W. E. Shepherd

W. E. Shepherd was born in Fairfield, Iowa, June 30, 1842. He is the son of Thomas Shepherd, a native of Ohio, who followed the business of tanning. His ancestors were Scotch-Irish. Mr. Shepherd's mother, Sarah S. (Edgar) Shepherd, was born in Ohio. Her parents were formerly residents of Pennsylvania, and her remote ancestors were English people. The subject of this sketch is one of a family of five children, and he was reared and educated in Iowa. His legal education was obtained at Oskaloosa. After his admission to the bar, he at once began the practice of his profession. When Mr. Lincoln was elected to the Presidency, Mr. Shepherd was appointed Postmaster of his town, and also held the office under Grant's administration. During the campaign in which Mr. Greeley was a candidate for President, Mr. Shepherd was on the Greeley ticket for Elector from his district, and he was defeated by General Weaver, who was then the candidate on the opposing ticket.

    In 1873 Mr. Shepherd came to California, and, in Ventura, engaged in the newspaper business, and conducted the Ventura Signal for five years. Since then he has been engaged in the practice of law, and is one of the leading attorneys of the city, being associated with Mr. Blackstock. The firm stands high and enjoys a lucrative practice. Mr. Shepherd has a quick preception, a strong, resolute will, good reasoning faculties and fine argumentative ability, and is a fluent speaker. He is wide awake to the interests of his chosen city, and contributes his full share to its success. The side on which he arrays himself has in him a powerful advocate.

    He was united in marriage to Miss Theodosia B. Hall, daughter of Augustus Hall, formerly a member of Congress from Iowa - a man of rare ability - and late Chief Justice of Nebraska. Mrs. Shepherd was born in Keosauqua, Iowa, October 14, 1845. Until 1873, except when in Batavia, New York, at school, she resided in Iowa and Nebraska. In that year, with her husband, W. E. Shepherd, and family, she came to Southern California, and soon found a home in Ventura. From those who know her well we learn she has been prominently connected with every movement for the good of the town and county; that it was greatly due to her and her lady co-workers that the town has a fine library of 3,000 volumes.

    In addition to the care and education of her children, Mrs. Shepherd has, in the past five years, established a prosperous business, and formed in that business the nucleus of an important industry. When, five years ago, she told her friends that she intended to grow seeds and bulbs and to sell them in large quantities to Eastern dealers, she was met with good-natured but incredulous smiles. Knowing something of the magnitude of the demand, and having unbounded confidence in the soil and climate of the country, and being possessed with a passionate love of flowers, she went to work as the pioneer in this work - at first in a very small way. Her first green-house cost only the small sum of $2.50, and from year to year, without capital, she increased her facilities and trade. Now she keeps three men at work the year round; and has under her control, in addition to her beautiful two acre tract in town, five acres planted to calla lilies, smilax, and other rare plants and bulbs.

    Mrs. Shepherd modestly attributes her success, which is really remarkable, to the glorious sunshine and soil of Southern California. Her friends insist, however, that her success is due to her pluck, perseverance, push and energy. They say not one in a thousand would have withstood the rebuffs of dealers, the discouragements, the disappointments, the lack of capital, the mishaps, the losses and the derisive smiles of friends. She was induced to go into the business through the advice and encouragement of the late Peter Henderson, of New York. He wrote to her a very kind letter, saying Southern California had the soil and climate for the production of bulbs and seeds and that he believed in fifty years it would grow seeds for the world. Mrs. Shepherd is a slight woman, weighing a little over 100 pounds. She has unusual executive ability. Her business correspondence now is very large, which she conducts herself, besides replying to letters from many women who write to her for advice as to how to go to work to do for themselves what she has done in her line. She takes a just pride in being known as the pioneer flower-seed and bulb grower of the Coast, and is entitled to all the praise she has received from the press of the State and from the many correspondents who have visited her grounds and written up her work.

    When the writer went through her grounds and green and bath houses and packing house, heard her tell in her quiet, unassuming way, how she had worked, saw her directing her employes; considered what a vast amount of labor she must have personally performed, and what tax on her memory it must be to hold at her tongue's end the names of her endless variety of plants and bulbs and shrubs; and then entered her parlors and saw her there with her husband, her daughters and son, the queen of the household, whom they all honored; saw there the evidence of culture and refinement, - when he saw all this, he gave a hearty assent to every word of praise so generously bestowed by her many friends in her home town.

    Mr. and Mrs. Shepherd have an interesting family of four children: Augustus H. and Myrtle, born in Iowa; and Madge and Eda, in Ventura.

    Mr. Shepherd enjoys the distinction of being a veteran of the late war. In his country's first call for volunteers, he enlisted in the Third Iowa Volunteer Infantry, for six months, and afterward in the three years' service. A part of the time he was in the postal service, by order of General Grant, under General A. H. Markland. He is a member of the G. A. R., and his political views are Democratic.

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