Individual Details
William " Bruce" Shepherd
(23 Jun 1913 - 1 Oct 1938)
On the 1930 U. S. Census of North East, Cecil Co., Maryland, Bruce is with his mother and siblings. Bruce is working as a laborer for the Fibre Co. He also appears with his sister Georgia and her husband Hayes Herman Biddle in Mill Creek, New Castle Co., Delaware listed as William S. Bruce. They also list him as a laborer at a fiber mill.
Bruce died in an accident at work. They were laying sewage pipe and he suffered a crushed chest and broken neck.
The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, Maryland, Sunday, October 2, 1938, Page 3: WPA Worker Killed As Trench Caves In. Bruce Shepherd, 26, Dies In Mishap While Installing Pipes At Chesapeake City. Elkton, Md., Oct. 1---While a number of men were working on a WPA project in Chesapeake City laying pipes for a water system being installed in that town, Bruce Shepherd, 26, was killed today. He was trapped in a fifteen-foot trench during a cave-in. That was about to take place was noticed shortly before it occurred, and several of the other men in the trench escaped. Shepherd, however, was buried beneath debris. The other workmen attempted to rescue their comrade, but he was dead when found. The body was brought to an undertaking establishment here and later taken to his home in North East. Dr. R. C. Dodson, of Rising Sun, summoned a jury of inquest over the body, and it will later meet to hear testimony.
Bruce died in an accident at work. They were laying sewage pipe and he suffered a crushed chest and broken neck.
The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, Maryland, Sunday, October 2, 1938, Page 3: WPA Worker Killed As Trench Caves In. Bruce Shepherd, 26, Dies In Mishap While Installing Pipes At Chesapeake City. Elkton, Md., Oct. 1---While a number of men were working on a WPA project in Chesapeake City laying pipes for a water system being installed in that town, Bruce Shepherd, 26, was killed today. He was trapped in a fifteen-foot trench during a cave-in. That was about to take place was noticed shortly before it occurred, and several of the other men in the trench escaped. Shepherd, however, was buried beneath debris. The other workmen attempted to rescue their comrade, but he was dead when found. The body was brought to an undertaking establishment here and later taken to his home in North East. Dr. R. C. Dodson, of Rising Sun, summoned a jury of inquest over the body, and it will later meet to hear testimony.
Events
| Birth | 23 Jun 1913 | Martinsburg, Berkeley Co., West Virginia |  | ||
| Marriage | 20 Jun 1935 | North East, Cecil Co., Maryland - Doris Rose Howard | | ||
| Death | 1 Oct 1938 | Chesapeake City, Cecil Co., Maryland | | ||
| Burial | North East United Methodist Cemetery, North East, Cecil Co., Maryland | |
Families
| Spouse | Doris Rose Howard (1914 - 1990) |
| Child | Wilma "Billie" Lee Shepherd (1936 - 2018) |
| Father | William Floyd Shepherd (1882 - 1956) |
| Mother | Sarah "Lucile" Hays (1885 - 1967) |
| Sibling | Sarah Vesta Shepherd (1902 - 1903) |
| Sibling | Richard Earl Shepherd (1904 - 1967) |
| Sibling | Roy Clyde Shepherd (1906 - 1962) |
| Sibling | Georgia May Shepherd (1908 - 2001) |
| Sibling | Virginia Alice Shepherd (1911 - 1986) |
| Sibling | James Edward Shepherd (1916 - 2000) |
| Sibling | Charles Woodrow Shepherd (1920 - 1943) |
Endnotes
1. Pedigree chart by Georgia Shepherd Biddle.
2. The Melchor Engle Family History & Genealogy 1730-1940 By Winfield S. H. Engle, Page 301, #1237.
3. Marriage Certificate of William Bruce Shepherd and Doris R. Howard.
4. Pedigree chart by Georgia Shepherd Biddle.
5. Death Certificate of William Bruce Shepherd, 09417.
6. Phone conversation with Rudy Cliff, caretaker of North East United Methodist Cemetery.