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.