Shepard family.

Thomas Shepard I was born in Towcester, England, and was raised by an older brother after the death of his parents. He graduated from Emmanuel College in 1623/24 and received his M.A. there in 1627. Shepard was ordained in 1627 but was silenced in 1630 for nonconformity. In 1635 he sailed for Boston, Massachusetts, and became minister of the church in Cambridge, where he remained until his death in 1649.

Shepard was active in the early church controversies and was instrumental in defining the New England theory of Congregationalism. He was a leader of the Synod at Cambridge, 1647-1648, and supported public confession. His interests included education of the young and conversion of Indians.

Thomas Shepard II was born in London, England, in 1635 and sailed to Boston, Massachusetts, with his parents. He graduated from Harvard College in 1653 and was chosen a fellow of the college in 1654. He was admitted to the church in Charlestown, Mass., in 1658, and after his ordination in 1659, he became a colleague of the Rev. Zechariah Symmes (1599-1670/71). In 1664 he was appointed a censor of the press and in 1672 he preached the Massachusetts Election sermon, in which he advocated religious toleration. Shepard, like his father, was interested in education and he took an active part in the affairs of Harvard College. He died during a smallpox epidemic in 1677/78.

Thomas Shepard III, son of Thomas Shepard II and grandson of Thomas Shepard I, was born in Charlestown, Mass., in 1658. He received his early education from his father and graduated from Harvard in 1676. After the death of his father in 1677, the church in Charlestown called Shepard and Joseph Browne (1646?-1678) to settle as colleagues. Browne refused and Shepard was eventually ordained as minister. His tenure there was cut short by his unexpected death in 1685.