"Call Upon God to Give a Sign", Tuesday, November 14, 2012

He who has no fools, knaves, 

or beggars in his family 

was begot by a flash of lightning.

~Old English proverb

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from San Diego where Cindy and I have recently returned after a few weeks away. One of the places we visited was Egypt. The first picture shows Cindy and I in front of the famous Sphinx and the Pyramid of Giza, near Cairo, Egypt. Select this link to see other pictures of our trip.

John Pouty Williams. This Friday is the 206th anniversary of the birthday of John Pouty Williams (1806- 1898), a most interesting person in our family tree. He is the  great grandfather of my grand mother Bura Davis Shepard (1896-1986). The lives of John Williams and my grandmother Bura overlapped by a mere 2 years, just long enough for him to bounce her on his knee near the end of his life, a life which spanned almost the entire 19th century. 

He was a transition person in our family tree. Born in Spencer County, Kentucky in 1806, his father died in 1813. His widowed mother soon thereafter took John and her other children and moved westward and settled near the town of Spencer in Owen County, Indiana. Here is a blog entry where you can read more about John Pouty Williams and his family. The second picture shows John Pouty's grave in Pleasant Grove Cemetery near Spencer, Indiana.

I have encountered quite a number of people who are descendants of his during my online family research. One such person who I have recently begun corresponding with is Cherie Harris of North Carolina, a GGgrandchild of Matilda Jane Williams, the sister of John Pouty. She has also done research into our Williams kinfolk and has traced our ancestry through John Pouty's maternal grandmother Elizabeth van Hook Warford. 

Arent Isaacszen Van Hoeck. According to Cherie, the van Hook family line in America goes back to Arent Isaacszen Van Hoeck (1623-1697), who migrated with his wife Geertje Everts to New Amsterdam (New York), from Amsterdam, Netherlands in the spring of 1655 or 1656.

Genealogical records in New York document Arent's penchant for having wives who died. His first wife Sara died in The Netherlands in 1652. His second wife Geertje who had migrated with him to New Amsterdam, died in an Indian raid (or so it was rumored). He married a third time around 1660, but this wife also died (her name and fate remain unknown). 

Call Upon God to Give a Sign. Records indicate that in 1665 in New York, New York, at the Old Dutch Reformed Church, Arent married Styntie Laurens (my 9x Ggrandmother). In 1682, Styntie (wife #4) after having given Arent 5 children, died very suddenly. As a result the local constable, two magistrates and two doctors went to their home to examine her body. There was nothing obvious to indicate foul play by Arent or anybody else. Arent was, however, ordered to place his hand on her chest and call upon God Almighty to give a sign if he were guilty of his wife's death. When nothing happened, Arent was declared innocent. (Dutch Court Records of Kingston cited in New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, 70 (1939): 365). 

9x Grandpa Arent's marrying days were still not finished. In 1685 he married Elizabeth Stevens in New York, New York. Her fate remains unknown. Finally he married Maria Van Hobocken in 1695 or 1696, also in New York, New York. About 1697, Arent Isaacszen van Hoeck died, in his mid 70's, having had 6 different wives, most of whom met untimely deaths while married to him.

It is hard to know what to make of Grandpa Arent and his many wives. After 315 years it is impossible to know anything more than what the record states. Nonetheless, thanks to cousin Cherie Harris for this information about our common ancestor Arent Isaacszen van Hoeck, a colorful character to be sure, and one more immigrant in our family tree.

The following is the lineage of my youngest grandchild William Quincy Shepard through John Pouty Williams, to Dutch immigrant Arent and his wife Styntie Laurens van Hoeck: 

• Arent Isaacszen van Hoeck (1623-1697), who married Styntie Laurens, the parents of
• Laurens van Hook (1670-1724), who married Johanna Smith, parents of
• Hendrick van Hook (1700-1750), who married Deborah Parent, parents of
• Benjamin van Hook (1726-?), who married Lydia ?, parents of
• Elizabeth van Hook (1746-1805), who married Henry Warford, the parents of
• Lydia Warford (1782-1829), who married John Williams, the parents of
• John Pouty Williams (1806-1898), who married Sara Richardson, the parents of
• Margaret Frances Williams (1845-1904), who married William Spear, the parents of
• Caroline Matilda Spear (1861-1951), who married James Brooks Davis, the parents of
• Bura Davis Shepard (1896-1986), who married William Shepard, the parents of
• Eugene William Shepard (1921-2003), who married Maida Imogene Gower, the parents of
• Steven Dale Shepard (b. 1948), who married Cindy Harris, the parents of
• Nathan William Shepard (b. 1977), who married Chenda Sou, the parents of
• William Quincy Shepard (b. 2012)

- - -
Steve

One Worthy Widow, Feb 20, 2011

How will our children
know who they are,
if they do not know where 
they came from?
~Author unknown

Hello Family and Friends,

Today is the birthday of Terry Boyd of Gallup, New Mexico. He has been my uncle ever since he and my aunt Thelma Shepard were married back in the summer of 1957. Happy Birthday to Terry!

The first picture shows Terry on the left with Thelma on the right, and their granddaughter Amanda Ortiz in the middle. Terry and Thelma are holding daughter Kim's dogs Cali and Diego. Amanda is holding Zoey.

Lydia Warford Williams: One Worthy Widow. In my last post, I mentioned John and Lydia Warford Williams, my GGGG grandparents of Spencer County, Kentucky who were married in 1803. John, who died 10 years later, left his 31 year old widow Lydia an inheritance of $203.19 3/4. He also left her 4 children under the age of 10: William (9), John Pouty (7), Caroline (5) and Matilda Jane (3).

Lydia's father Henry Warford had died in 1784 in Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania, when she was only 2 years old, and now she had to deal with the death of another important man in her still young life.

Not long after the settlement of her husband's property, the widow Lydia took her inheritance, packed up her four young'ns, and moved on. Literally and figuratively. They first traveled 75 or so miles northwest, through Louisville, Ky, across the state line, and into Washington Co., Indiana, where she and the kids resided in 1820, according to Census records. Some time later they moved on to Spencer, Owen County, Indiana, where she and the kids made their home.

Being a young widow with 4 children on the American frontier in the early 19th century must have been tough. There are indications that Lydia and the kids traveled with some of her siblings, which must have made life a little easier for her. Most of Indiana was Indian land, with few roads. It was officially the "Indiana Territory" until 1816 when it became a state with a total of just 64,000 settlers. Perhaps it was the new statehood that lured Lydia and her family to make their new home there.
 
Records indicate that by 1826 Lydia found another life partner when she married William S. Jones, and settled down with him 25 miles north of Spencer, in Putnam, Indiana. Even so, Spencer remained a special place for the family, and is where at least two of Lydia's children lived most of their lives. One of them was John Pouty Williams, whose daughter Maggie Williams was the mother of Caroline ("Callie") Spear. In 1896, Callie then married James Brooks Davis, their first child being my grandmother Bura Davis.

Spencer, Indiana is where many of our Williams, Spear and Davis kinfolk are buried, and where others still live today. The second picture is one I took in 2009 at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery outside Spencer. It shows the leaning, weathered headstone of John Pouty Williams (1806-1898). (Click the pic for a larger view and to read the inscription.) He was one of Lydia Williams' children, whose father John Willams had died in Kentucky in 1813 when John Pouty was just a boy of 7.

These are the kind of people who reside in our family tree, people who endured despite the difficulties they encountered. I wish we knew more about folks like the young widow Lydia Warford Williams and her children. But what we do know can inspire us to live with as much fortitude and perseverance as they did. 

From Then to Now. The following 13 generation lineage, similar to the one in my last post, begins with the oldest Warford I know about, continues through Lydia Warford Williams, and ends with the youngest member of our family.

• John Warford I - 1650-1699 (who married Abigail Pinckney), parents of...
• John Warford II - 1683-1769 (who married Elizabeth Stout) parents of...
• Joseph Warford - 1711-1774 (who married Elizabeth Banner) parents of...
• Henry Warford - 1741-1784 (who married Elizabeth Van Hook) parents of...
• Lydia Warford - 1782 -1829? (who married John Williams) parents of...
• John Pouty Williams - 1806-1898 (who married Sarah Richardson) parents of...
• Margaret Frances Williams - 1845-1904 (who married William Spear) parents of...
• Caroline Matilda Spear - 1865-1951 (who married James Brooks Davis) parents of...
• Bura Emerald Davis - 1896-1986 (who married William Shepard) parents of...
• Eugene William Shepard - 1921-2003 (who married Maida Gower) parents of...
• Steven Dale Shepard - b. 1948 (who married Cynthia Harris) parents of...
• Nathan William Shepard - b. 1977 (who married Chenda Sou) parents of...
• Preslea Maida Shepard - b. 2010.

- - -
Steve

Shepard Family Update, Nov 14

If you look deeply into the palm of your hand,
you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors.
All of them are alive in this moment.
Each is present in your body.
You are the continuation of each of these people.
- Thich Nhat Hanh

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,

Good morning from the cool mountains of Northern California, where the nights are getting cold and the days are brisk, and the sunshine reminds me that life is good and always to be celebrated.

Cousin Dane Shepard has suggested three possible dates for the family reunion next summer in Oklahoma: June 20 or 27, or July 18. Which of those three Saturdays will work best for you? Let Dane (dcflock@juno.com) know your preference among those three -- if you have one -- so that he can set the date and we can all begin our planning. Or let me know and I can pass the word to him. He wants to set a date by the end of the year.

This Sunday is the anniversary of the birthday of John Pouty Williams, an ancestor with the common name for our family, William, but with an unusual middle name of Pouty, a name not found among any other relative. He was born 202 years ago, in 1806, and lived just long enough to witness the arrival into the world of his great granddaughter, Bura Davis. He is our reminder that we each carry some "longevity genes" within us. He died at the ripe old age of 92 (VERY old for that day) in Spencer, Indiana, shortly after Gram's first birthday. Since Gram was born in that same little town southwest of Indianapolis, I would like to think that this aging nanogenarian had the opportunity to bounce baby Bura on his knees sometime before he died. Bura was his great granddaughter by way of his youngest daughter Maggie Williams (John Pouty and his wife Sarah had 9 other children before Maggie!). Maggie's picture appears in the post of June 20, 2008 of this blog.

Maggie's granddaughter Bura Davis was the oldest of 7 children, all born in Spencer, Indiana. I have shared before that the family migrated to Beaver County, Oklahoma in 1912 when Gram was only 15. At the time her youngest sibling Marjorie was only 4 years old. What you may not know is that "Aunt Margie" outlived all her siblings and died just last Thursday in Tulsa Oklahoma at the age of 100. So while John Pouty's life of 92 years spanned nearly the entire 19th century, his great granddaughter Margie's life of 100 years spanned nearly the entire 20th century.

The quote above from Thich Nhat Hanh speaks of the ways that our ancestors impact the lives we live today, especially our physical lives. I am grateful for the lives of John Pouty and Bura and Marjorie, whose combined 282 years carry with it the promise of long life for us, their descendants, if we take care of ourselves.

The first picture I am including today is a picture of Gram with 2 of her 4 sisters, Winona on the left and Marjorie in the middle. The picture was taken in November, 1957 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Here is the obituary of Gram's sister Marjorie Davis, the last of her generation, from last Sunday's edition of the Tulsa World.

Marjorie [Davis] Millikan Williams, 100, passed peacefully from this life November 6, 2008. This special person will be forever remembered in the hearts of her family and her friends. She was born December 27, 1907, in Spencer, Indiana. Her family moved to Beaver County, OK in 1912. She, John, and their sons moved to Tulsa in 1942. She was preceded in death by her husband, John Millikan (after 41 years of marriage); husband, A. C. Williams (after 12 years of marriage); son James Brooks Millikan; daughter-in- law Ila Millikan and 6 siblings [including Bura Davis]. In her early years she taught school, farmed, became "Rosie the Riveter" during WWII, was an LPN nurse, and sold real estate. She was a life-long member of the Church of Christ, and one of the joys of her life was teaching third-grade Sunday School class for 52 years. She won many blue ribbons at the Tulsa State Fair with her various entries. Survived by: sons and their wives, Arlen Millikan; Gary and Barbara Millikan; Jack and Karen Millikan; step-sons and their wives, Wayne and Rosie Williams, Don and Yvonne Williams; Bill and Mary Williams; 4 grandchildren; 7 great-grandchildren; 2 great- great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, November 14th at the Memorial Drive Church of Christ. Interment at Memorial Park.

Do you see the shadow of the photographer in the picture above? Here is a trivia question for today: From the position of the elbows of the photographer, it appears that the camera is being held at about stomach level rather than in front of the photographer's face. Why? (I will give you the answer next week. )

The second picture I am including today shows the birthday girl from last month, Kori Lynn Boyd, with her mom Vicki and dad Darren, and her older sister Courtney and older brother Brandyn. They all live in Lakeside, California. Darren is Terry and Thelma's son.

I received an email from Mary Shepard this past week that I would like to pass on to you: "Thanks for all of the prayers, I really feel that the power of prayer is working. I went for my pre-op appointment with my surgeon yesterday and felt a shield of comfort when we were talking. My surgery is scheduled for 7:30 am on Monday the 17th of this month. I check in at 6am, so please do pass the word and let everyone know how appreciative I am and how loved I feel. Thanks."

Our prayers continue for Mary and her family as she prepares for her surgery in Seattle this coming Monday.
--
Steve

A Plethora of Williamses, June 14, 2017

Life yields only to be conqueror. 

Never accept what can be gained by giving in. 

~William the Conqueror

Mandi and daughter Kambree with cousin Kyle

Happy Birthday Kambree! Kambree Kay Bowman celebrates her 4th birthday today, June 14. Kambree is a 3X Great Grandchild of William and Bura Shepard. She is also a 3X Great Grandchild of Leroy and Nola Gower. Kambree and her mother Mandi Aquiningoc live in Weatherford, Texas.

Best Wishes to Emma and Shannon. Earler this month on June 6 Emma Wilk of Atchison, Kansas celebrated a birthday. She is the daughter of Shannon Wilk and the granddaughter of my late cousin Beverly Russell Wilk (1939-1974). Emma's Great Great Grandparents are William and Bura Shepard, early 20th century ancestors who were the first in our Shepard family to live in California. Best wishes to Emma and her mom Shannon as Emma turns 12!

Emma Wilk and "Pappa" Frank

Kambree and Emma are both descendants of a family line that includes my Grandmother Bura Davis's Grandmother Maggie Williams Spear (1845-1904), of Spencer, Indiana. We have had a plethora of people named William in our family over the years, most recently persons who have William as their first or middle name. 

As far back as I can get information there has never been a time when our family has been without at least one William in our family. My grandson William Quincy Shepard is the youngest of the fellows in our family today with that first name. But there have been others, many others, going all the way back to the pre-Civil War days, and probably long before that.

Maggie Williams Spear

A Plethora of Williamses. My Great Great Grandmother Maggie Williams Spear takes the name William to a whole different level in our family tree by connecting us to the surname Williams. She was born in Spencer, Indiana, the 9th and last child of Sally Richardson Williams (1801-1877) and John Pouty Williams (1806-1898). John Pouty was the 2nd of the 4 children of John Williams and Lydia Warford Williams, prominent citizens of Shelby County, Kentucky, 150 miles Southeast of Spencer, Indiana. 

I have written about our Williams ancestors in Kentucky in this blog several times, including here, and here.

John Pouty Williams had a Grandfather in Kentucky, named William Williams (1745-1801). This William Williams was the first in his family to settle in Kentucky, having migrated from Loudon County, Virginia, west of Washington, D.C. with his wife Elizabeth Averett (or Everett) just before the turn of the 19th century. William and Elizabeth were Quakers, having their marriage of September 6, 1769 recorded in the "Monthly Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 of Loudon County", a snippet from which is included below.

1769 Wedding Record for William Williams & Elizabeth Everett

John Pouty Williams not only had a grandfather named William Williams, he also had a brother named William Williams (1804-?). John and wife Sally also named the 5th of their 9 children William H. Williams (1834-1904). In the midst of all these William Williamses, at least they had the good sense to add a distinguishing "H" to this William William's name. In an interesting historical twist, it became not so distinguishing when William H. Williams and his wife Sarah named one of their sons William H. Williams (1881-1939).

These are just some of the many, many Williams that are in our family tree. There were (and ARE) numerous other Williams among the clan of these 19th century Williams ancestors of ours, and their descendants. We may even have roots that extend to the famous William the Conqueror (1028-1087), the first Norman King of England. But I am not ready to tackle that research! These Williams I have listed here are confusing enough. They clearly show that "William" has been -- and continues to be -- a favorite name of people in our family.
- - -
Steve Shepard

"I Don't Need Google", February 2, 2016

There is something about

reviewing the lessons of the past

that prepares us to face

the challenges of the future.

~L. Tom Perry

On this Ground Hog Day, I am celebrating three different but important celebrations among people within our family tree.

Cindy Ann Shepard. Today is the birthday of Cindy Ann Dillon Shepard, the wife of my brother Gary Shepard, who lives in the town of Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island, Washington. Cindy was actually born in Rhode Island, but was raised in Southern California. She and Gary were married in Orange County in 1979, and then lived in the San Diego area until they retired to Washington in 2003 where they live today. Cindy has worked for several years in nearby Mount Vernon, Washington at Schenk Packing Company. 

Gary and Cindy Shepard

This first picture shows Gary and Cindy and was taken this past Christmas at the home of Maida Shepard in Anacortes, Washington. Happy Birthday to Cindy!

William Elmer Shepard (1862-1915). Today is the birthday of my Great Grandfather William Elmer Shepard. His is one of the more remarkable stories to be found in our entire family tree, that I have written about numerous times in this blog. His father was a Civil War soldier named William Shepard who died just 5 months after William Elmer was born.

The widow and mother Mary Elizabeth Sprague Shepard rebounded by marrying an older man in Montgomery County, Indiana who already had his own family, but was kind enough to take into his household this young widow and her two sons, 3 year old William Elmer and 4 year old Frank. This united family did not blend well and by the time William Elmer was an older teenager he struck out on his own. He hightailed it out of Montgomery County, then out of the state of Indiana, and landed in Madison County, Illinois, where he met Elvira Owens and his wandering days were over. After marrying Elvira and having two children with her, he moved to Beaver County, Oklahoma where he and Elvira lived out their days. He died in 1915, also in the month of February, at just 53 years old.

We know from the stories of his son, my Granddad William Shepard, that William Elmer died from what was diagnosed at the time as stomach cancer. He was a good father, husband and church member (South Flat Church of Christ), and made a great impact on his son. He died just 4 months before his son married Bura Davis. We remember him today for the witness that he was to his family and his church.

John and Sally After 190 Years. Today is also the anniversary of two of my GGG Grandparents, John Pouty Williams (1806-1898) and Sarah (Sally) Richardson (1801-1877). They were married on this day in 1826, 190 years ago. 

John was born in Kentucky but after his father died in 1813 when young John was a child, his mother Lydia Warford Williams took their 4 children and moved them to Indiana where their family settled for several generations. In Indiana young John met Sally Richardson and even though she was 5 years older, married her when he was 19 and she was 24. Sally was originally from Virginia but had moved as a young woman to Washington County, Indiana, where she and John tied the knot. 

Headstone of Sarah (Sally) Richardson Williams

We don't know much about the wedding of John and Sally, other than it took place in Southern Indiana, on this day, the very midpoint of winter, Ground Hog Day (although the Puxtahawny Phil tradition did not even start until some years later). Indiana was still very much frontier America at that time, the state itself was still very young, Indians were still a major challenge, and travel was very primitive and difficult through this rugged, untamed landscape. 

John and Sally's marriage lasted 51 years -- an amazing length of time in those days -- and endured the build up to, the fighting of, and the rebuilding after the Civil War. Their love resulted in 9 children and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren, including Bura Davis Shepard, my grandmother. Sally died in 1877 while John lived until 1898. Grandmother Bura was born just 14 months before the death of her Great Grandfather John Pouty Williams, with the real possibility that the two of them may have actually spent some special moments together.

John and Sally Williams are yet another remarkable couple in our family tree whose lives are worth remembering, and whose love and devotion to one another is deserving of our gratitude. Their final resting place is in the beautiful Pleasant Grove Cemetery in the hills northwest of Spencer, Indiana.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Shepard Family Update, March 6, 2009

Hello Shepard family and friends,

Greetings this morning from Southern California as we continue to "caress our history" by celebrating the family we are. I invite you to ponder the following poem which is part of a longer piece titled Family Reunion by Jeredith Merrin. It beckons us to gain perspective on our family history, to "put your arms around" it, to pay attention to it.

Almost everyone has separated
from the landscape of childhood.

most are cut off from their own
histories, each of which waits
like a child left at day care.
What if you turned back for a moment

and put your arms around yours?
Yes, you might be late for work;
no, your history doesn't smell sweet
like a toddler's head. But look

at those small round wrists,
that short-legged, comical walk.
Caress your history—who else will?
Promise to come back later.

Pay attention when it asks you
simple questions: Where are we going?
Is it scary? What happened? Can
I have more now? Who is that?

Happy Birthday to Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc who celebrated this past Tuesday! Kerri was born and raised in San Diego but now lives in Weatherford, Texas with her friend Wade and her daughters Lyndsey and Mandi. She works in Ft Worth, Texas for Hallmark Insurance Group. Kerri, Lyndsey and Mandi are part of our family who moved from California to Texas 10 years ago.

The first picture I am including today is actually a set of pictures of birthday girl Kerri. (You can click on the picture to see a larger view.) The first one was taken in 1968, the last one was taken a few months ago, and the others were at various times in between.

Another "misteak." Last week I included a picture of Darrell Shepard with Kelly Sauvage and said that Kelly was Darrell's cousin. How wrong I was, as several of you were swift to inform me (good naturedly, of course!). Kelly Shepard Sauvage of Weatherford, Texas is Darrell's niece, not his cousin. In one fell swoop I wrongly flattered Darrell and insulted Kelly! Oops. My bad.

In recent weeks I have corresponded with several members of our extended family. One of them is Pamela Williams Martin who lives in North Carolina. She stumbled across my family blog online and emailed me. She does lots of family research and it has been a joy to compare notes with her on ancestors we have in common.

Pam said this in a recent email: Our common ancestor is John Pouty Williams, who is my GGGgrandfather by way of John Fleming Williams, Joseph Preston Williams, William Harvey Williams, and Paul Edwin Williams (my dad). I was born and raised in Aurora, Illinois in the mid 1950’s, and moved to Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina in the early 1980’s. I have three sons Bret, Robin, and Dallas, and one daughter Lindsey. In 2007, I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Florida Metropolitan University with a degree in Criminal Justice. A North Carolina State Certified Nurseryman since 1984, I protect and propagate threatened and endangered species of carnivorous plants. My passions are my children and grandson, genealogy, and crocheting. I feel wonderfully blessed to have found my fourth cousin Steve during my research on John Pouty Williams.

Bura Davis' (Gram's) grandmother was Margaret Francis Williams, one of the children of John Pouty Williams, mentioned above. The second picture I am including is of Will and Bura Davis Shepard (Gram and Grandad). It was taken somewhere in San Diego on Mother's Day, 1967. This is a scanned copy of one of several photographs that Kim Clark graciously let me borrow a while back, that came to her via her mother Thelma Boyd.

This just in: Congratulations to Jerry Clark and Jane Brock on the birth of grandchild number four! Brooklyn Cale Cox (little sister of big brother Drew) was born this morning to Andrew and Susan Clark Cox in Lubbock, Texas. Best wishes to them all!

Shepard Family Reunion: July 18, New Castle Community Center, Newcastle, Oklahoma. As your plans take shape, be sure to email Kim Clark or Dane Shepard and let them know if you will be attending. Or email me and I will pass the word to them.
--
Steve

Valentine's Day, Feb 14, 2011

Our ancestors dwell

in the attics of our brains

as they do in the knowledge

hidden in every cell of our bodies. 

~Shirley Abbott

Hello Family and Friends,

Happy Valentine's Day! In the spirit of familial love, I have put together a new and improved version of a photoshow I shared with you last year.

John and Lydia Williams. Two star-crossed lovers I would like to have included in the foregoing were John Williams and Lydia Warford, my GGGG grandparents. Unfortunately no pictures exist of these two, whose love resulted in their Kentucky marriage in 1803. But I do have a picture of their granddaughter Margaret Williams Spear, and her daughter Caroline Spear Davis. I have shared this picture (from about 1880) of Maggie and Callie before, but I am including it again below.

I received some new information recently regarding our Williams ancestors from Pamela Williams Martin of North Carolina, a fourth cousin of mine, who is also a 4G grandchild of John and Lydia Williams.

John Williams, born around 1780 outside Washington DC in Fairfax, Va., moved as a young man with his family to Spencer County, Kentucky, southeast of Louisville. Lydia Warford, born in Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania, met John after her family also settled in Spencer County, Kentucky. They married in nearby Shelby, Kentucky, 4 days before Thanksgiving, 1803.

John and Lydia's life together was cut short when he died just 10 years later. We don't know how John died, just that he was probably in his 30s. Since the year he died was 1813, the war of 1812 seems a possibility, but Pam found no record of him serving in that conflict. For now his death is a mystery. 

Pam obtained an "Appraisal of the Estate of John Williams", which was settled November, 1815 in Shelby County, Kentucky, a fascinating historical document. Here are just some of the numerous items of his estate that were listed as having been sold: (All spellings below are as they appear in the document.)

- 1 old hat that sold to Reuben Smith for .62 1/2

- 1 sett geers that sold for 4.00
- 1 Big pot that sold to James D. Davis for 4.00

- 14 hogs that sold for 20.00

- 1 Gray mare that sold for 16.12
- 6 head of Sheep that sold for 8.00
- 1 white cow and calf that sold for 13.53
- 1 red heifer, 1 Bull, 1 Stear that sold for a total of 11.94

Here are some of the debts against John Williams' estate, also listed in the Appraisal:

- Appraisers Charge: .50

- Clerks fee: 3.30 1/2
- James Bristoes note on said estate: 11.25

- Whiskey for the sale: 1.50

- Sheriffs Bill for 1811: 1.30

- Majistrates fee: .50

"Whiskey for the Sale"? It appears whiskey was available at the estate sale where John's property was looked over and purchased. Was someone offering free shots of Kentucky Bourbon, to soften the spirit and loosen the purse strings of people like brother-in-law Reuben Smith, so he would cough up the 62 1/2 cents for John's old hat? (Yes, they did have "half cents" back in those days. See picture.) Evidently the cost of the whiskey was then charged to John William's estate. (Have you ever been to a yard sale or estate sale like that?)

After it was settled, the cash amount of young John William's estate was $203.19 3/4. That might be enough to buy an iPhone today, but 200 years ago it was a sizable sum for John Williams to leave his young widow Lydia Warford Williams. As it turned out it was enough to help get Lydia back on her feet.

More about that part of the story I will share in my next post. For now we can be grateful for ancestors like John and Lydia, their loves and disappointments, their resilience and their dreams, that somehow get passed on to us, and -- if there is any truth in the quote at the top -- that we carry with us as we journey through life.

The following is a lineage showing several of the people mentioned above. It begins with the young girl pictured with her brother near the top of this post and continues with each generation to William Williams, the oldest Williams of whom I have any data.

• Ashlyn Ortiz - b. 2005, daughter of...
• Jeremy Ortiz - b. 1980 (who married Desiree Ambriz) son of...
• Kim Lorraine Boyd - b. 1961 (who married Gabriel Ortiz) daughter of...
• Thelma Lea Shepard - b. 1936 (who married Terry Boyd) daughter of...
• Bura Emerald Davis - 1896-1986 (who married William Shepard) daughter of...
• Caroline Matilda Spear - 1865-1951 (who married James Brooks Davis) daughter of...
• Margaret Frances Williams - 1845-1904 (who married William Spear) daughter of...
• John Pouty Williams - 1806-1898 (who married Sarah Richardson) son of...
• John Williams - 1782-1813 (who married Lydia Warford) son of...
• William Williams - 1745-1801 (who married Elizabeth Averett)

- - -
Steve

Memorial Day Weekend, May 29, 2016

They hover as a cloud of witnesses above this Nation.

~Henry Ward Beecher

Happy Birthday today to my cousin Michael Harrell. Mike grew up in San Diego, but lives today with his wife Carole in a northern suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. Mike is the older son of Vicki Gower Johnston of Chandler, Arizona and the brother of Paula, Gloria and David.

Paula, Gloria, Michael and David, early 1960s

This first picture is an oldie from the early 1960s and shows Michael with his three siblings. From left to right are Paula, Gloria, Michael and David. This is a classic family photo that you may have seen before, but I find wonderfully appealing. It is also quite appropriate since Gloria passed away earlier this spring.

Memorial Day is a time to remember people in our family tree who served their country well, and in some cases gave their life for the cause of freedom. Among our ancestors are individuals who have served in every conflict in which our county has engaged. Over the years that I have written this blog, I have mentioned numerous ancestors who served in various wars our nation has fought. Today I would like to highlight just a few. Some of them are people whose service you may never have heard about. Others you may be very familiar with.

Henry Warford (1741-1784), Revolutionary War. Here are his descendants, beginning with his daughter: Lydia Warford Williams (1782-1829) / John Pouty Williams (1806-1898) / Margaret Williams Spear (1845-1904) / Caroline Spear Davis (1865-1951) / Bura Davis Shepard (1896-1986) / Eugene Shepard (1921-2003) / Steve Shepard.

Because of the Warford family's military service George Washington, in 1776, deeded to them 100 acres of land in southern Pennsylvania that became a village later named Warfordsburg, an historic town that exists to this day. Read more about Henry Warford and his family here.

Benjamin Owens (1734-1808) Revolutionary War, and his Grandson Edmond Owens, Jr. (1795-1864) War of 1812. Here are their descendants, beginning with Benjamin's son: Edmond Owens, Sr.  (1762-1821) / Edmond Owens, Jr. (1795-1864) / Payton Owens (1826-1872) / Elvira Owens Shepard (1864-1931) / William Shepard (1888-1976) / Eugene Shepard (1921-2003) / Steve Shepard.

Edmond Owens, Jr. about 1850

This second picture is from the mid 19th century and shows war veteran Edmond Owens Jr. of Madison County, Illinois.

Benjamin Owens served under Frances Marion, “The Swamp Fox”, during the Revolutionary War, while his grandson Edmond Owens Jr. fought with Andrew Jackson in the famous Battle of New Orleans in January, 1815. These veterans were among the ancestors of my Great Grandmother Elvira Owens Shepard. Read more about them here.

John Williams Sr. (1782-1813), War of 1812. Here are John's descendants, starting with his son: John Pouty Williams (1806-1898) / Margaret Williams Spear (1845-1904) / Caroline Spear Davis (1865-1951) / Bura Davis Shepard (1896-1986) / Eugene Shepard (1921-2003) / Steve Shepard.

Another veteran of the War of 1812, John was from Kentucky, and died from wounds suffered during the war. He was the GG Grandfather of Bura Davis Shepard, my Grandmother. Read more about John Williams here.

Augustus Marvin Dearien (1814-1900), American Civil War. Here are his descendants, beginning with his daughter: Finetta Dearien Shannon (1861-1960) / Nola Shannon Gower (1903-2004) / Maida Gower Shepard (b. 1924) / Steve Shepard.

This soldier and the next one served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. A.M. Dearien enlisted at the very tail end of the conflict, in 1865, when he was nearly 50. He served in the Arkansas Mounted Cavalry of Clardy's Battalion. Read more about A.M. Dearien here.

Jackson William Gower (1831-1902), Civil War. Here are his descendants, beginning with his son: Leroy Gower 1854-1909) / George William Gower (1873-1944) / Leroy Ertin Gower (1899-1974) / Maida Gower Shepard (b. 1924) / Steve Shepard.

This soldier served in the 27th Regiment of the Arkansas Infantry of the Confederate Army. He survived the conflict and lived into the 20th century. He died just 3 years after the birth of his Great Grandson Leroy Gower (my Grandfather). Read more about Jackson William Gower here.

Lloyd W. Gower (1896-1918), World War I. Unfortunately this Arkansas soldier died fighting in Europe as a young single man and had no children. He was a Great Grandson of the previously mentioned Jackson William Gower, and the older brother of my Grandfather Leroy Gower. Read more about Lloyd W. Gower here.

These seven soldiers in our family's past are just a sampling of the many men and women among our ancestors recent and distant who served their county in military service. These memorable seven served their county well, and deserve our humble remembrance at this time. Each had their own unique story, the full details of which are unknown to us. Yet they are part of the rich tapestry that is our family history. We honor them though they lived before we were born. We appreciate their service and the sacrifice they made. Because of them and their heroic actions so long ago, we live today in freedom and abundance.
- - -
Steve Shepard

A Double Whammy For Lydia Warford, March 15, 2020

A woman is like a tea bag -
you never know how strong she is
until she gets in hot water.
~Eleanor Roosevelt

In my last post I told the story of two star-crossed lovers, William and Mary Shepard (my GG Grandparents), who were married just two years when he tragically died in the Civil War in 1862. Civil War widow Mary was left with 2 young sons to raise. Against great odds, she was able to make a good life for herself and her sons even though the path was filled with adversity and hardship. Civil War soldier William Shepard and his wife Mary were not alone in our family history. Others had to endure a similar fate when a young person died unexpectedly and left a surviving spouse. I can think of several instances in my own lifetime:

• In 1970 my wife Cindy's 23 year old cousin Gloria Eeds Westin died in an accident leaving her young husband Terry.
• In 1971 my sister Linda Shepard Clark at just 20 years old, died in a car accident leaving her young husband Jerry Clark.
• In 1992 Manuel Aquiningoc tragically died leaving a baby daughter and a 24 year old pregnant wife, my niece Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc.

Lydia Warford Williams. Before the 20th century there were several instances of young people among our kinfolk who experienced the death of a spouse and had to deal with the hardships of single parenthood. One of the most remarkable is my 4X Great Grandmother Lydia Warford Williams (1782-1829) who was born shortly after the revolutionary war.

Here is my lineage to Lydia Warford Williams:

• my father Eugene Shepard (1921-2003)
• his mother Bura Davis Shepard (1896-1986)
• her mother Callie Spear Davis (1865-1951)
• her mother Maggie Williams Spear (1845-1904)
• her father John Pouty Williams (1806-1898)
• his mother Lydia Warford Williams (1782-1829)

Lydia Warford Williams' granddaughter
Maggie Williams Spear (left) and
her daughter Callie Spear Davis abt. 1880

When Lydia, the youngest of 8 siblings, was just 2 years old, her father Henry Warford (1741-1784) died in Southern Pennsylvania in the town of Warfordsburg, which was named after Lydia's family. With her father Henry's death, her mother Elizabeth Van Hook Warford became a single parent with the primary responsibility for 8 children between the ages of 2 and 18. The struggle was difficult for their family especially for young Lydia, who only knew her father for two short years of her
life. For the rest of her childhood, Lydia, her siblings and her mother struggled to make do without their father.

At the turn of the 19th century when Lydia was about 18, her family migrated some 500 miles westward from Southern Pennsylvania to the frontier of Shelby County, Kentucky, 30 miles east of Louisville. In 1803 in Kentucky, 21 year old Lydia married neighbor John Williams and with him had a family of her own, including 4 children. In 1813 her husband John Williams died, possibly in the War of 1812, and left her with 4 children under 10 years old.

A Double Whammy. Lydia's father had died in 1784 when she was just 2 years old, and then her husband died in 1813 when she was a 31 year old mother of 4. Not just once, but twice in her life she found herself part of a family where the father-breadwinner died and the sole responsibility for raising the children fell to mom. It was a double whammy for poor Lydia. She was left wondering if she could ever count on the important men in her life. From all that we know she survived her difficult childhood fairly well. And she made the most of her life as a single mother for 13 years after husband John died in 1813.

Pleasant Grove Cemetery near Spencer, Indiana
where several Williams Family members reside
including Lydia Williams' son John Pouty Williams

Not long after her husband John died, Lydia packed up her four kids and left Shelby County, Kentucky. They first traveled 75 or so miles northwest, through Louisville, Kentucky, across the state line, and into Washington County, Indiana, where she and the kids resided in 1820, according to U.S. Census records. Some time later they moved on to Spencer, Indiana, where she and the kids made their home. In 1826, at 44 years old Lydia married an older gentleman named William S. Jones from Putnam County, Indiana just 25 miles north of Spencer. He was an old family friend she had previous known in Kentucky. With him she lived the last few years of her life.

Lydia only lived 47 years. She spent the greater part of her life struggling to overcome the loss of her father first, and then her husband second. She is one more fascinating person in our family tree who overcame great odds. On this "Women's History Month," it is appropriate for us to remember and celebrate the life of a remarkable woman in our family history, Lydia Warford Williams.
- - -
Steve Shepard
(he, him, his)

The Life Journey of Lydia Warford, March 22, 2014

Rejoice with your family

in the beautiful land of life.

~Albert Einstein

Happy Birthday Gary! Tomorrow, March 23, 2014 is my brother Gary's birthday. Gary and his wife Cindy live in Oak Harbor, Washington. Like so many of us Shepards and Gowers, Gary was born and raised in San Diego and lived here for most of his life. 11 years ago now he retired from work with the County of San Diego and moved to Washington State.

The first picture, taken last December in San Diego, shows Gary with Cindy's daughter Michele McGauran. This was at the end of a week long cruise Gary took as a civilian family member aboard the USS Nimitz, the ship to which Chief Petty Officer Michele Gauran had been assigned. Gary told me that the experience of sailing on a military vessel from Hawaii to San Diego was a trip of life time.

Lydia Warford Williams. During this National Women's History month, I have been mentioning women of note in our family history. Another of the women who deserves mention is Lydia Warford Williams, who I have not mentioned in this blog for several years. Here's a lineage that shows how she is related to me: 

Lydia Warford Williams (1782-1829) 
John Pouty Williams (1806-1892) 
Margaret Williams Spear (1845-1904) 
Caroline Spear Davis (1865-1951) 
Bura Davis Shepard (1896-1986) 
Eugene Shepard (1921-2003) 
Steve Shepard (b. 1948)

From Pennsylvania To Kentucky. Lydia was born near the end of the Revolutionary War in Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania, a town named after her uncle Joseph Warford. The town -- which still exists today -- was started when Joseph was deeded 100 acres after his service in the Revolutionary War. Lydia was the youngest of the 9 children of Henry and Elizabeth (Vanhook) Warford. When she was just 2 years old Lydia's father died, perhaps as a result of his service in the Revolution. Lydia's mother then packed up her and her 8 siblings and moved to the wilds of Northern Kentucky and settled east of Louisville.

It was on the frontier in Kentucky that Lydia finished growing up and met John Williams. She married him in 1803 and bore to him 4 children. As fate would have it, another war -- the war of 1812 -- took the primary man in her life once again when Lydia's husband John died in 1813. Instead of being the child of a widow, this time Lydia became a widow herself at just 31 years old, with 4 young children, trying to make her way on the American frontier. Kentucky records show that Lydia received in her husband's estate 203 dollars and 19 3/4 cents, which in those days was enough to move on to the next phase of life for her and her children.

On To Indiana. For some reason -- supportive relatives, close friends? -- Lydia and her 4 kids packed up and moved further west to southern Indiana, which was not much more than Indian territory. Indiana did not become a state until 1816, and even then it did so despite the warring natives that made that region a dangerous place.

Lydia and her children appear in Washington County, Indiana, in the US census records of 1820. She was obviously a hearty and brave young widow to make a life for herself in the rugged hills of southern Indiana. We don't know how she made it through the next dozen or so years, we just know it must have been a struggle for this single mother. Sometime during these years Lydia and her children moved northward to Owen County and settled near Spencer, Indiana, which would become the birthtown of my great great grandmother Maggie Spear in 1845, my great grandmother Callie Davis in 1865, and my grandmother Bura Shepard in 1896.

The second picture shows Pleasant Hill Cemetery in the beautiful wooded hills outside Spencer, Indiana, the town where Lydia lived for a time with her children, and where our Williams, Spear and Davis ancestors settled for several generations. In this cemetery several of our ancestors are buried, including John Pouty Williams, the second son of Lydia Warford Williams, and the man who would become my GGG grandfather.

In 1826, after 13 years of widowhood, Lydia married a man named William Jones and settled with him in Putnam, Indiana, some 25 miles north of Spencer. Unfortunately her life as Mrs. Jones would only last 3 years. She died in 1829 at just 47 years old. But the final 3 years must have been a welcome relief from the many uncertainties, dangers and challenges of her life to that point.

A Life To Admire. What a life journey she lived! Born in Pennsylania during the Revolutionary War, fatherless at 2, and widowed at 31 with four children. During her life, she journeyed 700 miles westward on the American frontier, and finally spent her last 3 years in relative peace. It is hard to imagine the toll that takes on a person, and the personal resources required to endure all the struggles and the heartbreak she encountered. Lydia Warford Williams Jones lived a life that deserves our admiration and our gratitude. Hers was a life that, alongside many other ancestors, has made the people of our family what we are today.
- - -
Steve Shepard

A Widening Circle, June 6, 2012

I looked up my family tree

and found out that I'm the sap.

~Rodney Dangerfield

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from San Diego, where we are settling into our new home at the foot of Cowles Mountain on the outskirts of the city.

Happy Birthday Emma Wilk! Today is the 7th birthday of Emma Beverly Jean Wilk, the daughter of Shannon Wilk of Atchison, Kansas, and the granddaughter of my cousin Beverly Russell Wilk (1939-1974).

Shannon: "Yes Emma will be 7. Still trying to wrap my head around it. Where did my little baby go?? She is doing wonderful. Having a good summer so far. They got out of school a week early. They start back on the 9th of August. I think that is too early, but I don't make the rules....lol. I'm doing well, working and taking care of Emma. Enjoying nice weather, though it was quite hot yesterday. I think we hit 90. Still no rain, and the grass, and trees and fields are sure in need of it. I will admit I'm needing some good summer thunderstorms. They get pretty amazing here in Kansas. We have a new neighbor family and they have a 14 year old girl. Emma has found her a new BFF."

Emma is in the very middle (#7) of the 13 GGgrandchildren of Will and Bura Shepard. These GGgrandkids are a very special group who fills the rest of us with hope for our family's future. It's a group that embraces the youngest family members among us, from Lyndsey Aquiningoc (born 1990) to Dominic Ortiz (born 2012).

The first picture I am including today shows Emma Wilk with her cousin Ciara Ortiz. The second picture shows Emma's grandmother Beverly Russell with her brother Rex Russell. This picture was taken in San Diego sometime in the late 1940s when Bev was about the same age that her granddaughter Emma is today.

The Circle Widens. It is always gratifying when, in the midst of my online family research, I hear from people who are related to me in some way. Just the other day I got a message from a woman who is a GG granddaughter of John Pouty Williams and his wife Sarah, who are my GGG grandparents. I have written a number of times in this blog about John Pouty and Sarah. They are among our progenitors who lived outside Spencer, Indiana and are buried in the Pleasant Grove Cemetery there. They were the Ggrandparents of my grandmother Bura Davis Shepard.

The relative who contacted me is Betty-Jean Girouard, from Montreal, Canada. Betty-Jean's grandmother, Minnie Mary Williams was a first cousin of Callie Spear Davis (my Ggrandmother). Minnie Mary Williams (1900-1992) with her husband Alexander Kembel (see 3rd picture, from 1919), were early 20th century immigrants to Canada, where some of their descendants, including Betty-Jean, live today.

Connecting with people in this way not only gives me the simple joy of corresponding with folks who are related, albeit distantly, it also widens the circle of people who are researching some of the same people I am. And with a widening circle comes the hope of more discoveries and insights about people in our family trees.
- - -

Steve

From Warfordsburg to Weatherford, March 3, 2011

The family endures because it makes us feel unique

and yet joined to all humanity,

accepted as is and yet challenged to grow.

~Letty Cottin Pogrebin

Hello Family and Friends,

Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc and
sister Kelly Shepard Sauvage

Today is the birthday of my niece Kerri Shepard Aqui- ningoc, who lives with her daughters Lyndsey and Mandi in Weather- ford, Texas. Kerri is the oldest daughter of Gary Shepard of Oak Harbor, Washington and Jackie Perry of Weatherford. She is also the first granddaughter of Maida (Gower) Shepard of Anacortes, Washington. Happy Birthday to Kerri!

Our Warford Connection. In a recent post I shared with you about Lydia Warford, Kerri's GGGGG grandmother. Lydia and husband John Williams, were an American frontier couple who met in Kentucky where they married and bore their 4 children, before the family moved on to Spencer, Indiana.

Lydia Warford was originally from Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania. Intrigued that her maiden name was also the name of her home town, I discovered recently that her kinfolk were indeed the ones who gave that small town its name.

Kerri, Kelly, Jason with Mandi and Lyndsey
in 1994 at Ggrandma Gower's home, San Diego

Warfordsburg, where she was born in 1782, is 200 miles west of Philadelphia, near the Maryland border. Lydia was the youngest child of Henry and Elizabeth (Vanhook) Warford, who were among the earliest settlers of Fulton County in Southern Pennsylvania. Another early Pennsylvania settler was Lydia's uncle Joseph Warford.

Wikipedia states that in December, 1776 (just months after the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia), Joseph Warford was deeded 100 acres of land on which he laid out a village that became known as Warfordsburg (a fact also attested to by an 1884 History of Fulton County by Waterman Watkins).

The years right after the establishment of Warfordsburg was an unsettling time of revolution and the westward expansion of America. So it is not at all surprising that very few of the original Warfords remained in the town. Warfordsburg exists to this day, but evidently without any descendants of the original family. Many of the Warfords (including our Lydia and her family) left Pennsylvania before the end of the 18th century.

Lydia's father Henry Warford died in 1784 at just 43 years old, a mere 2 years after Lydia was born. The Revolutionary war lasted until 1783, so it is possible his death is attributable to that conflict. What we know for sure is that his wife Elizabeth was left with as many as 10 children between the ages of 2 and 16. Records indicate that the family packed up and left Warfordsburg for good after papa died, and moved to northern Kentucky, where they settled east of Louisville. It was there that Lydia met John Williams, and the continuing saga of our family moved on.

Here is the 340 year westward migration pattern for this particular 13 generation lineage from Warford to Weatherford:

John Warford (1650-99)
...born in Baltimore, Maryland.
Son John Warford (1683-1769)
...born in Westchester, New York.
Son Joseph Warford (1711-74)
...born in Middletown, New Jersey.
Son Henry Warford (1741-84)
...born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Daughter Lydia Warford (1782-1829)
...born in Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania.
Son John Pouty Williams (1806-98)
...born in Spencer County, Kentucky.
Daughter Margaret Williams (1845-1904)
...born in Spencer, Indiana.
Daughter Caroline Spear (1865-1951)
...born in Spencer, Indiana.
Daughter Bura Davis (1896-1986)
...born in Spencer, Indiana.
Son Eugene Shepard (1921-2003)
...born in Beaver County, Oklahoma.
Son Gary Shepard
...born in 1946 in San Diego, California.
Daughter Kerri Shepard
...born in 1968 in Walled Lake, Michigan.
Daughters Lyndsey and Mandi Aquiningoc
...born 1990 and 1992 in San Diego, California, and live today in Weatherford, Texas.
- - -
Steve