Who are Thomas Sheppard??s parents and ancestors?

Question:

Who are Thomas Sheppard??s parents and ancestors?

Thomas SHEPPARD was born in Ohio and died before 1870.
General Notes: Thomas is presumed dead before 1870 because Cynthia appears in the 1870 census with her parents. My cousin Kim says that his daughter Melissa Jane Rose gave Ohio as his birthplace and it appears on her death certificate. My cousin Kim found a Thomas Sheppard who is living in Clinton County Ohio and born in 1840 in Ohio. He is living with the family of Samuel Hankins, a wealthy farmer from Pennsylvania, and is working as a laborer on his farm. She needs more information to find out if that is the Thomas Sheppard who married Cynthia Ann Mills.
Thomas married Cyntha Ann MILLS on 20 April 1861 in Clinton County, Ohio. Cynthia was born in 1843 in Clinton County, Ohio and died on 21 February 1916 in Highland County, Ohio at age 73. Children:
Melissa Jane Sheppard b February 14, 1861 in Clinton County, Ohio, died October 4, 1847 in Wayne Township, Clinton County, Ohio
Henry Sheppard was b February 1870 in Ohio.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Here's every Thomas Sheppard from the 1860 census:
Thos Sheppard Wayne, Fayette, OH 34 abt 1826 Ohio Male
Thos Sheppard Cincinnati Ward 4, Hamilton, OH 40 abt 1820 England Male
Thos H Sheppard Cincinnati Ward 4, Hamilton, OH 9 abt 1851 Ohio Male
Thomas Sheppard Vernon, Scioto, OH 28 abt 1832 England Male
Thomas R Sheppard Marietta, Washington, OH 15 abt 1845 Ohio Male
Thos N Sheppard Ridge, Wyandot, OH 46 abt 1814 Ohio Male
Thos N Sheppard Ridge, Wyandot, OH 5 abt 1855 Illinois Male

Here's the only marriage record from Ohio for a Thomas SHEPPARD (2 p's)
Ohio Marriages, 1803-1900
about MARIA C. SMITH
Name: SHEPPARD, THOMAS
Spouse: SMITH, MARIA C.
Marriage Date: 1 Jan 1856
County: Athens
State: OH

This is the only one with 1P:
Name: SHEPARD, THOMAS
Spouse: CONNER, SUSAN ELONA
Marriage Date: 23 Oct 1883
County: Coshocton
State: OH

The date range obviously makes him a possible Civil War vet...and there's usually good records of that group. Take a look through these and let's see if any might be yours:

Surname First Name Company Regiment Beginning Rank Ending Rank Other Names Notes
Sheppard Thomas G 18th Regiment, Ohio Infantry Private Sergeant
Sheppard Thomas 186th Regiment, Ohio Infantry Private See also 194 O.V.I.
Sheppard Thomas I 194th Regiment, Ohio Infantry Private Private Thomas/Shepherd Original filed under Thomas/Shepherd
Sheppard Thomas I 3rd Regiment, Ohio Cavalry Sergeant Private Thomas/Shipard Original filed under Thomas/Shipard
Sheppard Thomas C. I 5th Regiment, Ohio Infantry Private Musician
Sheppard Thomas J. D 30th Regiment, Ohio Infantry Private Commissary Sergeant
Sheppard Thomas J. C 97th Regiment, Ohio Infantry Sergeant First Sergeant T.J./Sheppard
Sheppard Thomas L. I 148th Regiment, Ohio Infantry (National Guard) Sergeant Sergeant
Sheppard Thomas R. A 148th Regiment, Ohio Infantry (National Guard) Private Private Thomas/Sheppard

Name: Thomas C Sheppard ,
Enlistment Date: 25 Jun 1861
Side Served: Union
State Served: Ohio
Service Record: Enlisted as a Musician on 25 June 1861 at the age of 21
Enlisted in Company S, 5th Infantry Regiment Ohio on 25 June 1861.
Mustered out Company Band, 5th Infantry Regiment Ohio on 07 July 1862

Name: Thomas R Sheppard ,
Enlistment Date: 2 May 1864
Side Served: Union
State Served: Ohio
Service Record: Enlisted as a Private on 02 May 1864 at the age of 19
Enlisted in Company A, 148th Infantry Regiment Ohio on 02 May 1864.
Mustered out Company A, 148th Infantry Regiment Ohio on 14 September 1864 in Camp Marietta, OH

Name: Thomas L Sheppard ,
Enlistment Date: 2 May 1864
Side Served: Union
State Served: Ohio
Service Record: Enlisted as a Sergeant on 02 May 1864 at the age of 35
Enlisted in Company I, 148th Infantry Regiment Ohio on 02 May 1864.
Mustered out Company I, 148th Infantry Regiment Ohio on 14 September 1864 in Camp Marietta, OH

Name: Thomas Sheppard ,
Enlistment Date: 2 Oct 1861
Side Served: Union
State Served: Ohio
Service Record: Enlisted as a Private on 02 October 1861 at the age of 19
Enlisted in Company G, 18th Infantry Regiment Ohio on 02 October 1861.
Promoted to Full Sergeant on 16 October 1861
Wounded on 11 September 1863 at Davis' Cross Roads, GA
Mustered out Company G, 18th Infantry Regiment Ohio on 09 November 1864

Name: Thomas J Sheppard ,
Enlistment Date: 11 Aug 1862
Side Served: Union
State Served: Ohio
Service Record: Enlisted as a Sergeant on 11 August 1862 at the age of 28
Enlisted in Company E, 97th Infantry Regiment Ohio on 01 September 1862.
Promoted to Full Sergeant 1st Class on 10 May 1863
POW on 17 June 1864 at Kenesaw Mountain, GA
Exchanged on 22 April 1865
Mustered out Company E, 97th Infantry Regiment Ohio on 15 June 1865 in Camp Chase, OH

Separate from all of them, I found this Thomas who might be the right age:
Name: Thomas Corwin Sheppard
Father: Isaac Sheppard
Mother: Sarah Collin
Birth Date: 27 Feb 1848
City: Kirkwood
County: Belmont
State: OH
Country: USA
He married Martha Jackson and died in 1935...so we rule him out.

Then I found a family tree done by Linda Chan who agrees with you on Cynthia and about Thomas' date of death being before 1870. She spells his surname with 1 P...don't know her sources on that. She has a 2nd husband for Cynthia, his name being George Berry...but no marriage date. I looked at the 1870 census and there's only 1 Geo. Berry in the county at that time, but he was much too young. 1880 and 1900 were no better. So I don't know the quality of that information.

AHHHH!!! A small break. On the LDS website I found a marriage record for Thomas and Cynthia. It gives his middle initial as H...at least a way to narrow him down from all the others. Now to find the church where they were married!

OK, enough for now. My husband is grumpy tonight. I'll snoop more in the morning and post whatever I find.

BTW, it might just be coincidence, but if Thomas' middle initial is H and his only son's name was Henry...and his father-in-law's name was David, there are good odds that Henry was either his father or his grandfather's name.