Two different years are stated for John Shepherd’s birth. The History and Genealogy of the John Shepherd Family book says 1728 and his testimonial of 1832 says 1729. The calendar change in 1752 accounts for those differences.
"In England, Wales, Ireland and Britain's American colonies, there were two calendar changes, both in 1752...”
The History and Genealogy of the John Shepherd Family on Page 10 states: “John Shepherd was born on Olmstead Ridge, on the Lancaster road, ten miles from Philadelphia, March 16, 1728.”
There is a Lancaster Road north of Philadelphia, but I could find no Olmstead Ridge in that area or on any map of Pennsylvania from the 1700's.
Olmstead Ridge does not appear in the Gazetteer of the State of Pennsylvania, published in 1832.
In June of 2010, Charles Phebus asked the town of North Royalton, Ohio, (where John Shepherd last lived), to help celebrate John's life. He had a website, JohnShepherd.us, and stated that he was related to John Shepherd.
The JohnShepherd.us website is no longer online, but I was able to download all of the pages and information from the website in 2010. Phebus' website had several documents about John Shepherd but so far, I have been unable to find the sources for any of them.
Original: John Shepherd's Testimonial re: Revolutionary War Service
Full Transcription: John Shepherd's Testimonial re: Revolutionary War Service
The first sentence in the testimonial reads, “Your humble petitioner John Shepherd, now residing in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, beg leave to represent that I was born at a place near the city of Philadelphia, called Chesnut Hill on the 16th of March 1729.”
Map: Chestnut Hill is about ten miles north of Philadelphia.
The History and Genealogy of the John Shepherd Family on Page 10 states: "After his return from the French and Indian War (1754-1763) he married, but the name of his wife is unknown. At the beginning of the American Revolution he was a widower with one little girl. He left his little daughter in charge of a neighbour and enlisted as a soldier in Captain Caleb Armitage's company..."
"On leaving the army he sought his little girl, but the neighbour in whose care he had left her, had moved away and he never again heard from his child.
Possible marriage to Priscilla Wood. No Date or Place.
Possible marriage to Eleanor Creen: May 7 1767, Swedes Church, Philadelphia
Around 1790 John was married to Elizabeth Gould and the John Shepherd book is the story of their descendents.
**********My current Family Trees are at WikiTree: Nilsen Family and Ancestry: Nilsen Family