The Shepard's Crook

Other Shepard Kin, January 27, 2012

2012-01-27T11:29:00.000-08:00

I don't know who my grandfather was;
I am much more concerned to know
what his grandson will be.
~Abraham Lincoln

Hello Family and Friends,

Today is the 120th anniversary of the birthday of my great aunt Sadie Shepard Pruett who was born January 27, 1892. She was born in Alton, Illinois just like her older brother and only sibling (my grandfather) William Shepard, who was 4 years her senior. She and William were just teens when their parents left Illinois and settled in Beaver County, Oklahoma in the first decade of the 20th century. Interestingly, also like her brother William, she died within days of her 88th birthday. Sadie died in 1980, William in 1976.

The late 19th century was a time when large families were common. A family from that time period with just two children is an interesting anomaly. My grandmother Bura Davis, for example, (born 1896) was one of 7 children. My grandmother Nola Shannon (born 1902) was one of 9 children. And my grandfather Leroy Gower (born 1899) was one of 7 children. It was unusual then for Sadie Shepard to be one of only 2 children, she and her brother William.

Like most of our ancestors, William's parents William Elmer Shepard and Elvira Owens were country folk for whom one more child meant one more worker on the family farm. But every couple is different, with unique physical and emotional needs and limitations.

To be fair, there seems to have been two other siblings of William and Sadie Shepard who died in infancy: a boy they named Elmer and a girl they named Eva. Losing a child can be a devastating experience, but losing two children can make a couple hesitant to have any more.

Sadie later married Levy Pruett and had 3 daughters, Alberta, Gayle and Twila. The first picture I am including shows Sadie at 23 years old with her first two daughters Gayle and Alberta. This lovely picture was taken in June, 1915 when her brother William Shepard and his fiance Bura Davis were married.

The second picture shows my grandfather William Shepard (bottom right) with his wife Bura Davis next to him. At the bottom left is his sister Sadie whose husband Levy Pruett is in the middle of the top row. Also in the picture are two Pruett daughters, Gayle (bottom row) and Twila (upper right), and Gayle's husband Glenn Barker (upper left). As you can see on the far right, this picture was taken in 1946 in Tijuana when the Pruett family came to San Diego to visit the Shepards.

Sad to say, I have not had much contact with the descendants of Sadie Shepard Pruett. 20 years ago when my dad and I visited Oklahoma we visited his aunt Sadie's daughter Alberta Pruett Getz and her husband Pat, but I have not maintained contact with them over the years.

I did have a phone conversation earlier this week with Alberta's son Norman Getz, who still lives near Elmwood in Beaver County, Ok. He mentioned that his parents Alberta and Pat are now gone, and that few members of the Pruett family remain.

Sadie and William Shepard's mother Elvira Owens was from the Owens family of Madison County, Illlinois. I recently connected online with a 3rd cousin, Richard Olen Young II, who is also descended from that same Owens family and lives today in Maine. I look forward to that connection and learning more about family members of today and of long ago.

- - -
Steve

From Utah to Missouri, January 23, 2012

2012-01-23T09:18:00.000-08:00

None of us can boast
about the morality of our ancestors.

The record does not show

that Adam and Eve were ever married.

~Edward W. Howe

Hello Family and Friends,

Happy Anniversary today to Havilah Colgain Wardle and her husband Kevin, who live in West Valley City, Utah.

Havilah: Thank you so much for thinking of us on our anniversary! We are heading up to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho to celebrate. Can't wait to soak in the mineral hot springs and relax! Kevin and I experienced rough times this past year trying to start a family, but have finally found a caring doctor who is proactive and eager to help us. Come what may, we are enjoying a beautiful relationship and life together. We are preparing our house for the market; once it sells we are off to a warmer and more tropical climate! We're excited to see our dreams come to fruition, and even more so for all the unexpected, but equally wonderful surprises life brings.

Havilah is one of the Ggrandchildren of Will and Bura Davis Shepard, and the daughter of Joan Shepard of Dixon, California and Art Colgain. Her grandfather Elmer Shepard is the senior member of our Shepard clan.

Blue Springs Update. Speaking of descen- dants of Will and Bura Shepard, I have an update on Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz of Blue Springs, Missouri. I mentioned in my last post that Desiree, who is pregnant with twins, was in the hospital. The latest news is that she is now home and doing much better, as are the twin babies that she and husband Jeremy are expecting in June. When the twins are born, they will be the 12th and 13th GGgrandchildren of Will and Bura Davis Shepard.

Grandma Kim Boyd Clark reports on Desiree: She came home Friday night. She still feels bad but not depressed as she was in the hospital and can smile a little now. The babies are doing good. She has seen them a lot, being in the hospital doing sonograms. They are very active. She is starting to be able to eat a little bit. She goes back to the Dr Thursday and a nurse will come to our house once a week to check on her. She is still on a pic line for food.

Our best wishes are extended to Desiree and Jeremy and their whole family. The second picture was taken last summer and shows, from left to right, Kim Boyd Clark, Amanda Ortiz, Desiree Ortiz and Damian Ortiz.
- - -
Steve

Milestones, January 18, 2012

2012-01-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

We owe it to our ancestors

to preserve entire those rights

they have delivered to our care.

We owe it to our posterity

not to suffer their dearest inheritance

to be destroyed.

~Junius (1769)

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you, wherever you may be, from San Diego on this fine winter's day in Southern California.

Missouri Anniversary. Congratulations to Jeff and Kim Boyd Clark who are celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary today! Jeff and Kim live in Blue Springs, Missouri, with Kim's son Jeremy Ortiz, his wife Desiree and their 3 children. The recent good news from their household is that Desiree and Jeremy are expecting twins in June. More recently, however, Desiree has developed some health problems.

Kim: This is anniversary #5 for Jeff and me. We still have a full house and we just seem to stay busy with all the activity going on here. We will probably just go to dinner to celebrate our anniversary.

Desiree is still in the hospital unable to keep any thing down. She has what they call a false brain tumor due to extra hormones caused by twins. Dr is hoping when she has the babies the tumor will go away on it's own. The babies are still doing good with strong heart beats and are very active. They did a sonogram and she could see them facing each other touching their feet together. We still don't know when she can come home so I'm being grammy and mom right now. Jeremy has been staying at the hospital and sleeping there.

Our prayers and best wishes to them all, especially Desiree and Jeremy, while we celebrate with Jeff and Kim on their wedding anniversary!

Oklahoma Birthdays. Happy Birthday wishes this Saturday to both my cousin Dane and his son Nathan Shepard of New Castle, Oklahoma, who were both born on January 21.

Dane: Thanks for the greeting and request. I am attaching a picture that we recently took.

As it turns out, we will be going to Texas again on our birthdays. I will be participating in an annual gospel singing and the family has been invited as well. It will be a nice break for us. Nathan will turn sixteen and will be taking an English course at the local junior college this semester. He remains active in bowling and band. We got him a drum set for Christmas which he thoroughly enjoys.

Dad [Elmer] is about the same. They are still adjusting his meds to try and stabilize his agitation. He does better when he is not around a lot of people. His appetite remains good. Thanks again for all your work.

Flashback 38. The third picture that I am including today is an old Shepard family photo taken Christmas 1973, somewhere in the San Diego area. It includes a couple of the people pictured above. It shows Dane Shepard (upper left), Kim Boyd and infant Kelly Shepard (on the leopard skin bean bag chair), and Jason Shepard with his uncle Darrell Shepard on the right. Anyone recognize the home where this picture was taken?
- - -
Steve

Happy Friday the 13th, January 13, 2012

2012-01-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

Genealogy:

An account of one's descent from an ancestor

who did not particularly care to trace his own.

-Ambrose Bierce

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from San Diego, California on what appears (so far) to be a wonderful Friday the 13th. There will be no paraskevidekatriaphobia here.

Happy Birthday tomorrow to Eric Russell, who lives with his wife Ruthie in Red Rock, Nevada, outside Reno.

Eric, born in San Diego in 1965, is

the first (and only) child of Rex and Ellen Russell,
the first of the 3 grandchildren of Bill and Pauline Shepard Russell,
the first of the 21 Ggrandchildren of Will and Bura Davis Shepard,
the first of over 100 GGgrandchildren of James Brooks and Callie Spear Davis,
and probably the first of the several hundred GGGgrandchildren of Charles and Malinda Wright Davis.

I added the word "probably" in the above sentence because that gets us to the level of 4th cousins, and includes such a large number of descendants that I do not know who they all are, much less who is the first born among them all. But I'll bet it's Eric!

Eric's wife Ruthie wrote me recently: We are doing fine. Hope all is well with you and yours. The weather has been beautiful here in Reno. Should feel guilty, but we don't. We had so much snow and rain last winter that we are loving this mild weather. I am sure it will change soon. Nothing new to report except that Eric will be a year older on Sat. the 14th.

I'm embarrassed to say that [the picture of us] was taken in 2005. Eric is a little thinner and a lot less hair now, but aside of that he looks the same. We are approaching our 19th wedding anniversary this year. Thanks for thinking of us. Best Wishes!

Thanks to Ruthie for sending me the two pictures above. The first one shows Eric when he was a youngster back in 1966. The second picture (referred to in the previous paragraph) shows Eric and Ruthie just a few years ago. The third picture shows a proud and happy Bura Davis Shepard with her first Ggrandchild Eric in 1966.

Special Note Regarding Email Addresses. On a few occasions recently I have had some of you request the email address of a family member. I want to remind you that the emails I send out do not normally show the email addresses of every one on my mailing list. But I am always glad to share an email address with any family member who requests one from me.
- - -
Steve

New Year Birthdays, January 7, 2012

2012-01-08T18:27:00.001-08:00

Until the 12th of Never,
I'll still be loving you.
~sung by Johnny Mathis

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from cold but sunny Flagstaff, Arizona, near the Grand Canyon, where Cindy and I are spending the week with friends George and Diane Andrews of Tucson, Arizona.

Happy Birthday to my wife Cindy who celebrates her happy day today, January 7!

The first birthday gift I ever gave Cindy was on her 18th birthday, as her friends gathered at the Harris home on Burgundy Street in San Diego. Most of her friends were youth from her family's church, the Allied Gardens Church of Christ. I was her new friend from a church across town, having met her just a few weeks earlier, and was something of an outsider.

My gift to her at that party was a couple of LPs by the popular singers "Peter, Paul and Mary", and Johnny Mathis. If you even recognize those names, you can guess at how long ago that was! "Peter, Paul and Mary" were the singing social conscience of the 1960s, and Johnny Mathis was a young crooner whose love songs we all adored. "LPs", by the way, were "Long Playing" records, known these days simply as "vinyl", and were the media of choice for recording music, back in the days before iPods, CDs, or even cassette tapes.

Cindy and I are not sure whatever became of those LPs I gave her 46 years ago today. They may still be in a dusty box somewhere in granny Harris's house which is still on Burgundy Street. Or they may have simply gone the way of most LPs - into the trash bin. After all, besides a few die-hard lovers of vinyl (like our son Nathan), who even has a record player these days? One thing I do know is that even though the particular media is not popular, the music itself endures. And thankfully so. Hence my gift to Cindy this year of an iTunes gift card for the music of those same singers, that she can play on her new tablet computer.

Cindy spends her time these days enjoying the retired life in San Diego where we live (not far from Burgundy Street). And traveling to wherever we can find time to travel, including far off, exotic places like Flagstaff, Arizona (okay, maybe not so exotic). She also makes time for the loves of her life, her two grandchildren Preslea and Logan, children of Nathan and Chenda Shepard.

The first picture shows Cindy with our grandson Logan. The second picture shows our granddaughter Preslea with her father Nathan riding the Carousel at Belmont Park in San Diego. Happy Birthday to Cindy!

Happy Birthday Mary! Birthday wishes also go to Mary Medina Shepard this coming Tuesday, January 10. Mary and her husband Darrell live in Kirkland, Washington not far from their kids Christopher, Rachel and Patrick (and soon to be daughter-in-law Nicole). The third picture I am including shows Mary with her husband Darrell. Also sneaking into the corner of the picture is our brother Gary Shepard. This picture was taken last summer at the Shepard family reunion in Anacortes, Washington.

In addition to birthday greetings, congratulations to Darrell and Mary on their 29th wedding anniversary which they celebrated just last Saturday on New Year's Eve.

More New Babies! In my last post I mentioned some babies that would be born in 2012 in our family. I also asked if anyone knew of other expectant mothers. Jerry Clark wrote to tell me that his daughter and business partner Susan Clark Cox will also give birth this coming June to a new baby (Jerry's 6th grandchild!). Congratulations to Susan and Andrew Cox of Lubbock, Texas on this happy news.
- - -
Steve

Happy New Year, 2012!

2011-12-26T10:40:00.000-08:00

One resolution I have made,

and try always to keep:

To rise above the little things.

~John Burroughs

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to you from San Diego on this last day of 2011!

Congratulations to Chenda Shepard whose birthday is tomorrow, New Year's Day! She and husband Nathan with their children Preslea and Logan live in Alameda, California. Chenda and family have been in San Diego all this past week enjoying this week after Christmas. The first picture shows Chenda and Nathan when they visited the Grand Canyon back in November.

Looking Ahead. With the new year 2012 beginning tomorrow I am thinking about several things related to family.

Babies! I think about the excitement already surrounding the new babies that will be born this year in our family. Chenda and Nathan are expecting a new baby this coming July to make 3 babies in 3 years. Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz (Kim Clark's son and daughter-in-law) of Blue Springs, Missouri are expecting twins this coming June. Are there any others expecting? Congratulations to those families.

Our favorite nonagenarian. At the other end of the spectrum, I think about the senior member of our family, Elmer Shepard of Norman, Oklahoma, who will turn 94 in May and who is in the sunset years of his life. I am grateful for his son Dane and family who are caring for him. The second picture shows Elmer and Dane in a recent picture.

Also as 2012 begins, I think about the fact that it has been four years since I began writing this genealogical blog. It was the last week of December, 2007 that I first began writing about our family. My original intent was to write for about 6 months, until the Family Reunion in the summer of 2008. But I soon discovered that there is much more to be said about this wonderful, crazy, diverse family of ours. And so the stories and pictures continue, and will for God only knows how long.

And finally, I think about 2012 being the 70th anniversary year of my Gower grandparent's move from Oklahoma to San Diego. They followed my Shepard grandparents by just 2 years in a move that was strikingly similar, not least of all because it was the final family move they made. I look forward to several opportunities to comment on this anniversary as we move through 2012. The third picture shows my grandparents, Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower, in 1971.

For now, may 2012 be a very prosperous and joyful year for each of you!

- - -

Steve

The Work of Christmas Begins, December 26, 2011

2011-12-06T19:49:00.001-08:00

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins.

~Howard Thurman

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you on this day after Christmas from San Diego, where the stockings are no longer hung, the presents are all unwrapped and, in the words of Howard Thurman, "the work of Christmas begins."

Anniversary. Tomorrow Cindy and I will celebrate 43 years of marriage. It has been quite a ride, from that Friday evening in 1968 when we were married at the La Mesa Church of Christ, to the day Nathan was born in the spring of 1977, to our retirements just a few years ago, to the births of our grand kids, and all the many, many experiences in between.

The first picture was taken earlier this month and shows Cindy and me enjoying ourselves on the beach in Carlsbad, California. (Thanks to friend George Andrews for taking this picture.)

In 2008, on our 40th anniversary, we were just a family of 3: the two of us and our foot loose and fancy free son Nathan. In the 3 years since then our little family has evolved beyond our imagination, and there are now 6 stockings over the Christmas fireplace, and next Christmas we will make room for yet another!

The second picture I am including was taken Christmas day at Granny Harris's house on Burgundy Street in San Diego. It shows Cindy in the middle holding our grandson Logan. Next to her is her mother Paula Harris with me in front. On the left is our son Nathan holding daughter Preslea, and momma Chenda in front of them.

Birthday. Wednesday, December 28, is the birthday of my late aunt Pauline Shepard Russell, who was born 95 years ago this week in Beaver County, Oklahoma. She was the first child of William and Bura Davis Shepard and the first grandchild of James Brooks and Callie Davis. At 11 years old her family moved to Two Buttes, Colorado where a few years later she met Bill Russell. One week after her 18th birthday she and Bill were married in Colorado. In 1940, after their two children, Rex and Beverly, were born they moved with the rest of Pauline's family to San Diego, California where they lived the rest of their lives. Pauline died in 2000.

The third picture I am including was taken in a restaurant in San Diego about 1942, during World War II. It shows Pauline Shepard Russell and her husband Bill Russell on the right. On the far left is Pauline's brother Eugene Shepard in his Coast Guard uniform. A reliable source tell me that next to Pauline is Bill's sister Louella Russell with her husband, also in uniform.

Pauline and Bill Russell have two grandchildren alive today, Shannon Wilk who, with daughter Emma, lives in Atchison, Kansas; and Eric Russell, who with wife Ruthie, lives in Red Rock, Nevada.

What is the "work of Christmas" that Howard Thurman refers to in the lines at the top of this post? In the rest of his poem he tells us.

The work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among the people,
to make music in the heart.

- - -

Steve

Born On Christmas Day, December 19, 2011

2011-12-06T18:50:00.001-08:00

Love came down at Christmas;

love all lovely, love divine.

~Christina Rosetti

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you on this special week of Christmas! Nathan, Chenda, Preslea, Logan, Cindy and me -- together we wish you Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas!

On Christmas Day, 1888 my grand father William Shepard was born in Alton, Illinois. He was the one chosen by a Davis woman (Bura Davis) to be her husband, which forever connected the Davis family to us Shepards. Even later, their son Eugene Shepard was the one chosen by a Gower woman (Maida Gower) to be her husband, which forever connected the Gower family to us Shepards.

William Shepard's family left his hometown of Alton, Illinois in the early 1900s and settled in Beaver County, Oklahoma, where William met and then married Bura Davis in 1915. 13 years later, with three children in tow, they moved to Two Buttes, Colorado where their fourth child Thelma was born. In 1940 William and Bura and their family made a major move from Colorado to San Diego, California.

Thelma and William Shepard, about 1940

The picture of William that I am including today was taken around the time they made that move and may even have been taken in the mountains of California as they made their way into San Diego. This picture shows 4 year old Thelma Shepard, with her father, a spry 51 year old William Shepard.

What I like about this picture is that it represents my grandad very well: dressed like a workingman, stern in demeanor, resolute in appearance, careful guardian of his youngest child, a no-nonsense kind of guy. What I also like about this picture is that it shows my grandad as I never knew him. I was born just 8 years later, but I do not remember him standing up so straight and appearing to be so slim and robust. He is carrying his 51 years well.

My grandad William learned how to be a man from his father, William Elmer Shepard, who did not have a happy upbringing himself. William Elmer never knew his father, who died in the Civil War. He was raised by a older step father who made life so unbearable that William Elmer ran away from home as a teen, never to return. (Read more about that here.) William Elmer's unhappy childhood was probably reflected in his son William's sometimes serious and humorless demeanor. It may also help to explain why William, as a young family man, was something of a wanderer like his father and was away from his family for extended periods of time.

His wanderings made for great storytelling later in life. I remember him telling us grand kids about carrying a sixshooter, riding a horse, and chasing after the renegade Indian Cochise in the dangerous badlands of the southwest, and other such stories. On the other hand his wanderings must have made life difficult for his family that was left at home.

William and Bura Shepard, Christmas Eve, 1973

In a recording from near the end of his life, grandad William talks with great fondness about his father William Elmer and the warm relation- ship they shared in the months leading up to William Elmer's death from cancer in 1915. William missed something in his early life by being raised by one who had been a fatherless war baby. But he was compensated by the influences of a mother, Elvira Owens, and a wife, Bura Davis, who both were from strong, healthy families. See picture of William and Bura Shepard on Christmas Eve, 1973.

As we near the 123rd anniversary of William's birthday I am grateful for the memory of my grandfather, and for the love of family he learned and shared with his children and grandchildren.

May your Christmas be filled with warm memories and happiness!

- - -

Steve

"Thanks To All Willing To Share", December 12, 2011

2011-12-03T18:40:00.001-08:00

OUR history begins before we are born.

We represent the hereditary influences of our race,

and our ancestors virtually live in us.

James Nasmyth

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you wherever you may be, and however you may be surviving the December rush through Advent and Christmas. Cindy and I find ourselves in Carlsbad, California vacationing this week with friends George and Diane. We are all of 30 miles from home!

I have written before about a family project to replace the headstones for two ancestors of ours, my GGGgrandfather Alexander Davis (1819-66) and his daughter Elizabeth (1843-67). They both reside beneath weathered and broken headstones in Spencer, Indiana. My second cousin Jerry Davis was the instigator of this project this past summer. He now tells me that we have raised the total amount needed from descendants of theirs. The headstone has been ordered and its creation is underway!

Jerry: I am getting anxious to get the stone in place and completed. I certainly appreciate all your assistance in helping to bring this to completion and that Alexander and Elizabeth will have a permanent grave marker. A BIG Thanks to all those who were willing to share with their contributions to see this completed. We are blessed with such a loving and caring family.

Following is a list of relatives who were willing and able to contribute. Their names are in bold. Pictured are five of the donors: Jerry Davis, Stan Guy, Becky Davis, Gary Millikan and Thelma Boyd.

Descendants of Alexander Davis/ Charles Edward Davis/ John E. Davis:

Stanley Guy (Dallas, Texas) - grandson of John Davis
Jon D. Guy (Arnett, Ok.) - grandson of John Davis
Milfred W. Davis (Amarillo, Texas) - son of John Davis
William P. "Bill' Davis (Alamogordo, N.M.) - grandson of John Davis
Jerry D. Davis (Grand Prairie, Texas) - grandson of John Davis

Descendants of Alexander Davis/Charles Edward Davis/James Brooks Davis:

Jim and Nancy Bushong (Oologah, Ok.) - great grandson of J.B. Davis
Becky Davis (Bartlesville, Ok.) - granddaughter of J.B. Davis
Gary Millikan (Tulsa, Ok.)- grandson of J.B. Davis
Steve and Cindy Shepard (San Diego, Ca.) - great grandson of J.B. Davis
Thelma Shepard Boyd (Gallup, N.M.) - granddaughter of J.B. Davis
Norma Lou Allen (Bolivar, Mo.) - granddaughter of J.B. Davis
Shirley Borgstadt (Springfield, Mo.) - granddaughter of J.B. Davis
Carolyn Roberts (Bolivar, Mo.) - granddaughter of J.B. Davis
Note: Norma Lou, Shirley and Carolyn's contribution is in memory of their mother Nona Davis Kilpatrick and sister Venita Kilpatrick Bridger.

Descendant of Alexander Davis/Charles Edward Davis/Thomas Davis:

Julie Coble Vandagriff (Bedford, Indiana) - great granddaughter of Tom Davis

Descendants of Alexander Davis/Samilda Dorcas Davis Medaris/Ada Medaris Johnson:

Kellene Hardy (Richardson, Texas) - granddaughter of Ada Johnson
Jaydene Morrison (Nederland, Colorado) - granddaughter of Ada Johnson

Descendant of Alexander Davis/Salathiel George Davis/Harry Davis:

Scott G. Davis (Oklahoma City) - grandson of Harry Davis

The donors above represent a unique cross section of descendants of Alexander and Jane Davis. Not a single person in this list knows every other person on the list, but we are all related nonetheless. And we are now united as family in a common cause. The bottom line though is that this project is a wonderful tribute to our Davis ancestors who lived through some great hardships and left a wonderful legacy for which we can be very grateful. Replacing their headstones not only witnesses to the impact they made, it also shows the high esteem in which we hold them.

And maybe it indicates, as James Nasmyth says in the quote above, that "our ancestors virtually live in us".

- - -

Steve

So This Is Christmas, December 5, 2011

2011-11-28T14:55:00.001-08:00

Every person is an omnibus
in which their ancestors ride.
~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from San Diego, as Thanksgiving passes into memory and the hectic push toward Christmas begins.

Happy Birthday today to Patrick Shepard of Kirkland, Wa. Pat is the last of the four members of our particular clan who were born in 1990 and who therefore turn 21 this year. The others are Steven Paul Shepard, Courtney Boyd and Lyndsey Aquiningoc.

Pat lives in Kirkland with his fiance Nicole Haw, not far from his parents Darrell and Mary Shepard. He and Nicole plan to be married and will be traveling to Cancun, Mexico with their immediate family in March to celebrate. Congratulations and best wishes to both of them!

The first picture (above) shows Patrick on the right with Nicole next to him. On the left are his mom and dad Darrell and Mary. His siblings Christopher and Rachel are in the middle. This picture was taken this last summer at the Shepard family reunion in Anacortes, Washington.

To get us in the Christmas spirit I am including a picture that was taken 19 Christmases ago, also in Anacortes, Washington. It shows Patrick on the right at 2 years old, with his uncle Russ Shepard and his cousin Steven Paul Shepard.

Oklahoma Update. I received word from my cousin Dane Shepard in Oklahoma that his father Elmer Shepard has moved. He had been living in an assisted living facility in Mustang, Oklahoma but just last week was moved to the Norman Veterans Center, Norman, Oklahoma.

Dane said that they "had a good hour long interview with the resident doctor who has had a lot of experience in managing Dad's kind of problems. I was impressed with his understanding of the medications being taken and his recommend- ations. I am confident Dad will be able to receive help here that he was unable to get in an assisted living setting. They are able to give medical treatment and have a nursing care unit as well. It is a very nice facility and I'm so thankful he is not far away."

The third picture I am including was taken about 1941 and shows Elmer Shepard on the left in his early 20s, and Eugene Shepard on the right who was just about 20 years old (younger than his grandson Patrick in the first picture above!). Their sister (my aunt) Thelma Shepard Boyd wrote me recently to say that this picture was taken in San Diego and that the girl looks familiar and was probably just a friend of theirs.

- - -

Steve

"The Year Has Almost Gone", November 29, 2011

2011-11-20T08:17:00.001-08:00

Remember, remember always,

that all of us, and you and I especially,

are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.

~Franklin D. Roosevelt

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from Alameda, California where Cindy and I are visiting with our son Nathan and his family. We have had a busy but enjoyable few days splitting our Thanksgiving weekend between Northern and Southern California.

Happy Birthday Kim and Damian. Today is the birthday of Kim Boyd Clark, and her grandson Damian Ortiz. The first photo shows Kim and Damian in a picture that was taken just a week ago in Missouri.

Kim is one of the grandchildren of Will and Bura Davis Shepard. She and her husband Jeff Clark live in Blue Springs, Missouri. Damian is the son of Kim's older son Jeremy and his wife Desiree, who also live in Blue Springs.

Kim: I can't believe the year has almost gone. It seems to go by faster and faster. A lot of changes this year and the best one is getting to see my grand kids every day and spoiling them.

We will be having another grandchild in June. We have a full house plus a new litter of puppies to keep all of us busy. I think everyone but me is looking forward to the snow and can't wait for it to arrive.

Damian is so ready to start kindergarten in August. He's full of energy, rarely gets tired and loves to dress up like Captain America, Spider-man or others. He has quite an imagination. We will have our birthday dinner at Red Lobster. Damian loves shrimp and wants to try lobster. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! I wish we could all be together again.

Caroline Spear Davis. Today is also the birthday of Kim's Ggrandmother Callie Spear Davis, who was born on this day in 1865. Born in Spencer, Indiana, she married James Brooks Davis, with whom she had 7 children, all born in Indiana. The entire family moved to Beaver County, Oklahoma in 1913.

The second picture I am including today is one that became available to me just recently. It is one of the few pictures I have of Callie Davis and was taken later in her life when she lived in Beaver County, Oklahoma. The other family members in this picture were living in Two Buttes, Colorado, where they had moved from Oklahoma in 1928.

In this picture are four generations of our family:

Callie Davis (seated) at 71,
her first child Bura Davis Shepard (on the right) at 40,
Callie's first granddaughter (Bura's first born) Pauline Shepard Russell at 20,
and Callie's first Ggrandson (Pauline's first born) Rex Russell, who looks to be less than a year old.

Rex was born in Two Buttes in the spring of 1936, so this picture must have been taken later that year or perhaps in early 1937. Rex passed away earlier this year at 75 in Red Rock, Nevada which is where his son Eric and wife Ruthie still live.

- - -

Steve

Grateful For Veteran Ancestors, November 22, 2011

2011-11-17T11:06:00.001-08:00

As we express our gratitude,

we must never forget

that the highest appreciation

is not to utter words,

but to live by them.

~John Kennedy

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you on this week of Thanksgiving. I am grateful for all my family and ancestors who have served their country, including a number of you who are readers of this blog.

I recently came across some information regarding one of our military veterans from generations past, my GGGgrandfather Edmond Owens Jr. (See first picture.) He was part of the Western Tennessee Militia in the War of 1812. The story is that he fought with Andrew Jackson ("Old Hickory") in the famous Battle of New Orleans in January, 1815. Edmond was part of a very diverse group of American soldiers who served together (Tennessee farmers, former Haitian slaves, frontiersmen, outlaws and pirates).

As a youth, Edmond Owens had moved with his parents from his native North Carolina to Davidson County, Tennessee, where his father became a farmer. Edmond was still a teen when war broke out, yet again, against Great Britain. He was one of the first to enlist for the American cause, just like his Grandfather Benjamin Owens, who served under Frances Marion, “The Swamp Fox”, during the Revolutionary War.

When Edmond and his ragtag group of soldiers first arrived in New Orleans to fight with Andrew Jackson, they did not make a good impression. They wore woolen hunting shirts and dyed pantaloons, raccoon skin caps, and belts of untanned deerskin with hunting knives and tomahawks. They had long unkempt hair and were unshaven. (Sounds to me like they would be right at home in New Orleans today; but this was 200 years ago!)

Regardless of their appearance they were good soldiers and they routed the British. One eye witness officer said, "the redcoats fell like blades of grass beneath the scythe." Their victory was a huge boost to the morale of the still young United States. Edmond and the other Tennessee Volunteers became legendary for their service to their county. After the war, Edmond Owens Jr. and his family left Tennessee and settled in Madison County, Illinois, where he received a land grant for his service with the West Tennessee Militia.

Select this link to read more about the story of Edmond Owens and the battle of New Orleans. Thanks to 3rd cousin Roberta Owens Brooks for sharing this story from Ancestry.com.

One of Edmond Owens' grandchildren was Elvira Owens, born in Illinois in 1864. (The second picture shows her headstone in the Sophia Cemetery in Beaver County, Oklahoma, where she lived her last years and where, as an older widow, she married Cal Williams. Cal didn't quite get the spelling of her first name correct!)

Perhaps it was war stories Elvira had heard about her veteran grandfather that attracted her to a young man she had met when she was a teen, a fellow by the name of William Elmer Shepard. He had his own compelling war story. His father had died in the Civil war when he was just an infant in Indiana. As a young man he became a wanderer and found himself in 1886 in Madison County, Illinois where he met and married Elvira. They gave their only son the name William Shepard, the name of his paternal grandfather who had died in the Civil War.

To make a long story short, this William Shepard (my grandfather) moved to Beaver County, Oklahoma in the early 1900s, married Bura Davis, and with her had four children. Two of them, Elmer and Eugene Shepard (see picture), ended up serving their county in yet another war, World War II in the 1940s.

In the foregoing rambling tale is mentioned just 5 of the many family members for whom I am grateful this Thanksgiving week, because of their military service. Others could be mentioned, but these 5 vets deserve special thanks: Benjamin Owens (1734-1808), Edmond Owens Jr. (1795-1864), William Shepard (1835-1862), Elmer Shepard (b. 1918), and Eugene Shepard (1921-2003).

The following lineage begins with Revolutionary War Veteran Benjamin Owens and continues to our family's youngest member Logan Alexander Shepard.

Benjamin Owens (1734-1808) who married Elizabeth Owens, the parents of...
Edmond Owens, Sr. (1762-1821), who married Sarah Rives, the parents of...
Edmond Owens, Jr. (1795-1864), who married Anna Phelps, the parents of...
Payton Owens (1826-1872), who married Mary Wheeler, the parents of...
Elvira Owens (1864-1931), who married William Elmer Shepard, the parents of...
William Shepard (1888-1976), who married Bura Davis, the parents of...
Eugene Shepard (1921-2003), who married Maida Gower, the parents of...
Steve Shepard (b. 1948), who married Cindy Harris, the parents of...
Nathan Shepard (b. 1977), who married Chenda Sou, the parents of...
Logan Shepard (b. 2011)

- - -

Steve

Unexpected Treasures, November 15, 2011

2011-11-08T20:02:00.000-08:00

If your descent is from

heroic sires,

show in your life

a remnant of their fires.
-Nicholas Boileau

Hello Family and Friends,

A few weeks ago when Cindy and I were in Washington, we discovered some unexpected treasures. A couple of old family photo albums had turned up in the bottom drawer of an old cabinet, beneath some material that had not been moved in several years. The albums were nearly 70 years old, and contained pictures from the late 1930s and early 1940s, including photos of my parents Maida and Eugene before they were married, some before they had even met each other.

The first picture I am including today from those old albums shows Maida Gower (on the right) with my aunt Starlene Bass Gower, wife of Maida's brother Hendrix. This picture was taken around 1940, when Maida's Gower family still lived in Oklahoma.

Most of the pictures in the albums that were found are black and white, as you might expect. Color photography would not be popular until the 1960s. And cameras were not nearly as sophisticated as they became in later years, with automatic focus and light adjustment. Some of the pictures however, like this first one, are excellent quality.

The late 1930s and early 1940s was a very unique time. There may never have been a time in the known history of our families when there was so much turmoil in our world and transition in our families. World War II was taking place, with all of the uncertainly it brought to our nation and to our families.

During these years my father's Shepard family and my mother's Gower family moved to California. The second picture, taken in Two Buttes, Colorado in the late 1930s, shows school boy Eugene Shepard with family friend (and one time girl friend?) Violet Gibbs (who later married Rod Ramirez). The Gibbs family had moved to San Diego about 1939 and wrote back to Will and Bura in Colorado encouraging them to move out west and run a boarding home just as they were doing. So many new people, military and civilian, were moving to San Diego that housing was scarce, and boarding homes were doing a great business. So in 1940 Will and Bura packed up their family, moved to San Diego and ran a boarding home for several years as they got settled in California.

In moving to San Diego, the Gowers and Shepards left behind small, depressed farming communities in Colorado and Oklahoma, as they embraced the bustling energetic city life in San Diego. They seemed to make the transition quite well, but there must have been some culture shock for Will and Bura Davis Shepard, and for Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower. The future was good for both families with employment opportunities resulting in a better quality of life.

Besides all this, it was a time for Eugene, Elmer, Maida and others to choose life partners, decisions that would alter their lives forever. Within a few years of moving to California, all 5 single children of both families got married and began families of their own.

Speaking of family treasures, I received an update recently from my cousin Dane regarding his father Elmer Shepard, who will be 94 next spring. He lives in Arbor House Assisted Living, in Mustang, Oklahoma not far from Dane and his family in Newcastle, Oklahoma. Elmer continues to have health concerns but is in a safe, comfortable place with good care. He was honored recently on Veteran's Day in a ceremony that was appreciated by the residents and their families.

Thanks for the treasure that Elmer is to our family, and for all the Veteran's among us.

- - -

Steve

Remembering Bura Davis Shepard, November 8, 2011

2011-11-08T15:02:00.000-08:00

From our ancestors come our names;

from our virtues come our honor.

~proverb

Hello Family and Friends,

Today is the 115th anniversary of the birth of my paternal grandmother Bura Emerald Davis Shepard, who was born November 8, 1896 in Spencer, Indiana. It was 25 years ago this fall that she died, just a few weeks short of her 90th birthday. For those of us who knew her, her positive legacy and her wonderful memory remains.

She was the oldest of the 7 children of James Brooks and Caroline Spear Davis. Her siblings were Lawrence, Myra, Jesse, Winona, Esther and Marjorie. In 1913 at the age of 16 her family migrated to Beaver County, Oklahoma, following the lead of several other Davises who had made the same move from Indiana. Beaver County, and in particular the South Flat Church of Christ, seemed to be to her liking. Because after just two years in Oklahoma she married William Shepard. He was a young man with hoosier roots himself whom she had met at the South Flat Church. Their life together lasted 61 years and resulted in 4 children: Pauline, Elmer, Eugene (my father), and Thelma.

Bura moved with her husband and family in 1928 to Two Buttes, Colorado and then in 1940 to San Diego, California where she and Will lived nearly all the rest of their days.

The first picture shows Bura in the middle surrounded by her family in a picture that was taken about 1943 in San Diego. On the back left are her son Elmer and her husband Will. On the right are her daughter Pauline and Pauline's husband Bill Russell. In front are Will and Bura's daughter Thelma, and Pauline and Bill's children Rex and Beverly Russell. The only member of Bura's immediate family not in this picture is her son Eugene Shepard, who was probably holding the camera.

Will and Bura's descen- dants include 12 grand children, 21 Ggrand children, and 10 GGgrand children who today are scattered around the western half of the U.S. Bura is still remembered today for her small stature but strong character, her unwavering faith, and her love of family.

The second picture was taken in 1982, just a few years before her death, and shows Bura with son Eugene on the left and son Elmer on the right.

I still have the Bible I received as a boy which came with family tree pages in the middle. I can still remember when my grandmother Bura helped me fill in the blanks of those pages some 50 years ago. As we sat at the dining room table, I wrote down unfamiliar names of people long dead, like her parents James Brooks Davis and Caroline Spear and her grandmother Margaret Williams. And I heard for the first time about far off places like Spencer, Indiana, as my journey into family history began.

Not everything about our ancestors lives within us, but I am convinced that some of the best of Bura Davis is reflected in my life. I am sure many of you can say the same.

- - -

Steve

Thanks To A Fantastic Family, November 6, 2011

2011-11-05T13:17:00.000-07:00

We are linked by blood;
and blood is simply
memory without language.
~Joyce Carol Oates

Hello Family and Friends,

Greeting to all of you from San Diego, California where Cindy and I have returned after a trip to Anacortes, Washington to be with family to celebrate my mom's birthday.

Happy Birthday tomorrow to Havilah Colgain Wardle of West Valley, Utah. She is a Ggrandchild of Will and Bura Davis Shepard and the granddaughter of Elmer Shepard, the senior member of our Shepard clan. The first picture shows Havilah with her husband Kevin.

Havilah: "I've had an incredible year since my last birthday! Every year gets better and better, which makes me especially excited on my birthday to celebrate and be thankful for my life! Kevin and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary in January, and have been working together all year on our house and property. We doubled the size of our garden, upped the number of fruit trees in our yard to 19, added a crested duck to our family, and remodeled our kitchen. (I celebrated the removal of my tonsils in June by lying on the couch, drugged, watching Kevin knock out the wall between our kitchen and living room.)

My mom Joan and I took a trip to Oklahoma to visit Granddad, and Dane, Cindy and family earlier in the year. [See picture of Havilah with grandfather Elmer and mother Joan.] In August, I attended a fantastic wedding celebration for Art (my dad) and Valery Colgain. My dad is extremely happy and loving life with his lovely wife! This year was my 10 year high school reunion. My best friends from high school and I created a fabulous impromptu reunion in Chico, CA, and I got to visit Mom on the same trip. =) I just received my business license for Tiki Dogs Grooming Salon, which I run out of our house. I'm proud to say I have some very loyal customers! I continue to paint, write, and cook for fun.

As for my birthday celebration this year, Kevin took me to Topaz Mountain a few days ago to find my birthstone. Dad and Val are cooking dinner for us Saturday, and I've been told there may be a deep fried turkey. Can't wait! I've gotta say, these past 29 years have been fantastic, thanks to a fantastic family, and I look forward to the bright future I've been blessed with."

The following is a lineage for Havilah that includes her Davis ancestors.

George Davis (1799-1843), who married Rozilla Davis (1796-1880), the parents of...
Alexander Davis (1819-66), who married Jane Buskirk (1823-95), the parents of...
Charles Edward Davis (1849-1926), who married Malinda Elizabeth Wright (1846-1920), the parents of...
James Brooks Davis (1870-1928), who married Caroline Matilda Spear (1865-1951), the parents of...
Bura Emerald Davis (1896-1986), who married William Shepard (1888-1976), the parents of...
Elmer James Shepard (1918), who married Beryl Swinney (1923-94), the parents of...
Joan Elaine Shepard (1954), who married Art Colgain (1954), the parents of...
Havilah Treaest Colgain, who married Kevin Wardle.

Also in the above lineage is Alexander Davis, the one for whom we are seeking to get a replacement headstone in Spencer, Indiana. Jerry Davis reports that we have received over $1000 in donations, enough to obtain the new headstone for Alexander and his daughter Elizabeth Davis. Thanks to all of you who have made a contribution to this effort! More details about this project will be forthcoming.
- - -
Steve

Happy Halloween! October 31, 2011

2011-10-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

From ghosties and ghoulies

and long-leggedy beasties

and things that go bump in the night,

deliver us, O Lord.

~Ancient Scottish Prayer

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from Anacortes, Washington where Cindy and I find ourselves in the midst of some family birthday celebrations on this scariest of days.

Yesterday was the birthday of Pam Engan Shepard, who lives here in Anacortes. She is the wife of my brother Russell Shepard and the mother of Steven Paul Shepard and Linda Shepard. Happy Birthday, Pam!

The first picture shows Pam on the right with her mother-in-law Maida Shepard. This picture was taken at the Shepard family reunion this past summer.

Tomorrow is the birthday of my mother Maida Gower Shepard also of Anacortes. Yesterday all her children gathered at her home on Wildwood Lane and celebrated with her a few days early. She will turn a healthy and spry 87 years old tomorrow, November 1.

Maida has lived in Anacortes, Washington for the last 33 years, ever since she and husband Eugene moved here from San Diego in 1978. She lived in San Diego for 36 years, ever since her family moved there in 1942 from Okemah, Oklahoma. San Diego is where she met and married Eugene Shepard, and where they raised their 6 children. She was born in Mountain View, Arkansas, but spent her childhood in Oklahoma.

Maida has lived on Wildwood Lane since she and Eugene moved here back in 1978. She stays busy with her Church and is connected to all her family, especially son Russ and grandson Steven who live with her. She also loves to travel. Just today she told me, "Any mule train that comes along, I am ready to hop on it." It won't be on a mule train, but she will be leaving later this week to visit her son Darrell and family in Seattle. From there she will go on to visit her family in California, including her youngest great grandchildren, Logan and Preslea Shepard.

The second picture shows Maida with her oldest son Gary Shepard. This picture was taken at her birthday celebration yesterday. Happy Birthday to mom!

Else- where around our family. The third picture I am including today shows two of Maida Shepard's other great grand children. On the right are Nate and Kyle Sauvage of Weather- ford, Texas, with their father James, carving a pumpkin and getting ready for Halloween. This picture was taken by their mother Kelly Shepard Sauvage.

Happy Halloween to everyone!

- - -

Steve

Davis Descendants Now and Then, October 25, 2011

2011-10-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

It is a desirable thing

to be well-descended,

but the glory belongs

to our ancestors.
-Plutarch

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from San Diego where fall has finally decided to arrive with cool nights and overcast skies.

Update on New Headstone Project. Second cousin Jerry Davis contacted me this past week and was excited to tell me that we are getting close to the total we need to purchase a new headstone for our ancestors Alexander and Elizabeth Davis. 12 different descendants of theirs have so far contributed toward the effort, leaving us only $164 short. Please let Jerry (jerthebear@sbcglobal.net) or me know if you can help us complete this project. We are hoping to raise the necessary amount soon.

As I have mentioned before, the new headstone is to replace the broken and unreadable stones that now exist for Alexander Davis (1819-1866) and his daughter Elizabeth Davis Carter (1844-1867) in Spencer, Indiana. Elizabeth died the year after her father, at just 24 years old, and is buried next to him.

Alexander and his wife Jane Buskirk Davis (who is buried in Helena, Oklahoma) were important pioneer ancestors of ours who migrated westward from Ohio to Indiana in the early 19th century and began a period of several generations when our family lived in the area around Spencer, Indiana. They are also the very first ones among our ancestors to belong to the Campbell/Stone religious movement (The Church of Christ, Christian Church, Disciples of Christ).

Very few of our relatives still live in Spencer today, but it remains a special place in the history of our family. Especially important is the New Union Cemetery northwest of town, where Alexander and Elizabeth, and a number of other ancestors, are buried. Next to the cemetery is a grassy area where the old New Union Church of Christ stood for nearly 100 years until 1957. We are indebted to these folks for their pioneering spirit, their enduring faith and their love of family. Their legacy continues through us and is present in many ways in their descendants who remember them even today.

Happy Birthday Mandi! One of their many descendants is Mandi Aquiningoc of Granbury, Texas. Tomorrow is Mandi's 19th birthday. She is also a descendant of Leroy and Nola (Shannon) Gower. For the first half of Mandi's life she lived in San Diego, where she was born in 1992. The last 10 years or so she has lived in Texas. The first picture shows Mandi (on the right) with her older sister Lyndsey and her cousin Kyle Sauvage. The picture below shows Mandy with her dog Bubbers.

Mandi: "Hi uncle Steve, it's so good to hear from you:) I'm doing great! I finally got a job at panda express here in Granbury and its amazing. I love the job I love the people and I think I'm gonna fit right in:) My sister and I moved in with our grandparents in Granbury which was the best thing for us to do. Life's great uncle Steve, and I'm proud to say that! Hopefully me and my sister can make it out there sometime and visit with the rest of our family."

Here is Mandi's lineage from Alexander and Jane Davis:

Alexander Davis (1819-66) who married Jane Buskirk (1823-95), the parents of...
Charles Davis (1849-1926) who married Melinda Wright (1846-1920), the parents of...
James Brooks Davis (1870-1928) who married Caroline Spear (1865-1951), the parents of...
Bura Davis (1896-1986) who married William Shepard (1888-1976), the parents of...
Eugene Shepard (1921-2003) who married Maida Gower (1924), the parents of...
Gary Shepard (1946) who married Jackie Enderle (1947), the parents of...
Kerri Shepard (1968) who married Manuel Aquiningoc (1961-1992), the parents of...
Mandi Aquiningoc (1992)

- - -

Steve

Birthdays and New Birth, October 18, 2011

2011-10-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

God gave us our relatives;

thank God we can choose our friends.

~Ethel Watts Mumford

Hello Family and Friends,

Greeting to all of you wherever you may be, on this fine October day in San Diego.

Today is the 14th birthday of Korilyn Boyd. She is the 20th of the 21 Ggrandchildren of Will and Bura Davis Shepard. Kori is the daughter of my cousin Darren and Vicki Boyd of San Diego, and the granddaughter of Terry and Thelma Shepard Boyd of Gallup, New Mexico.

The first picture shows Korilyn (on the left) with a friend. Happy Birthday to Korilyn!

Today is also the birthday of my aunt Vicki Gower Johnston. The daughter of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower, she was born in Okemah, Oklahoma. Vicki lived in San Diego for many years before moving to Oak Harbor, Washington 35 years ago. She lives there today with her husband Duke Johnston. Vicki has four children, Paula Tuzzolino of Sun Lakes, Arizona, Gloria Watson of Knoxville, Tennessee, Michael Harrell of Mountain View, California and David Harrell of Oak Harbor.

The second picture shows Vicki on the left with her sister Maida Gower Shepard on the right.

Vicki has one grand daughter, Heather Cotton, who lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband Sean.

The good news in Vicki's family these days is that her grand daughter Heather recently gave birth to her and Sean's second child, and Vicki's second Great Grandchild. Alexandria Danielle Cotton was born just 3 weeks ago on September 29 in San Antonio, Texas. Heather's first child is 3 year old Victoria (named after her Great Grandmother). Congratulations to the happy parents, to grandmother Paula, and to Great Grandmother Vicki.

The third picture shows newborn Alexandria Cotton ("Lexi") at one week old. Paula tells me that mother and baby are doing fine. Paula has been in San Antonio for the last month helping with the arrival of her new grandbaby. Congratulations to Heather and Sean and best wishes to their whole family on the birth of Lexi.
- - -
Steve

Harried Guys and Wandering Women, October 11, 2011

2011-10-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

The family is the fundamental unit of society

as well as the root of culture.

It is a perpetual source of encouragement,

assurance and emotional refueling.

~Marianne Neifert

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you on this warm fall day in San Diego. Cindy and I are in the middle of a wonderful 10 day experience as full time grandparents, precipitated by the recovery of our daughter-in-law Chenda from her recent surgery. She is doing well and will soon return to her duties as full time mom and wife.

Yesterday was such a beautiful day we went to the San Diego Zoo and enjoyed ourselves with Preslea and Logan and some friends and fellow grand parents and their young ones. The first picture was taken near the end of that memorable adventure. It shows a rather harried Logan and me on the left with a smiling and composed Cindy and Preslea on the right.

Oklahoma Update. I received word just the other day from Dane Shepard of Newcastle, Oklahoma, updating me on the status of his father Elmer Shepard. (The picture below shows Elmer Shepard with his sister Pauline Shepard Russell. It was also taken here in San Diego, not far from where the first picture was taken, but 65 years ago, when the Will and Bura Davis Shepard family was living in San Diego.)

Dane: Greetings and I hope you're enjoying the fall season. We are finally receiving some much needed rain after a dry and warm September. There's been no cool or cold weatherso far.

Regarding Elmer, he seems to be consistently calmer and a bit more activethan last month. When I am with him,he has a good appetite, consuming his meal plus the ice cream I bring. He sleeps a lot but gets up on his own and sometimesfalls. So far nothing serious has happened. His short term memory is indeed very short but he retains a lot of the past. He remembered a lot about Edwin Kilpatrick of recent family emails.

He is in a memory care unit where many of the residents have Alzheimer related issues. He gets visits from wandering women who want to make his bed or do something to the room. One ofthe male residents, Neal, has given some comic relief to the situation. Last month, at the supper table, for some reason he mentioned that he would be glad when Christmas was over. I asked him how old he was andhe said that he didn't remember as it was a long time ago (he is youngerthan Dad).

As time slips by it is interesting (if not sobering) as to one's view oftheir role and family position. You see yourself gradually but surelytaking the place of those who are going or who have gone ahead. Havingchildren at an older age has tempered that reality somewhat for me but Iam quickly reminded being with Dad. Lord willing, the years ahead holdthe promise of fulfillment and even more service and productivity.Indeed, "we walk by faith and not by sight." Most lovingly,Dane.

Thanks to Dane for these words and best wishes to him and Elmer and their family.

- - -

Steve

Because Two People Fell In Love, October 4, 2011

2011-10-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

Family:

all because
two people

fell in love.

~author unknown

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from Alameda, California, our home away from home. Cindy and I are enjoying ourselves with Nathan and Chenda and being grandparents of two little ones. Ostensibly we are here helping Chenda who had a nephrectomy just two weeks ago but is doing very well.

I received word recently from my brother Gary's wife, Cindy Dillon Shepard, that her daughter Michele McGauran was promoted to Chief Petty Officer in the Navy just a couple of weeks ago. Gary and Cindy were present to witness the ceremony at Lemoore Naval Air Station in Lemoore, California where Michele is presently stationed. Below is a picture of Cindy's daughter Michele that was taken by the proud mom at the ceremony last month. Congratulations to Michele!

Gary and Cindy live in Oak Harbor, Washington, which is, of course, a long way from Lemoore, California, but is just down the road a bit and across the bridge from Anacortes, Washington where our mother Maida Shepard lives. Below is Gary and Cindy in a picture that was taken this past summer at the Shepard family reunion in Anacortes. (Thanks to Jerry Clark for taking this picture.)

Gary is the oldest of the 5 children of Maida Gower Shepard and the late Eugene Shepard. Below is a picture that was taken last fall and shows us 5 siblings. From right to left are Gary, me, Darrell, Barbara and Russell. Even though we were all born and raised in San Diego, I am the only one of the bunch who lives in California today. The others all live in Western Washington.

Davis Headstone Project. I talked to my second cousin Jerry Davis of Grand Prairie, Texas recently about our campaign to raise money for a new headstone for our common ancestors Alexander and Elizabeth Davis. They reside in the old New Union Cemetery (I love that oxymoron!) in Spencer, Indiana. (Click here for the details.) Jerry tells me that we are well over half way toward our goal of raising $958 for the new headstone. He has spread the word beyond the readership of this blog to a number of other Davis descendants who are interested in participating. Some of you have also expressed an interest in contributing.

We are hoping to complete this project in the next few months. So if you would like to participate, please send a check to either Jerry (2637 Remington Drive, Grand Prairie, Texas 75052) or to me (918 Camino de la Reina #55, San Diego, Ca 92108). If you have any questions, Jerry or I would be glad to answer them.

- - -

Steve

Leroy and Nola Gower's Anniversary, September 27, 2011

2011-09-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

In time of test,

family is best.

~Burmese proverb

Hello Family and Friends,

It was 90 years ago today that my grandparents Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower were married in Mountain View, Arkansas. I mentioned in my last post that I do not ever remember them celebrating a wedding anniversary. I do know, however, that they had a special celebration on their 50th anniversary.

It took place on September 27, 1971. A number of pictures were taken that day as the family gathered to honor them at the home of Eugene and Maida Gower Shepard on Armstrong Street in San Diego. The first picture is one of the pictures from that celebration. It shows a smiling Leroy and Nola with their anniversary cake in front of them.

The second picture (below) is also from that day in 1971 and shows Leroy and Nola on the right with their daughter Maida and her husband Eugene in the middle. In front of Eugene is their youngest son Russ; in front of Maida is Leroy and Nola's Ggranddaughter Kerri. On the left is Kerri's parents, my brother Gary with his first wife Jackie.

Of the 40 descendants of Leroy and Nola, 21 have been born since 1971. Their youngest Ggrandchild at the time, Tim Gower, missed being born on their anniversary by just 11 days.

Their anniversary September 27th was one of the first happy moments in our family's life after the tragic death just 2 months earlier of their oldest granddaughter, my 20 year old sister Linda. My other sister, 12 year old Barbara, was seriously injured in the same accident, requiring a lengthy recovery. It was a very stressful time for the whole family.

Just a few weeks before their anniversary, Cindy and I had moved from San Diego to Berkeley, California. I had just begun seminary, and Cindy had just begun her career with Wells Fargo Bank, which was why we were unable to attend their celebration. It was one of their last anniversary celebrations; Leroy died in December, 1974. I will always be grateful for these two who were such an important part of our family.

Happy Birthday to Cathrina! Thursday, September 29, is the birthday of Cathrina Helms Clark, wife of Jerry Clark of Lubbock, Texas. The third picture shows Jerry and Cathrina in a picture taken this summer at the Italian ruins of Ostia Antica. Happy Birthday Cathrina!

- - -
Steve

Remembering A 90th Anniversary, September 22, 2011

2011-09-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

The more you celebrate your life.

the more there is in life to celebrate.

~Oprah Winfrey

Hello Family and Friends,

This coming Tuesday, September 27, marks the 90th anniversary of the wedding of my late grandparents Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower. It is an occasion to remember and to honor these two whose lives had a great impact on those of us who are descendants of theirs.

Leroy and Nola were both born in Mountain View, Arkansas at the turn of the 20th century - Leroy in 1899, and Nola in 1902. They were raised there in farming families of very modest means and then married in 1921, perhaps in the Baptist Church to which their families belonged. The first picture shows Leroy and Nola in a picture that may have been taken on their wedding day.

Mountain View was where they bore their first two children, Hendrix and Maida. Maida remembers her folks saying that in 1925, on her first birthday, the four of them left Mountain View and began their 300 mile journey by wagon from Northern Arkansas to Okemah in Eastern Oklahoma.

Oklahoma was where their third child Victoria (nee Melva) was born and where they lived for 17 years. In 1942 they followed the lead of many other Okies and moved to California. They settled in San Diego where Leroy and Hendrix found work with the Railway Express. San Diego is where Leroy and Nola spent almost all the rest of their lives, in their home on Lynne Street. San Diego is also where they are laid to rest in Greenwood Cemetery. The final few years of Nola's life (she lived to 102!) were spent in Western Washington where her daughters Maida Shepard and Vicki Johnston still live today.

Their 3 children gave them 12 grand children: Hershell and Jimmie by Hendrix; Gary, me, Linda, Darrell, Barbara and Russ by Maida; and Paula, Gloria, Michael and David by Vicki. Their descendants today also include 14 Ggrandchildren and 11 GGgrandchildren. Of their 40 descendants, born in the last 90 years, just one of their children, Hendrix, and one of their grandchildren, Linda, have passed away. The rest are scattered around the U.S., mainly in Western Washington and California, but also Arizona and Tennessee.

I honestly never remember my grandparents ever celebrating a wedding anniversary. They were of very humble and modest beginnings and were not given to celebrations like anniversaries. I was only 26 years old when my grandfather Leroy passed away in 1974 (30 years before Nola). So I did not have many occasions to be around them when their anniversaries occurred. I do know that their 50th anniversary in 1971 was a special occasion, at a very memorable time in our family's history. In my next post I will share some specifics of that event.

The second picture from 1962 was taken at the Gower home on Lynne Street in San Diego and shows Leroy and Nola Gower on the left. Maida and Eugene Shepard are on the right with their children Russell, Darrell and Barbara. On the left in front is Starlene Bass Gower, wife of Hendrix Gower.

Cheryl Gower. I mentioned two weeks ago that Cheryl Gower, wife of Jimmie Gower of Fort Mojave, Arizona, had surgery. She wrote me recently to say that she is now home and recovering very well. Continuing best wishes to her!

Headstone Replacement. We continue to receive donations in hopes of replacing the headstones for Alexander Davis (1819-66) and his daughter Elizabeth (1844-67), in Spencer, Indiana. Select this link for all the details. Please contact me by email or contact Jerry Davis if you are able to contribute. Thanks so much.

- - -

Steve

"Seizing the Treasure", September 16, 2011

2011-09-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

Take time to remember,

for the heart holds many treasures,

golden moments that will always be a part of us.

(from Seizing the Treasure)

Hello Family and Friends,

I have written before in this blog about the long time family connection between the Shepard, Davis and Kilpatrick families. Two of my great aunts, Winona Davis and Myra Davis, married Kilpatrick brothers in Oklahoma back in 1918 and 1924, and began a serious intertwining of our families. It continued when members of those families moved and settled a few years later in Two Buttes, Colorado, and then when some of them even later moved to the West Coast and maintained ties. Over the years the connections between the Kilpatricks, Davises and Shepards have been as convoluted as they have been warm and memorable!

Marjorie Vaughn-Eldred, a reader of this blog who lives in Buckley, Washington, is a member of the Kilpatrick family with whom our family has been in cahoots for several generations now. Marjorie's mother was Marion Kilpatrick, a sister of Bill and Barney Kilpatick, the two fellows who long ago married the Davis girls, who were sisters of my grandmother Bura Davis Shepard. In other words Marjorie is a first cousin of a first cousin of my father Eugene Shepard. See what I mean by convoluted?

A New History Book. Just this year, Marjorie published a family history titled Seizing the Treasure: Nuggets of Vaughn-Kilpatrick Story. This very personal book is a 350 page collection of family stories that take place over the last 100 years. It tells the stories of Marjorie, her parents and grandparents, as well as her siblings, her children and other family. It covers the Kilpatrick family and their moves from Beaver County, Oklahoma to Two Buttes, Colorado, to California, Oregon and Washington. If those moves sound familiar, it's because some of the Shepards and Davises made very similar moves at various times in the 20th century.

Marjorie's book is one more work that will take its place alongside other writings that chronicle the life of our larger family. The strength of her book is the family recollections that recount stories while not being quite so concerned with exact dates and other details. Her work is "an anthology of family tales [that] joins several genres: non-fiction, creative non-fiction, essay, letters, and a bit of poetry." It is a valuable piece of our family history that is worth reading, and for which we can be grateful.

Marjorie told me just yesterday: "People can email me at cemeingv@q.com and request a book or go to Amazon.com and buy a copy there for $16.95. If they buy two copies (buddy system) they can save the postage. The book plus mailing expense is about $20 if they order one copy from me."

Remembering Edwin Kilpatrick. Reading Marjorie's stories prompted me to remember a first cousin of Marjorie, Edwin Kilpatrick, who is mentioned in her book. Edwin was one of the great influences in my life and illustrates the important relationships between our families over the years.

Many of you remember that Edwin was the minister of my family's church, the Linda Vista Church of Christ, in San Diego in the 1960s. He took a special interest in our church youth group and led us on many wonderful adventures, not the least of which were trips to Yosemite, including my first excursion to the top of Half Dome. (See second picture of Edwin on a youth backpack in Little Yosemite Valley.) He was one of the key factors in my decision to go into the ministry, which resulted in 40 years of full time ministry. He also married Cindy and me 44 years ago, and was a dear friend of ours until his untimely death from cancer just 11 years later. It was my honor to preside at his funeral service in 1979 in Roseville, California.

The third picture, from 1972, shows Edwin Kilpatrick, his wife Ruby and 4 of their children in the right half of the picture. In the left half of the picture are my parents Eugene and Maida Shepard with my sister Barbara and my brother Russ. My wife Cindy is on the far left. (Click on the picture for a larger view.)

Thanks to Marjorie for her new book, and for this reminder of the strong and lasting relationship our families have shared.

Taking My Turn, September 9, 2011

2011-09-09T17:52:00.000-07:00

Family...
remains the measure of our stability
because it measures our sense of loyalty.
~Haniel Long

Hello Family and Friends,

Taking My Turn. Today I take my turn in doing something that there is no avoiding, something that everyone of us must do, something that no person in this life can escape. Ever. Today I get to celebrate yet another birthday. I will do it for the 63rd time.

I guess it is only fair. I have reminded many of you, innumerable times in the posts of this blog, that the years of your life are slipping away. And if that wasn't enough, I included pictures to prove the point. The reminders have come whether you liked them or not -- and I suspect in some cases it was "not". But I have had to be fair. The Shepard's Crook does not discriminate. I would hope that my constant birthday reminders are a measure of my stability and my sense of loyalty to our family (see the Haniel Long quote above).

So today, 9-9-11, I take my turn. I suppose someone else should be giving this unflattering reminder that I am a year older and what a wonderful thing it is. (Yeah, right.) But did any of you step forward and volunteer? Of course not. So it is my duty. Happy Birthday to me.

On the upside, I am genuinely grateful to be around to celebrate yet another birthday. And I sincerely appreciate the well wishes that many of you have expressed in phone calls and emails and Facebook posts. I appreciate them all.

Having a birthday is yet another opportunity for me to boast shamelessly of the wonderful family Cindy and I are blessed to be a part of, including our son Nathan, his wife Chenda, and their two children, Preslea and Logan. The first picture above, taken by Cindy last week in Alameda, California, shows me and the youngest member of our family, our grandson Logan.

Happy Birthday Kelly! Monday is the birthday of my niece Kelly Shepard Sauvage. She lives with husband James and sons Nate and Kyle in Weatherford, Texas. Kelly was born and raised in San Diego, and has remained a California girl at heart even though she has lived in the lone star state for over 10 years now. The second picture I am including shows Kelly with their two sons. Best wishes for a very happy birthday to Kelly this coming Monday!

Update on Davis Headstone Replacement. Jerry Davis and I have received word from several of you that you would be willing to help with the replacement of the headstone in Spencer, Indiana for ancestors Alexander Davis and his daughter Elizabeth, which I detailed in my last post. Thanks so much! If there are others who would like to help, please contact me by email or contact Jerry Davis with your interest. The cost will be $958 and I am pleased to report that we are well on our way toward reaching that goal. But we do need more help, so please give it some thought.

Cousin Cheryl Gower. I received word earlier this week from Cheryl Gower, the wife of my cousin Jimmie Gower of Ft Mojave, Arizona. Cheryl said that she will be in a Las Vegas hospital today having some serious surgery and would appreciate our thoughts and prayers.
- - -
Steve

New Headstone for Old Davises, September 3, 2011

2011-09-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

Family...
All other pacts of love or fear
derive from it and are modeled upon it.

~Haniel Long

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings today from Alameda, California on this weekend of Labor Day.

In my last post I mentioned Alexander and Jane Davis, Ohio immigrants who were among our earliest Davis ancestors to settle in Indiana. I do not have a picture of Alexander and Jane, but I am including a picture that shows their son Charles Edward Davis (with the cane, second from right). Taken in the 1920s this picture also shows Alexander and Jane's Davis grandsons Zaley, Benjamin, Morton, James Brooks and, on the far right, John.

Alexander and Jane were among the very first members of the New Union Church of Christ, outside Spencer, Indiana. Alexander and their daughter Elizabeth Davis Carter are buried in the New Union Cemetery, next to where the old New Union Church once stood.

Old and Broken Headstones. If you visit the New Union Cemetery today, you can see the graves of Alexander and Elizabeth Davis -- if you know where to look. Theirs are among the oldest, most weathered headstones in the entire grave yard. When Cindy and I visited the cemetery in July we needed the help of local family member Ruth Fortner to locate them. The two broken headstones are flat, not upright like most of the others around them, and are so old that they are very difficult to read.

Jerry Davis of Grand Prairie, Texas, is a direct descendant of Alexander Davis -- as am I, and many of you. (At least 35 of you who are reading this are also direct descendants.) Jerry wrote me recently with an idea about Alexander Davis and his daughter Elizabeth. He is suggesting we replace both of their broken, nearly unreadable headstones, with a new one.

He has found out that it will cost $958 to obtain a new quality headstone that will honor the memory of these two and be a fitting tribute to them in this cemetery that holds so much history of our family. Jerry has said that he will make a substantial contribution himselftoward the cost of this headstone. Cindy and I have agreed to do the same. Are there others among you who can contribute to this cause?

The Rest of the Story. By way of explanation I should mention that Jane Buskirk Davis, Alexander's wife and Elizabeth's mother, is not buried in Indiana. She was among our Davis kinfolk who left Indiana in the 1880s and migrated to Oklahoma. Jane, at 70 years old, with their youngest son William Alexander Davis, "ran for land" in the Cherokee Strip in 1893, staking a claim and settling in what eventually became Helena, in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma.

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 and his wife Mary. (See the second picture of Jane's headstone.)

Jane's headstone in Oklahoma is in very good shape, as you can see from the picture. Back in Indiana, however, her husband's headstone and that of her daughter, are in very poor condition (see my last post for a picture of their headstones).

Can You Help? If you are able to contribute to the effort to buy a new headstone for Alexander Davis and his daughter Elizabeth Davis Carter in Spencer, Indiana, please contact me by email or contact Jerry Davis. We are hoping to get contributions from several of our family for $50 or $100 or whatever you can give. Please let us know if you can help, or if you have any questions. It's the least we can do for these wonderful ancestors to whom we owe so much.

---

Steve

Some Remarkable Ancestors, August 29, 2011

2011-08-29T09:10:00.000-07:00

So much of what is best in us

is bound up in our love of family.

~Haniel Long

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from San Diego as these dog days of summer creep along.

Happy 21st Birthday TODAY to Lyndsey Aquiningoc of Weatherford, Texas. She is the daughter of Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc, also of Weatherford, the granddaughter of Gary Shepard of Oak Harbor, Washington, and the oldest Ggrandchild of Maida Shepard. (See picture of Lyndsey with sister Mandi on the left, and the baby of a friend on the right.)

Lyndsey started a new job a few weeks ago as a dental assistant at a pediatric dental office in Weatherford. She loves to spend time with her sister Mandi, and her friends, and enjoys being a working girl and being single. I hear that she has big plans for her 21st Birthday party and that it should be a fun time.

Alexander and Jane Davis: A Remarkable Family Story. Lyndsey is also one of the GGGGG Grandchildren of Alexander and Jane Davis. Here is the family line from Lyndsey to them:

Lyndsey Aquiningoc / Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc / Gary Shepard / Eugene Shepard / Bura Davis Shepard / James Brooks Davis / Charles Davis / Alexander and Jane Buskirk Davis.

Alexander and Jane were among the very first of our Davis relatives to settle in Indiana, nearly 2 centuries ago. They were both born in Ohio -- Alexander in 1819 in Belmont County, and Jane in 1823 in Monroe County (just to the south), which is where they were married sometime in the 1840s. Census Records show them still living in Ohio in 1850, but shortly thereafter they trekked almost 400 miles west and settled outside Spencer, Indiana.

A Proud Church Heritage. According to the church records of the New Union Church of Christ outside Spencer, Indiana, Alexander and Jane were among the earliest members of that congregation, which began in the 1850s, as part of the "Stone-Campbell tradition" (aka the Restoration Movement). The New Union Church existed until 1957 when the last remaining members disbanded and joined other churches. Many of them became members of the Spencer Church of Christ, the congregation that today holds the church records for the old New Union Church. I have copies of those church records which show Alexander and Jane Davis on the first official roll of the Church, dated April 3, 1866. Those of us with their church affiliation today can proudly trace our church heritage back 5, 6, even 7 generations!

One of the children of Alexander and Jane Buskirk Davis was Charles Edward Davis (the father of James Brooks Davis). The second child of Alexander and Jane was Elizabeth Davis, who was born back in Ohio in 1844 and made the family trek to Indiana as a 6 year old girl. In 1863 the teenager Elizabeth married a local Spencer boy by the name of Calvin Carter. She and Calvin had two children, but when they were still babies, Elizabeth died at just 23 years old.

Father and Daughter, Side By Side. Her untimely death in 1867 came just one year after the death of her father Alexander. This explains why mother Jane chose to lay daughter Elizabeth to rest next to Alexander. One can only imagine the grief and hardship of the wife and mother Jane burying her 47 year old husband one year and then her 23 year old daughter the next year. At the time, Jane was herself the mother of 8 other children, one of whom was an infant (William Alexander) born earlier that same year!

Alexander and Elizabeth -- father and daughter -- still reside in the New Union Cemetery today, side by side. Theirs are among the oldest headstones in the entire grave yard at the corner of Rattlesnake Rd and Shepard Patrick Rd, right next to where the old church once stood. (See above picture) A visit to their burial site is an occasion to feel the weight of our family history and the inspiration of our ancestral memories.

More To Come. I will share more about Alexander and Jane Davis and their daughter Elizabeth in my next blog entry. I will also share an interesting proposal regarding the possible replacement of their broken, weathered headstones. For now, as we extend our birthday wishes to Lyndsey, we honor the lives of these hearty ancestors, whose difficulties seem almost unimaginable, but whose strength and resilience we have to admire.

- - -

Steve

Joys and Concerns Here and There, August 22, 2011

2011-08-22T16:12:00.000-07:00

No other success

can compensate

for failure in the home.

~suggested quote

at a tattoo parlor

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you on this fine August day in Southern California. The following are some joys and a concern regarding people in our family around the country.

Happy 25th Anniversary to Russ and Pam. Tomorrow, August 23, is the 25th anniversary of my brother Russ and his wife Pam Engan Shepard of Anacortes, Washington.

I remember well that warm and pleasant Saturday afternoon in Anacortes 25 years ago when the families of Russ and Pam gathered in the front yard of the Shepard home on Wildwood Lane for the wedding ceremony. (see first picture) It was the last family event that our Grandmother Bura Davis Shepard attended before her death in October that year.

Happy 18th birthday to Linda Shepard! Russ and Pam are the proud parents of two children, Steven and Linda. (see second picture) Steve reached the milestone age of 21 earlier this year, and Linda reached her own milestone when she turned 18 just last Tuesday (August 16). Linda and friends enjoyed a tattoo trip to Seattle to celebrate the day. (How the rites of passage change!) Happy Birthday, Linda!

Happy Birthday Amanda. This coming Thursday, August 25, is the birthday of Amanda Ortiz who lives in Blue Springs, Missouri. She is the daughter of Kim Boyd Clark, also of Blue Springs, and the granddaughter of Terry and Thelma Shepard Boyd of Gallup, New Mexico.

Amanda: "My birthday is approaching quickly! Mom, Jeff and the family are taking me for a steak dinner. It should be a good day!

"I am enjoying what I have left of my twenty's. :( I am having a blast with my nieces and nephew here in Missouri. I have missed them so much living so far away from them since I moved away in 2006. I may live in the Midwest now but I am still a San Diego girl at heart :)

"I am currently living in Blue Springs, MO and am coming up on 3 years working with Allstate's Flood division and look forward to many more years with them. I am currently in school and will be obtaining my business degree in Human Resources in October. I am looking forward to the next year of my life and hoping to experience new and exciting things. Thanks for the birthday wishes!"

Update on Elmer Shepard. As you probably know, my uncle Elmer Shepard, who lives in Mustang, Oklahoma, is the senior member of our Shepard clan at 93 years old. His son Dane Shepard wrote me recently with an update on how his dad is doing.

In the last few weeks, Dad had a couple of days where his blood pressure dropped so low he was unresponsive. They have adjusted his medication and he seems stable now. He is weaker and is unable to get out anymore. He spends more time in bed and it is easier now to use a wheel chair instead of his walker to get him from his room to wherever he needs to go. I usually try to take him some Braums ice cream which he enjoys. I am now not immune to his short fuse and aggression. He likes to eat but there is very little else he enjoys. He doesn't like TV and is unable to sit for any period of time especially to read. He still hangs on and is aware of his surroundings and who people are yet seems to remain mentally uncomfortable most of the time. He stills receives hospice care and observation. Obviously, my reports on Dad will continue to go downhill as he slowly weakens. It will be such a blessing when the Lord takes him home. He's not the Elmer we once knew.

Our prayers and best wishes are with Elmer; and with Dane as he continues to care for and watch over his father.

- - -

Steve

Family Reunions, August 17, 2011

2011-08-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

What the next generation will value most

is not what we owned,

but the evidence of who we were

and the tales of how we loved.

~Ellen Goodman

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings from San Diego on this week after our family reunion. Cindy and I are home and catching up after a trip to Washington State for the recent family get together.

Last Saturday in Anacortes, Washington 22 of us gathered to enjoy each others company and celebrate the life we share as members of one family. The first picture shows those who attended. Click on the picture for a larger view. Select this link for more pictures from the Anacortes reunion and the reunion referred to below.

We renewed relationships, introduced some new family members, heard family stories, looked at pictures and family books, shared a great meal (thanks to Gary and Cindy!), and enjoyed the afternoon on a beautiful day in Western Washington. We were young (3 mos.) and old (86); we traveled from far and near; we were engaged and married and friended; but despite all the diversity, we enjoyed that unique and remarkable bond we share as family.

We awarded handmade glass artwork (made specially for this event by Steven Paul Shepard) to three persons: the one who had traveled the farthest (Jerry Clark, Lubbock Texas), the newest member of the family (Barbara's new husband John Mackey), and the youngest family member (3 month old Logan Shepard).

The second picture shows Great Grandmother Maida Shepard with her two newest Great Grandchildren Logan and Preslea Shepard.

Most of us were descendants (or their spouses) of Will and Bura Davis Shepard. But we were also joined by Bud Davis, a first cousin of my dad Eugene Shepard. Bud lives not far from Anacortes in Graham, Washington and is the son of the late Jess and Mildred Davis, whose family still lives in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Also last Saturday, a kind of "extension" of our family reunion was held in Kansas City, Missouri. Kim Boyd Clark, her husband Jeff, and several of their family, along with Shannon and Emma Wilk of Atchison, Kansas also gathered to renew their bond as descendants of Will and Bura Davis Shepard.

In the third picture, from left to right, are Ashlyn Ortiz, Shannon and Emma Wilk, Ciara Ortiz, Jeff and Kim Boyd Clark, and Amanda, Desiree and Damian Ortiz. (Click on the picture for a larger view.)

- - -

Steve

Shepard Family From East to West, August 10, 2011

2011-08-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

My ancestors wandered

lost in the wilderness for 40 years

because even in Biblical times,

men would not stop to ask for directions.

~Elayne Boosler

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from San Diego, California on this week of our family reunion. This Saturday afternoon at the Anacortes Christian Church (12th and M St) in Anacortes, Washington our family will gather from far and near to celebrate our life together.

Happy Birthday Jeremy. This coming Friday, Aug 12, is the birthday of Jeremy Ortiz, son of Kim Boyd Clark, of Blue Springs, Missouri. Originally from San Diego, Jeremy and Desiree and their children moved earlier this year to Missouri, where Kim and her husband Jeff Clark live.

Kim: "Jeremy is working like crazy. He has a very busy Pizza Hut store and is looking forward to the Chargers coming to town [Kansas City] Oct 31." The first picture shows Jeremy with their 3 children, Ashlyn, Ciara and Damian.

4th Great Grandparents, James Sr., and Hannah. Recently in this blog I shared about the discovery of my 3rd Ggrandparents James and Hannah Shepard. I would now like to introduce the parents of James Shepard, whose names were also James and Hannah. James Shepard Sr. was born in 1775, the year before the birth of our nation, in Hagerstown, Maryland, just 65 miles from Washington, D.C. His wife Hannah Gatchell was born in 1784 in Calvert, Maryland, in the northeast corner of that state, half way between Philadelphia and Baltimore.

James Sr. and his wife Hannah, followed the lead of most early Americans by moving westward. In the early 1800s, they left Maryland and migrated more than 200 miles, through the Cumberland Valley into southwest Pennsylvania and finally down into eastern Ohio where they settled in Belmont County. That's where their children were born, including their son James Jr., from whom we are descended.

In 1839 Hannah Gatchell Shepard, at only 55, died, leaving her husband James and several children. The very next year, James Jr., who had married his own Hannah, was feeling the same pioneering spirit that had driven his parents westward. The younger James and Hannah left Ohio and migrated some 350 miles further west to Tippecanoe County, Indiana, leaving behind his widowed father James Sr., who died in Ohio a few years later in 1843.

From East Coast to West. With the discovery of the senior James Shepard, and his wife Hannah Gatchell, our Shepard family line has now been traced all the way back to the East Coast, and all the way back to the beginning of our nation. Originally from Maryland, they migrated to Eastern Ohio, where their children were born. One of them, James Jr., migrated to Northwest Indiana with his family, which included William Shepard, a young man who gave his life in the Civil War. He left one son, William Elmer Shepard, who moved to Illinois and then with his own family to Beaver County, Oklahoma. That's where his son William Shepard married Bura Davis. After a move to southeast Colorado, where they lived 12 years, they and their four children made the final jump of over 1,000 miles to the West Coast, settling in San Diego in 1940.

It took 165 years but the Shepards finally made it from Hagers- town, Maryland in 1775 to San Diego, California in 1940 with stops in Ohio (35 years), Northern Indiana (40 years), Illinois (25 years), Oklahoma (23 years), and Colorado (12 years). If you plot out all these stops from Hagerstown to San Diego (see graphic), you get a fairly direct route that bisects our country from Northeast to Southwest, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Our Shepard ancestors were a wandering people as they made their way across the U.S., but they wandered in a remarkably straight line, at least until they reached the Pacific Ocean.

In San Diego nearly the entire clan lived for more than 30 years until the early 1970s. But in the 40 years since then, many members of our family have "bounced back" to New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas. Still others have moved northward to Northern California and Utah. And a large number have moved to Western Washington, in particular Anacortes, Washington where our Shepard Family Reunion will be held this coming Saturday. Only a handful of us Shepard descendants live in San Diego today.

Below is a 9 generation lineage that traces one strain of our Shepard Family from our oldest known ancestor, James Shepard, Sr. of Hagerstown, Maryland, to our youngest family member, Logan Shepard, of Alameda, California (see picture of Logan with his sister Preslea, on granny Cindy's lap).

James Shepard Sr., (1775-1843) born in Hagerstown, Maryland, who married Hannah Gatchell (1784-1839), the parents of...
James Shepard Jr., (1818-1887) born in Belmont County, Ohio, who married Hannah (maiden name unknown), the parents of...
William Shepard (1835-1862) born in Belmont County, Ohio, who married Mary Sprague (1840-1919), the parents of...
William Elmer Shepard (1862-1915), born in Wabash, Indiana, who married Elvira Owens (1864-1931), the parents of...
William Shepard (1888-1976), born in Alton, Illinois, who married Bura Davis (1896-1986), the parents of...
Eugene William Shepard (1921-2003), born in Logan, Oklahoma, who married Maida Gower (b. 1924), the parents of...
Steven Dale Shepard, born 1948 in San Diego, who married Cindy Harris (b. 1948), the parents of...
Nathan William Shepard, born 1977 in San Diego, who married Chenda Sou (b. 1980), the parents of...
Logan Alexander Shepard, born 2011 in San Francisco, California.

- - -

Steve

Finding Family Up Fish Creek Road, August 4, 2011

2011-08-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

Whether we recognize it or not,

we are connected with our past.

~S.W. Kimball

Hello Family and Friends,

As Cindy and I made our way up Fish Creek Road outside Spencer, Indiana a few weeks ago, I was concerned that the Spear Cemetery would elude us once again. Twice before I had attempted to find it, without success.

Two years ago Cindy and I had looked but failed to locate it. 20 years before that I had made my first genealogical trek to Spencer with my dad, and we had made a serious effort to find it, but were unsuccessful. All we had found on that hot muggy July day in 1989 was a field of thick weeds about 3 feet high. "Were the headstones completely overgrown?" I had wondered.

Spear Cemetery

This time I had actually "googled" Spear Cemetery and found it online! (See it yourself here.) And we had a car with a GPS system. So I was cautiously confident as we headed west out of town on Hwy 46 and then drove north on Fish Creek Road. After leaving the pavement on Lennox Road, we drove on gravel about a mile and crossed Fish Creek. We then came to the same intersection where Dad and I had been stymied. Everything was the same: hot and muggy, overgrown weeds, not a headstone in sight.

This time we decided to look around. We crept south on the crunching gravel about a hundred yards and then took a right turn, which swung up a hill and back northward. On the right was a wall of tall trees and thick bushes. About 30 yards up this grade I noticed a kind of tunnel cut into the bushes, barely big enough for a car to drive into. No sign. No road. No indication that anything of interest might lay inside, besides maybe a back woodsman chewing tobacco, sitting on a porch with a shotgun!

James and Callie Spear Davis, 1896

As we drove inside the tunnel an opening appeared. Then we saw a modest barbed wire fence, beyond which was a clearing, maybe half an acre in size. The trees overhead shaded the entire sanctuary, which was dotted with a few dozen graves, most of them carrying the name Spear. This was it. The Spear Family Cemetery.

This was the burial ground of the kinfolk of my great Grandmother Caroline "Callie" Spear Davis (1865-1951). Though she and husband James Brooks Davis were born and married in this community, they are buried in Beaver County, Oklahoma where they migrated with their children in 1913. But in this Indiana cemetery, on a hot day last month, we found a number of Callie's relatives, whose names are in our family tree. It was a rewarding find, a sacred place, hallowed ground. With fading memories of lives and loves that still provide the foundation for the family we are in 2011.

Select this link to see several of the graves we visited at the Spear Family Cemetery. You'll see a photo presentation that actually includes pictures we took at 6 different Indiana cemeteries last month, each of which was a unique visit. None, however, was more satisfying to discover than the one off Fish Creek Road outside Spencer, Indiana.

James and Kelly Shepard Sauvage

Happy Anniversary Kelly and James! One of Callie Spear's GGgranddaughters is Kelly Shepard Sauvage, of Weatherford, Texas. Tomorrow she and husband James celebrate 11 years of marriage. Congratulations!

Kelly: It’s been crazy at work as I’m trying to close out the budget for this year and get ready for next year. Yes, our 11th anniversary is coming up on Friday. We don’t have big plans; probably just dinner out with the four of us. We are both busy with work and our boys. Not many changes around here. We are all doing really well though, just trying not to melt. We are working on 30+ consecutive days of at least 100 degrees! Thanks for remembering us.

It's getting closer: Shepard Family Reunion, Aug 13, Anacortes, Washington.

- - -

Steve

James & Hannah Shepard: Welcome to Our Tree! July 28, 2011

2011-07-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

Our greatest responsibility
is to be good ancestors.
~Jonas Salk

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from our home in warm and sunny San Diego. This last month Cindy and I have been away visiting some terrific places, but as we all know, there is no place like home!

More Re: Our Recent Genealogical Trek. I mentioned in my last post that I have recently found information about GGgrandmother Mary Sprague Shepard, the wife of Civil War Soldier William Shepard. I have also recently discovered William's parents. Their names were James and Hannah Shepard.

James was born in Kirkwood, Ohio in 1813, while Hannah (maiden name unknown) was born in Thornton, Yorkshire, England about 1816. They met in Belmont County, Ohio, and were married there about 1834. Sometime around 1840, with their two children William and Elizabeth, they moved to Wayne, Indiana, northwest of Indianapolis. They went on to have 4 other children, all born in Indiana: John (in 1841), James (1843), Jasper (1851) and Sarah (1853). After moving just a few miles south to Coal Creek, Indiana, their first born William married Mary Sprague in 1860.

Young William and Mary then moved across the state to Wabash where William got a farming job making some good money. The Civil War started the next year, which took the life of William, a story I told in my last post. The widow Mary and her son William Elmer then returned to Montgomery County where her family and her in-laws James and Hannah still lived.

Most of the historical records indicate that James was an Indiana farmer most of his life, although a few of them say he was also a "wagon maker". Sometime in the early 1870s, GGGgrandma Hannah died. After moving some 50 miles to Carroll County, Indiana, James married for a second time, to a woman named Lydia Caldwell, with whom he spent the last 13 years of his life.

On our recent genealogical trek to Indiana, Cindy and I visited the grave of James Shepard, who is buried with his second wife Lydia in Paint Creek Cemetery outside the small town of Camden, Indiana. They rest beneath a 5' tall monument (see first picture) in the old section of this well kept country graveyard 2.5 miles east of town, alongside a peaceful tributary of Deek Creek. Thanks to Linda Thompson, a genealogist in Wabash, Indiana for finding GGGgranddad James Shepard's final resting place. Don't be confused by the misspelling of the last name on James' headstone. In the 19th century, it was common for our Shepard ancestors to have their name misspelled.

Happy Birthday Barbara! Today is the birthday of my sister Barbara Shepard Mackey of Anacortes, Washington. The second picture shows Barbara with her husband John Mackey. They were married in May in Anacortes, Washington, where they now live. Barbara works for Safeway in Anacortes while John enjoys the retired life, especially riding his Harley and flying. When not occupied with family concerns they spend time sharing meals, playing cribbage, watching TV and reading the Bible. John's recent health concerns has required a lot of Barbara's attention, but thanks to her, he is on the mend.

Happy Birthday Jeff! Today is also the birthday of Jeff Clark of Blue Springs, Missouri. Jeff is the husband of Kim Boyd Clark, daughter of Terry and Thelma Shepard Boyd of Gallup, New Mexico.

Kim wrote me recently: "Jeff just had his 35 year anniversary with Hallmark cards. He will spend his birthday week with our family here, and going to St Louis to the Gateway Arch, Six Flags and the zoo. Then we'll go to Lamberts for his birthday dinner and spend the rest of the week at the lake boating and fishing. He loves entertaining the family."

The countdown to our Shepard Family Reunion in Anacortes, Washington on August 13 continues. It will take place two weeks from Saturday!
- - -
Steve

Civil War Widow, July 24, 2011

2011-07-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

Those who came before us

will teach you.

They will teach you

from the wisdom
of former generations.

~Job 8.10

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from Alameda, California where Cindy and I are visiting with Nathan, Chenda and the kids. We are not yet back home in San Diego, but we are getting close.

In my last post I referred to the wife of my GGgrandfather, Civil War soldier William Shepard. She is an ancestor that I have been seeking for many years and have recently found. She turned up in some 19th century Indiana wedding records. Originally from Montgomery County, Indiana, her maiden name was Mary Ellen Sprague. She married GGgrandad William in March of 1860 when she was barely 20 years old and he was 24. The next year he enlisted in the Union Army in Wabash, Indiana and went to war. He never returned.

Mary Ellen Sprague Shepard was widowed in July of 1862 when William died and left her with their son, 5 month old William Elmer. After her husband's death, she took young William, left Wabash and returned home to her family in Montgomery County.

It took 3 years, but the young widow Mary Shepard finally found a second husband for herself, and a father for young William, a man by the name of William Ragsdale. He was 49 and she was 25 when they married in 1865, so she not only found a husband but evidently a father figure as well.

As good a husband as he might have been for Mary, he was not such a good step father. Sometime in his teenage years -- or so the family story goes -- William Elmer had such a difficult time with Mr. Ragsdale that he ran away from home, never to be reunited again with his mother or other family in Indiana.

Mary Sprague Shepard Ragsdale went on to have other children -- one record indicates she had a total of 4, in addition to some children that Mr Ragsdale brought to their marriage. She and GGgrandpa only shared a few short years, but they must have been filled with as much great joy as painful heartbreak. She lived into the 20th century and died at 79, above average for her time. The first picture was taken last weekend when Cindy and I visited GGgrandma Mary's final resting place in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Happy Birthday, Shannon! Today is the birthday of one of William and Mary Shepard's GGGgrandchildren, Shannon Wilk of Atchison, Kansas. The second picture shows Shannon and her daughter Emma in a picture taken earlier this summer.

Shannon: "Last Saturday night we went to the carnival. Emma had a blast. I was a bit sick on Sunday... think it was the heat. It's been in the high 90's for the last week. And we have another month and a half to go! UGH! The humidity is just horrible! Work is the same... Emma is in daycare and she gets to go to the pool three days a week. Plus on field trips somewhere at least once a week. School starts the 12th of August. Crazy they start so early. Summer is not even done yet! But she is getting excited. Going school shopping this weekend. Hope all things are good for you. Take care. Smiles and Sunshine, ...Shannon and Emma."

Here is a lineage from Mary Sprague to Shannon and Emma Wilk.

Mary Ellen Sprague (1840-1919), who married William Shepard, and whose son was...

William Elmer Shepard (1862-1915), who married Elvira Owens, and whose son was...

William Shepard (1888-1876), who married Bura Davis, and whose daughter was...

Pauline Shepard (1916-2000) who married Willie D. Russell, and whose daughter was...

Beverly Russell (1939-1974), who married Phillip Wilk, and whose daughter is...

Shannon Wilk (b. 1973), whose daughter is...

Emma Beverly Jean Wilk (b. 2005).

- - -

Steve

Strength In What Remains Behind, July 19, 2011

2011-07-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind.

~William Wordsworth

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from Indiana, where Cindy have been on a genealogical journey that is nearing its end. Among the places we visited were Wabash, Indiana, the home of GGgrandfather William Shepard and birthplace of his son William Elmer Shepard; and Spencer, Indiana, the birthplace of my grandmother Bura Davis Shepard and home to many of our Davis kinfolk.

The first picture shows me and a Davis second cousin Ruth Fortner, who still lives in Spencer. She and Cindy and I spent an afternoon visiting some ancestral graves in the civil New Union Cemetery outside Spencer last Sunday.

William Shepard in the Civil War. I mentioned in my last post that GGgrandfather William Shepard's Civil War service began when he enlisted in Wabash, Indiana, September, 1861. As part of the 2nd Indiana Cavalry he traveled to Indianapolis, then Louisville, then Bowling Green, Kentucky where they saw their first fight with the rebels. The 2nd Cavalry then went on to serve bravely in other places until 1865 when the war ended. William's service was cut short, however, with an injury sometime in the winter or spring of 1862. The historical record does not say exactly where or when he was injured. But since he was hospitalized in Evansville, he probably was injured at Bowling Green, Kentucky in February, 1862 when Union forces (including him) stormed that city and drove out the confederates. Evansville was the closest military hospital to Bowling Green. Had William been injured any later in the war he would have been taken to some other hospital.

In an Evansville Hospital. So he was hospitalized in Evansville, probably in February, 1862 and began his recovery from a serious arm injury. Back home in Wabash, also in February, 1862, his wife Mary Shepard gave birth to William's son and named him William Elmer Shepard. (More about his wife Mary Shepard in my next post.) I wonder: sometime that spring, when little William and she were able to travel, did she make the 265 mile journey from Wabash to Evansville to see her soldier-husband in the hospital and show him his new child? It would not have been an easy journey, and may not have even been attempted.

In any case it must have been a difficult and painful time of recovery for William. Infection and disease were rampant. Many more Civil War soldiers died in hospitals than died on the battlefield. William hung on as long as he could, but after 5 months in the hospital he succumbed to Typhoid Fever on July 22, 1862 and was buried in the historic Oak Hill Cemetery in Evansville.

At Oak Hill Cemetery. We visited his grave earlier today. (See the second picture of William's grave, and the third picture of a cemetery angel presiding over the graves.) It is in a beautiful section of the cemetery with hundreds of other Civil War graves, a solemn, well-kept place that holds memories of love and family, of pain and heartbreak that we will never know, but can only imagine. It was sobering to realize that William's remains still lay beneath that weathered, 149 year old headstone. But it was inspiring to ponder how something of his spirit resides in those of us descended from him. What part of his courage and bravery, his love of family and country, his longing for home, do we carry within us?

Happy Birthday Desiree. Earlier this month on July 6, Desiree Ortiz celebrated a birthday. She is the wife of Jeremy Ortiz and lives with her family in Blue Springs, Missouri. Birthday wishes to Desiree!
- - -
Steve

Back to Better People, July 13, 2011

2011-07-13T07:13:00.000-07:00

Genealogy:

The art of tracing yourself

back to better people.

~author unknown

Hello Family and Friends,
Greetings to all of you from Nashville, Tennessee! Cindy and I have returned stateside, at least as far as Nashville, where we are attending the General Assembly of the Christian Church, a wonderful gathering of several thousand people from all across North America.

One of most scenic places we visited while in Italy last week was "The Cinque Terra", a beautiful coastal area on the Mediter- ranean. It is 5 small towns on a rocky seacoast, connected by a wonderfully photogenic trail, part of which we walked one day last week. The first picture shows the beginning of this beautiful, popular trail that winds along the side of the cliffs.

Select this link to see other pictures of our recent trip to Italy.

A Genealogical Trek. When our conference in Nashville concludes we will begin a genealogical trek here in America's heartland, and will retrace the footsteps of GGgrandfather William Shepard.

The 1860 U.S. Census records show him at age 24 living north of Indianapolis in the small town of Wabash, Indiana. Historical records also show that a year later, in September, 1861, as an expectant father, he joined the Union Army to fight in the Civil War.

William's 41st Regiment (2nd Indiana Cavalry), a unit of almost 2,000 men, was the first complete Civil War regiment to be formed in Indiana. William began his military service by going south with his unit from Wabash to Indianapolis, then in December, 1861 to Louisville, Kentucky. From there they engaged in their first skirmish with the enemy at Bowling Green, Kentucky. While there, his son William Elmer Shepard was born back in Indiana.

The second picture shows a plaque that resides in Bowling Green, Kentucky. In the 5th line of the text there is a reference to "Other Federals" who "came from the north". These "other federals" included William and his regiment, who we know engaged the rebels in February at this very location. (Thanks to Richard Edling for the use of this photo.)
From Bowling Green, William and his comrades in arms made their way in late February to Nashville, Tennessee, the city where Cindy and I find ourselves today. As part of the "Union Army of the Ohio", under the command of General Ulysses S. Grant, William assisted in the occupation of this city until early April, 1862. So it took him from early December, 1861 to February 25, 1862 to make the nearly 400 mile journey from Wabash to Nashville on foot during wartime, through the rain and the mud and the fear of enemy combat.
Tomorrow Cindy and I will make the opposite journey in a car in one short day's drive as we travel from Nashville, Tennessee northward to Wabash, Indiana. Obviously ours will be a very different journey under completely different circumstances. I doubt if we will encounter any rain or mud as we travel along hundreds of miles of Interstate Highway. And the closest thing to an enemy combatant will be the heat and the fatigue we may feel during the drive.
Even so, as we make the journey we will humbly remember the strength and courage of people like my Grandad's Grandfather William Shepard, whose service to our country still evokes our deepest gratitude. I will share more about William and his military service in my next post.
This Just In. I recently received two bits of news regarding family members and readers of this blog. The first is the good news that my nephew Patrick Shepard (son of Darrell and Mary) and his girl friend Nicole Haw, both of Bothell, Washington (see their picture), are now engaged to be married! The wedding will probably be sometime next spring, although the exact date has not yet been set. Congratulations to Patrick and Nicole!
I also received some sad news from 2nd cousin Jerry Davis of Granbury, Texas. His 23 year old grandson Jordan Parsons of Paola, Kansas, died tragically last Tuesday in a motorcycle accident. Our prayers and best wishes are with Jerry, his daughter and their entire family in this very difficult time of loss.
- - -
Steve

August 13:
Family Reunion,
Anacortes, Washington

Scenes From A Roman Holiday, July 11, 2011

2011-07-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

Below are some scenes from a recent trip to Italy that Cindy and I took with Jerry and Cathrina Clark.

This first picture shows Jerry and me in Rome with our hotel across the Tiber River in the background.

Here are Cindy and me with the ancient Roman Colosseum in the background.

Beautiful sculptures like the one below in the Piazza Navona are everywhere in the many piazzas (plazas) around Rome.

Here are the four of us on the Terrace above the Piazza de Popolo with
St Peter's Cathedral and Vatican City behind us.

The Pantheon (to all the Gods) is one of the most remarkably well preserved of all the ancients buildings in Rome.

Below are Jerry and Cathrina with the dome of St. Peter's cathedral in the background.

This is the incredible dome viewed from the inside of St Peter's Cathedral, the largest church in the world.

One of the many remarkable frescos in the Vatican museum.

After Rome we went to Florence. Below are Cathrina and Cindy with the main cathedral of Florence in the background.

Below is a portion of one of the many remarkable frescos on the inside of the dome of the main cathedral in Florence.

The beautiful Arno river as it flows through Florence.

Cindy shopping for a purse in one of the many open air markets in Florence.

Stunning artwork like this (The Baptism of Jesus) is everywhere in Florence.

We took a day trip to the historic town of Sienna. Here are Jerry and Cathrina taking a rest on the steps of Sienna's Cathedral.

Here are Cathrina and I enjoying the sights of Florence from one of the many bridges over the Arno river.

One of the scenic towns in "The Cinque Terra" on the western coast of Italy, where we visited one day.

Below are the four of us in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the most famous structure in all Italy.

It was a memorable trip that we will never forget.

_ _ _ _ _ _

"Woven Into Our Ancestors", July 7, 2011

2011-07-07T05:50:00.000-07:00

Not to know what happened
before we were born
is to remain perpetually a child.
What is the worth of a human life

unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors

by the records of history?
~Cicero (106-43 BCE)

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from Florence, Italy where our Roman Holiday is nearing its close.

It has been a rich and rewarding experience for Cindy and me, made even better by brother Jerry Clark and his wife Cathrina with whom we have shared this wonderful adventure.

The first picture shows the four of us in front of the most famous structure in all of Italy -- the leaning Tower of Pisa. Yesterday we took a day trip from Florence to the coast to see this amazing bell tower. Construction on it began in the 12th century but it was not completed for nearly 200 years. Not long after it was built it began to sink in the soft soil and started leaning. At a weight of about 15,000 tons, it is no wonder. Today they have managed to keep it to a 4 degree tilt.

Happy Birthday, Nate! Back on the American home-front: Today is the 9th birthday of Nathaniel James Sauvage of Weatherford, Texas. He is one of the first of our family to be born in the 21st century and represents all those young family members for whom the 20th century will always be simply "history."

The second picture shows Nate with his younger brother Kyle. Their parents James and Kelly (Shepard) Sauvage live in Weather- ford, Texas.

The quote at the top of this post from the ancient Roman Philosopher Cicero puts all our family history study in perspective, doesn't it? Even in the first century before Christ, genealogy was an interest of some good people!

- - -

Steve

Roaming In Rome, July 1, 2011

2011-07-01T00:43:00.000-07:00

And in a short while

the generations of living creatures

are changed and like runners

relay the torch of life.

~Roman poet Lucretius

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from Italy! Cindy and I find ourselves in Rome on this weekend of America's July 4th holiday. We are here with our travel partners Jerry and Cathrina Clark of Lubbock, Texas.

The first picture shows the four of us at the Rome Colosseum with the inner ruins of this marvel in the background.

Cathrina was actually born about 900 miles north of here in Dusseldorf, Germany, even though she has been in the U.S. most of her life.

I do not know of any Italian immigrants in our family's history. I say this even though Cindy's GGgrandfather was Julius Caesar. His full name was Julius Caesar Vedders, however, from 19th century Limestone, Alabama. Not the famous Roman dictator from the first century B.C.E.

The French Connection. I do know about an American ancestor who was originally from France, just west of here. His name was William Henry Pickens, and he was a 6th Ggrandfather of my mother Maida Gower Shepard.

William Pickens actually immigrated to the U.S. from Ireland, even though he was born in 1670 in La Rochelle, France, the child of Robert Pickens and Ester Jeanne Benoit Bonneau. William's family was part of the 17th century Protestant migration from France to Ireland. That is where he married his Irish bride Margaret Pike, with whom he had 8 Irish children.

William, Margaret and their kids crossed the Atlantic to settle in Bucks County, Pennsylvania around 1720. Over the following 3 centuries, William and Margaret's descendants migrated from Pennsylvania to South Carolina, then Tennessee, and then Mississippi, before moving on to Northern Arkansas, where my mother was born. Her part of the family then migrated to Oklahoma and then the west coast.

Below is the 340 year lineage from William Pickens to Nathaniel Sauvage (whose birthday is coming up next Thursday).

William Henry Pickens (1670-1735)
Israel Pickens (1693-1749)
Anna Pickens (1726-1775)
Mary Gillespie (1756-1789)
Ann Pickens (1785-1867)
David Reid Shannon (1821-1864)
Samuel Pickens Shannon (1858-1930)
Nola Shannon Gower (1903-2004)
Maida Gower Shepard (b. 1924)
Gary Shepard (b. 1946)
Kelly Shepard Sauvage (b. 1977)
Nathaniel Sauvage (b. 2002)

David Shannon (6th in this lineage) was so taken by his mother's Pickens family name that he gave his child the middle name "Pickens". That child, Samuel Pickens Shannon, is pictured above in a photo from the early 20th century.

I am grateful for all these generations who, as Lucretius said, "like runners relay the torch of life."

Happy July 4th to all of you!
- - -
Steve

An All Star and His Mom, June 25, 2011

2011-06-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

When one goes back to look

at the house of their childhood,

it has always shrunk.

~Mark Twain

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from warm and sunny San Diego. Cindy and I are leaving later today for a month away from home, so my postings may not be as regular as they have been, especially for the next two weeks when we will be out of the country. But I will be back with news and comments about family past and present.

Happy Birthday Kyle! Tomorrow, June 26, is the 7th birthday of Kyle Christian Sauvage, son of Kelly and James of Weatherford, Texas. Kyle is the grandson of Gary Shepard and the Ggrandson of Maida Gower Shepard of Anacortes, Washington. The first picture, taken this spring, shows All Star Baseball player Kyle. The second picture (below) shows Kyle with his mom Kelly Shepard Sauvage.

Kelly: Kyle is doing great, going to summer school/summer camp every day. He is having a blast. I love hearing about how much fun they had. Kyle made the All Star team in baseball again this year, one of the top picks in the league. He loves to play any position but is an awesome first baseman. His favorite player is Adrian Gonzalez… even though he no longer plays for the Padres. Kyle is still a die-hard Padres and Chargers fan! He played basketball this past winter for the first time... the highlight was hitting two buzzer shots! In the Spring he played Coach Pitch 1 (on the Padres!) hitting a grand slam on his last at bat of the season. He didn't stop smiling for days! Kyle is a natural athlete and will be great at whatever sport he chooses. My family says he gets that from them. I say he gets it from me!

August Family Reunion. The time for our August 13 Shepard Family Reunion is drawing closer all the time. Gary and Cindy Shepard, who are graciously providing for the food, need to know the number of people attending. So if you have not already done so, please notify me, or one of the Anacortes family members if you plan to attend. We look forward to a wonderful gathering with friends and family from far and near. As in previous years we will have a photo table at the reunion where you are encouraged to bring old or new family pictures to share.

Louise Gower, 1909-2011. I just received word that my mother's aunt, Louise Pennington Gower, died earlier this month at the age of 101 in Oklahoma City. The sister-in-law of my grandfather Leroy Gower, aunt Louise was a remarkable woman who reached the century mark in 2009 with great energy and love of life. She was the last living member of that generation within the Gower family. Our best wishes go out to her daughter Jimmie Lou Scherf and her entire family in this time of loss.

Can You Help Locate Old Family Photos? I'd like to remind all the readers of this blog once again that I am searching for original pictures (or good copies) of old family photos. In particular, a recent history of the Davis family contains an old picture of Jane Buskirk Davis. Do any of you readers of this blog know where the original of that picture resides? I would be glad to work with the owner of that photo, or any other old family photos, to get good quality digital copies made. This would be a wonderful way to assure that generations to come will have access to pictures of family members from long ago. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

- - -

Steve

Shepard Family Reunion,

August 13, 2011

Happy Father's Day! June 19, 2011

2011-06-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right,

he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong.

~Charles Wadsworth

Hello Family and Friends,

Happy Father's Day to all the dads among us, and to each of us as we honor fathers and grandfathers who have meant so much to us throughout our lives.

The first collection of pictures shows four men who were very important in my life. From left to right are my father Eugene Shepard (1921-2003), my paternal grandfather William Shepard (1888-1976), my maternal grandfather Leroy Gower (1899-1974), and my father-in-law Joe Harris (1922-1999). All of them are men who made a great impact on my life.

Happy Anniversary! Tuesday is not just the first day of summer. It is also the second wedding anniversary of our son and daughter-in-law Nathan and Chenda Shepard. Their wedding two years ago on Father's Day was a beautiful, private ceremony on a magnificent bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The white surf provided the background music as it swept gently into the Point Loma tide pools twenty feet below us. Only later did we realize it was actually something of a "rogue wedding". To be official, we were suppose to have made a reservation and paid a fee to use the spot, but in our blissful ignorance the knot was tied nonetheless. Congratulations to Nathan and Chenda!

Nathan, not coincidentally, is also the father among us with the youngest child, his son Logan Shepard who was born just last month. Click here for a photo presentation showing Nathan, Logan, Preslea and other fathers and children of our larger family.

Speaking of June anniversaries, congratulations to Desiree and Jeremy Ortiz (see picture) who celebrated 9 years of marriage on June 1. Jeremy is the older son of Kim Clark of Blue Springs, Missouri where Jeremy, Desiree and their 3 children now live.

This coming Thursday is the 23rd anniversary of Vicki and Darren Boyd of Lakeside, California. Congratulations to them! It is a big week for Vicki with her birthday coming on Wednesday.

- - -

Steve

Glad To Be A Grad, June 13, 2011

2011-06-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

Graduation is a process that goes on
until the last day of your life.
~Arie Pencovici

Hello Family and Friends,

Glad to be a Grad. This coming Wednesday, June 15, Linda Shepard of Anacortes, Washington graduates from Anacortes High School. She is the youngest of the grandchildren of Maida Gower Shepard and the last one among them to graduate. She is the younger child of Russ and Pam Shepard of Anacortes.

Congratulations to Linda and all those who helped her reach this milestone! Linda plans to spend some time in California this summer before getting on with whatever life holds for her this fall.

Happy Birthday Scott. Today is the 26th birthday of Scott Ortiz of San Diego. Scott is the second son of Kim Clark of Blue Springs, Missouri and the late Gabe Ortiz. He is also a grandson of Terry and Thelma (Shepard) Boyd.

Kim: "Scott is living in El Cajon [outside San Diego]. He is very busy working full time for Neal Electric in Poway and also with a new business venture started earlier this year. He and a couple of friends opened a kick boxing gym in El Cajon called Arsenal MMA. He just returned from an annual trip to La Paz, Baja California with a group of friends where they were snorkling and fishing for a week."

The second picture shows Scott and his nephew Damian Ortiz at Scott's kick boxing gym in El Cajon.

Celebrating Arrival Day. Two years ago today our son Nathan's fiance Chenda Sou flew into LAX from Cambodia and began her new life here in the U.S.

It has been a very eventful, rewarding, emotional and productive 24 months. One hard working husband, two beautiful children, and many wonderful experiences later, she is adjusting well to this American life. Those of us who know and love her are glad she is. Chenda, Nathan and their children live in Alameda, California.

The third picture shows Chenda with newborn son Logan on the left and daughter Preslea on the right.

Can You Help Locate Old Family Photos? I am looking for original pictures (or good copies) of old family photos. In a new history of the Davis family there is an old picture of Jane Buskirk Davis. Do any of you readers of this blog know where the original of that picture resides? I would be glad to work with the owner of Jane's photo, or any other old family photos, to get good quality digital copies made. This would be a wonderful way to assure that generations to come will have access to old family photos. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

- - -

Steve

Two months from TODAY:

Shepard Family Reunion, August 13, 2011

Smiles and Sunshine, June 6, 2011

2011-06-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

The measure of a woman's character

is not what she gets from her ancestors,

but what she leaves her descendants.
(author unknown)

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from warm and sunny San Diego. Belated Anniversary wishes to Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz who have recently moved to Blue Springs, Missouri from the San Diego area. Last Wednesday Jeremy and Desiree celebrated 9 years of marriage.

Today is the 6th birthday of Emma Beverly Jean Wilk of Atchison, Kansas. She is the daughter of Shannon Wilk, and one of the GGgrandchildren of Will and Bura (Davis) Shepard. The first picture shows a smiling Emma at a recent birthday party of a family friend.

Shannon emailed me recently: "We are doing GREAT! Emma's last day of school was May 26th, and she was very excited. Until I told her she won't be going back until August. She was a bit upset. But she will be going to the daycare she went to since she was a year old. They do lots of fun stuff. Lots of field trips, and they get to go to the pool.

"I have been working tons! We are on mandatory over-time right now. I work at Fargo Assembly of PA. I build the wire harnesses for Harley Davidson. HD and John Deere are the biggest names we build for. I worked for them about 13 years ago, so when I went back I knew what I was getting into. It's not real hard work, but Harley is very strict on how they want the harnesses to look. The overtime is great on the checks but poor Emma has to get up at 5am so I can get her to day care.

"Other than all that we are well, waiting for all the storms to pass and get on with the hot summer weather! At work we are collecting a bunch of stuff to send down to Joplin. They were hit so bad. The one thing you just have to deal with here is the crazy weather. Take care. Smiles and Sunshine. ...Shannon and Emma."

Margaret Frances Williams. Last Saturday, June 4, was the 166th anniversary of the birth of Margaret Frances Williams, the GGGGgrandmother of Emma Wilk. Maggie Williams, who married William Spear, was the grandmother of Emma's Ggrandmother Bura Davis Shepard. The second picture shows Maggie Williams in a photo from about 1880.

Maggie's grandparents were originally from Fairfax, Virginia on the East Coast, but they migrated to Kentucky and then on to Spencer in Owen County, Indiana in the early 19th century. That's where Maggie was born and lived her whole life. Her offspring, in the early 20th century, migrated to the panhandle of Oklahoma and then on to Colorado and eventually San Diego on the West Coast. Emma's mom Shannon then "bounced back" to Atchison, Kansas, in the middle of the county, where Emma was born, and where they live today. (How's that for 250+ years of family history in a nutshell?)

Here then is a 10 generation lineage for Emma Wilk, tracing her family line back 266 years, through Margaret Frances Williams to William Williams of Fairfax, Virginia.

William Williams (1745-1801), whose son was
John Williams (1782-1813), whose son was
John Pouty Williams (1806-1898), whose daughter was
Margaret Frances Williams (1845-1904), whose daughter was
Caroline Matilda Spear (1865-1951), whose daughter was
Bura Emerald Davis (1896-1986) whose daughter was
Pauline Shepard (1916-2000), whose daughter was
Beverly Jean Russell (1939-1974), whose daughter is
Shannon Wilk (b. 1973), whose daughter is
Emma Beverly Jean Wilk (b. June 6, 2005).

Happy Birthday to Emma! And best wishes to her and her mom Shannon.

- - -

Steve

Memories and Celebrations, June 2, 2011

2011-06-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

Every one is a quotation from all their ancestors.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you wherever you may be. Happy Anniversary today to my brother Gary and his wife Cindy Dillon Shepard of Oak Harbor Washington, who were married in 1979 at our home in Los Alamitos, California.

Gary: "It sure doesn't seem like its been 32 years already. I can remember that day in your backyard when 2 year old Nathan was running around with a camera case pretending to take pictures. We all have been through a lot since then, both good and unpleasant, but that's what makes us strong.

"We will be spending our anniversary at the lake. We will spend the whole week there. It's calling for rain for most of the week. Oh well, that's why we live here in the Evergreen State.

"The family reunion will be fun. We are setting up 'The BBQ Joint' to cater it. They have good food. Looking forward to seeing everyone there. Would be nice if people from far away could come. Congrats on another grand baby. Don't they know what's causing that? LOL. Oh well, may they have as many as they want. That's a blessing from uncle Gary."

Best wishes to Gary and Cindy for a great anniversary. Select this link for all the details of the Aug 13 Family Reunion. If you are planning to attend please notify one of the Shepards in Anacortes, so plans can be made.

James Brooks Davis. On this day in 1870, my Ggrandfather James Brooks Davis was born in Spencer, Indiana. The second picture shows James, who, at 33 years old, was already the father of the 7 children he had with wife Callie Spear Davis. This picture is from early 1908. Their youngest child, Marjorie, is in his lap. Their daughter Winona is on the left.

Will and Bura's Anniversary. Another anniversary on this day belongs to Bura Davis and William Shepard. Bura, the firstborn of James and Callie, married William in 1915 in Beaver County, Oklahoma on this, her father's birthday. The third picture (below) shows Will and Bura celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary, June 2, 1975 in San Diego.

The aforementioned ancestors -- James Brooks Davis, Callie Spear Davis, their daughter Bura and their other 6 children -- were all born in Indiana, which is where many of our Shepard, Davis, Williams and Spear kinfolk lived through much of the 19th century. Many of them migrated to Oklahoma in the early 20th century and then some of them moved on to California later in the 20th century.

A Genealogical Journey. Cindy and I plan to visit Indiana next month to learn more about our Davis and Shepard ancestors. I have some intriguing leads on information about the family of my GGgrandfather, Civil War soldier William Shepard. Up to this point I have known almost nothing about his wife or parents or other relatives, other than his son William Elmer Shepard. I am excited about the possibilities of discovering our Shepard roots in the early 19th century.

On our trip we plan to visit some Civil War battlefields where William Shepard fought, one of which may have been where he was injured, leading to his death in 1862. We will then visit his grave in Evansville, Indiana. We will also make our way to the area around Spencer, Indiana where many of our ancestors were born. This is also the area where many of them are buried, as you might expect, in various cemeteries around Owen County. I look forward to sharing in this blog the results of our genealogical trip.

- - -

Steve

Memorial Weekend Celebrations, May 26, 2011

2011-05-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

Memory is a way of holding onto
the things you love,
the things you are,
the things you never want to lose
~from "The Wonder Years"

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you as the Memorial Day holiday approaches.

Congratulations to Brandyn Boyd who turns 18 today, May 26. Brandyn lives in Lakeside, California with his family, including parents Darren and Vicki Boyd and his sisters Courtney and Kori. His mother tells me that Brandyn is working and will graduate from High School next spring. Baseball player Brandyn is the grandson of Terry and Thelma Boyd.

Ruth Styer Russell's birthday is this Saturday, May 28. She shares a birthday with her father-in-law Rex Russell who died earlier this year. Saturday would have been Rex's 75th birthday. Ruth and husband Eric Russell live in Red Rock, Nevada.

The picture on the left from the 1990s was sent to me recently by Ruthie, who said, "Attached is one of my favorite pictures of Dad (Rex), Grandmother (Pauline) and me. I'm not sure of the year but it is one of the last pictures I have of Grandmother and one of the few of Dad and me. I have been so blessed to have had dad in my life. He was such a warm and funny man and it is going to be tough this year without him. We were connected with birthday's 5-28-36 & 5-28-63. How often does that happen? I love reading your letters! Hope all is well."

Best wishes to my cousin Mike Harrell who has a birthday this Sunday, May 29, the day before the Memorial Day holiday. Mike is one of the 12 grandchildren of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower, and is the son of my aunt Vicki Gower Johnston of Oak Harbor, Washington.

The third picture shows Mike and his wife Carole enjoying themselves at a New Year's celebration.

Mike: Hi Steve, my wife Carole and I have been living in San Jose for 11 years. I left San Diego when I was 18 and have spent the rest of my life trying to get back. Nowadays I am a project manager for an Engineering Software company (Siemens PLM Software). I work on-site at Lockheed Martin Space Systems helping them develop their satellites used for communication and deep space exploration. Life is good, but it will be much better if/when I reach retirement like you.

Setting the Record Straight. Thanks to Brandyn Boyd's grandmother Thelma Boyd for correcting my last post. The sweetest nitpicker I know, she wants it made clear that her brother Elmer's birthday is May 20th (not the 19th), and her Ggranddaughter Ashlyn Ortiz' birthday is May 19 (not the 20th). Thanks to Thelma for setting the record straight.

This weekend of Memorial Day we remember and celebrate family who have meant so much to us over the years, including Rex Russell and Mildred Davis who passed away in recent months.

THIS JUST IN...
From an email yesterday from my cousin Dane Shepard:

"It was quite an afternoon on the Great Plains. It was very warm and humid as we sat in our shelter listening to the news of the approaching storm. Around 5:30 PM it hit with a tornado passing just a few miles to the NW cutting across the town of Newcastle, OK. Just a few blocks from where we had the family reunion a diagonal path cut through the neighborhood. It was a saddening experience to see the loss, especially for those you happened to know. We are grateful to have only lost a shingle and power. The rest of the family here is fine. I called Arbor House and they reported all was well. They probably had to move Dad and others to a safe area for a while. We are thankful for God's care and pray for those in need."

Thanks to Dane for this update, and best wishes to all those who have been affected by the recent tornadoes.
- - -
Steve

Info on Shepard Family Reunion Aug 13, 2011

A Most Unlikely Trio, May 19, 2011

2011-05-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

The only rock I know that stays steady,

the only institution I know that works,

is the family.
~Lee Iacocca

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you on this beautiful day in May!

Elmer. Congratulations today to the most senior member of our family - my uncle Elmer Shepard of Mustang, Oklahoma. Born on this day in 1918 in Beaver County, Oklahoma, Elmer - the second child of Will and Bura Shepard - is now 93 years young. The first picture was taken just a few weeks ago and shows Elmer with his two children, son Dane of Newcastle, Oklahoma and daughter Joan of Dixon, California.

Dane: "This has been the busiest spring I have encoun- tered in a while. I've been in and out of town with song worship meetings and also learning about claims adjusting to help supplement my 'retirement.' We enjoyed a short visit to the Dallas area over the weekend so Cindy got away for a birthday break. The end of the school year is always busy as Nathan and Kaylan are finishing two bowling leagues, tournaments, and performing in a band concert. We have even 'volunteered' to help with a summer camp this June that they will be attending. We're certainly blessed to be able to enjoy these great family experiences.

"Amidst all this I have not had as much time for Dad. I know it has not been easy for him. He is still hanging in there and although he is getting weaker, he still manages to get out. I take him each time to Chicken Express for fried catfish and to Braums for ice cream. I have asked him if he would like to go somewhere else but he states there's no other place he would enjoy more. As his doctor says, 'When you're 92, you can have anything you want to eat.' We have transferred him into a special unit in the same facility where he can receive full assistance. As always, he likes reading your email. His new mailing address is: Arbor House, 850 N. Clear Springs Road, #447, Mustang, OK 73064"

Jason. Yesterday was the birthday of Jason Shepard of Weatherford, Texas, one of the Ggrandchildren of Will and Bura Shepard. Thirty something Jason was born and raised in San Diego before moving to Texas about 10 years ago. His father is Gary Shepard of Washington, and his mom is Jackie Perry of Weatherford.

The second picture shows Jason with his nephew and fellow San Diego Padre fan Kyle Sauvage.

Ashlyn. To round out this most unlikely trio of birthday celebrants... tomorrow, May 20, is the birthday of Ashlyn Ortiz of Blue Springs, Missouri, one of the GGgrandchildren of Will and Bura Shepard. Until recently she and her parents Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz and her siblings Ciara and Damian lived in Spring Valley, California but now are in the process of moving to Missouri.

The picture on the right shows Ashlyn when she was on vacation with her grandparents recently in Bedrock City, Arizona. Partially pictured is her brother Damian.

Grandmother Kim Clark tells me that Ashlyn "is adjusting well here in Missouri. She loves to dress up and look pretty and play teacher. She likes to be on the go all the time and is amazed at all the wild life here. She especially likes to feed the buffalo. We went for a walk around the lake close to our house and she asked if she was in the forest. She loves to play soccer, boat riding and fishing."

Happy Birthday and best wishes to Elmer, Jason and Ashlyn!

- - -

Steve

Info on Shepard Family Reunion

Welcome to the World, Logan! May 16, 2011

2011-05-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

Hello Family and Friends,

Sunday night, May 15, we welcomed the newest member of our family into the world when Logan Alexander Shepard was born in San Francisco, California. He is the second child of proud parents Nathan and Chenda Shepard and the little brother of bewildered Preslea Shepard. Cindy and I are the proud grandparents.

Logan was born at California Pacific Medical Center, arriving 3 1/2 weeks earlier than expected. Mom Chenda is doing very well after a fairly easy delivery. Logan himself is healthy as can be, weighing in at 7 lbs. 3 oz. and 20 inches long.

The picture above shows Logan at about an hour old looking at his father Nathan.

Logan bumps his big sister off the top of the list of the youngest descendants of Will and Bura (Davis) Shepard and Leroy and Nola (Shannon) Gower.

Logan's birth reminds me of the story I heard about the county preacher who was called to the hospital because of the birth in a family he knew. He arrived to see the new father looking through the glass in the maternity ward at his newborn. They couldn't hear anything but it was obvious she was crying.

Trying to be a comforting pastor, he said to the father, “You know, she’s not sick or anything. It’s good for them to scream...clears their lungs.”

The father said, “Oh, I know she ain’t sick. She’s just mad.”

“Why would she be mad?”

“Well, wouldn’t you be, if one minute you are with God in heaven, and the next minute you are here?”

The preacher thought, “Man, I’ve got me a real mountain Gnostic on my hands. This guy’s been reading Plato.” So he said, “So you believe she was with God before she came here?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“You think she’ll remember?”

The new father replied, “Well that’s up to her mother and me. We got to make sure she remembers who she is, ‘cause if she forgets, she’s a goner.”

Congratulations to Nathan and Chenda on their new arrival. And welcome to the world, Logan!

- - -

Steve

Friday-the-13th Lucky Ones, May 13, 2011

2011-05-13T11:56:00.000-07:00

Rejoice with your family
in the beautiful land of the living.

~Albert Einstein

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from warm and sunny Alameda California on this Friday the 13th, a fearful day for some. But for four members of our family it is a lucky day, as they get ready to celebrate birthdays in the next few days.

Christopher Shepard and Courtney Boyd, two of the Great Grandchildren of Will and Bura Davis Shepard, will celebrate birthdays tomorrow. Chris (see first picture) will celebrate in the Seattle area where he lives, as do his parents Mary and Darrell Shepard. Happy 27th Birthday, Chris!

Courtney Boyd will turn 21 tomorrow when she celebrates her birthday! She is the second of 4 in our family who turn 21 this year, the others being Steven, Lyndsey and Patrick. One of the grandchildren of Terry and Thelma Boyd, Courtney lives in the San Diego suburb of Lakeside, California with her parents Darren and Vicki Boyd and her siblings Brandyn and Kori. Congratulations and happy birthday to Courtney and best wishes for a safe and joyful celebration.

The second picture, taken in San Diego a few months ago, shows Courtney on the right with her cousin Ciara Ortiz in front of her. On the left is her dad Darren, holding his niece Ashlyn Ortiz.

Courtney: I'm doing well Steve, thanks for asking. I just recently got a job working at AAA insurance and love it. I'm very happy with it, I work full time, and I bought myself a new car. My next focus is moving out of my parents house. (Keep your fingers crossed!) I am no longer waitressing, but I keep myself very busy working 6 days a week. As for our birthdays, I don't think I'm doing anything too special, I plan on going Downtown for the night with some friends. Not sure what the plans with the family are, still deciding. :)

Thelma (Shepard) Boyd, just like her grand daughter Courtney, will celebrate a milestone birthday tomorrow. She tells me "I don't do anything to celebrate 'those days'," so it will probably be a quiet time in the Boyd house in Gallup, N.M. The youngest daughter of Will and Bura Shepard, she was born in Two Buttes, Colorado in 1936, but spent most of her growing up years in San Diego. Congratulations and happy birthday to Thelma!

A Facebook rumor has it that Thelma is old enough to remember Bazooka Gum. And getting Report Cards. And saying the Pledge of Allegiance in school. (Doesn't sound very old to me!) The third picture is an oldie and shows Hollywood starlet Thelma with her niece Beverly Russell in September, 1957.

To round out the celebratory weekend, Darren Boyd -- Thelma and Terry's son, and Courtney's father -- has a birthday on Monday. (See Darren in second picture above.) Best wishes to all of them!

- - -

Steve

The Shepard's Crook

What's In A Name? May 7, 2011

2011-05-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

I remember my mother's prayers
and they have always followed me.
They have clung to me all my life.
~Abraham Lincoln

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you on this day before Mother's Day. Happy Birthday this coming Wednesday to Jacinta Saunders Shepard of Newcastle, Oklahoma. This "Cindy Shepard" is the mother of Nathan and Kaylan Shepard and the wife of Dane Shepard. A special Mother's Day wish to Cindy and all mothers in our families! Below is an updated Mother's Day photoshow celebrating our moms.

What's In A Name? With our daughter-in-law Chenda soon to become a mother once again, we have been thinking a lot about names. As a result I have been pondering outstanding names in our family tree.

What makes an outstanding name, you ask? Admittedly it is a very subjective matter. For me an outstanding name is one that rolls off the tongue easily (is phonetically pleasing), or one that has some depth of meaning to it (is rich with history), or one that strikes me as strong, intelligent, handsomely masculine or beautifully feminine. (See what I mean about subjective?) Of the 1,393 people presently in our family tree, the following are my choices for the Top 10 outstanding names.

10 - Mary Questionable Gillespie (1756-1789) - her grandmother was from Questionable, Ireland. Both "Q" names may be questionable, however.

9 - James Brooks Davis (1870-1928) - my grandmother Davis always spoke her father's name with great respect.

8 - Rebecca Floride Calhoun (1745-1814) - among our Gower/Shannon/Pickens ancestors; hopefully her middle name is pronounced "floor-a-day" or "floor-a-dee," not "floor-ride".

7 - Nathan William Shepard (b. 1977) - I confess: I am prejudiced here. What can I say? It's Biblical and it includes William Shepard.

6 - Thomas Laurens Van Buskirk (1668-1748) - my 9G Grandpa; son of a Danish immigrant; The Donald can only WISH he had such a rich, distinguished name.

5 - Julius Theophilus Vessels (1871-1942) - See Acts 1:1; his mother was Narcissus; father was Julius Ceasar. He was from Limestone, Alabama.

4 - Preslea Maida Shepard (b. 2010) - I admit it: I am shamelessly prejudiced with this choice. But every part has real meaning.

3 - Robert Columbus Shannon (1893-1923) - Grandma Gower's brother. With a name like this, it would be criminal to call him "Bob."

2 - Benjamin Harrison Davis (1888-1963) - his namesake, a popular hoosier politician, was elected our 23rd President just 3 months after BHD's birth. Great choice by his parents Charles and Melinda! I never knew our Davis people were so political. (See picture of our Benjamin Harrison, alongside President Harrison.)

1 - Kyle Christian Sauvage (b. 2004) - a superb combination of sounds and strength; handsomely masculine; even a wonderfully bit oxymoronic.

What do you think? I am sure each of you has your own favorite outstanding family name. Who would you include? I'd like to hear from you and share your choices in a future post.

Kids Say the Darn- dest Things. My niece Kelly Sauvage of Weather- ford, Texas, (mother of Kyle Sauvage, mentioned above) told the following story on Facebook. I think you will enjoy it as much as I did.

"I was at 'Yogurt Story' with my boys tonight when two girls walked in wearing prom dresses. One of them was showing a whole lot of cleavage. My 8 year old son Nate, who will say anything to anyone, says, "Excuse me, you may want to pull that up!"

The second picture shows Kelly and Nate in the summer of 2008 at our last Shepard Family Reunion in Anacortes, Washington.

Our next family reunion will be in Anacortes once again, on Saturday, August 13. If you plan to attend, please notify me or one of the Shepards in Anacortes. The meal preparers are making plans, and we want to make sure everyone will be well fed! Select this link for all the reunion details.
- - -
Steve

The Century Mark, May 1, 2011

2011-05-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

There's nothing more special
or dear to the heart
than the feelings of love
that a family shares.

Hello Family and Friends,

Today is a day of remembering the life of Mildred Beck Davis who passed away back in January in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. She was born May 1, 1911, which means that today would have been her 100th birthday. At the time of her death she was the oldest living member of the family of my grandmother Bura (Davis) Shepard.

The first picture shows Mildred in a picture taken in 2009. The second picture shows Mildred (front center) with the six children of her and Jesse Davis: Nordeen, Jessie, Charlotte, Bud, Becky and Kathryn.

From her daughter Charlotte: Mom's birthday has floated through my mind a few times lately. I think of how proud she would have been to have made the 100th mark. But I remember that in her mind she had already made it. She would proudly proclaim that "You know I'm 100"!

I know she would have been em- barrassed by all the fuss we would have made. So maybe she enjoyed the "celebration of her life" more since she could watch "from a distance". May 1 will be a time for remembering, for smiling as we remember her quick wit, and thankfulness that we had her with us for almost 100 years.

From her son Bud: There is more than an empty feeling that we will not gather this year in person on her hundredth birthday …only in our memories. Empty because we no longer have a mother to love and hug on her birthday and on Mother’s Day. We miss you dearly, Mother.

Since Mom loved her garden so much, near the garden seemed the best place for her tribute. We built a trellis in our garden area and had a plaque made with the inscription, "Mildred Davis, 1911- 2011" (see picture).

We continue to honor her for her unselfish love, her grounding in the Bible, and her life lessons. Every day we hear her speaking to us: don’t get too big for your britches… dress modestly… pretty is as pretty does… you can do anything you set your mind to do. We know she is in a better place, one without pain or sorrow and we let her go because it is best for her. One final lesson from her would be: love and cherish family members as often as you can. We love you all.

I am sure I speak for all our family when I say our prayers and best wishes continue to be with all of Mildred's family on this special occasion of remembering and moving forward.
- - -
Steve

Shepard Family Reunion
Aug 13, 2011
Anacortes, Washington

Cloud of Witnesses, April 25, 2011

2011-04-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

Since we are surrounded

by such a great cloud of witnesses,

let us run with perseverance

the race set before us.

~Paul the Apostle

Hello Family and Friends,

Happy Birthday on this Easter Monday to Amanda Clark Farrell and Susan Clark Cox, twin daughters of Jane Brock and Jerry Clark of Lubbock, Texas. The first picture shows Susan on the left and Amanda on the right right with dad Jerry in the middle.

I once tried to explain that Amanda and Susan are my late sister's first husband's and his second wife's second and third (or possibly third and second) children. But people started throwing things at me when I said that. So I'll just say that they are long time family friends. They were born and raised in Lubbock, Texas, where Susan and husband Andrew, with their children, still live. Amanda and Chris live in Fort Worth.

Susan: 31 is definitely easier than my transition into 30. At my ripe old age, I have discovered a few things. I get all wrapped up in birthdays. I love everything about birthdays the phone calls, the cards, the meals. But mostly I just like spending time with the people that mean so much to me. I hope they feel as blessed by my friendship as I do by theirs. And that includes my family. I am truly grateful for where God continues to place me and for the relationships he has allowed me to participate in. What a blessing each day is!

Amanda: Things here in North Texas are wonderful! We're both staying busy with work and enjoying every second! Chris recently joined the staff at Fellowship of the Metroplex in Mansfield! My work in the cubicle world continues to be fun and challenging! I love what I do and the people I do it with! Our new location allows us to split the commute from my job to the church. We are getting to know a new area of the DFW metroplex. We leave on May 18th for a week with friends in Belgium and are hoping to make a trip to Mexico in the fall. The last year has been one of transitions but God has continued to be faithful and has blessed us with a new place to further his Kingdom! The past two birthdays have flown by at a crazy pace - I keep reminding myself to soak it all in!

Cloud of Witnesses. This is also a week to remember the birthdays of 3 other wonderful people in our family whose memories will always hold a special place in the hearts of many of us. These three are, for me, among those who will forever be part of "the great cloud of witnesses" who surround us and inspire our living. Ironically, the last born of these three died first, and the first born of these three died last.

The last born was my cousin Beverly Russell Wilk, daughter of Bill and Pauline Shepard Russell, and mother of Shannon Wilk of Atchison, Kansas. She was born April 27, 1939 in Two Buttes, Colorado. She died in a San Diego hospital in December of 1974 at the tender age of 35. Click here to see a picture of Bev with her daughter, mother and grandmother.

My grandmother Nola Shannon Gower was born in Mountain View, Arkansas April 28, 1902 or 03 (depending on which historical record you're reading). The oldest person I ever knew, she died in Anacortes, Washington in the summer of 2004 at the tender age of 101 (or 102). See second picture of her and husband Leroy taken in 1972.

My father Eugene Shepard was also born on April 28 (18 years after his mother-in-law Nola), but in Logan, Oklahoma in 1921. He died 8 years ago in Anacortes. Wednesday of this week marks the 90th anniversary of his birth. The second picture shows 33 year old Eugene, with 5 year old me, on what appears to be Easter Sunday, 1954, in front of our home on Ulric Street in San Diego.

- - -

Steve

Civil War Sesquicentennial: April 20, 2011

2011-04-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

I have been sustained

by three saving graces -

my family, my friends, and a faith

in the power of resilience and hope.

~Elizabeth Edwards

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from San Diego. This month of April marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War. Ironically, this anniversary falls during the week that many Christians call Holy Week, with Easter this coming Sunday.

Numerous persons in our family tree were veterans of the Civil War, which continues to be of great interest to family researchers. One writer has said that more books have been written about the American Civil War than anything else in history, except the Bible. The 1860s was a time in history when many American families were forever changed, in ways that are still felt today. The following are just two instances of people in our family that were dramatically affected, stories that show "the power of resilience and hope".

1915 picture of my Grandfather,
William Shepard (1888-1976)

A Family Disconnected. I have written several times in this blog about my GGgrandfather, Civil War soldier William Shepard (1835-1862) of Wabash, Indiana. (See first picture from 1915, of the soldier William Shepard's grandson, MY grandfather, also named William Shepard.)

What you may not know is that William from Wabash enlisted in the Union Army September 12, 1861 and served in the 41st Regiment (Indiana Second Cavalry), and began his active service in December, 1861 in Indianapolis. His regiment spent the early winter near Louisville, Kentucky, and in February joined with General Buell's army and moved further south to Nashville, Tenn. Meanwhile, back home in Wabash, on February 2, 1862, his wife gave birth to a son, William Elmer Shepard.

Battle of Shiloh, April, 1862

During April and May of 1862 William Shepard's unit was part of fierce battles that took place at Shiloh, Corinth, Pea Ridge, and Tuscumbia in the area around Southern Tennessee. During one of these engagements, he was injured. An old family legend has it that his arm was shot off in a cannon blast. Whatever the actual injury, and wherever it actually occurred, William was hospitalized in Evansville, Indiana. Then on July 21, 1862, just 10 months after enlisting, he died of Typhoid Fever during his hospital stay, and was laid to rest in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Evansville.

As expected, in time the widow Shepard remarried. When her war baby William Elmer became a teen he found himself engaged in his own conflict, this one with his step-father. As a result, sometime in the 1870s William Elmer ran away from home, first to Illinois where he eventually married into the Owens family of Madison County, and then, later in life, to Beaver County, Oklahoma, where he died Feb, 1915. After leaving Indiana as a teen, he was disconnected from his birth family for the rest of his life. That war-related family conflict must have left painful scars not only for William Elmer, but for the Indiana family he left behind. It has also has made it very difficult today to discover our Shepard roots.

Another family related Civil War story. Just one month before the start of the Civil War, my GGGgrandmother Roena Norton gave birth to a baby girl in a small town in the Ozark mountains of Arkansas. Roena was an unmarried teenage girl who disappeared under mysterious circumstances not long after her daughter Finetta was born.

A family legend has it that Roena's step-father David Dearien was responsible for Finetta's birth, and for the subsequent disappearance of his step daughter Roena. These sad events occurred in the early months of the Civil War, which was a dangerous time of rogue lawlessness. I can't help but wonder if the war time atmosphere in Northern Arkansas made Roena's disappearance a lot easier to accomplish, and to remain an unsolved mystery.

The third picture, from the 1940s, shows Finetta Clementine (Dearien) Shannon, Roena's baby girl, much later in life. Behind her is Finetta's youngest daughter, my grandmother, Nola Shannon Gower.

Family Reunion. The above stories are about 2 War-time babies who suffered tragic disconnection from their parents, which makes our connections and reunions today all the more poignant. Our 2011 Shepard Family reunion in Anacortes, Washington is just four months away. Select this link for details. We are hoping that many Shepards and Gowers and Davises and Boyds and other related family members will attend.

Are there other family reunions being planned for members of related families? The Kilpatricks used to have a big family reunion every couple of years, but I have not heard of any events in recent years. If any of you have information about upcoming family gatherings, please pass the word.

---

Steve

Family: A Mirror of Oneself, April 14, 2011

2011-04-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

Don't visit family

unless you want to see

a mirror of yourself!

~Joan Shepard

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,

I received word a few days ago from my cousin Joan Shepard of Dixon, California about a trip that she made recently to Oklahoma. She went to see her brother Dane and his family, including their father Elmer Shepard, who will be 93 next month.

The first picture was taken at their mini family reunion in New Castle, Oklahoma, and shows Joan's cousin Kim Clark on the left in front of Kim's husband Jeff, who live in Blue Springs, Missouri. In the middle is the senior member of our Shepard clan, Elmer, with his son Dane behind him, in whose home this picture was taken. On the right in front is Joan with her daughter Havilah Colgain Wardle of West Valley, Utah.

Joan: "For my birthday, Havilah and I flew to Oklahoma City. It was such a blessing to see Dad and to visit our family there. Dane, Cindy, Nathan, and Kaylan are busy home schooling with all the bustle of band practice and bowling games. Also, they are devoted to the members of their church and to Dad, caring for his every need.

"An added bonus was a surprise visit from Kim and Jeff Clark. We caravaned to Dad's nursing home in a wind storm that reminded me of why the Shepards originally left Oklahoma and Two Buttes! I was delighted to see Dad, especially his eyes sparkling as he recognized us. He doesn't converse much anymore, but he did enjoy the attention and our trip for fried catfish (and fried okra, and fried corn, and fried pickles).

"While sitting beside Dad, Kim shared memories of Gram [Bura Davis Shepard]. I was reminded of how devoted our grandmother was to family, helping rear three generations -- from her own children to Gary Shepard and Shannon Wilk. We had to chuckle as we saw Gram's personality in each of us: perhaps calm determination is one trait we share, perhaps some stubbornness, too. (Don't visit family unless you want to see a mirror of yourself!)

"When we left Dad, it was difficult saying goodbye. But my heart feels especially blessed that Havilah could travel with me to be with family. Laughing and sharing tender moments with her was a perfect birthday gift! Like Kim, we'll keep memories alive. We'll always have our lives together with Elmer, a special Dad and Granddad."

Happy Birthday Rachel! Today is the birthday of my niece Rachel Shepard. She is the daughter of my brother Darrell Shepard and his wife Mary Medina Shepard. Rachel's brothers Christopher and Patrick complete the Darrell and Mary Shepard family, all of whom live in the Seattle area. Rachel lives with brother Chris and boyfriend Brian in Kirkland and is the business office manager at Memory Care Community in Seattle. For her birthday Rachel will have a special evening with her family, going out to eat and then enjoying the evening at her parent's home.

The second picture (above) shows Rachel on the left with her older brother Christopher on the right. Between them in their father Darrell. This picture was taken last fall in Anacortes, Washington when they were all gathered at Grandma Maida Shepard's home to celebrate her birthday.

The third picture, taken 20 years earlier, also shows Rachel with her brother Christopher, the one still demure and composed before the camera, the other one not so much. This picture was also taken on Wildwood Lane in Anacortes, at what has been the Shepard family home since 1978, when Maida and Eugene first moved from San Diego to Washington.

- - -

Steve

Shepard Family Reunion Aug 13, 2011

Joy and Bewilderment, April 8, 2011

2011-04-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

Family and friends are hidden treasures.
Seek them and enjoy their riches.
~Wanda Hope Carter

Hello Family and Friends,

Happy Anniversary TODAY to Jerry and Cathrina! Congratulations to Jerry and Cathrina (Helms) Clark who were married 5 years ago today in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They make their home in Lubbock, Texas, where Jerry has lived since the 1960s when he first attended Lubbock Christian University.

Cathrina and Jerry: "Yes, it has been 5 years! We are taking "the Rome trip" with a great couple from San Diego this summer for our anniversary. Really looking forward to our trip. We are going to dinner this Friday night, but since we were busy with a family reunion last weekend in Houston, we are staying home this weekend. We are busy planning how to landscape our backyard (which is now dirt). Also trying to get everything ready for summer travels. Our best to all! Come see us in the beautiful dust bowl 2011."

The first picture shows Jerry and Cathrina on the Puget Sound of Washington a few years ago. The second picture was taken a few years earlier than the first one -- 36 years earlier to be exact! It was taken in Lubbock, Texas and shows Jerry with sister-in-law Barbara Shepard on the right. An unidentified college friend of Jerry is on the left.

The Changing Nature of Families. Earlier this year I was part of a fascinating email correspondence regarding the difficulty of chronicling our family and keeping track of everyone. The whole issue arose because of two family members who had never married, but had been a couple for many years, and even had a child. Now regardless of one's opinion about the life choice of that particular couple, the fact remains that somehow they, and any children they might have, need to be accounted for in the family tree to which they belong.

Anomalous family relationships have always been a part of family life. My GGgrandmother Margaret Williams was the wife of William Spear, a man who had been married to Margaret's sister Caroline Williams. After Caroline died, William married her younger sister Margaret and had 8 children by her. To complicate things even more, William and second wife Margaret named their first child after his first wife Caroline.

On the Gower side of my family, one of my 19th century ancestors fathered a child by his stepdaughter. It was a terribly immoral situation, but the truth remains that trying to show that in a family tree is almost impossible, without asterisks, dotted lines and arrows going in different directions.

The increase in the number of unmarried parents these days is only one of the many challenges for those who try to keep track of family. Same sex couples is another. Fortunately computer programs do a pretty good job of allowing for a variety of family situations and configurations.

There are some family anomalies today that create challenges never dreamed of just a few genera- tions ago. Earlier this year a news report came out about Adrian and Lisa Shepherd (no known relationship to us), a couple in England who had triplets by in vitro fertilization (see picture). Two of the daughters, Adrian and Lisa, were born in 1999. The third daughter of this trio, Ryleigh, was born in November, 2010, from a fertilized egg that had been frozen and kept in storage since 1999. Same parents, same act of fertilization, but births 11 years apart. Who could have imagined such a thing not very long ago?

I find this to be an exciting though sometimes bewildering time to be engaged in family research, even though the challenges for family tree keepers are many. Thank God that behind all the incredible changes these days, some things remain the same. There is still that simple yearning for 2 people to be connected in a loving life partnership, and then for that love to result in the joy of parenthood.

If only it was as simple for those who to try to keep it all straight.

- - -
Steve

Trifecta - April 4, 2011

2011-04-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

A man who doesn't spend time

with his family

cannot be a real man.

~Don Corleone

(in "The Godfather")

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you on this travel day for Cindy and me, as we drive down the great Central Valley of California from Alameda back home to San Diego.

Jim and Cheryl Gower Celebrating 42 years

On this day in history, three different members of our family were born. One is a first cousin of mine on the Gower side of the family, another is the husband of my niece Kelly, and the third one is the granddaughter of a cousin on the Shepard side of the family. I don't think any of the three have ever met each other. Yet they are all valued members of our family.

The first born of this trio is my cousin Jim Gower, the second child of Hendrix and Starlene Gower and the second grandchild of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower. Jim was born and raised in San Diego, but he and wife Cheryl are now retired and live in Fort Mojave, Arizona.

Cheryl: "We are doing great. Jim is busy making all types of kaleidoscopes and selling them here in Fort Mojave and in Oatman, Arizona. He keeps the neighborhood in shape with all his "Mr. Fix-it" abilities. In February we celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary (picture attached). Our son Tim is still teaching and coaching at North Monterey County High School in Castroville, Ca. He has one son, Dane (11 years old), and will soon be engaged to a lovely lady, named Patti, who has a boy and girl of her own. So the family will blossom and we are thrilled."

James Sauvage and Family

The second birthday person today is James Sauvage. Originally from Ohio, he met and married Kelly Sauvage in San Diego. They now live with their two boys in Weatherford, Texas.

This second picture shows Cincinnati Reds fan James at his party last year. Next to him are his sons Nate and Kyle. Also pictured are niece Mandi and sister-in-law Kerri.

Kelly: "James has been working for Pumpco for a year now. It keeps him busy and even allows him to do a little traveling. Every few months he’ll fly to PA helping the guys in that area. He referees football as often as possible. Right now he works the Semi-Pro games every Saturday night. He is also Kyle’s baseball coach…team name Padres. It’s tough trying to teach eleven 6 year olds the basics of baseball and keep their attention for an hour. Lucky for James, he has me around to help. We don’t have big plans for his birthday, probably just dinner with the family.

Horse riding Ciara

"The boys and I spent spring break in Arizona at the Padres spring training. Such a blast! Kyle has made plans to go again next year. He got so many autographs! Nate got some too, but he wasn’t as excited as Kyle was. It was a long drive for me with two boys, but it was so worth it."

The third birthday person on this day is 9 year old Ciara Ortiz of Spring Valley, California. She is the first child of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz, the first grandchild of Kim Clark, and the first Ggrandchild of Terry and Thelma (Shepard) Boyd. She is also one of the 10 GGgrandchildren of Will and Bura Shepard. The third picture shows Ciara riding a horse in a picture taken last fall.

Best wishes to all three of them!
- - -
Steve

Now It's Papa's Turn; March 31, 2011

2011-03-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

In family life,

love is the oil that eases the friction,

the cement that binds us closer together,

and the music that brings harmony.

~Eva Burrows

Hello Family and Friends,

Greeting yet again from Alameda, California where Cindy and I are continuing to enjoy a visit with our kids.

Happy Birthday Joan! This last day of March is the birthday of Joan Shepard, the mother of Havilah Colgain Wardle of West Valley, Utah, the daughter of Elmer Shepard and the sister of Dane Shepard of New Castle, Oklahoma. Originally from San Diego, Joan now lives in Dixon, California. She told me that she and daughter Havilah are presently visiting with her father and family in Oklahoma and will share some family pictures and update when she returns home.

The first picture is an oldie from 1970 and seems to have been taken somewhere in Oklahoma. On the left is a barefoot Joan next to her father Elmer. Next to him is Will and Bura (Davis) Shepard. In the back is Perry and Esther (Davis) Jenkins; on the right is their daughter Coeta.

Happy Birthday Nathan! This coming Sunday, April 3, is the birthday of our son Nathan Shepard of Alameda, California. He is still flying high after the celebration of their daughter Preslea's first birthday last weekend here in Alameda, a celebration attended by Preslea's great grandmother Maida and great aunt Barbara who were visiting from Anacortes, Washington.

The second picture I am including today shows Nathan with wife Chenda and daughter Preslea on a chilly morning early this past week when we were on our way to visit Alcatraz, in San Francisco Bay.

The final picture shows Nathan with his grand mother Maida (Gower) Shepard in a picture taken last weekend here in Alameda.

Nathan works in San Francisco for Wells Fargo Bank, enjoys playing and watching hockey, riding his bicycle, and watching Preslea grow and change almost daily. On his birthday he and Chenda hope to enjoy an evening out by themselves while the grandparents get to babysit.
- - -
Steve

A First Birthday, March 26, 2011

2011-03-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

The future belongs

to those who give
the next generation

reasons to hope.

~Teilhard de Chardin

Hello Family and Friends,

Preslea Shepard

Greetings to all of you, wherever you may be, from Northern California where Cindy and I find ourselves on this rainy, first week of spring.

Several members of our family have gathered here in the San Francisco Bay Area to celebrate a special occasion. Today is the first birthday of Preslea Maida Shepard, the granddaughter of Cindy and me, and the pride and joy of her parents Nathan and Chenda Shepard of Alameda, California. Preslea's maternal grandfather is Sou Penh, who lives in Kampong Speu, Cambodia.

Preslea and Family

Preslea is the youngest of the 10 GGgrandchildren of Will and Bura Davis Shepard, and also the youngest of the 10 GGgrandchildren of Leroy and Nola Gower. She is named after a certain singing legend, as well as her Ggrandmother Maida Gower Shepard.

The first picture, above, shows a smiling Preslea in her stroller. The second picture shows Preslea on her father's lap next to her mother Chenda. In the back are grandparents Cindy and I. Select this link to see a photoshow of Preslea's first year, including pictures of her family and friends and the birthday celebration.

These days, when she is not chasing their cat Socket around the apartment, Preslea enjoys walks with her mother to the playground of their local park, playing with her dad when he comes home from work in the evenings, and humoring her grandparents on our occasional visits from down south.

Right now she is also enjoying the attention of her great aunt Barbara and her Ggrandmother Maida, who are visiting from Washington State. In a few months Preslea will welcome the arrival of a little brother, who is due to make an appearance in June.

- - -

Steve

Here Comes Spring, March 19, 2011

2011-03-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

Only in the family
can so many extremes
be reconciled and synthesized.
Only in the family
do we have a lifetime
in which to do it.
- Letty Cottin Pogrebin

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,

Kaylan Ruth Shepard

Greetings to all of you from sunny San Diego where newly blooming flowers, especially the Yellow Sour Grass, announce the end of winter and the coming of spring. Cindy and I are enjoying a visit from a couple of Washington snow-birds, my mom Maida and sister Barbara who seem to be thawing out nicely.

Kaylan Shepard. Today is the birthday of Kaylan Shepard, Dane and Cindy Shepard's daughter, of New Castle, Oklahoma. Kaylan is the last of the 21 Ggrandchildren of Will and Bura Shepard, and the last of all their descendants to be born in the 20th century.

Kaylan: I am very excited about my birthday!!! I also appreciate you for remembering!!! My mom cannot believe that I am turning 12, but I am loving it!!! For an early birthday present I got a new bowling ball. I am still trying to figure out what all I have to do with it,
Gary and Cindy Shepard
such as where I am supposed to move, what arrow I have to shoot at, and everything else. Thanks again for remembering my birthday. It would be nice to see you all!!!

Gary Shepard. This coming Wednesday, March 23, is the very special 65th birthday of my brother Gary Shepard. Gary is the oldest living grandchild of Will and Bura Shepard, and grandchild number 3 of Leroy and Nola Gower. He and his wife Cindy Shepard live in Oak Harbor, Washington, just a few miles from where a number of other Shepards and Gowers live in Western Washington. The second picture, from 2008, shows Gary and Cindy.

Gary was born and raised in San Diego, California but a few years ago retired with Cindy to Washington State. His three kids, Kerri, Jason and Kelly, along with his four grandkids, all live in Weatherford, Texas.

Gary with Kerri, Jason and Kelly

This third picture shows Gary with his daughter Kelly on the right. His daughter Kerri and son Jason are in the back. This picture was taken last summer.

Happy Birthday to Kaylan and to Gary!

- - -

Steve

Erin Go Braugh! March 14, 2011

2011-03-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

Never slow down,

Never grow old.

~Tom Petty

Hello Family and Friends,

Today is the birthday of my "brother by another mother," one-time brother-in-law but now adopted sibling, Jerry Clark. Jerry lives in Lubbock, Texas with his wife Cathrina and works with his daughter Susan in their business selling yearbooks and class rings. His favorite saying these days is the quote at the top of this post. Happy Birthday, Jerry!

Jerry and wife Cathrina Clark
with Maida Shepard in the middle

Jerry: "I know our dads never met, but in my mind I think they might have walked past each other some where in the dust of Oklahoma and Colorado.I do know that we are related now and how great it is to be a part of the Davis-Shepard family tree. Linda was the best thing that ever happened to me in my life.

"As far as how things are going now... it is great to be a granddad. Cathrina and I love all 8 grand kids (5 of mine and 3 of hers).

"Work is busy here with the end of school near. After 30 years of school related business I am thankful that I never had to have a real job! Working with Susan is a blessing and I think we have never had a cross word about business. She turns 31 (as does Amanda) this year. God has blessed us.

Jerry with grandkids
Miller and Emmerson Cave

"Cat and I are attending a start up church in Lubbock called Experience Life. Young preacher really hits on all cylinders and we feel the spirit working. Everyone is welcome to dusty west Texas to see us at the casa!"

Coffee With Clark. Jerry shared with me the link to Coffee With Clark, the blog of his brother Terry Clark. It is very well written and worth a look. Terry's blog is included in the list of links you can find online at The Shepard's Crook (the main page, right hand column, under Blogs and Sites of Family and Friends).

Erin Go Braugh! With Saint Patrick's Day coming up this Thursday, it is the perfect opportunity to celebrate our Irish Heritage. I have identified 11 different people in our family tree who immigrated to America from Ireland in the 17th and 18th centuries. The first in the list below is an ancestor of my paternal grandmother Bura Davis Shepard. The others are all ancestors of my maternal grandmother Nola Shannon Gower.

Here then is our family's own personal Irish Hall of Fame:

James Spear (1768-1821), Bura Davis' Ggrandfather, from County Armaugh, Ireland.
Thomas Shannon (1686-1737) and wife Eigness (Reid) Shannon (1686-1737), Nola Shannon Gower's GGGgrandparents from Munster, Ireland.
Mary Maxwell (1634-1680) and her daughter Jane Alexander (1665-1691), Nola's GGGGGG grandmother from Donegal, Ireland.
Mary Hamilton (1600-1634), Nola's GGGGGGGG grandmother, also from Donegal, Ireland.
William Gray (1771-1865), Nola's GG grandfather from Antrim, Ireland.
Margaret (Pike) Pickens (1672-1740) and her son Israel Pickens (1693-1749), Nola's GGGG grandfather from Limerick, Ireland.
George Davice (b. 1660) and his daughter Martha Davice/Davis (1708-1774), Nola's GGGG grandmother from Donegal, Ireland.

Each of these persons has their own stories of hardships and happiness, only a few of which we will ever know. Some of these stories I have shared in this blog before and others I plan to share in future posts. We can be grateful for their courage and celebrate the Irish blood that flows through us because of them. Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
- - -
Steve

Same Day Shepards, March 10, 2011

2011-03-10T16:04:00.000-08:00

The debt of gratitude we owe our parents
goes forward, not backward.
What we owe our parents
is the bill presented to us by our children.

~Nancy Friday

Hello Family and Friends,

Linda, Steven and their dad Russell Shepard

It's a beautiful, feels-like-spring day here in San Diego. The calendar says winter for another week or so, but the sunshine and warmth say something different.

Happy Birthday Russ and Steve. This coming Sunday, March 13, in the birthday of my brother Russell Shepard and his son Steven Paul Shepard, both of whom were born on the same day, 28 years apart.

Russ and Steven Sharing a Birthday in 1995

Russ, the last of the 6 children of Eugene and Maida (Gower) Shepard, was born and raised in San Diego, but moved to Anacortes, Washington in 1978 when the family first moved there. Steven has lived his whole life in Washington. Russ and his wife Pam (Engan) Shepard and daughter Linda, along with Steven, all live today in Anacortes.

Russ spends his time these days committed to his job at Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes. In his spare time he enjoys the open road on his Honda Shadow, as well as relaxing at his lake house, "up the river".

Steven -- who will be 21 on Sunday! -- is a full time student at Skagit Valley College, and is a big help at his Gram's house, where he lives. He is also very involved in the Church of Christ in Anacortes, and enjoys sailing with his Sea Scouts group.

Steve (in green) on a Sea Scout outing

Family Reunion August 13, 2011. Ana- cortes, by the way, is where our Family Reunion will take place this summer on Saturday, August 13, 2011.

You are invited to make your plans and join us as we renew family ties and share an afternoon together. Select this link for all the details of the reunion, including the exact location, motel suggestions, and other pertinent information.
- - -
Steve