Uriah was born sometime between 1780 and 1786 in North Carolina, the son of William Shepherd and Elizabeth, aka "Betsy." He spent his entire life in the frontier regions of the country, moving from the NC border to southwest Virginia, and then to Kentucky for a short stay, followed by another move to the Cherokee Lands in the Mississippi Territory (which would later become Jackson Co., Alabama), and then finally in 1828 to the wilds of the Arkansas Territory. It would seem he was ever looking for new land and new opportunities where he could rely on his frontier skills to build a home and cut a farm in the wilderness without the interference of a large population nearby. However, he was often allied with relatives who seem to have made their moves together and depended on each other for mutual support. It is then not unexpected that his wife would be part Cherokee since Natives Americans were usually living near him and their cultural must have been one he knew fairly well. Married: Elizabeth Smith by 1804 since both the names of Uriah and Elizabeth appear together on a deed from this year in Lee., Co. Va. Elizabeth was the daughter of James Smith and Nancy Mulkey who was all or part Cherokee. Children: - James (b. ca. 1805 Lee Co., Va.; died on the Oregon Trail in 1852; married Hannah Peters from Peters Cove, Jackson Co., Alabama - see his biography); - William Silas (b. ca. 1807 in Cherokee Lands, Mississippi Territory, later Jackson Co, Alabama; married Sarah Jane "Sally" Peters, sister of Hannah Peters above; he gave his name to the Shepherd Springs area in Arkansas and was a beloved Methodist missionary and farmer of the mountains, shot down by bushwhackers in the Civil War in 1865 as he was taking food and bedding to sons in need; as the story goes, the sons later tracked down and scalped the bushwhackers who did the deed); - Mary Catherine "Polly" (b: 8 Jan. 1810 in Cherokee Lands, Mississippi Territory); - John "Jack" (b. ca. 1812 in Cherokee Lands, Mississippi Territory); - Martha(b. ca. 1812 in Cherokee Lands, Mississippi Territory); - Thomas (b. ca.1814 in Cherokee Lands, Mississippi Territory). Written accounts from Uriah's children report that their mother was part Cherokee since their maternal grandfather was James Smith who married Nancy Mulkey whom they identify as Cherokee. Since the children were born in the early 1800s (all before 1820) one would expect that they did know their grandparents and this would be accurate information. Uriah's household is named in the 1804 Lee County personal property tax list with a family that included two males between ages 12 and 16. His brothers James, Nimrod, and Sampson are also on the list and none of them own slaves. Uriah was a constable in Knox County, Kentucky ca. 1807 and the family can be found in Knox County records, but he left soon after since he was named on the delinquent tax list complied on 9 Nov. 1809 for the county. His brother Nimrod lived in the area which later became Whitley County, Ky. The Shepherds, Smith, Wrights, etc moved from Kentucky to Alabama settling on Indian lands in what later became Jackson Co., Alabama Researcher David Travillion Bunton states that Uriah Shepherd and his children were the first settlers to migrate from Jackson County, Alabama to the upper Frog Bayou of the Arkansas Territory. Tradition states that in the early 1820s Uriah Shepherd led his children by flatboat down the Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to the Arkansas. The family then 'poled their way' up the Arkansas by keelboat to the mouth of Frog Bayou in what would become Crawford County, Arkansas. Sons James and William stayed on in Arkansas while Uriah returned to Alabama, perhaps to lead others west. Uriah disappears from the record after this, and it seems he must have died soon after, likely in Crawford County where the rest of the family settled. The Shepherds would play important roles in the development of the county and in the Civil War conflicts in the area. Although Uriah's history is lost, his son William Silas has been remembered for more than a century. In an 8 Aug. 1948 "Decoration Day" article for Bidville in Crawford County, the story of the death of William Silas is noted concerning how the cemetery began with his burial and then each year those buried there were honored with a special event: "Friends , relations and the descendants of William Shepherd, Methodist minister, who was killed by bushwhackers in 1862, placed a historical marker at his grave. A fitting memorial that closes a sad chapter in the lives of all concerned. Mr. Shepherd whose sons were in the Federal army at the time of his death, was a strong union sympathizer. He was killed by Southern sympathizers, neighbors who had lost loved ones. "'Wreaths of victory, palms of glory,' ran through the wind as one read the stones message. Descendants of the staunchest Southern Confederates helped to provide a way for the marker. 'What mean those tears in your eyes?' one old "Confederate" asked an old "Federal". 'Been eatin' onions,' was the gruff answer. "'Yep, I'll allow with you that 86 years is a long time to spend a hating. Now let's spend our time in lasting joy.' "Gordon McKenzie, program chairman; declared that it was the best Decoration, yet. A Fort Smith, Arkansas preacher went around reading car licenses and he said there were cars from 17 different states. Every early day settler was represented- Mulkey, Wright, Shepherd, Griffith, Nealy, Smith, Jackson, Caselman, Mullens, Campbell, Schrader, Drummonds, Darling, Meadows, Boles, Rucks, Woods, Harrison, Orrick, Province, Stokes, Sloan, Francis, Parnell, Rush, Cherry, Parker, and France. Mr. And Mrs. Ben Wells came all the way "back home" from Bakersfield, California."