Easter Holiday Closures

The Library will be closed Friday, March 29th and Sunday, March 31st in observance of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We will be OPEN Saturday, March 30th. Remember, our online resources are always available! 

Lard/Shepherd Manuscript Collection

John Lard and his family came and settled in Ball Township of Sangamon County in 1835. Among their children was Josiah who had a son Jacob. Jacob married Stella Leach and to them a daughter, Geneva, was born. Geneva married Louis Pitner Shepherd. Their son was Jacob “Jake” Lard Shepherd.

Louis Pitner Shepherd was the son of Charles M. Shepherd who purchased a farm from the Thomas Strawbridge estate in 1883. The farmhouse in which Louis was raised is now referred to as the Strawbridge/Shepherd House and is located on the property to the University of Illinois Springfield.

The collection consists mainly of photographs of Lard family members. Many are formal portraits with only a few candid shots. There also is a copy of a paper written by R-Lou Barker giving a brief history of the Shepherd family (a Lard married into the Shepherd family). The collection was donated by R-Lou Porter Barker, sister to Ruth Lee Shepherd.