Hi Ann -
I saw your post on the Virginia genealogy site about Thomas Shepherd. I live near Shepherdstown and am familiar with the area (a bit). Mecklenburg was actually the name of the town that Thomas gave it when he first founded the area (he was given about 200 acres and used 50 of it to start the town) After some time the town name was changed to Shepherds Town and after the civil war again changed to Shepherdstown, which is part of Jefferson Co. WV. If you find early records for him in Mecklenburg, they are probably the same area only prior to the name change and the county changes. At the time Virginia and WV were all part of Virginia. Frederick County today is at the northern most tip of VA, boardering Jefferson County WV being in the eastern panhandle of WV. I don't know the actual County history for both, but it's possible that this was all part of Frederick Co VA prior to the civil war. Mecklenburg County VA is actually in the lower part of Virginia, some distance away from the panhandle of WV.

One more note (sorry :-) On find a grave it appears that he is buried in Fayette Co., Virginia at a Shepard Famiy Cemetery and information has been entered for his parents on his burial page. There is no headstone shot, but possibly the person who entered the burial has some information on this family for you. Sorry if I've given you a bunch of info that you already had - the Shepherdstown thing pricked my interest :-) -cindy

I have ancestors in the Allen area. one of the Bells married a Priest and they are buried in the Allen Cemetery:
Nettie J. Bell, b. Sept 1875/6, ; d. 1922
+ John V. Priest, b. Mar 1875 ; d. bef 1920
Ursa Priest, b. Apr 17, 1900; d. Nov. 29, 1978, Dallas, Dallas Co., TX; Allen Cem., Collin Co., TX
+ Earl Howlett

Does any of this sound like your line?