Nathaniel A. Shepard had a truck farm on the site that became Lilac Way Shopping Center at present day Excelsior Blvd. and Highway 100. His specialty was asparagus. When Highway 100 was built in 1939 it went right through his property and put him out of the farming business.
Census data reveals that:
Nate was born in 1869 (or 1867), New Hampshire
His first wife Bertha M. was born in 1869 in Canada
Daughter Rita was born in 1895 and was a high school teacher.
Daughter Marion was born in 1897.