  	He died the same day as his wife.
  Person ID	I4498	| Parent of a Delvee Spouse
  Last Modified	6 Apr 2018

  
  

  Family	Miriam Follett,   b. 11 Feb 1733, Attleboro, Bristol County, Massachusetts d. 3 Dec 1804, Royalston, Worcester County, Massachusetts (Age 71 years)
  Marriage	4 Mar 1756	Attleboro, Bristol County, Massachusetts   [1, 2, 3, 5]
  Age at Marriage	He : 22 years and 2 months - She : 23 years and 1 month.
  Children	+ 1. Jonathan Shepardson,   b. 23 Apr 1758, Attleboro, Bristol County, Massachusetts d. 18 Jun 1818, Warwick, Franklin County, Massachusetts (Age 60 years)
  Family ID	F14	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	6 Apr 2018

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 19 Jan 1734 - Attleboro, Bristol County, Massachusetts Marriage - 4 Mar 1756 - Attleboro, Bristol County, Massachusetts Child - Jonathan Shepardson - 23 Apr 1758 - Attleboro, Bristol County, Massachusetts Moved to - 1768 - Templeton, Worcester County, Massachusetts Moved to - 1790 - Royalston, Worcester County, Massachusetts Death - 3 Dec 1804 - Templeton, Worcester County, Massachusetts  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Sources

  [S259] Kral, Janet. Email: 2000-06-14 "Possible Correction", (Email message from jkral1 (at) twcny.rr.com. 14 June 2000). [S539] Essex Institute, The. Vital Records of Attlebourough, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849, (Salem, Massachusetts: The Essex Institute, 1934). [S1184] Shepardson, Francis Wayland. The Shepardson Family: Branches of the Family from the United States when the First Census Was Taken in 1790, (Chicago: Francis Wayland Shepardson, 1912). [S753] Rogers, Alan. Murder and the Death Penalty in Massachusetts, (Amhurst, Massachusetts: Univ. of Massachusetts Press, 2008). [S1178] Shepardson, Francis Wayland. The Shepardson Family: A record of the early generations in America, (Chicago: Francis Wayland Shepardson, 1907).