First found in the Southern counties of England, where they could be found from early times. Early recorded instances of the name include William Sepherd listed in Rotuli Hundredorum, in Oxfordshire in 1279; and Henry Sephurde listed in the subsidy Rolls of Sussex of 1296.

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Shippees to arrive in North America: Ould Sheppard, and his son, who arrived in Virginia in 1623; Robert Sheppeard, who was on record in Virginia in 1624; Edward Shepard, who came to Cambridge Massachusetts in 1630.

Motto Translated: By fidelity and valour.

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