Family:Samuel Shepard and Bethiah Steele (1)

Mothers of the Children of Samuel⁴ Shepard

Shepard and Jacobus present a lengthy discussion of which wife was the mother of which children. This is of some importance since his first wife, Bethiah Steele, was a Mayflower descendant through her mother, Meletiah Bradford. In summary, the first two children, James and John, were definitely sons of Bethiah. Amos, the youngest, was definitely son of Eunice Butler. Those in between, Bethiah, Hannah, Sarah, Samuel, Stephen, and William (born in that order). In the cases of Bethiah, Hannah, and Sarah, there is no genealogical significance since the three daughters died without issue (all six sons married and had families). Shepard and Jacobus, for reasons included in their discussion, concluded that (1) there was no interim wife between Bethiah and Eunice; (2) Bethiah was probably by Bethiah Steele; (3) Hannah, Sarah, Samuel, Stephen and William were probably by Eunice Butler.^[1]

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Shepard, Gerald Faulkner, and Donald Lines Jacobus. The Shepard Families of New England. (New Haven [Connecticut]: New Haven Colony Historical Society, 1971-1973)
   2:17-19.

   Samuel⁴ Shepard (John,³ John,² Edward¹) … married first, at Hartford, 17 May 1709, Bethiah Steele, … daughter of John and Melatiah (Bradford) Steele.