tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120994182024-03-09T18:47:50.158-08:00The Shepard's CrookA family blog that seeks to know our ancestors and celebrates their lives and descendants.Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.comBlogger730125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-5247392299422902322023-12-19T16:30:00.000-08:002023-12-19T16:30:15.878-08:00Maida's Graveside Service<p>Yesterday we laid my mother to rest as she took her final resting place in Greenwood Cemetery in San Diego. Maida Imogene Gower Shepard (1924-2023) lived until just a few months short of her 99th Birthday. She lived a wonderful life. From Arkansas to Oklahoma to San Diego to Washington, hers was a life well lived. As a mother, a wife, a daughter, and a Christian she lived a resplendent life and touched numerous others with her infectious spirit, beautiful heart and deep faith. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXeiLHQxqIQyYj2SjArMIgRVs-TdshcW2VziHI5DkeIx2iaNMuegG_x0O-yXe3HhKwNb9iajeT2eIjGfCKfC8XnaABNwpklVe8svCPt_rASRwU0kNWToeBac2xDKwdfwbP8dccF2MNxc2uICrV6iZxmAky1oQqzGLpPqF88z5Hat1tpVwJMZX9zJQ-Ks/s2016/IMG_1218%20(1).jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXeiLHQxqIQyYj2SjArMIgRVs-TdshcW2VziHI5DkeIx2iaNMuegG_x0O-yXe3HhKwNb9iajeT2eIjGfCKfC8XnaABNwpklVe8svCPt_rASRwU0kNWToeBac2xDKwdfwbP8dccF2MNxc2uICrV6iZxmAky1oQqzGLpPqF88z5Hat1tpVwJMZX9zJQ-Ks/w194-h258/IMG_1218%20(1).jpg" width="194" /></a></div>Greenwood Cemetery in San Diego is the resting place of numerous members of our family. The plot where Mom now resides is next to her husband Eugene Shepard, and a few steps away from her daughter Linda. A few steps in a different direction are our Shepard grandparents and our Gower grandparents, plus various aunts, uncles and cousins. The family stories and memories represented by the family members there are too numerous to count. They tell the multi-faceted tale of our family in San Diego since 1940 when the Shepards first came to California from Oklahoma and Colorado.<p></p><p>With Cindy and me at the gathering yesterday was cousin Kim Clark and husband Jeff. We had a very meaningful but short service of thanks for Maida as we recounted her life and asked God's blessing on her and her family.</p><p></p><p>May God bless the memory of Maida Shepard who meant so much to all her family. Her memory will be a blessing to our family for generations to come.<br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard</p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-78515450689321097772023-10-18T16:35:00.000-07:002023-10-18T16:35:50.242-07:00Thelma Shepard Boyd (1936-2023)<p>Hello Family and Friends,</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip5vVQ6Ea8_ftsVCk3YPo1rga8osyt_LLRVaCt1tlsalpqd3DG6_CXuX6w3hrNBZzRV2JVuWVKlHIE05LqJ6O7r_3iuALPFBe-2FT7CmxS85_7bOydPI2WQkxPPRtQmbwt74GqAw92He-SV6cZOKoUnMJPyVv5eOQzpmswl9l0HxSUuMDTnea7YA/s320/Thelma41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="282" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip5vVQ6Ea8_ftsVCk3YPo1rga8osyt_LLRVaCt1tlsalpqd3DG6_CXuX6w3hrNBZzRV2JVuWVKlHIE05LqJ6O7r_3iuALPFBe-2FT7CmxS85_7bOydPI2WQkxPPRtQmbwt74GqAw92He-SV6cZOKoUnMJPyVv5eOQzpmswl9l0HxSUuMDTnea7YA/w248-h281/Thelma41.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Youngster Thelma with her mother <br />Bura Davis Shepard (abt. 1941)</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Many of you may already know that my aunt Thelma Shepard Boyd passed away last month in San Diego. She had been in failing health and had resided in care facilities for the last several months. She had been cared for by her family here in San Diego, especially her daughter Kim Boyd Clark. </p><p>Thelma was the last of her generation in our family. She was the youngest child of my grandparents William and Bura Shepard, and the younger sister of my father Eugene Shepard. Her other siblings were her older brother Elmer Shepard, and an older sister (by 20 years) Pauline Shepard Russell. </p><p>Thelma was born in the spring of 1936 in Two Buttes, Colorado, a small rural town in the southeast corner of that state. Several members of our Shepard family lived in tiny Two Buttes from 1928 until 1940. At just 4 years old Thelma's family made a major move from the little country town of Two Buttes to Southern California. They settled in San Diego which has been home to numerous family members ever since. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpKpqyg_w9Uz_HekTgPgnHnKZ5hBCV1teHHf7bK8D3TECrZrvMYeZjdvjitvxX7sYQYj7v4RCmwEImVdcgm_VTwjaTkD8SsRkPgRA37B7v8IN0oRqZjV7DAoRgdBs4VSSW0G1cT6fXcN2DbL9iHIG58ZKv9KxQuV46B94LejBS5r6O3AuOyn7Bg/s283/ThelmaOne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="269" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpKpqyg_w9Uz_HekTgPgnHnKZ5hBCV1teHHf7bK8D3TECrZrvMYeZjdvjitvxX7sYQYj7v4RCmwEImVdcgm_VTwjaTkD8SsRkPgRA37B7v8IN0oRqZjV7DAoRgdBs4VSSW0G1cT6fXcN2DbL9iHIG58ZKv9KxQuV46B94LejBS5r6O3AuOyn7Bg/s1600/ThelmaOne.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thelma (right) with daughter Kim<br />and Kim's husband Jeff Clark</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Other than a few years in Gallup, New Mexico, San Diego was Thelma's home for most of her life. It is where she graduated from Hoover High School, and where she and her family were long time members of the El Cajon Blvd Church of Christ. San Diego is also where she met Terry Boyd, who she married in 1958 in Yuma, Arizona. San Diego is also where many of their children and grandchildren were born.</p><p></p>I always experienced my aunt Thelma as a gentle soul, a loving mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She was a kind spirit, a faithful Christian, and a lifelong devotee of the Church of Christ. She loved her family and enjoyed her children, her 6 grandchildren and her 8 great grandchildren.<p></p><p>Thelma will be laid to rest tomorrow, October 18, at Greenwood Cemetery in San Diego. She will take her place alongside her parents, siblings, and other loved ones. Our best wishes are extended to all Thelma's family at this time of sadness. We are grateful to God for the wonderful life she lived. <br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard<br />October 18, 2023 </p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-40244246500473280072023-08-18T18:04:00.002-07:002023-08-18T18:05:44.390-07:00Maida Gower Shepard (1924-2023)<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is with great sadness that I share with all of you that my mother Maida Shepard, passed away earlier this month. Late in the evening on August 6 she passed away peacefully at her home on Wildwood Lane in Anacortes, Washington. She had her family around her as she gently slipped away and into the gentle arms of a waiting savior.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Maida Imogene Gower was born in Mountain View, Arkansas on November 1, 1924. When a year old her parents Leroy Gower and Nola Shannon Gower moved with Maida and her older brother Hendrix to Okemah, Oklahoma where sister Vicky was born, the last of their three children.</span></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In 1942 during Maida's senior year at Okemah High school, her family moved to San Diego where Maida graduated from San Diego High in 1943. It was quite an adjustment from small town life in Oklahoma to the growing metropolis of San Diego. But it turned out to be a good move. The family remained settled in Southern California for 36 years. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUuksQjADlyXcPf2XSxdyNHosQAqvlZNgVx0Qu340c3spQZBQcyndQ5IWOJeCToW1geA47rMq2ZvvIaixjoKF9kP7qIm2tlLgEX9FXCWWgABn4zwxYS9oGGsBg-pknFLfDyVrImNg-wukd24Hb8mE7OdHOPiytdyAT4nBhUhOBBLQZdTvQ23TtQ/s2187/210%20Maida%20Shepard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2187" data-original-width="1525" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUuksQjADlyXcPf2XSxdyNHosQAqvlZNgVx0Qu340c3spQZBQcyndQ5IWOJeCToW1geA47rMq2ZvvIaixjoKF9kP7qIm2tlLgEX9FXCWWgABn4zwxYS9oGGsBg-pknFLfDyVrImNg-wukd24Hb8mE7OdHOPiytdyAT4nBhUhOBBLQZdTvQ23TtQ/s320/210%20Maida%20Shepard.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>In 1943 Maida, who was raised as a Baptist, had a Church of Christ friend named Janelle who invited Maida to a social event at the El Cajon Boulevard Church of Christ in San Diego. There she met a young Navyman named Eugene Shepard. At first their relationship was long distant because Eugene was stationed in Orange County. But eventually their relationship grew and they were married on May 24th, 1945 in a private ceremony at the minister's house behind the church in San Diego. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Between 1946 and 1962 Maida and Eugene brought 6 children into the world, all of whom were raised at their San Diego home on Armstrong Street, with the Linda Vista Church of Christ being their spiritual home. Maida and husband Eugene were pillars of the Linda Vista Church, and were a blessing to that congregation for 20 years.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Maida was a woman of deep faith and strong conviction and as such was the spiritual heart of our family. She loved Church activities and could always be counted on to support the programs and fellowship of her church. She loved sewing, quilting, gardening, cooking and crocheting. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Maida was a devoted mother of her 6 children, and with Eugene loved them through the many trials of growing up. When their older daughter Linda died in a car accident at just 20 years old, it was a crushing blow to the whole family, but Maida and Eugene endured with grace and faith. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXrTMSue2lIDcHhdh8ok8TxYi1fhjSZa0E8W_SUntqGqyYQ9A0hi6UXXKLQTMBtOaXLuYbkU-XYbbGN3dPAcLUoz73MHz_Z6qU4rSmyvlQIxtNJLfKnx2IIINfjqWmtsv3LUsnpbO_BdpGZtvVF-eORJ_6LJcgsGd-wtH55qk5esDfnL9jv-Pig/s640/image2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXrTMSue2lIDcHhdh8ok8TxYi1fhjSZa0E8W_SUntqGqyYQ9A0hi6UXXKLQTMBtOaXLuYbkU-XYbbGN3dPAcLUoz73MHz_Z6qU4rSmyvlQIxtNJLfKnx2IIINfjqWmtsv3LUsnpbO_BdpGZtvVF-eORJ_6LJcgsGd-wtH55qk5esDfnL9jv-Pig/s320/image2.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>After their children were grown, Maida and Eugene left Southern California in 1978 and relocated to Anacortes, Washington where they became members of the Fidalgo Island Church of Christ. For 45 years Maida was a faithful member of that congregation. With her death recently at 98 years old, her labors have ended, but her great legacy remains and will be felt in the lives of her family and friends for years to come.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Maida is survived by 6 children, 12 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, and 5 great great grandchildren, who are scattered throughout Northwest Washington, Southern California and North Texas.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Maida was preceded in death by a daughter Linda in 1971, and her husband Eugene in 2003.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the near future Maida will be laid to rest at Greenwood Cemetery in San Diego next to numerous family members, including her parents, her daughter Linda (1950-1971) and husband Eugene (1921-2003).</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A memorial service for her will be held tomorrow (Aug. 19, 2023) at the Fidalgo Island Church of Christ in Anacortes.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- - -</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Steve Shepard</span></div>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-48189897294676343572023-07-13T14:06:00.001-07:002023-07-13T18:51:49.189-07:00Thelma Shepard Boyd<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have had the opportunity in recent days to spend some quality time with my aunt Thelma Shepard Boyd. She has been in the hospital here in San Diego recently. At 87 years old her health is not what it once was. She has been diagnosed with some serious illness. Fortunately, she is being provided great care by her daughter Kim Clark and other family members. </span></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJa60vq9oeUYE_s1-mYmCPgGXVhqfFtgz_TrTIRF2lxAxFSGcSbbkg2Yr-kr41YAWck5vj0VF88z22xONqD77rGPezQ5Mk5dwhy8RCQj9xokuMQvmoOVXSuPGbnRVmM6LEwuMhn_FCuISFtefEsUGL8esOOgudTbV-ijBLqyQ8903uH6KFSiiADw" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="380" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJa60vq9oeUYE_s1-mYmCPgGXVhqfFtgz_TrTIRF2lxAxFSGcSbbkg2Yr-kr41YAWck5vj0VF88z22xONqD77rGPezQ5Mk5dwhy8RCQj9xokuMQvmoOVXSuPGbnRVmM6LEwuMhn_FCuISFtefEsUGL8esOOgudTbV-ijBLqyQ8903uH6KFSiiADw=w269-h283" width="269" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Kim & Jeff Clark and Thelma Boyd</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kim's husband Jeff Clark posted the following prayer request on Facebook recently which gives you an idea of how she is doing.</span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><i></i></span></p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><i>Please keep my mother-in-law Thelma Boyd and my wife Kim Clark and Thelma’s grandkids and great grandkids in your prayers. Thelma has had congestive heart failure for the last five years and Dementia for the past three or four years and Alzheimer’s for the past year to year and a half. Thelma has dealt with this (with daily staff visits and multiple daily reminders) while she lived at her independent senior living facility in El Cajon. But her situation has now changed. The progression of the Dementia and Alzheimer’s has increased and daily visits and reminders are now not enough. </i></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><i>She was taken to the hospital last Wednesday evening (July 5) very dehydrated (forgetting to drink). She has been getting fluids but still not eating much. Doctors said that is part of Dementia and Alzheimer’s. A person not knowing or wanting to eat or drink. We are trying to get her placed in a facility where she will have more care but not a nursing home. Hospice is helping with this. With congestive heart failure and Dementia hospice will help and since she has had both for years they could have been helping her for years, allowing Kim and the grandkids to be a daughter and grandkids instead of the stress of being a caregiver too.</i></span></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCT2wmFTCNKLFfA4tiPHeggk3Npo8KT7UtR6ROFxcEQUTcThtXQHImN8KATvGnLDR275iYNz8KRF3r7dbPa-HY5Dk46iXY4gUfrf6pN28OCFssfC53T0P85V7bS2Pbj23tAKeNYNeElMI3qZMKgRiaQK3yAYEpDeL8hRIfvcOH8VKG4klwh5efBQ" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCT2wmFTCNKLFfA4tiPHeggk3Npo8KT7UtR6ROFxcEQUTcThtXQHImN8KATvGnLDR275iYNz8KRF3r7dbPa-HY5Dk46iXY4gUfrf6pN28OCFssfC53T0P85V7bS2Pbj23tAKeNYNeElMI3qZMKgRiaQK3yAYEpDeL8hRIfvcOH8VKG4klwh5efBQ" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Maida and Barbara Shepard</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thelma is a very special person in our Shepard family. She is the last remaining child of my Grandparents William and Bura Shepard. Thelma at 87, and my mother Maida Gower Shepard at 98, are the last surviving members of their generation in our family. They are both wonderful women who have lived exemplary lives and are living reminders of the great family to which we belong.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Speaking of my mom Maida Shepard in Anacortes, Washington, she too has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and Dementia. </span>Fortunately,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> she is also being provided good in-home care by her family, in particular by her daughter Barbara.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">During this time of illness, please remember Maida and Thelma and those who care for them. Thanks be to God for these two wonderful women who represent the larger family of which we are privileged to be a part.<br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard<br />he/him/his</span></p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-41631094593889802692023-07-08T11:42:00.001-07:002023-07-08T11:48:19.505-07:00"The Surgeon of Ann Arundel"<p>Every so often when researching our family, I come across a person whose life story is so interesting that it needs to be told. My 9th Great Grandfather is one such person. He was <b>Dr. Richard Wells (1609-1667), </b>and was known as "<i>the Surgeon of Ann Arundel</i>." Ann Arundel is a county in Maryland some 50 miles east of Washington, D.C.</p><p><b>Richard Wells</b> is our ancestor through my Grandmother <b>Bura Davis Shepard (1896-1986)</b>. He is also the Great Grandfather of our ancestor, the Quaker <b>Rachel Wells (1720-1771)</b>, who <a href="https://theshepardscrook.blogspot.com/2019/06/rachel-wells-wright-colonial-quaker.html">I have written about several times</a> in this blog. Here is Richard Wells' family line:</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgxULTJudf0k28n59pXcnprUC1UxOBk4fZ6by_y0-pGohKBGdB2PK9qqf3L_o7B6hQhAADDOq_Bijr-RchcqMktoAymKqo8a0csJVdu4zuFSfrZWWSQIxcDxGF9B29IHj4ntpVLHibTQEpPYFaDIssVIR2_A8dJaV1XOg3vNc62FnSnzZADKTnw/s300/WellsCoatofArms2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="223" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgxULTJudf0k28n59pXcnprUC1UxOBk4fZ6by_y0-pGohKBGdB2PK9qqf3L_o7B6hQhAADDOq_Bijr-RchcqMktoAymKqo8a0csJVdu4zuFSfrZWWSQIxcDxGF9B29IHj4ntpVLHibTQEpPYFaDIssVIR2_A8dJaV1XOg3vNc62FnSnzZADKTnw/w200-h269/WellsCoatofArms2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Wells Family Coat of Arms</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Richard Wells (b.1609)<br />Frances Wells (b.1657)<br />Joseph Wells (b.1697)<br />Rachel Wells (b. 1720) <br />Joseph Wright (b. 1740) <br />John Wright (b.1774) <br />Nancy Wright (b. 1811) <br />Malinda Wright (b. 1846) <br />James Brooks Davis (b.1870) <br />Bura Davis Shepard (b.1896) <br />Eugene Shepard (b.1921) <br />me (b.1948)<p></p><p>Richard Wells' life in Colonial America began when he immigrated at 28 years old from England to the colony of Virginia in 1637. He was a staunch Puritan of wealth and influence in a time when Puritans were in power. He married <b>Francis Elizabeth White</b> <b>(1622-1711)</b> while living in Virginia and with her had 11 children, a normal sized family for colonists like the Wellses who sought to populate the new world.</p><p></p>Being a Liberal Puritan, Richard felt the urge to move northward to Maryland where Lord Baltimore had established freedom of religion. The Puritans were a significant group of activists within the Church of England. They sought to rid the Church of all Catholic influence. They were purists who resisted the Church straying from its roots. They had a major impact on life in Colonial America, and eventually became the Congregational Church, which is today part of the United Church of Christ.<div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjUHyqNXfht2RUvMfBQYOuN_mHECF-pJa0ZnmX9pZfLxqfYR8jxar2SPEKgs2LMmOTXdp1IDwd6SkBomOA3UDYDgbcxE9HKwWsPR56VuT1MURJEjIQEjVtB7VfL2FPC_5kSGkgQOS_JEPICQEAHzF2bruC0UchZ0v49I1eOAkIx1lcBZg71vpww/s300/SurgeonsChest.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="300" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjUHyqNXfht2RUvMfBQYOuN_mHECF-pJa0ZnmX9pZfLxqfYR8jxar2SPEKgs2LMmOTXdp1IDwd6SkBomOA3UDYDgbcxE9HKwWsPR56VuT1MURJEjIQEjVtB7VfL2FPC_5kSGkgQOS_JEPICQEAHzF2bruC0UchZ0v49I1eOAkIx1lcBZg71vpww/w328-h253/SurgeonsChest.jpg" width="328" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A physician's 17th century <br />blood-letting tool chest. </td></tr></tbody></table><br />It was in 1653 that the Puritan Richard Wells and his family of 11 children and 6 slaves relocated to the western shore of Herring Bay in the southeastern part of Ann Arundel County. Once they settled in Maryland, Richard immersed himself in civic affairs. He was appointed a member of the Parliamentary Commission the year after arriving and served on that body from 1854 to 1858. It was an appointed commission of eight who controlled Maryland's Government. <p></p><p>Richard is best known for being given the moniker, <i>The Surgeon of Ann Arundel</i>. It suggests that he had some familiarity with the practice of medicine, although historical details of that are hard to find. In the 17th century, during Richard's lifetime, there were no medical schools, and one became a doctor simply by practicing. Among his functions as a surgeon was blood-letting, a common medical procedure at that time. The image above shows a blood-letting "tool chest" for 17th century doctors such as Richard Wells.</p><p>In Maryland, Richard and his family did very well and accumulated significant wealth, primarily through land ownership. Soon after he arrived he was granted 600 acres on the shore of Herring Bay, an estate he named "Wells". His accumulation of land went far beyond that and eventually included several thousand acres of land. In his Will, which was probated in Ann Arundel County in 1667, Richard Wells bequeathed to his 5 sons parcels of land that totaled nearly 3,000 acres. In 1658 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace and was also on the Puritan Council. Clearly our ancestor Richard Wells was a leading citizen of early Maryland. We are honored to have ancestors such as Richard Wells and Frances White Wells in our family tree.</p><p>- - -<br />Steve Shepard<br />(he/him/his)</p></div>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-24916376439818814622023-05-13T19:52:00.002-07:002023-05-13T20:01:35.838-07:00Celebrating Mothers<p><b>Mother's Day 2023</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3cBz6XOTJlYD5rVM6SvqiZFGeCrJIL0g4bdYq1PB4InGnP8ltpEUhqOWg-Zm7ddbx5Hhg3soH40X2K1WDDS3XXt-__D5TPcJKdWWNjMMkk5sIzDGpqthdpCKbVQ04G65O48LK8MyYMtDEZBUcYiVVHDk0N_YBwp8_kA9A9zy9S9nHAJ43qc/s705/MaidaGowerShepard2023.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="591" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3cBz6XOTJlYD5rVM6SvqiZFGeCrJIL0g4bdYq1PB4InGnP8ltpEUhqOWg-Zm7ddbx5Hhg3soH40X2K1WDDS3XXt-__D5TPcJKdWWNjMMkk5sIzDGpqthdpCKbVQ04G65O48LK8MyYMtDEZBUcYiVVHDk0N_YBwp8_kA9A9zy9S9nHAJ43qc/s320/MaidaGowerShepard2023.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>With Mothers' Day this weekend, I am reminded of the many women in our family tree who have had an immeasurable impact on our family history. My mother Maida Shepard is just one of many moms in our family whose lives deserve great honor. <p></p><p>At 98 years old, my mother Maida has celebrated Mothers' Day 77 times! Her first born Gary came into this world in March of 1946. Two months later, as a young mother of just 21 years old, she held the two month old child of her and Eugene Shepard and celebrated the holiday in a very personal way for the very first time. Maida was also fortunate enough to celebrate the day with her own mother, our Grandmother Nola Shannon Gower. Grandma and Grandpa Gower lived on Arizona Street in San Diego at the time and surely made the most of that special day.</p><p>In my family research I am constantly amazed at the dedicated mothers who sacrificed so much for their families. In addition to my own wife and my own mother, I celebrate my Grandmothers Bura Davis and Nola Shannon, two wonderful women who have made a lasting impression on our family. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg70BRnTcCb85WA3oMW3fjqNWvGiyAyZdlNCUIYZHEcxZr5UFywzTt781aown5cQDf4GLpl6UD5K1M2SPmFswtm2qU1Kl9OKZeuKe1dCnNrq29mA_P9Ud5Fp1zY6Os-R_4v5tKm8aUHMtYJYRmXJoHDuu_yIM_ycjND8SlRxRif3w_Aki_FaM/s612/istockphoto-Mothers%20Day.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="612" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg70BRnTcCb85WA3oMW3fjqNWvGiyAyZdlNCUIYZHEcxZr5UFywzTt781aown5cQDf4GLpl6UD5K1M2SPmFswtm2qU1Kl9OKZeuKe1dCnNrq29mA_P9Ud5Fp1zY6Os-R_4v5tKm8aUHMtYJYRmXJoHDuu_yIM_ycjND8SlRxRif3w_Aki_FaM/s320/istockphoto-Mothers%20Day.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Here are other women who have gone before us and whose lives reflect great love and dedication for their families: <a href="https://theshepardscrook.blogspot.com/2011/02/one-worthy-widow-feb-20-2011.html" target="_blank">Lydia Warford Williams</a>, <a href="https://theshepardscrook.blogspot.com/2021/07/our-notable-ohio-roots.html" target="_blank">Hannah Sheppard</a>, <a href="https://theshepardscrook.blogspot.com/2015/02/tomorrow-is-valentines-day-february-13.html" target="_blank">Peggy Ann Gray</a>, and <a href="https://theshepardscrook.blogspot.com/2016/07/mary-shepard-civil-war-widow-july-22.html" target="_blank">Mary Sprague Shepard Ragsdale</a>. These are just some of the women whose life stories are recounted at some length in the posts of The Shepard's Crook. Click on one of the links to jump to the story of that particular woman.<p></p><p>So wherever you are this Mother's Day, I wish you the very best in celebrating with your mother and the other women who are important to you. May all the mothers of our family have a wonderful Mother's Day!</p><p></p><div style="text-align: right;">- - -</div><div style="text-align: right;">Steve Shepard</div><div style="text-align: right;">he/him/his</div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-56029338881204214652023-04-28T20:01:00.000-07:002023-04-28T20:01:58.913-07:00Remembering My Father<p>Today is the anniversary of the birth of two of the more important people in my life. My father <b>Eugene Shepard</b> was born in 1921, 102 years ago today, on a farm in the panhandle of Oklahoma. He has been gone for 20 years now, but his legacy remains. The family of his father William Shepard had migrated from Madison County, Illinois to the OK panhandle in 1905. His mother Bura Davis and her family had migrated to Oklahoma in the spring of 1913 from Indiana. Soon after relocating, farming neighbors Bura Davis and Will Shepard met, fell in love, and then were married in 1915. My Dad was the 3rd birth of Will and Bura. </p><p><b></b></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7B1Dg_MQl-Ayy5K0cZvY-ivykZdNVGDWOPEorP5ItrEIRAexhEzsjVDaX-b9l6iM_0Y_irUJCkg7-WQScmWEdU4MMiyfA2vNskU19Tl8SCHQsJPcYLhVcgBlCeOXwIysr9XfEpXr0WlYjCDlRFc2qkrNw3hN3jxa3dGM1yMWQtZpsS_JCLHU/s626/Eugene1995.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="521" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7B1Dg_MQl-Ayy5K0cZvY-ivykZdNVGDWOPEorP5ItrEIRAexhEzsjVDaX-b9l6iM_0Y_irUJCkg7-WQScmWEdU4MMiyfA2vNskU19Tl8SCHQsJPcYLhVcgBlCeOXwIysr9XfEpXr0WlYjCDlRFc2qkrNw3hN3jxa3dGM1yMWQtZpsS_JCLHU/w232-h279/Eugene1995.jpg" width="232" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Eugene Shepard <br />in 1995 in Anacortes, Wa.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><b>From the Panhandle to Western Washington.</b> My Dad's first 7 years were spent on the Shepard farm in the Oklahoma Panhandle. In 1928 he and his family then moved 170 miles northwest to Southeast Colorado where they sought a better life. But after 12 years in Colorado the Shepards decided that rural Colorado was not the place for them. So they moved again, this time from rural Two Buttes, Colorado to the bustling city of San Diego. It was obviously a huge change in life style for all of them, even though I never heard my Dad or his family complain about that transition. <p></p><p></p><p>In San Diego, during World War II, he met Maida Gower and after an extended wartime romance, they were married. Life in San Diego was good for them for 38 years, until 1978 when they upped and relocated to Anacortes, Washington. It was in Western Washington that Dad lived happily for the last 25 years of his life. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtdl7wSPNr14hjNg17K8VfyIXax5NfDO_I1cWmJWRaZMOwOyTCI5xtWMlzplsbnUifLGzTxe_vTucjSc7TagMP4xPT9MHLf3YhClWNJ39Vv07IMHygXML7EFfQzsYgZTYoyfTjRju4H3y1sRiv16aBswP8u7cIsGmtEICclWftKTIAA3LSqU/s707/NolaShannonGower1990.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="562" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtdl7wSPNr14hjNg17K8VfyIXax5NfDO_I1cWmJWRaZMOwOyTCI5xtWMlzplsbnUifLGzTxe_vTucjSc7TagMP4xPT9MHLf3YhClWNJ39Vv07IMHygXML7EFfQzsYgZTYoyfTjRju4H3y1sRiv16aBswP8u7cIsGmtEICclWftKTIAA3LSqU/w222-h280/NolaShannonGower1990.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Nola Shannon Gower<br />about 1990</span></td></tr></tbody></table><b>A Life Well Lived.</b> On this, the anniversary of his birth, I celebrate the good life he lived, the long career he had at the Point Loma Fuel Supply Depot, the devoted family man he was, and the family legacy he left behind. He was a great father to all 6 of his children. He loved his grandchildren. His descendants today stretch from Western Washington to North Texas to San Diego, and number a total of 32.<p></p><p>Eugene was born on the 18th birthday of the woman who would be his mother-in-law, <b>Nola Shannon Gower</b> (1903-2004). So today I also celebrate my Grandmother Nola Shannon Gower on the 120th anniversary of her birth in Mt View, Arkansas. She was the consummate grandmother who loved and respected her 12 grandchildren and their families. As a young mother she and husband Leroy relocated to Okemah, Ok in 1925 where they lived for 15 years before moving to San Diego. After almost 60 years in Southern California, she moved to Anacortes in her 90s, and lived her last years there with her daughter and family.</p><p>These two very important people in my life -- Eugene Shepard and Nola Shannon Gower -- I celebrate with great honor and respect today as I remember their birthdays. Thanks be to God for the wonderful lives they lived and the lasting impact of their many descendants.<br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard<br />he/him/his</p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-42235411140984467262023-04-02T15:21:00.001-07:002023-04-02T16:35:29.648-07:00Women's History Month<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">With the recently concluded month of March being <b>Women's History Month</b>, I feel compelled to write about a couple of women in our family history. There are actually numerous women in our family tree whose life stories are fascinating: <a href="https://theshepardscrook.blogspot.com/2021/10/runaway-immigrant-elizabeth-maxwell.html" target="_blank">Elizabeth Maxwell</a>, <a href="https://theshepardscrook.blogspot.com/search?q=Lydia+Warford">Lydia Warford</a>, <a href="https://theshepardscrook.blogspot.com/search?q=Lulu+Lee+McGee">Lulu Lee McGee</a> and many others. But there are two people I find exceptionally worthy of mention.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Jane Buskirk Davis</b> (1823-1895) was a remarkable woman who deserves special consideration. Jane was the Great Grandmother of my Grandmother Bura Davis Shepard. The very old picture below is one of the few pictures that we have of Jane Buskirk. She is important to mention for two main reasons: First, Jane's ancestry shows <a href="https://theshepardscrook.blogspot.com/2016/12/a-recent-birth-old-old-wedding-december.html" target="_blank">a clear line to the first immigrants among our ancestors</a> to America from Holland. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMZrsBf9RH347ZUZYq5YeH2gE6YpQ1cHIP8MDTGqnFOoCI4RDfYSjv3pN_iDf5sEALi7RaxEo_40l4jcRlKgdCvjk-G32oaZpfOyt9eFFnMsk6goTdlsW_MdiLrdYr3PiuUgfEen-_0SZchanxy5Tz3Cv5zskZ2XN_i6YY7Wag-oig8IC8TY/s712/JaneBuskirkDavis.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="555" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMZrsBf9RH347ZUZYq5YeH2gE6YpQ1cHIP8MDTGqnFOoCI4RDfYSjv3pN_iDf5sEALi7RaxEo_40l4jcRlKgdCvjk-G32oaZpfOyt9eFFnMsk6goTdlsW_MdiLrdYr3PiuUgfEen-_0SZchanxy5Tz3Cv5zskZ2XN_i6YY7Wag-oig8IC8TY/s320/JaneBuskirkDavis.jpg" width="249" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jane Buskirk Davis</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jane and her siblings were born in the rural community of Adams, in Monroe County, Ohio. It was there in Southeastern Ohio that Jane met and married Alexander Davis. He and Jane and their first four children were the first of our Davis ancestors to immigrate from Ohio to Spencer, Indiana. In Spencer they settled for several generations. Among the family members born in Spencer was my Grandmother Bura Davis (1896-1990).</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jane Buskirk Davis is also notable because of the breadth of her life history. Born and raised in the community of Adams, Ohio, in 1852 she and husband Alexander relocated 365 miles along the National Highway to Spencer, Indiana. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">When Alex and Jane Davis settled in Indiana in the 1850s they were among the first members of a new church start in Owen County called the New Union Church of Christ, which was part of the Restoration Movement, also called the Stone-Campbell movement. That movement had its beginning in the area just east of Monroe County, Ohio. It appears Alex and Jane brought their Stone-Campbell affiliation with them when they settled in Indiana. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">In the 1880s, Jane was among our Davis kinfolk who left Indiana and migrated even further west to Oklahoma. At 70 years old, Jane with their youngest son William Alexander Davis, "ran for land" in the Cherokee Strip in 1893. They staked a claim and settled on it, in what eventually became the town of Helena in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRCxTzsQNgKLvYip6qtNwNbTLtcOw28yDlhlSax0CDxroHiW0SyTtCRaRiMEKz2TeLMiCq03LyHlTBhfnEDF3r6dItv-z_7aHemgp26WZYKauDgtPh2gxIftdvubvQx-vN2u1VUwKWMOxSN6FQ8107NffHux6rAbLqibeH1rimu8Mej_JGOQ/s1313/MaidaBarb2010.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1126" data-original-width="1313" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRCxTzsQNgKLvYip6qtNwNbTLtcOw28yDlhlSax0CDxroHiW0SyTtCRaRiMEKz2TeLMiCq03LyHlTBhfnEDF3r6dItv-z_7aHemgp26WZYKauDgtPh2gxIftdvubvQx-vN2u1VUwKWMOxSN6FQ8107NffHux6rAbLqibeH1rimu8Mej_JGOQ/s320/MaidaBarb2010.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Maida Gower Shepard and daughter Barbara</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Jane died just two years later in 1895. Land had been donated for a cemetery but it had not yet been plotted. Even so, they allowed Jane's burial, and she became the first person buried in Good Hope Cemetery just south of Helena. Today she lays to rest there beside her son William Alexander Davis and his wife Mary. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Jane Buskirk Davis's life, from her beginning in Ohio, to Indiana, and eventually to Oklahoma, covered over a thousand miles.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">This family post about Women's History would be incomplete without mentioning my mother <b>Maida Gower Shepard</b>. </span>Mom has lived in Anacortes, Washington for 45 years, ever since 1978 when she and husband Eugene left San Diego for the Great Northwest. She is still in her home on Wildwood Lane with her daughter and full time caregiver Barbara.</p><p><span style="background-color: white;">At 98 years old, Maida's life has encompassed an amazing amount of history. Born in Arkansas in the roaring 20's, she lived through the Great Depression, married Eugene Shepard in San Diego during World War II, with him raised 6 children, and had to suffer through the tragic death of her older daughter Linda at just 20. She has experienced an amazing amount of history. Her life story from Arkansas to Oklahoma to San Diego to Western Washington has covered over 3,000 miles.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">We are proud of all the women in our Family Tree who are worthy of honor as we remember <b>Women's History Month</b>.<br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">- - -<br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">Steve Shepard<br /></span><span style="background-color: white;">he/him/his</span> </p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-17795582102449801412023-03-02T13:54:00.000-08:002023-03-02T13:54:09.714-08:00A Presidential Love Story<p><b>Ann Mayes Rutledge</b> (1813-1835) was a distant cousin of mine related to me through my Grandmother Nola Shannon Gower (1903-2004). Born in Kentucky in 1813, Ann's family migrated to Illinois and were among the founders of the little town of New Salem, Illinois, 20 miles northwest of Springfield. Shortly after the town's founding Ann's father built a tavern and an Inn with lodging for travelers. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE_o4uSv3SKioIz_RMcdMkALSV7IcnCzG9gppe5aVXbB5uL2HtodSMEx-vsUpeRTZ8qFhltZOvpjQn55ntOz6fC7XZd7woSP2nZNSb_dhDDspfkHVcvP50DChtK3gVfdY7umTjJzkmw1KuY0xWJVRWtlS9v-Smfo3YaSyT53yu6kHhrYnlnVY/s1054/TSC20230302Lincoln&AnnRutledge.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="1030" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE_o4uSv3SKioIz_RMcdMkALSV7IcnCzG9gppe5aVXbB5uL2HtodSMEx-vsUpeRTZ8qFhltZOvpjQn55ntOz6fC7XZd7woSP2nZNSb_dhDDspfkHVcvP50DChtK3gVfdY7umTjJzkmw1KuY0xWJVRWtlS9v-Smfo3YaSyT53yu6kHhrYnlnVY/w262-h269/TSC20230302Lincoln&AnnRutledge.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>An Artist's Rendering of <br />Abe Lincoln and Ann Rutledge</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>A new resident to the town came and stayed for a while at the Rutledge Inn, a young man by the name of Abraham Lincoln. He and Ann took a liking to one another. Unfortunately, Ann was already engaged to a fellow from New York named John MacNamar. In 1832 John made a trip home to New York and promised to marry Ann when he returned. Time passed and John did not return. After a full year John never returned, nor was he heard from. As time passed Abraham began to develop a close friendship with Ann, a friendship that blossomed into romance. Abraham told her that he wanted to marry her, after he obtained his law degree, for which he was studying.<p></p><p><b>Called to Her Bedside</b>. In 1835 Ann became very ill with Typhoid Fever. As her condition worsened and death drew near, Ann called for Lincoln who came to her bedside to console his dying friend. On Aug 25, 1835 Ann died at the age of just 22. It was a devastating experience for Abraham to have to deal with the death of his first love. He became depressed. Historians say this was the first of several severe bouts of depression. Some friends said he might have been suicidal.</p><p>Ann's sister Nancy Rutledge was heard to have said, "I can never forget how sad and broken-hearted Lincoln looked when he came out of the room from that last interview with Annie. No one knows what was said at that meeting, for they were alone together." </p><p>“I ran off the track,” said Lincoln years later. “It was my first. I loved the woman dearly and sacredly. She was a handsome girl. She would have made a good loving wife. I did honestly and truly love the girl and think often, often of her now.”</p><p><b></b></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsI83sDAerepeUL21K5w0tvalTLrdtPCUGwBGyqD1C7lPV-hRP7GhyM7L1wKEW7tH0zBcjezixX3R1tbSm12RlBUZh59yvKill-_LaDR3ij6qW-TOxAUIRuHqrXO3G1H8yLcC7sfAmxCu7gNVpCRS6oUdj8rrfHv4NYwsiKqm-b167jAA_LZU/s500/TSC20230302LincolnsSweetheart.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="500" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsI83sDAerepeUL21K5w0tvalTLrdtPCUGwBGyqD1C7lPV-hRP7GhyM7L1wKEW7tH0zBcjezixX3R1tbSm12RlBUZh59yvKill-_LaDR3ij6qW-TOxAUIRuHqrXO3G1H8yLcC7sfAmxCu7gNVpCRS6oUdj8rrfHv4NYwsiKqm-b167jAA_LZU/s320/TSC20230302LincolnsSweetheart.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Present Day Grave of Ann Rutledge <br />in Oakland Cemetery, Petersburg, Illinois</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><b>Buried and Re-Buried.</b> Ann was buried in the Concord Graveyard, a few miles northwest of New Salem, Illinois. Lincoln was said to have visited her grave many times. More than 50 years later, after Lincoln's Presidency, after the Civil War, even after his death, the townspeople of nearby Petersburg sought to take advantage of Lincoln's popularity. By this time he had become a legend and his fame had grown immensely. The Petersburg folks dug up Ann's coffin and re-buried "<i>Lincoln's Sweetheart</i>" in Oakland Cemetery in the town of Petersburg. They made her grave an attraction that drew people to their young town, in hopes of "putting it on the map." Her grave remains there to this day. Were you to visit the grave of our ancestor Ann Mayes Rutledge today, you would read on her headstone the following words:<p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">I am Ann Rutledge</div><div style="text-align: center;">who sleeps beneath these weeds,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Beloved of Abraham Lincoln,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Wedded to him, not through union,</div><div style="text-align: center;">But through separation.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Bloom forever, O Republic,</div><div style="text-align: center;">From the dust of my bosom!</div><p></p><p>- - -<br />Steve Shepard<br />he/him/his</p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-19131708185950815372023-02-22T13:45:00.000-08:002023-02-22T13:45:13.527-08:00A Record Setter<p>Many ancestors in our family tree were parents of numerous children. For example, I was one of six children. Other parents in our larger family brought even more children into this world. My Grandmother Bura Davis was one of 7 children. My Grandfather Leroy Gower was one of 13 children. It was common for our ancestors in the 19th century to have large families. They were pioneer people, moving ever westward, driven to populate this young country of ours.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOA994GNc-sQjZSjFuhgjnnO-7n0SMVMDjWUd2TV0EpWGa-uhsZ5PJNfk41NdhcwxC4agYKJITae4GYP_wf20joz5cviCiZy9vglG09D7cKTZfp9SbZ169f_cVpDmWHCNI0UlETpJVj8xSQmP_mX3kgqRobVYAa_72jkcNaUezMSkgYaxNu2Y/s178/SarahMirandaBates2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="156" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOA994GNc-sQjZSjFuhgjnnO-7n0SMVMDjWUd2TV0EpWGa-uhsZ5PJNfk41NdhcwxC4agYKJITae4GYP_wf20joz5cviCiZy9vglG09D7cKTZfp9SbZ169f_cVpDmWHCNI0UlETpJVj8xSQmP_mX3kgqRobVYAa_72jkcNaUezMSkgYaxNu2Y/w189-h216/SarahMirandaBates2.jpg" width="189" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Ancestor Sarah Bates</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><b>A Charismatic Missionary.</b> Recently I discovered an ancestor who sets the record -- at least in our family tree -- for having the most children. This particular story begins with <b>Sarah Marinda Bates (1817-1888)</b>, who was a distant cousin of my Grandmother Nola Shannon Gower. Sarah was born and raised in Henderson, New York. As a young adult she met and married a charismatic missionary named <b>Orson Pratt (1811-1881) </b>who introduced Sarah to Mormonism which she practiced wholeheartedly for many years. Rev. Pratt, an accomplished and capable religious leader, was also an historian, a civic leader, a world traveler, a scientist, a mathematician and an author. He was chosen to be one of the original 12 Apostles of the Latter Days Saints movement. As such Orson Pratt embraced polygamy. For many it was a repulsive, anti-Family and un-American practice, but it had its day in the history of Mormonism. Since Sarah's husband embraced the practice, it meant that Sarah was just the first of Mr. Pratt's numerous wives. <p></p><p>With Sarah, Mr. Pratt had 14 children. He went on to gather around him 9 other women whom he married and with whom he fathered children. In the early years of Mormonism polygamy was not uncommon. It was encouraged, as a way of increasing the numbers of this new sect. To her credit, our ancestor Sarah Bates refused to be married to anyone besides her one husband. Other men sought to make her one of their "spiritual wives," but she refused. Among her suitors was the founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith himself, according to <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/5793642/person/182456290929/media/ac50765f-6f54-4957-b964-35784865610a?_phsrc=EUc94584&usePUBJs=true&galleryindex=7&sort=-created" target="_blank">a reputable article</a> regarding Mormon history on Wikipedia. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzh2Ms3pXJWZsu_i0iqxbwvpM5UfpkhOKfcFtuSdUR5HM3Pyw3hzQ3sOtMaTliSASLO8rcNQGQU6P5HJRaLe7A_85aJGTKNwGib_MrHlWS9yPiQD3IYG0mUAXVSxrIIX4Uma-NrmW09qBKaQyMpvb4MmO357utUQJCo3BnDO_NYLE2uSsmerA/s703/TSC20230221OrsonPratt.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="689" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzh2Ms3pXJWZsu_i0iqxbwvpM5UfpkhOKfcFtuSdUR5HM3Pyw3hzQ3sOtMaTliSASLO8rcNQGQU6P5HJRaLe7A_85aJGTKNwGib_MrHlWS9yPiQD3IYG0mUAXVSxrIIX4Uma-NrmW09qBKaQyMpvb4MmO357utUQJCo3BnDO_NYLE2uSsmerA/w264-h269/TSC20230221OrsonPratt.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Rev. Orson Pratt (1811-1881)</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><b>The Man Who Fathered 38 Children.</b> Sarah Bates' husband Orson Pratt fathered 38 children by his 10 wives between 1834 and 1877. How does a father bring 38 children into the world and give them the attention they deserve? He doesn't. Because he can't. Mr. Pratt obviously was not motivated by any sense of family love but simply from a base desire to procreate, regardless of the consequences. Because of its detriment to healthy families, the Mormons finally repudiated polygamy publicly in 1890. The practice became a felony in 1935.<p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yet the historical record remains clear about Mr. Pratt's 38 offspring. What is also clear is Sarah Bates' refusal to accept Polygamy, despite her husband's full embrace of it. She even became an outspoken critic of the Mormon practice. As you might expect it created a serious rift between her and her husband leading to the end of their marriage. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sarah later became a founder of the Anti-Polygamy Society in Salt Lake City. In 1874 she was excommunicated from the Mormon Church. The following year she described herself by saying, <i>"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><i>I am the wife of Orson Pratt. I was formerly a member of the Mormon church. I have not been a believer in the Mormon doctrines for thirty years, and am now considered an apostate."</i> </span></span></p><p>The full story of our family's history includes the feel-good episodes as well as the head-scratching stories of people whose actions we rightly call into question. Like most families, our history is a checkered one, including people we can be proud of, as well as others whose stories we might not want to repeat. But even from them we can nonetheless learn valuable lessons. Wisdom comes from discernment.<br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard<br />(he/him/his)</p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-39839381910438021292023-02-12T14:29:00.001-08:002023-02-12T14:32:38.182-08:00Black History Month<p style="text-align: left;">February is Black history month. In our family tree we have a number of Black ancestors including <b>Lulu B. Lee (1871-1941),</b> a 2nd cousin (4X removed) who was originally from Virginia. She was one of the more fascinating people in our family history. She was black but not a slave, having been born just a few years after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2Q2unUi5ZJWkEfHIiGw9irqqw00MryLXXgErryogE3mz5EYxMKoJXMJP0CvSA0S4b_uhANL5y5zfZiLoVmNANDTAtYg4orT2QT3Xdpygk2maV-Ddg73sKT2a4Ijoa2VWJzP2q6bcDlTQTXwdOoV4TBG8dY1sb-iIcLX6oeeHIOOrDFsIytE/s500/HarryWMickeyMD.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="353" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2Q2unUi5ZJWkEfHIiGw9irqqw00MryLXXgErryogE3mz5EYxMKoJXMJP0CvSA0S4b_uhANL5y5zfZiLoVmNANDTAtYg4orT2QT3Xdpygk2maV-Ddg73sKT2a4Ijoa2VWJzP2q6bcDlTQTXwdOoV4TBG8dY1sb-iIcLX6oeeHIOOrDFsIytE/s320/HarryWMickeyMD.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dr. Harry Warren Mickey</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Lulu was a Great Granddaughter of our notable ancestor <b>Matthew Gower (1762-1853)</b>. Lulu was a domestic worker for most of her life. During one particular job in New Jersey, she ran into legal problems and had to appear before a judge. She was accused of "visiting a disorderly house." We don't know what her crime actually was, but whatever it was earned her 30 days of hard labor in prison. If nothing else, it appears that Lulu was caught up a judicial system that treated people of color unfairly. Sound familiar?</p><p>Lulu's sister <b>Amanda Lee (1875-1950)</b> had a son named <b>Harry Warren Mickey (1904-1973) </b>who was the first black Medical Doctor in the city of Washington, D.C. In the June 7, 1930 edition of the Washington D.C. newspaper The Evening Star, the graduates of the Medical College of Howard University were listed. Among them was our ancestor Harry Warren Mickey. One family tradition has it that he was the physician for our 25th President William McKinley and that Dr. Mickey accompanied the President to Ohio when McKinley was assassinated.</p><p></p><p>Another notable black relative in our family tree was <b>Bishop Henry Beard Delany (1895-1991)</b>. He was an outstanding Episcopal minister who, in the early 20th century, was one of only two black bishops in the Episcopal Church in the entire United States. He is related to us through our Gower ancestor <b>Charity Gower Clayton (1804-1847)</b>.</p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtzL8fB_6c_zc0_5FCgbAZ28BHyl2yPTwgYlMRfwBIhc4Y8VFpEOVwSooiJZFF9Z0JKkXrLwS9EciZQiETCTCw30YOyF4z3swVqPmeX9Veuotgz_DvkKq9G9y2sWyGf4yVPNjDbSO3NKmumJLUjfCCNKqxyGjRKJC6sbbqHjs8_16dV64kMk/s307/DelanySisters.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="289" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtzL8fB_6c_zc0_5FCgbAZ28BHyl2yPTwgYlMRfwBIhc4Y8VFpEOVwSooiJZFF9Z0JKkXrLwS9EciZQiETCTCw30YOyF4z3swVqPmeX9Veuotgz_DvkKq9G9y2sWyGf4yVPNjDbSO3NKmumJLUjfCCNKqxyGjRKJC6sbbqHjs8_16dV64kMk/s1600/DelanySisters.jpg" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ruby Dee and Diahann Caroll<br />portraying the Delany Sisters</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In addition to the foregoing, two of the most accomplished black ancestors in our family tree were <b>Sarah and Annie Elizabeth Delany (1891-1995)</b>, two of the children of the aforementioned Henry Beard Delany. Annie's biography on imdb.com reads as follows: </span></span></div><p></p><p></p><p><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #36322d;"><span><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Annie Elizabeth Delany was one of ten children born to Bishop Henry Beard Delany and Nanny Logan, having been born in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1891. She, along with her sister, were thrust into the national limelight in the last decade of their lives. With her sister Sadie (Sarah Delany) and journalist Amy Hill Hearth, a book was published, "<b>Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First One Hundred Years</b>" (1993) which found itself on The New York best-sellers list. The book recounted the </span>sisters'<span style="font-family: inherit;"> experiences growing up in the segregated South and later in New York. Their story was later made into a play that toured the country. In 1994, the sisters published another book, "<b>The Delany Sisters' Book of Everyday Wisdom.</b>" Bessie Delany died in Mount Vernon, New York at age 104. In April of 1999, the Delany sisters' story was made into a movie which starred Ruby Dee and Diahann Caroll.</span></i></span></span></p><p>On Black History Month it is gratifying to know that we have a number of Black members whose lives give credit to our larger family.<br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard<br />he/him/his</p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-71731142556496792042023-01-20T13:35:00.001-08:002023-01-20T13:43:18.607-08:00Ruth Wheeler Fortner, Centenarian<p></p><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Children born today</span></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">have a fifty-fifty chance</span></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">of living to 100.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">~William Greider</span></i></div><p></p><p>Recently I was in touch with some kinfolk in Indiana who updated me on a relative by the name of Ruth Wheeler Fortner. Most of us here on the West Coast are probably not familiar with Ruth who is a second cousin of mine. Ruth's Grandfather was Thomas Davis (1872-1955) who was a brother of my Great Grandfather James Brooks Davis (1870-1928). Ruth has lived in Spencer, Indiana most of her life. Spencer is where my Grandmother Bura Davis Shepard was born in 1896 and where many of our Davis ancestors were settled for several generations. Cousin Ruth turned 100 years old last month on December 5. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKMoApo6WgTB2C10nWrB9m6ilbLSQDyZqKAeL9PkGjeRtbenYAphLM1yEws00LSCbb2LfcGAJ1Op9TegdGzUTNRiq3evT8YESnnnXkJuvnTEBAeCBcIcjxz0wAB-8eYLwihvEZK--PGtN3lfwSGdSg5wg0sZxaWmo6e9-4yoY7ciQuVU7v40/s750/TSC20230117NolaMaida2004.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="750" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKMoApo6WgTB2C10nWrB9m6ilbLSQDyZqKAeL9PkGjeRtbenYAphLM1yEws00LSCbb2LfcGAJ1Op9TegdGzUTNRiq3evT8YESnnnXkJuvnTEBAeCBcIcjxz0wAB-8eYLwihvEZK--PGtN3lfwSGdSg5wg0sZxaWmo6e9-4yoY7ciQuVU7v40/s320/TSC20230117NolaMaida2004.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Nola Gower in 2004 on her 100th Birthday<br />with daughter Maida Gower Shepard </span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>The few times I have been to Spencer, Indiana, I visited Ruth. She was always very welcoming and glad to visit with relatives from near or far away. On more than one occasion she was gracious enough to be my guide to a local cemetery -- the New Union Church Cemetery -- where numerous Davis ancestors of ours are buried.<p></p><p>It is always uplifting to hear of relatives who make it to the century mark. It has not happened very often among members of our larger family. One of the more recent centenarians among us was my Grandmother Nola Shannon Gower (1903-2004). Grandma Gower was from a family of folks who lived to advanced years. Her mother Finetta Dearien Shannon (1861-1960) died just 3 months short of her 100th birthday. Her older daughter, my mother Maida Gower Shepard, will turn 99 years old later this year! </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1_S2PyerXGi7zVEXW_gdX0egRwwiNGad_GsIk0hHZPFQbHKmZ_DaSCD3KgEpB88F1z-0AF8hfLY3BWb3fNATQOqVFxrKSLmE8-iG4XNeMbTjeDzCf4tq_0JeUBLzWy3Tsd7loKGL_jJpzdDdUrCrUF0pGsCKV0Nqq5r5BUL1ngdpTYebvn0/s722/110719SteveShepard&RuthFortner.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="722" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1_S2PyerXGi7zVEXW_gdX0egRwwiNGad_GsIk0hHZPFQbHKmZ_DaSCD3KgEpB88F1z-0AF8hfLY3BWb3fNATQOqVFxrKSLmE8-iG4XNeMbTjeDzCf4tq_0JeUBLzWy3Tsd7loKGL_jJpzdDdUrCrUF0pGsCKV0Nqq5r5BUL1ngdpTYebvn0/s320/110719SteveShepard&RuthFortner.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ruth Fortner and me in Indiana, 2011</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>I was surprised to learn recently from Wikipedia that there are about 100,000 centenarians alive today in the U.S. That is one in every 3,000 people.</p><p>As I looked through our family tree, I could only find a handful of relatives who reached the 100 year mark. But even that handful is a good sign that we have some "longevity genes" in our DNA. As far as I know, Ruth Fortner is the only <b>living</b> centenarian in our larger family today. There may be others. And if so, I hope you will let me know. I would be glad to hear about them and honor them in The Shepard's Crook.</p><p>Here is a list of those in our family tree who lived to be at least 100 years old:</p><p><b>Lawrence Davis</b> 1898-1999 (brother of my Grandmother Bura Davis Shepard)<br /><b>Loudilla Jackson Davis</b> 1904-2006 (Lawrence's wife)<br /><b>Marjorie Davis</b> 1907-2008 (Lawrence's sister)<br /><b>Nola Shannon Gower</b> 1903-2004 (my Gower Grandmother)<br /><b>Ruth Wheeler </b>1922-</p><p>It is interesting to note that this list includes a married couple: Lawrence Davis and his wife Loudilla Jackson. They were married for 69 years! For most of those 69 years they lived in Beaver County, Oklahoma. There must have been something exceptional and good about their life together that enabled each of them both to hit the century mark. It speaks well of our Davis ancestors that their number includes these three centenarians, Lawrence, Loudilla and Marjorie.</p><p>Regarding my Grandmother Nola Shannon Gower, she lived a healthy, wholesome life. She was always generous and loving, seldom complained, and leaned on her faith to help her through tough times. She lived to be 101 years old, despite the fact that she (a non-smoker herself) lived in the same house with a heavy smoking husband for 53 years. It is no surprise then that Grandma Gower outlived Grandpa Gower by 30 years.</p><p>None of us knows exactly how long we will each live. But we all do hope to live long meaningful lives. If we live wholesome and healthy, we too might join the ranks of the centenarians among us.</p><p>Best wishes to centenarian cousin Ruth Wheeler Fortner of Spencer, Indiana!<br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard<br />(he, him, his)</p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-16750135010577287282022-12-27T15:01:00.001-08:002022-12-27T15:03:11.725-08:00Thank You For 15 Years<p> As this year of 2022 comes to an end, I want to say thank you to all of you who are readers of <b>The Shepard's Crook</b>, especially those of you who have responded through online comments, emails or in various other ways. It was exactly 15 years ago that I first started writing this blog. Over these past 15 years I have written about various people in our family from all parts of the United States. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGBuQoaicd8S9OP_LTqW0_TcPvgGyu4mvqs0FfsV4P5VfdeCILZXT2w3GBlO4aVorIpXhieltZlqrC4klkn-amxi7RX7jk8Aqzg7YnTxokECAL3_GnRlxQ0Vzp1RHAmWWsm0LuAI0x3ynDrRypJ5TEJP82lvuFXWmmr0YkhksyR21U1sGqzs/s747/TSC20221227Thelma&Maida.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="718" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGBuQoaicd8S9OP_LTqW0_TcPvgGyu4mvqs0FfsV4P5VfdeCILZXT2w3GBlO4aVorIpXhieltZlqrC4klkn-amxi7RX7jk8Aqzg7YnTxokECAL3_GnRlxQ0Vzp1RHAmWWsm0LuAI0x3ynDrRypJ5TEJP82lvuFXWmmr0YkhksyR21U1sGqzs/w273-h284/TSC20221227Thelma&Maida.jpg" width="273" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Thelma Shepard Boyd (left)<br />and Maida Gower Shepard</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>I have celebrated the newest family additions in our midst, whether they were babies born in Washington, North Texas, California or elsewhere. Whether they had the last name Shepard, Aquiningoc, Gower or some other name, their birth was celebrated. And we have remembered and honored the senior most members of our family: people like my mother Maida Gower Shepard in Anacortes, Washington who is now 98, as well as my Aunt Thelma Shepard Boyd who lives in El Cajon, California. They have the unique distinction of being the two oldest living descendants of our larger family. <p></p><p></p>It has been an honor for me to research our Gower and Shepard and other associated families. It has been a joy to learn about relatives from long ago, while celebrating the oneness we share as descendants with a common heritage. I continue to do research on Ancestry.com and to gather valuable information about people from all the various parts of our Family Tree. Ancestry is a terrific resource and has allowed me to add over 30,000 individuals to our Family Tree. That number embraces cousins and relatives far and near over the last 200 plus years. It includes my nearest relations as well as cousins way out on the farthest branches of our Tree. They are all people with whom we share some DNA. <p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoivVfhko1lSTBM7rBDIhxmyX3ELgmF7AjBrdSJii2Y3-_scOyWnFVRkuDSr6Wb0mJjiGHypdmGvmisji10Gr5uLy0Kv_zkbtUBvBMDNwj4rbxcX3sjQsFT0rLoU9SggFdQQlbSUFLnfht2bscsurVvRxJjCMeMAkpSt1Ig0Wq-tEFSTfb5c4/s703/TSC20221227ShepardFamily.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="703" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoivVfhko1lSTBM7rBDIhxmyX3ELgmF7AjBrdSJii2Y3-_scOyWnFVRkuDSr6Wb0mJjiGHypdmGvmisji10Gr5uLy0Kv_zkbtUBvBMDNwj4rbxcX3sjQsFT0rLoU9SggFdQQlbSUFLnfht2bscsurVvRxJjCMeMAkpSt1Ig0Wq-tEFSTfb5c4/s320/TSC20221227ShepardFamily.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>From our family in San Diego<br /> to yours wherever it might be:<br />Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Over the past 15 years I have shared with you nearly a thousand old family photos, as well as numerous recent ones. In these posts I have introduced you to ancestors I never knew about, people from fairly recent times as well as centuries past, folks who have contributed in their own way to the history of our family. <p></p><p>As 2022 comes to an end, and a new year is ready to begin, I want to share with you in celebrating the family that we are. <b>The Shepard's Crook</b> will continue into the foreseeable future, honoring our roots, remembering our past, and enjoying the unity we share as family. I welcome any suggestions, comments or contributions you might like to make to <b>The Shepard's Crook</b>.</p><p>From our family and our home on Burgundy Street in San Diego, to your home wherever it might be, Cindy and I wish you all the very best for a healthy and happy new year! <br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard<br />(he/him/his)</p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-61440319003180854152022-11-18T16:59:00.004-08:002022-11-18T16:59:34.333-08:00Special Cemeteries<p>In my family research, cemeteries are very important for information gathering. Ironically, some of the most exciting adventures in my genealogical research have been at graveyards. Call me crazy, but there is nothing more exciting than finding the grave of a relative I have been searching. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsotJg3gCS1TDFo-OWDilcS8R47u-iHYnyc_WmMyPok1iYSmxyHor7VO5Db5VT_esmz_y3i4p1pFm0JwJ_ER30nTpnay6L_7I11QMuvTslfEPdPm7h48pqfaWzRCJiE6VUJVV9vhQONytQS4vqmI6Kv4VD1ERzl0CcqspvfY7I6EaO-C1EuS4/s320/PleasantGroveCemetery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="320" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsotJg3gCS1TDFo-OWDilcS8R47u-iHYnyc_WmMyPok1iYSmxyHor7VO5Db5VT_esmz_y3i4p1pFm0JwJ_ER30nTpnay6L_7I11QMuvTslfEPdPm7h48pqfaWzRCJiE6VUJVV9vhQONytQS4vqmI6Kv4VD1ERzl0CcqspvfY7I6EaO-C1EuS4/s1600/PleasantGroveCemetery.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Spencer, Indiana</span></td></tr></tbody></table>A few cemeteries stand out as being very special places in the history of our family. <b>Oak Hill Cemetery</b> in Evansville, Indiana for example. That is where my GGGrandfather, the Civil War soldier William Shepard (1835-1862), is buried. Another important graveyard is the <b>New Union Cemetery</b> outside Spencer, Indiana, adjoining the old New Union Church, which is now defunct. The Cemetery is home to many of our ancestors for several generations. Numerous Davis family members in particular are laid to rest there. </p><p>Just a few miles away is the <b>Pleasant Grove Cemetery</b>, a beautiful, neatly maintained place where a number of other ancestors are buried, including my 3X Great Grandfather John Pouty Williams (1806-1892). And then there is the Sophia Cemetery in Beaver County, Oklahoma, the resting place of my Great Grandparents James and Callie Spear Davis, among numerous others. </p><p></p>The <b>New Union Cemetery</b> (Indiana) and the <b>Sophia Cemetery</b> (Oklahoma) are resting places that are of great importance to generations of family members. <p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGIvHSKyhnXBitozPFwvOvwlrP0AWtLIVXjwaNpOTxIqbVVGD7q-NwghQvdY8AvtSnNzU5EJmuIJD1eJ52lqP-ezEj6-K8tLt1FpULDeI2YT-JvvBxdWiTmWOaac6Ndp0Kx29dwPnbFxnFZbibSgoaErm6JPhF6KsQyEvcVvmuGubVREPU7g/s1273/GreenwoodCemetery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1273" data-original-width="948" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGIvHSKyhnXBitozPFwvOvwlrP0AWtLIVXjwaNpOTxIqbVVGD7q-NwghQvdY8AvtSnNzU5EJmuIJD1eJ52lqP-ezEj6-K8tLt1FpULDeI2YT-JvvBxdWiTmWOaac6Ndp0Kx29dwPnbFxnFZbibSgoaErm6JPhF6KsQyEvcVvmuGubVREPU7g/s320/GreenwoodCemetery.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Greenwood Cemetery, San Diego</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Here in San Diego is <b>Greenwood Cemetery</b>, a significant resting place for over 50 years to family members of the Shepard, Gower and Russell families. Among our relatives buried there are my father Eugene Shepard, my Shepard grandparents and my Gower grandparents, and numerous other cousins, uncles and aunts. They are all congregated in one particular location just east of a loop some 50 yards or so south of the main Cemetery office.<p></p><p>The picture on the left was taken at Greenwood Cemetery recently. The central row of headstones in this picture includes numerous Shepard, Gower and Russell family members. On the left at the bottom of this picture is the headstone for my uncle Hendrix Gower. <br /><br />The first of our family members laid to rest in this cemetery was my sister Linda Shepard Clark (1950-1971) who died in a car accident at just 20 years old in 1971. 3 years later her cousin Beverly Russell Wilk (1939-1974) died unexpectedly at just 35 years old and took her place in this sacred location. </p><p>If you visit Greenwood Cemetery you will recognize many of the names on these headstones. But you will not see a marker for my late cousin Gloria Kerr Watson (1953-2016). But she is there. She is tucked safely in the ground, sharing a grave with our Grandmother Nola Shannon Gower whose grave is on the right in this image. Cemeteries are places of death and solemnity. But there it's amazing how a visit to one can enliven the memories of our loved ones who have gone before us.<br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard <br />(he/him/his)</p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-83468414300982153122022-11-01T19:39:00.001-07:002022-11-01T19:39:47.545-07:00Happy 98th Birthday!<p>Today, November 1, is the birthday of my mother <b>Maida Gower Shepard</b> of Anacortes, Washington. 98 years ago she was born in Mountain View, Arkansas. She was raised in Okemah, Oklahoma, the second child of Leroy Gower and Nola Shannon Gower.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_YIUWKOnP2Yo2q-jpDvnjJILBduhFlopE51X44f3-1LPpBMCiMuGq6LPFqATlgcpLGyADVghL-0BDPDSZ92BD2d9ynO0YqlrE20Ok5qr6P9gYYS36EADNSz392d1qOdAFES0KeiFLusKRSfeO528SS_1zx3WjoE002CH4oL6skOuEfj33zg/s1544/IMG_9730%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1160" data-original-width="1544" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_YIUWKOnP2Yo2q-jpDvnjJILBduhFlopE51X44f3-1LPpBMCiMuGq6LPFqATlgcpLGyADVghL-0BDPDSZ92BD2d9ynO0YqlrE20Ok5qr6P9gYYS36EADNSz392d1qOdAFES0KeiFLusKRSfeO528SS_1zx3WjoE002CH4oL6skOuEfj33zg/s320/IMG_9730%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In 1942 (80 years ago today) Mom celebrated her 18th birthday as a senior at Okemah High School. Even though she and her family had lived in Okemah for 17 years, they were making plans to leave Oklahoma for California, which was the land of opportunity at the time. Mom's father Leroy and brother Hendrix had already relocated in San Diego to find jobs and a place to live. In late December of 1942 Maida and her mother endured an arduous bus ride from Okemah, Oklahoma to San Diego. But it was well worth it to be reunited with her father Leroy and brother Hendrix in Southern California.<p></p><p>For the next 36 years she lived in San Diego, where she met and married Eugene Shepard, with whom she raised their 6 children. In 1978 they moved from San Diego to Anacortes, Washington where she has lived for the last 44 years. The picture on the right shows Mom and me in a picture that was taken earlier today as her birthday began.</p><p>Maida lives with her daughter Barbara who is her primary caregiver. This evening of her birthday we had a happy family party as we celebrated this special birthday. Best wishes to Maida for many more birthdays.<br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard</p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-1773072523995978472022-10-28T12:37:00.000-07:002022-10-28T12:37:44.091-07:00Those Who Were Challenged Most<p>In my years of researching our family, a few individuals stand out as having overcome severe personal challenges. They are people who had to endure hardships that most of us would find hard to fathom.</p><p><b>Willie Davis Russell</b>. I have always admired and respected my uncle Bill Russell (1908-1997) for the way he dealt with the loss of a leg to bone disease as a young adult. Despite the difficulty of being an amputee, Uncle Bill was a good humored individual. Whenever our family gathered he enjoyed the occasion. I remember how he would sit down next to one of us kids, and very discreetly take our hand and put in on his knee. The child would be shocked at the hard plastic feel of his prosthesis. He got quite a kick out of surprising kids that way. After all these years, I must say, that behavior now seems a bit creepy to me, but that was Uncle Bill.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_drRW81BUzFmfgQOytssokCew8OHMy_GydGndTWIZpqfGFS-BAXVDHm8hIzobx09M0m8ML3wsWef8vAnDPisGk08x07YB7_uQfoShwKFck-pmhHEhTWaTSVRTzV_-Bu2qZZO0nE583o0t7FrWKVG8mya2rChFeA-WpsOKKjbubJD2ToRqEok/s318/TSC20221028PollyBillRussell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="241" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_drRW81BUzFmfgQOytssokCew8OHMy_GydGndTWIZpqfGFS-BAXVDHm8hIzobx09M0m8ML3wsWef8vAnDPisGk08x07YB7_uQfoShwKFck-pmhHEhTWaTSVRTzV_-Bu2qZZO0nE583o0t7FrWKVG8mya2rChFeA-WpsOKKjbubJD2ToRqEok/s1600/TSC20221028PollyBillRussell.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Uncle Bill Russell with wife <br />Pauline Shepard Russell, 1978</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Despite his disability, Bill did well for himself. He worked hard for much of his life as a tax consultant. He made the most of life with his wife, my Aunt Pauline, and overcame with grace and determination the hardship of losing a limb. Uncle Bill died just before the turn of the 21st century but is survived today by his son Eric Russell, his granddaughter Shannon Wilk, and his Great Granddaughter Emma Wilk.</p><p><b>Peggy Ann Gray Shannon</b>. A second ancestor who had to deal with serious personal hardship was Peggy Ann Gray (1829-1899), the Grandmother of my Grandmother Nola Shannon Gower. In 1864 her husband David Reid Shannon died in Louisiana while fighting for the confederacy in the Civil War. He left her as a widow with 7 children: Mary Ann (16), William (14), James (12), Richard (11), Sarah (9), Margaret (2), and Sam (5). What an incredible hardship, to be left with 7 children and no husband, in Wartime, far from home. I cannot imagine a more desperate situation for a young mother. <a href="https://theshepardscrook.blogspot.com/2012/12/celebration-and-remembrance-dec-5-2012.html">Select this link</a> for more about the life story of David Reid Shannon. Thankfully Peggy's father and brothers eventually came to her rescue. They traveled over 400 dangerous miles from northeastern Mississippi during the height of the Civil War to their daughter and sister in rural southern Louisiana. They gathered up Peggy and her children and moved them another 400+ miles to Stone County, Arkansas where they started a new life. Peggy's story is not only about her strength and courage amidst great adversity. It is also about the way it brought out the best in her family who responded to her plight.</p><p><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gGo4xjF6Hu9uCQIx-uW-suUSPhyIZStNN1DdWHiWKhYXSMdTynr40IwgGenlME-SEvaNx_UYScxyog6kBmvH06My72RT3DLSyFLyBdZ_NEyoKfbVv-Rv6b13p8inCZY1M8_prdH-Wng4f3BUCmI68NAv8lQyVekdUg6S3har49fslKB0CNY/s469/TSC20221028WmHCooper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="311" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gGo4xjF6Hu9uCQIx-uW-suUSPhyIZStNN1DdWHiWKhYXSMdTynr40IwgGenlME-SEvaNx_UYScxyog6kBmvH06My72RT3DLSyFLyBdZ_NEyoKfbVv-Rv6b13p8inCZY1M8_prdH-Wng4f3BUCmI68NAv8lQyVekdUg6S3har49fslKB0CNY/s320/TSC20221028WmHCooper.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Henry William Cooper<br />1852-1906</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Henry William Cooper</b>. Perhaps the most amazing story of personal adversity among our ancestors concerns a distant cousin of my mother Maida Gower Shepard. <b>Henry William Cooper (1852-1906)</b> was born and raised in Newnata, Stone County, Arkansas, the same community where my mother was born in 1924. Henry was born without the use of his legs. It was obviously a disability that made life extremely difficult for him and his family. </p><p>Though he went through life without the use of his legs, he became proficient using his hands. He had a workshop where he made chairs, baskets, brooms, dolls and puppets. The old picture at the left shows him playing the fiddle and operating dancing dolls he had made himself. He also made a cart on which he could get around, using wooden blocks to propel himself. <i>(Thanks to the Stone County History Museum in Mountain View, Ark. for this old photo.)</i></p><p>At 25 Henry married Margaret Parlee Anderson and with her bore and raised a family of 9 children.</p><p>When people write about our ancestor Henry Cooper they mention his similarity to the famous French Artist Toulouce Lautrec (1864-1901), a contemporary of Cooper. Lautrec was without the full use of his legs and, like our cousin Cooper, compensated for his infirmity by being extraordinarily creative.</p><p>Here then are three remarkable people in our family tree who overcame great hardships. They responded to their adversity with determination, fortitude and hard work. They are people whose DNA we share, and who inspire us to be as resilient as they were.<br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard<br />(he/him/his) </p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-74794132144389655582022-10-14T10:44:00.002-07:002022-10-14T13:25:17.231-07:00A Forgotten Immigration<p>Much of my Shepard family research in recent years has focused on the descendants of James Sheppard (1775-1843) and his wife Hannah Gatchell Sheppard (1784-1839) from Kirkwood, Ohio. I wrote in <a href="https://theshepardscrook.blogspot.com/2021/07/our-notable-ohio-roots.html">a blog post a few years ago</a> that James and Hannah Sheppard had over 100 grandchildren. As a result, they likely have several thousand descendants in the US today, over two centuries later. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHy22ywf9VJaIXa8u2eDh3w6AKazqZQLGyR6yYX-OLz0tcgbLpMaPc6JUi0Mb4gWKvf_qh6FeG07FNOP4MVmisLspZI3S7zonfOOxpkUCMiv9QRUMFVs5aP6m-pbqzrs3FZvqrYgTI5j6MZs12dYOZsns1v6hOX_ojDkboHZL8Vo2L5w8Peo/s600/TSC20221012Puritanss.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="429" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHy22ywf9VJaIXa8u2eDh3w6AKazqZQLGyR6yYX-OLz0tcgbLpMaPc6JUi0Mb4gWKvf_qh6FeG07FNOP4MVmisLspZI3S7zonfOOxpkUCMiv9QRUMFVs5aP6m-pbqzrs3FZvqrYgTI5j6MZs12dYOZsns1v6hOX_ojDkboHZL8Vo2L5w8Peo/s320/TSC20221012Puritanss.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Massachusetts Bay Colony<br />Puritan Immigrants</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Recently I have discovered that a whole other Shepard migration from England to Massachusetts took place in the 17th century by a large number of folks who spelled their last name SHEPARD, just as many of us do today. One of the unique things about these particular Shepard folks is that they were Puritans, which influenced the way they named their children. <p></p><p>Two of the earliest Shepard immigrants from England to Massachusetts were <b>Deacon Ralph Shepard</b> (1603-1693) and his wife <b>Thankslord Perkins</b> (1609-1693). Other given names among these early immigrants were: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Thankful Shepard</b> (1651-1692), Ralph and Thankslord's daughter</li><li><b>Mary Thankful Dill (</b>1676-1723), a granddaughter of theirs</li><li><b>Thankful Knowles Shepard</b> (1745-1764), daughter of a well-known Massachusetts Ship Master</li><li><b>Samuel Lord Shepard </b>(b.1885)</li></ul><p></p><p>Clearly the New England Shepards were partial to Biblical names. They gave their kids names such as Charity, Joshua, Aaron, Moses, Solomon, and Hannah, as well as lesser-known Bible names like Hepzibah, Mehitable, Theophilus, Angelica and John Baptist.</p><p>But my favorite among all these pious monikers is this particular name: <b>"O Lord Another William Shepherd"</b> (1744-1801). Yes, there was an actual person with that name. Imagine going through life with a name like that. I am beginning to wonder if his parents Tom and Betsy Shepherd had a sense of humor and gave their son this name as a humorous gesture. "<b>O Lord Another"</b> was born in Grange, a small town in rural eastern Scotland in 1744 to Thomas Edward Shepherd and Betsy Sellars. He immigrated to Anson County, North Carolina and served in the American Revolution. One record shows that he applied for a pension for serving in the War. He died in Anson County in 1801.</p><p><b>O Lord Another</b>'s name suggests that William Shepard was a very common name for folks among our ancestors. Here's an interesting fact: in my family tree today there are 24 different men with the first name William and the last name Shepard, Shepherd, Shephard or Sheppard. All four last name spellings were common among our ancestors. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFjmj5IytkFoHByzFzFpA-SSZPkWgh7o-KUiJCYWhj3FQr2fX-01vrnmNXmM6xi97q6a-YUfGUZ6-X237PkmUj_ilMnyqMg_UkXo9Em8qujej3s5HRj0HoYMWYHxoWrHUKv7VK0G8pPCI0w_GCOhaLie5ThP6cyVFj-UII1uYX97oNNtV3IA/s899/TSC20180914WHHSheppard1862.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="558" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFjmj5IytkFoHByzFzFpA-SSZPkWgh7o-KUiJCYWhj3FQr2fX-01vrnmNXmM6xi97q6a-YUfGUZ6-X237PkmUj_ilMnyqMg_UkXo9Em8qujej3s5HRj0HoYMWYHxoWrHUKv7VK0G8pPCI0w_GCOhaLie5ThP6cyVFj-UII1uYX97oNNtV3IA/s320/TSC20180914WHHSheppard1862.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Old family photo of William <br />Henry Harrison Sheppard</span></td></tr></tbody></table>The oldest William Shepard I can find in our family tree is my 7th Great Granduncle William Shepherd (1682-1759), born in St Michael's Parish, Barbados. He was part of the Sheppard migration to Maryland in the early 18th century via the Carribean Island of Barbados. The most recent William Shepard in our family is our grandson William Quincy Shepard, born in San Francisco in 2012. <p></p><p>Among the other William Shepards in our family tree is William Henry Harrison Sheppard (1840-1862) (pictured at left) named after the 9th President of the U.S.</p><p>In the mid 18th century when "<b>O Lord Another William Shepherd</b>" was born in Scotland, William Shepard was already in common use among our ancestors. That affection for the name William Shepard continues to modern times. In 1977 we gave our son the name Nathan William Shepard. My father was Eugene William Shepard (1921-2003). His father was simply William Shepard (1888-1976). His father was William Elmer Shepard (1862-1915), and his father was William Shepard (1835-1862). And so it goes.</p><p>The history of the name William Shepard in our family is varied. One would be hard pressed, however, to find a Shepard ancestor with a more colorful name than "<b>O Lord Another William Shepherd</b>."<br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard (he/him/his)</p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-79435591401440254532022-08-26T13:25:00.000-07:002022-08-26T13:25:22.720-07:00More Remarkable Names<p>I have shared before in The Shepard's Crook that a large number of our ancestors who spelled their name "Shepard" came to the American colonies from Europe in the 18th century via the Island of Barbados in the Caribbean. It was a very common way of transitioning from Europe to the American colonies. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLEz1YptvSLUsWigODWGXeSYyd5OW2tnZUj0TUAENI7BxW0ioRpMf8KPvI_o2r9yHepfU3VVlvgcClTs6Pb0oviMaB_unopHLWuZwY0LgzzLfcN5aKDyH-qB3xxSTBh8H6WZPkLcMfA036XTqk5ujd3EqMUCeQRX8U8o3vdycxBhqcm7eBBo/s1858/OldSailingShip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1546" data-original-width="1858" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLEz1YptvSLUsWigODWGXeSYyd5OW2tnZUj0TUAENI7BxW0ioRpMf8KPvI_o2r9yHepfU3VVlvgcClTs6Pb0oviMaB_unopHLWuZwY0LgzzLfcN5aKDyH-qB3xxSTBh8H6WZPkLcMfA036XTqk5ujd3EqMUCeQRX8U8o3vdycxBhqcm7eBBo/s320/OldSailingShip.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The <b>"Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s to 1900s"</b> indicates that a John Sheppard arrived in Maryland on a ship from the Caribbean Island of Barbados in 1726. That John Sheppard (1713-1741) and his eventual wife Anne Schiels (1714-1741) may very well be the first "Sheppards" in our ancestral line to arrive in the American Colonies. From Maryland, some of our Shepard ancestors migrated to Kirkwood, Ohio where they settled. Some of them eventually chose to move further westward. Some made their way to Iowa. Others to Indiana, Oklahoma and finally California and other places on the West Coast.<p></p><p>I shared the interesting names of some of those ancestors in my previous post, but here are a few more outstanding names of folks from whom we are descended.</p><p><b>Obedience Dutiful Bugg (1755-1846)</b>. Originally from Cumberland, Va., Obedience is found among the ancestors of my Grandfather Leroy Gower. She was from a family who knew about duty and obedience. Her first husband, Colonel James Martin, served in the Revolutionary War. Married three different times she understood the meaning of obedience and duty. She and her husband James named two of their daughters "Prudence" and "Temperance". As a child Obedience lived on a Virginia plantation which served as a makeshift military hospital during the Revolution, nursing injured Patriot soldiers back to health. As a child she witnessed family members responding to the call of duty and being obedient in service to their country. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaltf6Dp-_LykHVQJWEcituuaPV3FyKIRliG1TRiA3l0GCI_F9NqHhoaNvnd9Z4hGMx8o1Lgb9i0dfrTCWHN7J215VhDEpNnP9tpu3eMg2AqUMyU1rz0VN0zXf2oggv8GlNPocaBqCr30kGbefQ55yXauYCHFfey8DVzB8cisX7BnXaZeVJjU/s300/TSC20220726WashValleyForge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaltf6Dp-_LykHVQJWEcituuaPV3FyKIRliG1TRiA3l0GCI_F9NqHhoaNvnd9Z4hGMx8o1Lgb9i0dfrTCWHN7J215VhDEpNnP9tpu3eMg2AqUMyU1rz0VN0zXf2oggv8GlNPocaBqCr30kGbefQ55yXauYCHFfey8DVzB8cisX7BnXaZeVJjU/w265-h265/TSC20220726WashValleyForge.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Washington at Valley Forge</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Rev. Lewis Cookson "<i>Ole Club Axe</i>" Davis (1756-1835)</b>. As far as I know this Davis ancestor is not related to the family of my Grandmother Bura Davis. As I researched <i>Old Club Axe</i>, I discovered to my surprise that he is actually a part of my wife Cindy's ancestry. The bigger surprise however is why this minister of many years chose to take the nickname "<i>Old Club Axe</i>." It is not a moniker that would endear him to Churches looking for a new minister. As a young adult he served in the American Revolution and was part of George Washington's Army who spent the disastrous winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. That horrific experience alone would harden an individual. After his military service Rev. Davis was a circuit riding Baptist preacher of the "hard-shell" variety in Georgia and Alabama for many years.</p><p><b>Pearly Majesty Morphis (1895-1983). </b> Hers is a name that rolls off the tongue easily with grace and beauty. One can almost hear the harps of heaven as her name is spoken. She is an example of how our 19th century ancestors tended toward ostentatious names. Pearly was born in Arkansas just before the turn of the 20th century and is in the family line of my Grandmother Nola Shannon Gower. Like Grandma Gower, Pearly and her family lived in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma for several years before moving on to California. Pearly is buried today in Tehachapi, California. She brings to our family tree an ancestor named Maida Tinsley, the only other Maida in our tree besides my mother Maida Gower Shepard. </p><p>There was a whole other immigration of Europeans with the last name "Shepard" who migrated from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 17th and 18th centuries. These were folks with a strong Puritan influence. They gave their children very pious names. One such ancestor was <i>Thankslord Shepard Perkins</i> (1612-1681). More about Thankslord and her kinfolk in my next post.<br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard</p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-83029997924080537172022-07-22T13:28:00.000-07:002022-07-22T13:28:35.710-07:00Remembering One Who Gave His Life<p>My Great Great Grandfather <b>William Shepard (1835-1862)</b> died 160 years ago today. Born and raised in Wabash, Indiana, he served in the Civil War as a member of the Union Army. Married less than two years, he left his pregnant wife Mary and their young son William Elmer in the fall of 1861. From Wabash this new recruit marched some 80 miles to Indianapolis to join <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Indiana_Cavalry_Regiment">Indiana's 41st Infantry</a>. Once this unit was gathered together, they marched their way 250 miles further south in the cold of winter to join the Civil War at Bowling Green, Kentucky. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mf3LzvpthvN1Y_bSL91PuJ5EdSI1yhs7ju_wTemtrlXROotNCXGNclCpJtI_HyFONHCjNdvn114oH2HkCi2-L5YhcY5Ej_kvUMMEKSFSF53PXOvTvAbJwCkHkid7tGQZ_zZ3GPBa5JO-b7Wc_Kfw1q3pYPUpVbh7_4mjAYn89AgCYbgGLY4/s723/TSC20220115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="600" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mf3LzvpthvN1Y_bSL91PuJ5EdSI1yhs7ju_wTemtrlXROotNCXGNclCpJtI_HyFONHCjNdvn114oH2HkCi2-L5YhcY5Ej_kvUMMEKSFSF53PXOvTvAbJwCkHkid7tGQZ_zZ3GPBa5JO-b7Wc_Kfw1q3pYPUpVbh7_4mjAYn89AgCYbgGLY4/w207-h249/TSC20220115.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pvt. William Shepard's grave<br />Evansville, Indiana</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>In the very first encounter with the enemy by his unit, William seriously injured his arm in a canon blast. (Somebody had to be the first injury.) His active military service ended almost as soon as it began. Sent to a military hospital in Evansville, Indiana, he languished for 5 long months. He died July 22, 1862 and lies buried today in the Civil War section of Evansville's <b><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Oak+Hill+Cemetery+and+Arboretum/@37.9845914,-87.5403173,16.5z/data=!4m12!1m6!3m5!1s0x886e2a831686fdab:0x49e3a17daaa9d04f!2sOak+Hill+Cemetery+and+Arboretum!8m2!3d37.9834877!4d-87.5379465!3m4!1s0x886e2a831686fdab:0x49e3a17daaa9d04f!8m2!3d37.9834877!4d-87.5379465">Oak Hill Cemetery</a></b>, a place I have visited more than once with great pride and humility. William's headstone stands there today as a lasting memorial to his sacrificial devotion to our country. He is an honored family member who deserves our sincerest gratitude. It is the sacred responsibility of all of us, his descendants, to make sure that he is never forgotten. May we honor his memory as he continues to rest in peace. </p><p>Select <a href="https://theshepardscrook.blogspot.com/2015/03/warm-love-and-great-hopes-march-13-2015.html">this link</a> or <a href="http://theshepardscrook.blogspot.com/2011/07/strength-in-what-remains-behind-july-19.html">this link</a> to read more about the details of his life and military service.</p><p><b>Remarkable Names.</b> It has been a while since I shared in this blog about outstanding names in our family tree. In recent months I have come across some ancestors who were gifted (or "saddled," depending on your perspective) with unique names. Consider the following remarkable names which I have uncovered in our family tree.</p><p>First are a couple of family members whose names are a mouthful to speak. Imagine having to go through life with one of these.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkSnRkUxquygHBGKKky4iqIfjtoAa0qFmQeSZzylfv_KeewEnA3bZxZA-jgs3L4F48LmTYqUxkNOqa0dxAqEX-_QCXJlpZMGZvnU-2CDTR523QhL6uSFazAIYIakNcS924E2Zq4KAxXl-JFhoHT_qRfhhTy2UAkv3epQHh6vi426fs8z_5Uw/s252/TSC20220722Achilles.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="252" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkSnRkUxquygHBGKKky4iqIfjtoAa0qFmQeSZzylfv_KeewEnA3bZxZA-jgs3L4F48LmTYqUxkNOqa0dxAqEX-_QCXJlpZMGZvnU-2CDTR523QhL6uSFazAIYIakNcS924E2Zq4KAxXl-JFhoHT_qRfhhTy2UAkv3epQHh6vi426fs8z_5Uw/s1600/TSC20220722Achilles.jpg" width="252" /></a></b></div><b>Achilles Archilaus Archibald Hogg</b> (1774-1864). Named after the Great Warrior of Greek Mythology, our ancestor Achilles was originally from North Carolina, a 3rd Great Grandfather of my Grandfather Leroy Gower. Giving their son such a big name suggests the Hogg family wanted great things from him. Or did they simply like outlandish names?<p></p><p><b>Bazzell Bazel Bassell Baswell Roberson</b> (1745-1831) was born in South Carolina, 1745. This name is quite the tongue twister and is almost impossible to say correctly, even at a slow speed. It is unclear exactly how you even pronounce his name. He is in the family line of my Grandmother Nola Shannon Gower.</p><p><b>Talitha Cumi Spear</b> (1840-1943) <i>"Talitha Cumi"</i> is a phrase found in the Bible. In Mark 5:41 Jesus raises a little girl from death by saying <i>"Talitha Cumi," </i>which in Aramaic means "<i>little girl arise!</i>" This Talitha Cumi is in the family line of my Great Grandmother Callie Spear Davis and was born alongside Captina Creek in Belmont County, Ohio. This is one more indication that our ancestors were quite Biblically literate and often gave their children names from scripture.</p><p><b>Zebulon Zerubabel Filer Fyler Flyer </b>(1644-1714) - "<i>Z.Z. Flyer"</i> is in the family line of my Great Grandmother Elvira Owen Shepard. The Flyer family continued the ostentatious naming of their children by giving their son the name Samuel B. Filer Fyler Filor Flyer. Surely they had a sense of humor in giving him such a name.</p><p>These are just a few of the remarkable/amusing/outstanding names of ancestors in our family tree. In my next post I plan to share some other names that are just as memorable.<br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard</p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-49194876095746923332022-06-18T13:07:00.002-07:002022-06-18T16:34:47.449-07:00Happy Father's Day Weekend! June 18, 2022<div style="text-align: right;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I believe that what we become</i></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>depends on what our fathers</i></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>teach us at odd moments,</i></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>when they aren't trying to teach us.</i></span></div>
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<i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;">~Umberto Ec</span>o</i></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">On this weekend of Father's Day, I am sharing with you a post from 6 years ago. A lot has happened in our family and in our respective lives in the past few years ago. The challenges we have faced and the difficulties we have encountered were many. This post reminds us of the importance of being a part of our family. The fathers in our family are still to be thanked and honored for what they do for us. Thank God for fathers past and present! </span><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I am mindful of, and grateful for, two men in particular: my own father and the father of our grandchildren. My dad Eugene Shepard died in 2003 but lived a wonderful life and left a great legacy of family love and devotion. Our son Nathan is an outstanding father who makes us very proud on this weekend to honor all the men who hold our family together.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvF15G1acQV3MKjO_-2nZhftFMlIM3q9XfmG1cwtGzkwS0s-JIDC5iqpvX0_i-Pk_ZUAm4HBMT_635KCZUReE4cWpIVm9lsMGbiK1cUo8l2d3oK4OVOBLGbjHbgVdsoT3wBbx-1Q/s1600/TSC20160618EugeneNathanShepard1996.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvF15G1acQV3MKjO_-2nZhftFMlIM3q9XfmG1cwtGzkwS0s-JIDC5iqpvX0_i-Pk_ZUAm4HBMT_635KCZUReE4cWpIVm9lsMGbiK1cUo8l2d3oK4OVOBLGbjHbgVdsoT3wBbx-1Q/s320/TSC20160618EugeneNathanShepard1996.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">This first picture shows my dad Eugene Shepard and our son Nathan Shepard in 1996 in Anacortes, Washington. They are just two of the many fathers that are a part of our diverse and changing family.</span><div>
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</span> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Below is a slide show honoring all the fathers past and present in our Shepard, Gower, Harris and other families. Pictured are young fathers, old fathers, dads from long ago and dads who are very new to the task. At least one is a father of five kids, while others are fathers of just one or two. Some are steady and hard working, others are just thrilled at the very idea of being dads. Some have been at it for many years and now revel in the joy of "grandfatherhood", while others are still learning how to be the best dad they can. Some do a great job of being step dads, while others face unique and daunting parental challenges. </span><br />
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</span> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">My brother Gary of Oak Harbor, Washington has been a father since 1968, while my late cousin Hershell Gower of Bullhead City, Arizona, who died during Covid two years ago, had been a father since 1967. That's 49 years! Congratulations to them.</span><br />
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</span> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">All the fathers pictured here are to be thanked for their hard work and the loving guidance they give their kids. Click on the arrow below to start the Father's Day video.</span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br />
</span> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Happy Father's Day to all of you who have taken on the great task of being a dad!</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">- - -</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Steve Shepard</span></div></div>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-31089426549176158392022-06-02T18:41:00.001-07:002022-06-02T18:41:37.450-07:00A Day Full of Memories<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: right;"><i>"In life, it's not where you go,<span style="text-align: left;"> it's who you travel with."</span></i><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: right;"><i>– Charles Schulz</i></p></blockquote><p>June 2 has always been an important date on the calendar for our family. It is a day loaded with special events and full of wonderful memories for every part of our family.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lshmBiDIC5kcEf6yz821U3fpm1Yl9ao_8BjIjtQY-yAqgsTEDE6-UQ0ZTV-Zw_tVT1LpVH3yh9o7QQhY9nblbUSIdc7IvcJ0AOnPACa9pJp4uAhacQvRJ-AFeiwgjRrhBXemSRKjaYbuCTy4Wl2zEguoNej7mknqFIiooRIAq24ji5W_cLo/s640/BridesandGrooms.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="198" height="770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lshmBiDIC5kcEf6yz821U3fpm1Yl9ao_8BjIjtQY-yAqgsTEDE6-UQ0ZTV-Zw_tVT1LpVH3yh9o7QQhY9nblbUSIdc7IvcJ0AOnPACa9pJp4uAhacQvRJ-AFeiwgjRrhBXemSRKjaYbuCTy4Wl2zEguoNej7mknqFIiooRIAq24ji5W_cLo/w238-h770/BridesandGrooms.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>It was on June 2, 1915 -- 107 years ago -- that my paternal grandparents, William Shepard and Bura Davis, were married in Beaver County, Oklahoma. They had only known each other about two years, but in that period of time their love grew and their decision to marry was made. <p></p><p>I have written numerous times in this blog about the wedding of William Shepard and Bura Davis, especially <a href="https://theshepardscrook.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-100th-wedding-anniversary-june-2-2015.html">this blog post</a> on the 100th Anniversary of their wedding. It was a simple event in the home of their local preacher. But it was an event with great significance for their descendants who are remembering them all these years later. Will and Bura are both gone now; Will for almost 50 years and Bura for nearly 40 years. But their love and devotion to their family remains in the hearts of all of us who knew and appreciated them.</p><p>Will and Bura chose to get married on the birthday of her father James Brooks Davis, who was born on June 2, 1870 in Spencer, Indiana. It speaks of the love and respect Bura had for her father that she would marry on his 45th birthday.</p><p>On June 2, 1979 my brother Gary Shepard and Cindy Ann Dillon were married in a Garden wedding in our home on Humbolt Street in Los Alamitos, California. It was also a simple but very meaningful ceremony with just a few special people in attendance. Today they are remembering that special event after 43 years of married life. Best wishes to them as they celebrate their 43rd anniversary in Oak Harbor, Washington where they live.</p><p><b>Paula Hicks Harris.</b> The memories we have on this second day of June are not all happy ones. It was four years ago today, on June 2, 2018, that Cindy's mom passed away at our home here on Burgundy Street in San Diego. She was just a few weeks short of 95 years old. She was a wonderful woman who has been sorely missed for these last 4 years, and will remain in our hearts forever.</p><p>Celebrations are also in order today because it was 20 years ago yesterday, on June 1, 2002, that <b>Jeremy Ortiz and Desiree Ambriz</b> were married here in El Cajon. Jeremy is the son of my cousin Kim Boyd Clark and the grandson of my Aunt Thelma Boyd.</p><p>This has been a day filled with various family memories, all of which are important. <br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard</p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-16283401183213557282022-04-25T14:30:00.000-07:002022-04-25T14:30:32.369-07:00Lulu Lee McGee<p>Researching our family history has put me in touch with some interesting people. Our Family Tree includes over 15,000 people, which means that it contains a large variety of individuals. One of the more fascinating people I have found is a 2nd cousin (4X removed) by the name of <b>Lulu Lee McGee</b>, born in Virginia in 1871, she died in Tennessee in 1941.</p><p>Lulu was married to Ome Madison McGee (1873-1950), a Grandson of Matthew Gower (1762-1853), my 5X Great Grandfather. Lulu was a domestic worker most of her life, a servant of well-to-do families. She was black but not a slave, having been born 5 years after the abolition of slavery. Originally from Virginia, Lulu married for the first time at 20 years old to John Hoskins in Arkansas. She had one daughter Martha, who tragically died in 1918 of Lobar Pneumonia as a result of the Spanish Flu which ravaged the entire country for several years.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAB-M1ct_G1wycrpEQJHybv0cPZDJusosdfdooiov3nZ27vf120IRT2Q2qraGhSkHHZT5Ykaa7Sdq4EDvvqNmK_9Eb20jXqpS3l_8PAqJXE9xj-v92ahYd3M84UvZo6Rsb73rS6wW9wil0Ka7zpfO-AqRHnn-L61kFZDESyITuTPRU1Gif2Qo/s1360/LuluBMcGee,Sis&Fam.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="1182" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAB-M1ct_G1wycrpEQJHybv0cPZDJusosdfdooiov3nZ27vf120IRT2Q2qraGhSkHHZT5Ykaa7Sdq4EDvvqNmK_9Eb20jXqpS3l_8PAqJXE9xj-v92ahYd3M84UvZo6Rsb73rS6wW9wil0Ka7zpfO-AqRHnn-L61kFZDESyITuTPRU1Gif2Qo/w342-h394/LuluBMcGee,Sis&Fam.jpg" width="342" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Cousin Lulu Lee McGee (center) <br />with her sister (right) and family, about 1941</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><b>30 Days of Hard Labor.</b> While in her 30s Lulu did domestic work for a family in New Jersey. Her efforts were evidently less than stellar. She was accused of criminal behavior and was arrested. She found herself before a judge who sentenced her to 30 days of hard labor in the Allegheny County Workhouse. Fortunately, we have <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61173/images/45702_453504-00288?pId=451050" target="_blank">the public prison record</a> for Lulu's brush with the law. By the way, this is not the first time that the public prison record of a person in our Family Tree has been available. Four years ago I wrote about <a href="https://theshepardscrook.blogspot.com/2018/11/contrasting-lives-november-8-2018.html">Edgar Lee Vessels</a> who spent twenty years in a Texas prison, with his public prison record being a prime source.<p></p><p>In Lulu Lee's situation <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61173/images/45702_453504-00288?pId=451050">the public record</a> of the Allegheny (Pennsylvania) County Prison indicates that her crime was "<i>Visiting a Disorderly House.</i>" She was incarcerated with others whose crimes were: Keeping a Disorderly House, Selling Liquor, Being a "Common Prostitute," Drunkenness and Vagrancy.</p><p><b>A Miscarriage of Justice</b>. In this period of Reconstruction in American history, personal enslavement was illegal, but unfair treatment of people of color was still very apparent. 30 days in prison for her offense seems a miscarriage of justice at the very least. Unfortunately, it was typical of the late 19th century, when Jim Crow laws abounded and racial discrimination was common. </p><p>In that day and age people of wealth took the work of their domestic servants very seriously. Servant work like this lent itself to abuse, with Lulu being a prime example. One only needs to read the daily news to realize that this kind of mistreatment is no less apparent today.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmPt_r94ZH-GqaCvIsIjB6T5cYqX7eIdwaq56v3h0hRJEOmWrjopOOeRQzScPqwGwaXaFf6VO8aVztdXudFJuE0Seg4_g_cLtZtePBN8zXmd_AcbDRUZbutoLR5W7t1jHtWpMK6iN8VobiwtJfVMf9SReIXLt7tl6Lg39MgUZE12rTVIXEPU/s500/HarryWMickeyMD.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="353" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmPt_r94ZH-GqaCvIsIjB6T5cYqX7eIdwaq56v3h0hRJEOmWrjopOOeRQzScPqwGwaXaFf6VO8aVztdXudFJuE0Seg4_g_cLtZtePBN8zXmd_AcbDRUZbutoLR5W7t1jHtWpMK6iN8VobiwtJfVMf9SReIXLt7tl6Lg39MgUZE12rTVIXEPU/s320/HarryWMickeyMD.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>Lulu's prison record from 1899 says that she was 5'3'' tall, had brown hair and blue eyes, weighed 145 lbs., and was a Baptist. The record also indicates that she never attended school, and at 29 years old could not read or write. Her occupation was listed as "housework."<p></p><p><b>Her Saving Grace.</b> Lulu had some hard experiences in life, and struggled tremendously at times. Her saving grace may have been her sister Amanda Fitzhugh Lee (1878-1959) whose family had done quite well. Sister Amanda's son was Dr. Harry W. Mickey (1904-1973) the first African-American Medical Doctor in Washington D.C. He received his medical degree from Howard University, which was announced in the June 22, 1922 edition of the Washington D.C. Evening Star newspaper. Dr. Mickey was a White House Physician during the Presidency of Warren McKinley. A family story has it that Dr. Mickey traveled with President McKinley on his fateful trip to Ohio in September, 1901 when McKinley was assassinated.</p><p>The group picture above shows Lulu in the center with her sister and family including her nephew Dr. Harry W. McKinley who is standing behind LuLu and to the right. This picture was taken in 1941 at the 50th wedding anniversary celebration of Harry L. and Amanda Mickey (the two dressed in formal black in this picture).<br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard</p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-59751556357546918772022-03-29T13:12:00.000-07:002022-03-29T13:12:46.505-07:00Cousin Connections<p>In my genealogical research of recent months I have focused my attention on ancestor Matthew Gower (1762-1853), one of the earliest Gowers of whom we have any record. Matthew was the GGGreat Grandfather of my Grandfather Leroy Ertin Gower (1899-1974). Or to come at it from the other direction, Matthew was the GGreat Grandson of Abell Gower, the first Gower ancestor to come to America from England.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZ4w7j4fnjbHNLGhk5hakxBBeNK6m-F1Mh_TKD3f_ZX9lF3IqWTxJEw8uGK7zjdmPn5xcKA54lOdzmElMvKHj0Yd_iL_Wfr0YTHNagdCh4hbjgZAVGqdFuAUJ1ipXmQhyFHEBsWkAD5eotEkC1eESlL0OBZe1slhpt5CAUEu07SUV-0aosE4/s626/GowerCemetery.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="626" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZ4w7j4fnjbHNLGhk5hakxBBeNK6m-F1Mh_TKD3f_ZX9lF3IqWTxJEw8uGK7zjdmPn5xcKA54lOdzmElMvKHj0Yd_iL_Wfr0YTHNagdCh4hbjgZAVGqdFuAUJ1ipXmQhyFHEBsWkAD5eotEkC1eESlL0OBZe1slhpt5CAUEu07SUV-0aosE4/s320/GowerCemetery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Two recently discovered Gower cousins have helped focus my attention on ancestor Matthew Gower. One cousin is Marsha Fagnani of Calaveras County, California. She, like me, is a direct descendant of Matthew Gower. She leads a Facebook Group called <b>Friends of Gower Cemetery </b>(the Cemetery where ancestor Matthew Gower is buried). <span style="font-family: inherit;">Their stated purpose is <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #050505;">to preserve and maintain the pioneer family Gower Cemetery, established in 1816, located behind the Centenary United Methodist Church on Gower Road, Nashville</span></i></span><i>, Tennessee." </i>I encourage you to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1385236121498436" target="_blank">visit their Facebook page</a> to find out all about the work of cousin Marsha and other Gower descendants. Their efforts are well worth our support and encouragement. On their Facebook page are several resources related to the Gower Cemetery and our Gower ancestry. Among those resources is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1385236121498436/permalink/5098990570122954/" target="_blank">a list all the known Gowers</a> that reside in the Cemetery.<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1429" data-original-width="1249" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7f7bT5Zoj_oC56i_170g7C0O2wBXjGrfjRX_TRzRm_17wCKEiNPoAgLe25eylHYnPyZEBNq52-lnBalh0ZlEIV-wYYK44UiAPS5UvONDGdsAIlWrJUNMWTiPMvI6KA2Zzl9STnEoVz8HAxohuvayij0hrNsPFQF8UpTx0rz3Yh1enPyfEfec/w216-h247/TSC20220326UnkYoungGirls.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="216" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span>Unknown Children from Oklahoma</span><br /><span>in the 1920s</span></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Another Gower cousin I was fortunate enough to find and connect with recently is <b>Edwina Gower</b> from Arkansas. Cousin Edwina, another direct descendant of Matthew Gower, has a special interest in Matthew and has collaborated with several of us in an effort to share information and learn more about this important ancestor. The rewarding work of discovering more about Matthew Gower and other Gower ancestors continues.<div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><b><br /></b></div><div><b>More Old Family Photos.</b> As I mentioned in my last post, I was unexpectedly gifted dozens of old family photos by second cousin <b>Norman Getz</b> of Beaver, Oklahoma who passed away earlier this year. On the right is one of the photos of two unknown children, probably from the 1920s. Some of the photos I received are from the 1920s and 1930s and show people I know and can identify. Many of the photos however are images of people I cannot identify. </div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLdVYGX6K5_1E-J_Eu_NXIkDlQP6VQq0d2OCv83tMA8S2mTjJNR5xi075KXsp-WxI3RdE0PwNJx8yj_u7f1Hx_BycCTDefCUNt_xbs1PdaHIZMvQXJkvNPwF13-TUBAyg9CEbWooHL236AbKXRDe0eG7w8lPpIFcah41idZF4FFyGrcPLgoc/s1532/TSC20220326Elvira&CalOthers.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1302" data-original-width="1532" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLdVYGX6K5_1E-J_Eu_NXIkDlQP6VQq0d2OCv83tMA8S2mTjJNR5xi075KXsp-WxI3RdE0PwNJx8yj_u7f1Hx_BycCTDefCUNt_xbs1PdaHIZMvQXJkvNPwF13-TUBAyg9CEbWooHL236AbKXRDe0eG7w8lPpIFcah41idZF4FFyGrcPLgoc/w300-h256/TSC20220326Elvira&CalOthers.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Elvira Owens Shepard (center left) with <br />other friends, family, neighbors</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><b></b>The photographs I have received are good quality for the most part and are quite remarkable really. The problem is that they show family or friends who are unknown to me. In this post I have included a few more of these images. If you recognize these folks please let me know. If you don't know these folks, just admire and ponder these compelling historic images from a couple of generations ago. </div><div><br /></div><div>One of the people who figured prominently in the life of our family in the early part of the 20th Century was my Great Grandmother Elvira Owens Shepard Williams. She appears repeatedly in the photos that we have from that era. The group photo above on the left shows 6 folks, a few of whom I can identify. The lady on the right is Mrs. Erickson, a family friend and neighbor who appears in a surprisingly number of our old photos. Next to Mrs. Erickson, in the hat, is Cal Williams who is seated next to Great Grandmother Elvira Owens Shepard. As an older widow, Elvira married Cal Williams who was considerably younger than her. The lady on the left and the two children in the back I cannot identify. Can you?</div><div><br /></div><div>This next picture is a better image of Elvira Owens Shepard (1865-1931) and her late-in-life husband, the young and dapper Cal Williams (1882-1968). <a href="https://theshepardscrook.blogspot.com/2015/06/celebrants-over-century-apart-june-26.html" target="_blank">Select this link</a> for more about Elvira and Cal and the controversy their marriage created nearly 100 years ago. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaM6RinTkru0KFlAvbY1C0mjZ5HNrjStA5qE1XAjkDLCxzsI-WfQ9ehBbSW2vE6pjw4MJt8QtNWcVlEXEkQHQljTJUdeLLbmkvANK-M5abVtIwayhlVCWa1WKG68msZwIZrgK2hlKRuZUBpv8hgUee7oBL9aj5_tprvsUkDZ3IJwjOIuWRyPY/s1383/TSC20220326Elvira&Cal.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1383" data-original-width="1111" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaM6RinTkru0KFlAvbY1C0mjZ5HNrjStA5qE1XAjkDLCxzsI-WfQ9ehBbSW2vE6pjw4MJt8QtNWcVlEXEkQHQljTJUdeLLbmkvANK-M5abVtIwayhlVCWa1WKG68msZwIZrgK2hlKRuZUBpv8hgUee7oBL9aj5_tprvsUkDZ3IJwjOIuWRyPY/w233-h290/TSC20220326Elvira&Cal.jpg" width="233" /></a> </div><div>The final picture below is a compelling picture of an attractive young family posing formally yet gracefully in a setting and posture reminiscent of a number of old family photos I have seen. I recognize the wicker chair which is a type of chair I have seen in other old family photos, but I do not know who this family is. Do any of you know?</div><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxiSZUD397xX3DLh2-3f-2QIXgaKgxKHTBcfDLnreJ0nVbliVmQjDGUAdFVTQAfy6PfOB5hab1Ab_Ur17Jn9pFv-7CtSMpSsOaej794disWfJ-qCfSHMeT7PEeKaJq2Qz7RrACkRVtHaGanYmEGR3aZdOReDwVMmlwyJAgdxKXIVAE6xqjF-Q/s1539/TSC20220326UnkYoungFamily.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="1131" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxiSZUD397xX3DLh2-3f-2QIXgaKgxKHTBcfDLnreJ0nVbliVmQjDGUAdFVTQAfy6PfOB5hab1Ab_Ur17Jn9pFv-7CtSMpSsOaej794disWfJ-qCfSHMeT7PEeKaJq2Qz7RrACkRVtHaGanYmEGR3aZdOReDwVMmlwyJAgdxKXIVAE6xqjF-Q/s320/TSC20220326UnkYoungFamily.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I continue to sort through the many pictures I have received. In future posts I look forward to sharing with you more of the best of them. The goal of identifying all the people in these pictures for future generations is an important one. Your help would be greatly appreciated.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- - -</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Steve Shepard</div></div></div></div>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-33181531535716789352022-02-28T11:02:00.000-08:002022-02-28T11:02:55.384-08:00Tell Me Who I Am<p><br /></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXuJtqaRxI9g-2eYn3ffnsreRm4t8uhvnbhelYTxgPoOIFW7S9zDkm7Jt3B1Y5DPlYk9JyQXp-pd6oqnvYXgBfNXAT8BYRg7u_xpsZxaIw2YMDtdkzBkg4V_WqO9vkQg0JK_60n83Ut6s3XCmY6UaDl8SWg_-gqfdWzO0Y4ckW1S7Fytr9pxo=s1865" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1865" data-original-width="1490" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXuJtqaRxI9g-2eYn3ffnsreRm4t8uhvnbhelYTxgPoOIFW7S9zDkm7Jt3B1Y5DPlYk9JyQXp-pd6oqnvYXgBfNXAT8BYRg7u_xpsZxaIw2YMDtdkzBkg4V_WqO9vkQg0JK_60n83Ut6s3XCmY6UaDl8SWg_-gqfdWzO0Y4ckW1S7Fytr9pxo=s320" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pauline and Bill Russell<br />probably in the 1930s</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>I received word recently that my second cousin Norman Getz (1936-2022) of Beaver County, Oklahoma passed away a few weeks ago. Norman was one of the 36 first cousins of my father Eugene Shepard. Among Norman's belongings were dozens of old family pictures which were given to Lisa Parks, my second cousin who lives in Fort Worth. Lisa was gracious enough to forward them on to me. <p></p><p></p>The photos are a treasure trove of images from our family's history in the early years of the 20th century. Most of them are unidentified, although some have writing on the back which tells something about the people in the photos. But as with many old photos I have seen, the words on the back don't help much. They include phrases like, "this is mother," or "this was taken after we left Oklahoma," or "this was taken last summer." <p></p><p>One picture that jumped out at me when I saw it, was a picture I had never seen before. It shows my aunt Pauline Shepard Russell (1916-2000) and my uncle Bill Russell (1908-1997) when they were very young. It is a picture that may have been taken when they were married in January 1935 in Springfield, Colorado. I am grateful for all these pictures from our family's history, identified or not. </p><p><b></b></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhx09RK8Sf-sMJOQtA54uGrOyxpUX3TCFySFOKOV4QsQepAhQl50tWRh_ChGvfcDXx_G1qkW2hFKNFeXaKXL-qm7RROnW_GRu0A2tJR7tTcdtSdQKLHfpcxF5P-XsZ2-bWv9I8w_WMHYdUnHYQDe2HwT5M-tCwGJK7JFpuFe6-PfyuxDabdlik=s1077" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="969" data-original-width="1077" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhx09RK8Sf-sMJOQtA54uGrOyxpUX3TCFySFOKOV4QsQepAhQl50tWRh_ChGvfcDXx_G1qkW2hFKNFeXaKXL-qm7RROnW_GRu0A2tJR7tTcdtSdQKLHfpcxF5P-XsZ2-bWv9I8w_WMHYdUnHYQDe2HwT5M-tCwGJK7JFpuFe6-PfyuxDabdlik=w338-h304" width="338" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elmer, Pauline and Eugene Shepard</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><b>Tell Me Who I Am.</b> I am hoping that you might be able to help me put names to the people in the pictures I have. Over the next couple of months I will share with you some of the pictures I have received, in hopes that some of you can tell me who these people are. <p></p><p>This second picture, like the first one, may also be from the 1930s. On the back of this photo is written: <i>"Aunt Sadie. Taken in the yard this summer." </i>I doubt this is a picture of my Great Aunt Sadie Shepard Pruett (1892-1980). The two fellows in the picture look very much like my Uncle Elmer Shepard (1918-2012) on the left, and my father Eugene Shepard (1921-2003) on the right. The woman in the middle looks more like my Aunt Pauline Shepard than my Great Aunt Sadie Shepard Pruett. If you have some insight into these photos, I would appreciate hearing from you.</p><p>The third photo is a group picture and shows a collection of women in Oklahoma, probably in the late 1920s. The back of the photo lists the women in the picture: <i>Sadie, Mrs. Bachman, Mrs. Esther Frass, Mrs. Erickson, Grandma, Bura, and Amelia Frass</i>. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRaUpK67vF9Qq-uUOBvNp87Qa0zp1oJScFte85Xp83QQWt2biKMhbkGanZa23w0mocb5oewWl-rLRIun2u-fbQ6zI2Q1ZV9Xt9IxDQRwccMGLpYib5M2nktq-2vS7KULDiuyJS8MwDpLI6Dvz72EOGDwPIxPU_kf1d8cx4S8pi_ASQ-jZHdLg=s1675" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1113" data-original-width="1675" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRaUpK67vF9Qq-uUOBvNp87Qa0zp1oJScFte85Xp83QQWt2biKMhbkGanZa23w0mocb5oewWl-rLRIun2u-fbQ6zI2Q1ZV9Xt9IxDQRwccMGLpYib5M2nktq-2vS7KULDiuyJS8MwDpLI6Dvz72EOGDwPIxPU_kf1d8cx4S8pi_ASQ-jZHdLg=w423-h282" width="423" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A photo from the 1920s of several family members, <br />neighbors and friends</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>I am suggesting a date of the late 1920s for this photo because <i>"Grandma"</i> (Elvira Owens Shepard), the woman in the middle/right in white, died in 1931. Grandma Elvira Shepard appears in many of the photos that I have received. She seems to have been the matriarch of the Shepard family in the early 20th century in Oklahoma, which would explain why she is so prominent in many of the photos. Next to Elvira, on the right, is my Grandmother Bura Davis Shepard (1896-1986), Elvira's daughter-in-law.<p></p><p>In the back in this photograph is a tall woman who is identified as Mrs. Erickson. She appears in a number of the photos that I have received. She must have been a close family friend or neighbor. If anyone can tell me about Mrs. Erickson and her place in our family's history, I would appreciate hearing from you.</p><p>If you do have comments to make about these photos, send me an email, or simply click on the comments button at the bottom of this page and you can leave a message. I would be glad to hear from you.<br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard</p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12099418.post-74073959918559993212022-02-02T10:36:00.000-08:002022-02-02T10:36:57.199-08:00An Infamous Weekend<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: right;"><i>Mine eyes have seen the glory</i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i>of the coming of the Lord:</i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i>His truth is marching on.</i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i>~Battle Hymn of the Republic</i></div><p></p><p><b>Happy Birthday to Cindy A. Shepard!</b> Today, February 2 is a memorable day in our Shepard Family history. Not just because it is groundhog day. Nor because it is the exact midpoint of winter. Not even because it is the birthday of my sister-in-law Cindy A.Shepard of Oak Harbor, Washington. All that makes it plenty memorable, of course. But the second day of February stands out for us Shepards because of two historic events that occurred on the same day in the lives of some kinfolk. One event was very happy and the other very tragic. </p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4Sv6jFRtdHV51ZkVlzB6wQtBZhydIgC1SFwMhpMDXIqLzmN_b7iu87Br2DQJwlMv_5JeXHKcIVm-_OyejkeSU1l1yPLo6A0UD6maG719XrQBIiW8fE1iqVjC5C70wri_ogljpYcyj156wfF66lk5YxcCLqi8yW75foMmdFdQ2xVZDBknKDVc=s2234" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1606" data-original-width="2234" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4Sv6jFRtdHV51ZkVlzB6wQtBZhydIgC1SFwMhpMDXIqLzmN_b7iu87Br2DQJwlMv_5JeXHKcIVm-_OyejkeSU1l1yPLo6A0UD6maG719XrQBIiW8fE1iqVjC5C70wri_ogljpYcyj156wfF66lk5YxcCLqi8yW75foMmdFdQ2xVZDBknKDVc=s320" width="320" /></a></b></div><b>160 Years Ago Today.</b> In February of 1862, my Great Great Grandfather William Sheppard was just a few months into his military service in the Civil War. He had joined the Union Army's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Indiana_Cavalry_Regiment" target="_blank">2nd Indiana Cavalry</a> in September, 1861 while living in Wabash, Indiana. Over the following few months, after his military training, his unit marched southward from Indiana into Kentucky. At the town of Bowling Green, William's unit had their first taste of battle in a skirmish with confederate forces. <p></p><p>It was the very first conflict of the War for the 2nd Indiana Cavalry. This unit went on to fight in the war for 3 more years. They fought at the famous encounter at Shiloh. They went on to engage the enemy in other venues as well before returning to Wabash, Indiana at the end of the war. </p><p>But William's active duty in the Civil War began and ended at Bowling Green, Kentucky. On Sunday, February 2, 1862, William suffered a serious arm injury from a canon blast. We don't know if the canon misfired, or if William was hit by enemy fire. We only know that the injury brought an abrupt end to his active duty in the Civil War.</p><p><b>Tragic Irony.</b> While on the battlefield that fateful day in February 1862, young William could not have known what was happening back home in Indiana. The very day he was injured in Kentucky, his wife Mary in Wabash, Indiana, was giving birth to their second son. What tragic irony that these two events would happen on the same day, some 315 miles apart.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCIxL80IH21MQWYQ2cuCPn36X9zpVRpxVQul3hloN7hmYZHRbnH8ocaIImPoIp0bNadx3KJ-UI4LK3jKQd97wXeOM77erksmtdi7O1mqgp2iHc0BUYdST8TmuxGESM-ocYP86C2B8vK8U4a7T-2KDuTcQeeQX4oYn6-jEV0wII1ue4V3GiGQw=s583" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="583" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCIxL80IH21MQWYQ2cuCPn36X9zpVRpxVQul3hloN7hmYZHRbnH8ocaIImPoIp0bNadx3KJ-UI4LK3jKQd97wXeOM77erksmtdi7O1mqgp2iHc0BUYdST8TmuxGESM-ocYP86C2B8vK8U4a7T-2KDuTcQeeQX4oYn6-jEV0wII1ue4V3GiGQw=s320" width="320" /></a></div>After suffering his injury, William was taken off the battle field and transported to a military hospital in Evansville, Indiana. 5 long months later, on July 22, 1862 he died. The actual cause of death was not the arm injury, but dysentery, an intestinal infection that took the life of countless soldiers who, like GGGranddad William, experienced extended stays in wartime hospitals.<p></p><p>The second day of February will always remain in our family history as a time when joy and tragedy intersected. In Indiana a baby was born; in Kentucky the baby's father was mortally wounded. It may have been her longing for her soldier-husband that caused Mary Shepard to name their newborn child William Elmer Shepard. </p><p><b>The Rest of the Story.</b> That wartime baby William Elmer Shepard became a very important figure in our family history as a young adult. He left his troubled stepfamily in Indiana and journeyed alone to the Saint Louis area where he married, had two children, and then migrated with them to Oklahoma in the early years of the 20th century. Our ancestors suffered much in those tragic years of the Civil War. We are grateful for their fortitude and resilience, and are honored to be counted among their descendants.<br />- - -<br />Steve Shepard</p>Steve Shepardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951170077398348815noreply@blogger.com0