Jason G. Shepard: Father and Forger

In 1900, J.G. Shepard (b. 1825 in Connecticut) was listed as living in Salina, Kansas with the J.E. Whittier family of that town. He was 75 years old.

Why is this an interesting tidbit? Because all lives are interesting, whatever we may think! J.G. Shepard was, as most of my subjects are, from West Hartford, Connecticut. He was born in Bloomfield and married Catharine "Kate" Griswold on 12 September 1853. They owned a seemingly successful milk farm with 250 acres of land, nearly 40 cows, and an income of about $3000 per year in 1870.

So why is it that 30 years later, he was in Kansas living with a completely different group of people?

Jason and Kate had at least four sons and one daughter during their twenty-year marriage, but only one, their daughter Lillian, lived to adulthood (she will be the subject of my next post). The family lost Jason George Jr. at age 8 in 1867, Willis Eugene at age 2 in 1864, Frank Howard at age 1 in 1866, and John as an infant in 1873. Kate also died in 1873 just one week after the birth of John.

Jason was an important individual in the town, and at different times was the Chairman of the Milkman's Committee, the President of the Republicans of West Hartford, and presided over a celebration of Union victories in 1865. In addition, in 1855, the Courant noted that,

Mr. J.G. Shepard of West Hartfordinforms us that he cut a stalk of corn from his field which was fourteen feet and eight inches high. There were two ears of corn on the stalk. This beats Bristol by some 8 inches. 

Nutmeggers of the 19th century were incredibly proud of their agricultural feats!

While he was a man about town, Jason Shepard also had issues of his own. It seems that the panic of 1873 (and most likely the deaths of his wife and son) had an extremely negative effect on his farm. There was an extreme economic downturn that lasted for several years, during which is seems that Jason racked up some debt.

On April 3, 1976, an article appeared in the Courant entitled, "A Forger Absconds". On March 25, he apparently drove into Hartford and left his team and cart at a livery stable, purchased a couple of shirts, and hopped a train. It wasn't until several days later that a family member arrived in Hartford and recovered the team of horses. At that time, they realized that Jason had, "left town to escape his creditors." While it seemed that the farm had been doing well, Jason had been borrowing money to repay others.

It was apparently known for some time that he was "in great financial embarrassment", but that Saturday, the banks finally realized that he had forged over $800 worth of notes to pay his creditors- hence his disappearing act. Despite mortgaging the farm for $18,000, there was little left to pay those whom he owed money.

The Courant summed up the article with the following:

Mr. Shepard was well regarded as a neighbor and christian gentleman in West Hartford. He was well known in the city, having been a milk peddler for some twenty years. In his youth, he entered Yale college, but his health failed and he negotiated for his farm in West Hartford, borrowing capital to do do, and has not succeeded in relieving himself of that burden. He is not regarded as a naturally bad man, but rather a victim of adversity.

At the time of his disappearance, Jason had one daughter, Lillian, whom it seems was raised by relatives thereafter.

The gravestone of Jason G. Shepard and his family. From findagrave.com, photo by C. Greer.

Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Flanigan

Patrick Flanigan and his wife Mary unfortunately died at nearly the same age in almost exactly the same way in almost exactly the same location. The only thing? They died five years apart.

According to census and other records, Patrick was born around 1843 in Ireland. When he arrived in the US is unknown, but he was living in Brooklyn, NY when he enlisted in the Union army on August 22, 1862. (See Arthur DeNeufville Talcott for more information about a soldier's experiences in the war.) You can learn more about his NY Infantry Regiment here. Patrick made it safely through the war, although he was wounded and recovered in June of 1864 in Cold Harbor, VA. He mustered out in September of 1865, having been listed as sick since March of that year.

Chesapeake Hospital, Hampton, VA where Patrick Flanigan may have spent many months at the end of the Civil War recovering from illness.

After mustering out, Patrick married a woman named Mary and within a year, they had a daughter Mary. In 1870, the family lived in Hartford, CT and had grown to include daughter Mary (age 4) and son Edward (age 2). I did not conduct a more thorough search on this period, as the majority of the story is about Patrick and Mary's deaths. By 1880, Patrick and Mary had added three other daughters to the fold. They were called Josie, Anna, and Kate in the 1880 census. 

Around 1893, Patrick and Mary moved to West Hartford and Patrick was working at "the shop of Frank A. Knox" on the evening of March 23, 1898. Patrick apparently had worked around town as an assistant (in 1870 and 1880 he was listed as a house carpenter and therefore could have done any number of useful tasks). 

The next morning, Patrick's body was found lying along the train track that ran along what is now New Park Avenue. He was found across from Charter Oak Park, which was at the time a racetrack and amusement park. The details of the discovery are graphic and were reported by the Hartford Courant as follows:

"[The body] was cut in two across the stomach. The man's legs were cut almost to bits. The top of his head was broken in and his brains were scattered for some distance along the track... The man's face was not bruised [and] he wore a Grand Army button on the lapel of his coat." The paper goes on to say that "The body was identified by Mr. Flanigan's wife."

Mr. Flanigan was later laid to rest at the St. Benedict Cemetery in Bloomfield, CT. 

Five years later, on December 1, 1903, a woman's body was found at nearly the same place along the train tracks across from Charter Oak Park. It was discovered to be Patrick's wife, Mary Flanigan. it seems that she had been hit by a train on the way home from her daughter's home and had taken a local trolley. It seems to have been assumed that she was crossing the tracks after leaving the trolley and was hit by a train between about 5 and 8 p.m. At that time of year, the city is nearly dark by 5 p.m. and she may not have been seen at all by the train that hit her. 

While the article does not describe the state of Mary's body in detail, she was described as having been badly cut up with broken ribs and a badly broken left arm. All trains that had traveled along the route were subject to examination to find which engine had hit her and when. 

The Courant noted that "It is a remarkable fact that Mrs. Flannigan's husband, Patrick, was killed in the same manner only a short distance west of the same spot, about four years ago. He was crossing the tracks on his way home." Mrs. Flanigan was buried beside her husband at St. Benedict Cemetery.