Julia Shepard Perkins

Julia Shepard Perkins (1799–1884) was an American writer and educator. She was the author of Early Times on the Susquehanna, a history of the Susquehanna River Valley in Pennsylvania. She was also a teacher and alumnus of Litchfield Female Academy.

Life and education Julia Shepard Perkins was born Anna Shepard in Athens, Pennsylvania on November 11, 1799. Her father was John Perkins, the founder of the Pennsylvania Academy in Athens, where she was educated as a child. The couple married on May 1, 1823, and had five children together. She was reportedly a devoted Christian throughout her life, and was involved in missionary efforts to convert Native Americans to Christianity.

Perkins died on November 11, 1799.

Early Times on the Susquehanna Perkins published Early Times on the Susquehanna in 1870. The book details the history of the Susquehanna Valley from the time just before European colonization until the mid-nineteenth century.

Perkins wrote in the Introduction to her book, "It is natural for the intelligent to wish to learn all they can about the history of their ancestors, and the place of their own nativity; and if this sketch can afford any gratification to the living, or be useful to those who may come after, the object will be accomplished."

In 1906, the volume was republished by Perkins's daughter, Sarah Perkins Elmer, through the Herald Company of Binghamton in Binghamton, New York.

In her preface to the reprint, Elmer wrote, "Year after year, interest increases in the past history of our lovely valley, and it is most important to foster with care every item of correct information. The little volume written by Mrs. George A. Perkins (my mother), containing so much which, except for her, would have been lost, is sacredly preserved."