Marshall McClung
The visit of shepherds to see the Christ child is a prominent part of the Christmas story and is told in the second chapter of Luke in the Bible. They received a special invitation from angels to see this miraculous event.
Some readers might be surprised to learn that a family by the name of Shepherd once lived in Graham County.
The name “Shepherd” comes from the Middle English name “schepherde,” which means sheep herdsman or guardian. In the upper section of Mountain Creek, there is a small community named Shepherd’s Creek.
Thomas Jefferson Shepherd – who was born in May 1821 – is the one Shepherd’s Creek is said to have been named for. He was married to Mary Ann Sutton first and later to Teresa “Polly” Duvall, and fathered 10 children.
The time he arrived in what is now Graham County is unknown, but it is thought to be while he was still a young man. History does mention that the Shepherd family was part of only a few whites living here at the time, with the population being mostly Cherokees.
It is known that the Shepherds were here prior to 1886, as the marriage of one of his daughters to Jonathan Miller Davis on Dec. 19 of that year is mentioned.
Another daughter, Aveline “Avy” married Rev. William Pruett. One of their daughters, Hester, married George Maney, who was hung by a lynch mob for the murder of Thad Sherrill. The Maney family had a difficult battle for survival after the lynching and were said to be near starvation. Avaline and Callie May Pruett Calhoun took the young Pruett children – a son and twin daughters – and raised them.
Just when or why the Shepherds left Graham County is lost in history, but records show them having still been here as late as 1880. Perhaps the brutal murder of Thad Sherrill – followed by the lynching of George Maney – led them to leave here.
It is not known for sure why they left.
Marshall McClung is the historical columnist for The Graham Star. He can be reached via email, mcclungs@email.com.