CHAPTER 6:
The Move to Richmond: 1840-1850
Royal F. Shepherd had withstood the initial wave of the Panic of 1837, with little variance in his land, slave and livestock holdings. In 1837, Royal had six slaves and five horses, and, in 1839, he had five slaves and four horses. His 161 ½ acre plantation in the Upper District of Henrico County had been faithful over the years, producing all the crops and income needed to sustain him and his family. Unfortunately, for Royal F. Shepherd another catastrophic event beyond his control would descend upon Henrico County during the midst of the national financial crisis. This second event would not spare Royal from near ruin.
During the summer of 1838, Virginia endured a suffocating heatwave and sustained drought causing significant crop failure. It clearly could not have come at a worse time. Prior to the year 1837, Virginia produced on average 45,000 hogsheads of tobacco for market. However, in 1838, this number declined to 26,000 hogsheads produced. Even worse, was that 3/5 of the Virginia tobacco sent to market in 1838 was deemed as inferior quality at inspection. In many areas, the drought also suffered the corn and wheat crops beyond recovery. That year, the drought had been so significant that an overseer of a large farm along the James River, just below Richmond, stated, “[This year] we will make little more than bread for the plantation.”
The Panic of 1837, combined with the drought of 1838, financially distressed Royal F. Shepherd beyond recovery. On August 12, 1840, at 51 years of age, Royal resigned his status and vocation as a Virginia planter by selling his 161 ½ acre
Mr. Shepherd moved his family ten miles to a new dwelling in the city of Richmond. On August 24, 1840, he purchased from Rebecca Williams a two-story townhouse on a small lot fronting Catherine Street, identified as part of town lot No. 57 in the Bullock Harris addition, for the sum of $750. The lot was only 46 feet 6 inches wide
by 104 feet 3 inches deep. The Census of 1840 recorded that 15 people lived at the modest residence of Royal F. Shepherd, including himself, his children and his four slaves. The other residents were likely the Hopkins children, of whom he became guardian in 1833. Interestingly, six of the members of the house were identified as being employed in manufacture or practicing a trade. No doubt the Shepherd family longed for the serenity and space of their former pastoral life. However, one great solace was that Royal’s only surviving brother Samuel Shepherd resided nearby.
While Royal may have longed for more rural settings, his children would have likely enjoyed the adventure of their new surroundings. In 1840, Richmond had a population of approximately 20,000 residents. Markets, shops, churches, schools and friends were all readily accessible. Everywhere around them bustled with business and social opportunities, creating temptations and challenges that country life seldom offered. This would have been a very exciting time for the Shepherd children. The family would spend the winter of 1840-1841 at their new residence acclimating to the new surrounds of Richmond.
One of the initial connections that the Shepherd family made upon settling in Richmond was joining the Third Baptist Church, on Shockoe Hill, located on I Street, about 60 yards from the corner of I Street and 11th Street. The church had been organized and built in 1833, however, by 1845, it had already outgrown its walls. The congregation then moved to a new location on Foushee Street and Grace Street, whereby, the name was changed to Grace Street Baptist Church. The church moved again in 1923, to its present location on Grove Street, and the name was shortened to Grace Baptist Church. Unfortunately, fires in 1896 and 1946 destroyed the church records prior to 1872.
In the Spring of 1841, less than a year after the Shepherd family moved to Richmond, a most devastating and heart-breaking accident occurred. On Saturday evening, June 5, at approximately 8 pm, Royal’s son Mosby Shepherd (1822-1841) drowned on the James River near the 12th Street Haxall’s Flour Mills. The youth’s corpse was recovered from the river and a coroner’s inquest was held over the body on Sunday morning. The verdict returned was “accidental death by drowning.” An article from the June 8th Richmond Whig newspaper offers us a glimpse of qualities and characteristics of this young man:
“In the character of this youth, we have an example worthy of imitation – possessing, as he did, qualities which are calculated to do honor to any one, especially to one of his age. The subject of this notice enjoyed the confidence of his employers in a great degree- polite and refined in his manners – and above all, a believer in the religion of the Savior, having become a member of the Third Baptist Church about twelve months since; and since he joined the church, his conduct has given evidence of his strict adherence to the principles which he had professed. In this unfortunate occurrence, we are reminded of the shortness of life, and of the truth contained in the Scriptures, that “in the midst of life we are in death’ – for little did this youth suppose that he would so soon be summoned to answer for the deeds done in the body.”
Almost without mercy, shortly after the tragic drowning of Royal’s son, his daughter Elizabeth Shepherd (c.1815-c.1842) died. No records have been yet located describing how she perished; however, she was alive in Richmond in 1840 and was deceased before 1849.
One can only weep for a father who loses so many beloved children in the vibrant prime of their lives. furthermore, this was the third child Royal had buried, losing his eldest daughter Mary A. Shepherd (1811-1832) in 1832. Royal F. Shepherd was like Job from the Bible, losing most everything and everyone he loved, all the while, drawing closer in faith through his similarities to the suffering Christ. With such unbelievable unrelenting loss, he was devastated and fell into a hard depression over all that had befallen him over the last few years. Understandably, his health suffered from his heartache, financial worries and stress.
In 1842, Royal purchased a bottle of “Smith’s Bitters of Renovator of Heath,” and found temporary relief from a condition of chest pains, originating, circa 1838, at the beginning of his financial woes. Bitters were a concoction heavy with mixed alcohols and a touch of herbs and spices. They were sold as medicine. Royal was quick to point out that he only purchased half a bottle “at the permission of some friends,” indicating publicly that he did not recreationally partake in spirits or drugs. This would align with the Baptist teachings of the day, as well as, the temperance movements that surged in the 1830s and 1840s.
Royal’s brother Samuel Shepherd was clearly involved in his life during this time. Over the last few years, Samuel had watched his brother decline, not only financially, but physically as well. It became apparent to Samuel that Royal was now at great risk of faltering on his guardian obligations to the Hopkins children upon which they were both legally bound in the amount of $4000. The law had no empathy for circumstance, so Samuel filed a motion in Henrico County court to remove himself as the security from the guardianship bond of Samuel, William, Alexander, Elizabeth and John Hopkins. The court summoned Royal to prove that he could give counter-security in the amount of $4000, which he was unable to provide. The court then revoked and annulled Royal F. Shepherd as guardian of the orphans, issuing them a new guardian in William Hopkins (1820-1905), thereby, releasing Royal and his brother Samuel from any further legal obligation to their nieces and nephews.
William Hopkins (1820-1905) was the eldest living child of Jacob and Mary Hopkins. His older brother Samuel, having passed away prior to 1842. At 22 years old, William, and his new wife Ann Rebecca Carter (1823-1878), became the legal guardian of his younger siblings John D. Hopkins, Alexander G. Hopkins and Elizabeth A. Hopkins. The orphans remained in Richmond, where William was employed as a carriage trimmer. Alexander G. Hopkins (1823-1849) married Mary Emily Williams (1824-1920) in Richmond Virginia on November 3, 1842. Elizabeth A. Hopkins (1829-1874) married Tarleton H. Woodward (1820-?) in Norfolk. Virginia in 1850.
Although they were released from any legal obligations to the Hopkins orphans, Samuel Shepherd and Royal F. Shepherd, as their uncles, remained involved in their lives. Samuel even recognized Elizabeth A. Hopkins in his last will and testament. Furthermore, in 1850, Samuel’s family lived briefly in Norfolk, Virginia, giving credence that Elizabeth Hopkins joined them and there met her future husband.
On September 17, 1844, Royal purchased, from James A. Davis, the undeveloped town lot next to his own house on Catherine Street for the sum of $100. The lot measured 39 feet 6 inches wide by 104 feet deep, being part of lot No. 59 in the Bullock Harris addition of the city. Royal likely used the lot as a garden or workspace with the assistance of his sons, or his two slaves Claiborne and John.
In the mid-1840s, Royal’s sons were becoming legal adults, reaching the age of 21 years. They were filled with all the excitement and passion of young men of their age. A celebration occurred on March 10, 1846, when Royal’s eldest son Samuel D. Shepherd married Maria E. Brown in Richmond Virginia. Maria appears to have been an orphan, as she was a ward of Charles Cottrell. The newlyweds resided in Richmond where Samuel was a carpenter, yet, pursuing an occupation as a teacher. The couple had dreams of building their own home. On April 27, 1847, for $90, they purchased lot No. 25, located in the Bullock Harris addition of Richmond. It had 27 feet frontage on Marshall Street, and was 153 feet deep. Their ambitions, however may have exceeded their capabilities, as only four months later, on August 9, 1847, Samuel and Maria sold this lot for $100 to Evan F. Ragland.
Royal’s middle son, Royal F. Shepherd, Jr., was a machinist by trade, having learned his skill while working in Richmond. From all accounts, after the family moved to Richmond, Royal, Jr., had been slowly deviating from the path of a righteous man, tempted by sinister influences of city life. This created a tension between father and son, eventually resulting in a bitter separation. In 1847, at 23 years old, Royal, Jr., departed from Richmond, Virginia, and settled in Lynchburg, Campbell County, Virginia as a machinist. There is some evidence to suggest that his younger brother William Shepherd, being 21 years old, also initially resided with him in Lynchburg for a few months, after which William returned to his father’s house in Richmond. On August 21, 1848, Royal F. Shepherd, Jr., married Jane Ann Cochran in Lynchburg, Virginia. Jane was the daughter of George and Mary Cochran.
In contrast to the tense relationship between Royal Sr. and Jr., Royal’s daughter Jane Ann Shepherd (1828-1895) was the child of which he was the most proud. They had a joyful relationship and she cared for her father in a respectful and appreciative manner. No doubt, Royal F. Shepherd appreciated having a lady in the house, after losing all the other women of his life to death. For that reason, he held her in great reverence.
Royal also greatly loved his youngest son William Shepherd. Clearly, he was a significant help to his father after Samuel D., and Royal, Jr., left home. William would have greatly assisted with the management of the house, as well as, providing extra income for the family.
In February of 1849, Royal received the shocking news that his brother Samuel Shepherd, at 57 years of age, had attempted suicide. The effort to end his life quickly had failed, leaving him fully conscious but severely wounded. His suicide was rooted in financial worries; however, the cause was the public slander of his reputation among the press and political elite.
Samuel Shepherd had been elected as the Public Printer of the Commonwealth of Virginia when the Whig party took over the majority in the Virginia Assembly during
the early 1830s; effectually ousting from office the old Public Printer, Thomas Ritchie, a democrat and former business partner of Samuel Shepherd. By reputation, Samuel Shepherd was impeccable in his work, a true craftsman and master of his art. Samuel spared no expense in procuring the best equipment and products suited for jobs specific to the Public Printer. In 1844, Samuel had invested heavily in a new three-story brick building equipped with a book-bindery on 11th Street opposite the Capital Square in Richmond. What he did not anticipate was that only four years later the democrats would gain control of the Virginia General Assembly, bringing his livelihood into jeopardy.
In February of 1849, the democrats ran William F. Richie as their candidate to succeed Mr. Shepherd for Public Printer. William F., and his brother Thomas Richie, Jr., had taken over their father Thomas Richie’s newspaper, the Richmond Enquirer in 1845, and had used it as a platform to voice their venomous distain for Whigs and their policy. Their recklessness and personal attacks eventually caused a duel in 1846 between
The method Samuel used attempting to take his life was never recorded, however, the effort clearly left him in a state of suffering and humiliation. Unable to work, he resigned from the office of Public Printer for the Commonwealth of Virginia on February 10, 1849. A week later, his democrat successor assumed the office. Knowing the end of his life was near, Samuel dictated and signed his last will and testament on February 20, 1849, being witnessed by his friends Daniel Trueheart, Walter D. Blair and C. W. Purcell. The next day on February 21, 1849, Samuel Shepherd died from the lingering effects of his physical wound. Perhaps out of respect for his family, neither the Richmond Whig or the Richmond Enquirer ran more than few word mention of his death.
It was said of Samuel Shepherd that he was a modest man, a man of talent, a man without reproach. By trade he was a printer and he had followed that business all his life, no one surpassed him in skill, promptness and accuracy. There was not a better printer than Samuel Shepherd in the Union. Samuel was mourned by his wife Maria and their six children. He was laid to rest in Shockoe Hill Cemetery near his home in Richmond, Virginia.
In September of 1849, Royal F. Shepherd’s son Samuel D. Shepherd notified his wife Maria E. (Brown) through the Richmond newspapers that he was filing for divorce. A hearing was held in November, whereupon, Samuel submitted a statement and evidence to a jury supporting the reasons for the separation. The court granted the divorce. Obviously pained, Samuel D. Shepherd needed a fresh start with fresh surroundings. Samuel consulted with his father, who suggested the grand adventure of leaving Virginia for opportunities in Kentucky. As it came to pass, Samuel would migrate to Daviess County, Kentucky, in late 1849, and initially reside with his father’s cousins Thomas M. Shoemaker (1796-1863) & Royal F. Shoemaker. Unbeknownst to Samuel or his father, this would be the last time they would see each other in life.
On January 9, 1850, Royal Fleming Shepherd departed this life from the comfort of his home on Marshal Street in the City of Richmond. In his final hours, he was nurtured, cared and wept for by his 23 year-old son William, and his 21 year-old
Royal had died testate, his last will and testament being written on September 29, 1849. He assigned his friend and former brother-in-law Samuel Smith Cottrell (1782-1855) as his sole executor to sell all his property and render the proceeds among his children as directed. Jane A. Shepherd was to receive half of all proceeds and the other half was to be divided between his sons William and Samuel D. Of that half, William was to receive three fifths and Samuel two fifths. His son Royal F. Shepherd, Jr., was to receive one dollar and nothing more, further emphasizing how strained their relationship had been, even at the end.
Samuel S. Cottrell fulfilled his duty as executor of the estate. He had the remaining property of Royal F. Shepherd inventoried and appraised. Items included Royal’s house on Marshall Street, a negro man Claiborne age about 48 years, a Negro man John age about 34 years, sideboard, waiter and lot of glasses, looking glass, fender, shovel, tongs, poker, rocking chair, sofa, carpet, rug, mantel ornaments, secretary, small looking glass, lot of books and slate, clock, pair of brass candlesticks and snuffers, washstand and basin, lot of blankets, comforts and counterpanes, feather bed, bedstead, mattress, etc., old silver watch, bureau, side table, lot of stoneware, small pine table, green bucket, safe, set of mahogany dining tables, German silver table spoons, 6 silver teaspoons, lot china, crockery ware, knives, forks, etc., 6 common chairs, writing desk, 3 chambers, clothes chest, coal skuttles, porch bench, water bucket, lot tools, spades, shovel, cooking utensils, flour & lot barrels in store room.
Mr. Cottrell held the estate sale on January 22, 1850, whereby the above items were sold to the public. Royal’s house on Marshall Street sold to Charles T. Davis for $1,025. His slave Claiborne sold for $250 and his slave John sold for $500. By the end of the day, the total collection of the sale was $2,065.63, to be divided accordingly among his children. In addition, Samuel D. Shepherd, William Shepperd and Jane Ann Shepherd all were in attendance and purchased sentimental items from the sale. Not surprisingly, Royal F. Shepherd, Jr., did not attend.
Royal Fleming Shepherd was a patriarch of his family and a pillar of his community. Though he was orphaned at 6 years old by the death of his father, he had an amazing community of family, in the form of aunts, uncles and cousins that ensured he was loved, educated and directed. He also had a strong council of powerful men that shaped him through example and experience. His youth coincided with the youth of America and he had a pride of his Virginia countrymen from the standards set by Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, et., al. Throughout his life, Royal protected his gentlemanly reputation, and his good name. He faced the real aversities of life, in the form of war, death, and a fall to poverty. He did not fall himself into the cowardice of drink or all encompassing self pity, but trotted ahead remaining valid and useful. He was compassionate to those in need, and firm with those who were capable of so much more. He had watched his world change around him and his dreams dashed and built again. He offered us a powerful, true and timeless example of what it is to be a man, a father, leader and most importantly a Shepherd, and for that his life will perpetually have meaning and significance.
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