Penobscot Indians and, in 1797, with the Six Nations
.
Shepard was elected as a Federalist to the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Congresses, serving from March 4, 1797, to March 3, 1803; he resumed his agricultural pursuits and died in Westfield, essentially penniless. Interment was in the Mechanic Street Cemetery.
In popular culture
A statue of him stands in Westfield, sculpted by
Augustus Lukeman
.
Each year on Patriots' Day, a ceremony is held in Westfield, wherein his descendants and those of four other founding families of Westfield join city and state government representatives, members of the armed forces, clergy, local school children and residents in giving prayer and remembrance of the town's history.
From a mid-western paper c.1928 he was reported to have been quoted as saying, "Hang On! If the motherhood of America ever lets go, it will serve us right if America turns to the saloon or its equivalent. But the motherhood of America will not let go."
Notes
^Contemporary records, which used the Julian calendar and the Annunciation Style of enumerating years, recorded his birth as November 20, 1737. The provisions of the British Calendar (New Style) Act 1750, implemented in 1752, altered the official British dating method to the Gregorian calendar with the start of the year on January 1 (it had been March 25). These changes resulted in dates being moved forward 11 days, and for those between January 1 and March 25, an advance of one year. For a further explanation, see: Old Style and New Style dates.
^Abbatt, William (March–April 1915), The Magazine of History with Notes and Queries Vol. XX N. 3-4, Springfield, MA: Connecticut Valley Historical Society, p. 260
^Connecticut Valley Historical Society (1904), Papers and proceedings of the Connecticut Valley Historical Society. 1876-1903 1876-1903., Volume II, Springfield, MA: Connecticut Valley Historical Society, p. 260
Statue of Major General William Shepard in The History of the Celebration of the Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town of Westfield Massachusetts
Shepard genealogy in Genealogical and Family History of Western New York: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Building of a Nation, Volume 2
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