Celebrating Irish, March 13, 2018

St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time
a day to begin transforming
winter's dreams into summer's magic.
~Adrienne Cook

Celebrating Our Irish Heritage! Happy Saint Patrick's Day this coming Saturday! I have not mentioned for some time in this blog two of our most prominent Irish ancestors, 18th Century Immigrants Thomas and Eigness Shannon. They are my 6X Great Grandparents via my grandmother Nola Shannon Gower (1903-2004). The following is a summary of their descendants' migration across our country since they arrived nearly 300 years ago.

Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower, San Diego, 1972

Pennsylvania. Thomas and his wife Eigness sailed across the Atlantic from Derry, Ireland to Pennsylvania about 1725, and eventually settled in Sadsbury, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania about 60 miles west of Philadelphia. State records show that in 1734 Thomas Shannon purchased 200 acres of land in Lancaster County on which he and his family got their start in America.

Virginia. He and Eigness had 5 children. Their first, Samuel Shannon (1727-1811), was born about 1727 in Pennsylvania, and is the one from whom we are descended. Samuel and his wife Jean Reid Shannon (1725-1806) migrated 400 miles westward in 1772 and settled in the frontier town of Poplar Hill, Virginia. They eventually made their way farther west to the area south of Nashville, Tennessee. 

Tennessee. Samuel and Jean's first child was David Shannon (1756-1823). He was born in Virginia but settled in Tennessee with his parents. In Tennessee David married a girl from North Carolina named Jane McKnight (1759-1830), whose ancestors had also migrated from northern Ireland in the early 1700s. (Our Irish blood thickens.) Life in Tennessee after the Revolutionary War was good for David and Jane McKnight Shannon who brought into the world a total of 11 children. 

Mississippi. The first of David and Jane Shannon's 11 children was David McKnight Shannon (1790-1860). He married Anna Pickens (1785-1867), who herself had several ancestors who were Irish immigrants. (Our Irish blood thickens even more.) David and Anna then migrated a couple of hundred miles southwest where they settled in Itawamba County, Mississippi.

Samuel Pickens Shannon and Finetta Dearien Shannon,
Arkansas, 1920s

Louisiana and Arkansas. The first of David and Anna Shannon's 10 children was David Reid Shannon (1821-1864), who married Peggy Gray (1829-1899). David and Peggy migrated to Southern Louisiana where they had 9 children. The Civil War took the life of 42 year old father David, leaving a distraught and poverty stricken widow Peggy Shannon. Her father and brothers rescued her and the children from their desperate plight in Louisiana and moved them to Stone County, Arkansas in 1867. (Read more about that touching story here.)

Oklahoma and California. The 7th child of that rescued brood was my Great Grandfather, 8 year old Samuel Pickens Shannon (1859-1930). Some 14 years after relocating to Arkansas he in turn rescued a young girl from a different kind of tragic life when he married Finetta Dearien (1861-1960). Read about their story here. The two of them bore 9 children in Arkansas, the last one being my grandmother Nola Agnes Shannon, who after marrying fellow Arkansan Leroy Gower, migrated to Oklahoma and then on to San Diego.

Russ and Steven Paul Shepard, 2012
Anacortes, Washington

So there you have it: the 3 century trail of our Shannon Irish ancestors across our country from Southeast Pennsylvania all the way to California. It is one part of our great Irish heritage to remember and to celebrate this Saint Patrick's Day!

Happy Birthday to Russ and Steve. Birthday wishes today to my brother Russell Shepard and his son Steven Paul Shepard, who were both born on March 13. There is a certain symmetry about this birthday for the two of them: Russ at 56 years old is exactly, to the day, twice as old as Steve at 28 years old. Russ is a native of San Diego while Steven has lived his entire life in Anacortes, Washington. Steven and Russ (and Russ' wife Pam) live at the Shepard home on Wildwood Lane in Anacortes. They are part of the care-giving team for our mother Maida Shepard who at 93 needs plenty of loving care and attention.

Linda and Jerry Clark, Cindy and Steve Shepard
San Diego, August 1970

Best Wishes To Jerry Clark. Happy Birthday tomorrow to my brother-by-another-mother Jerry Clark who lives with his wife Cathrina in Lubbock, Texas. Originally from Albuquerque, Jerry has lived in Lubbock nearly his entire adult life. He has been a part of our family ever since he and my late sister Linda were married back in August, 1970 in San Diego.

Happy Birthday Kerri. Earlier this month, on March 3, a very special birthday was had by my eldest niece Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc of Weatherford, Texas. Born in Walled Lake, Michigan 50 years ago (can that be right?), Kerri was raised in San Diego. She is the first born daughter of my brother Gary Shepard and Jackie Perry.
- - -
Steve Shepard

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

Spring Celebrations, May 21, 2017

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

   and do not rely on your own insight.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

   and he will make straight your paths.

Proverbs 3.5-6

Hello family and friends!

Nathan and Kaylan

Congratulations to Kaylan Shepard on her graduation from Shepard High School this week. She plans to attend Florida College in Temple Terrace, Florida in the fall. The quote at the top of this post accompanied Kaylan's graduation notice. 

Her brother Nathan Shepard graduated from Florida College earlier this month. Best wishes to both Kaylan and Nathan, and the proud parents of both graduates, my cousin Dane Shepard and his wife Cindy of Blanchard, Oklahoma!

The first picture shows both graduates: Nathan Shepard with his sister Kaylan.

Are there others in our family who are graduating this spring? I would be glad to hear about you and share your graduation news with everyone. Best wishes to all of you!

Elmer James Shepard in the 1930s

Yesterday, May 20, was the 99th anniversary of the birth of my uncle Elmer Shepard (1918-2012), the late grandfather of Nathan and Kaylan. Elmer was the second child of William and Bura Davis Shepard and was a part of that family of 9 who moved from Southeast Colorado to San Diego in 1940. They began the Shepard presence here in Southern California that has continued now for 77 years.

Remembering Elmer brings to mind the fact that 99 years ago, my grandparents William and Bura Shepard were a young married couple with a one year old, Pauline, and now a second child, Elmer. They were making the most of their lives in the dusty rural farm land of Beaver County, Oklahoma. 

Jason Shepard with niece Lyndsey

The second picture shows Elmer Shepard as a young man, in his farming overalls, sitting on a horse. This picture was taken sometime in the 1930s probably on the farm where the family lived.

When Elmer was born, the Shepards had been in Oklahoma a little more than 10 years, while Bura and her Davis kinfolk had been in Oklahoma barely 4 years. They were relative newcomers to the state, having moved from Illinois and Indiana, respectively. Yet twenty-somethings William and Bura were doing their best with their young family and their high hopes to establish some roots in a difficult time.

Now, 99 years later, while some of Will and Bura's descendants still live in San Diego, others have returned to Oklahoma, the land of their roots, while still others have moved on to the Northwest, the Midwest, Texas and elsewhere.

Ashlyn Ortiz on left with her siblings

Two other members of our family, whose roots happen to be in San Diego, are to be celebrated. Among those having birthdays this past week are Jason Shepard of Fort Worth, Texas who turned 45 on Thursday. Jason, the son of my brother Gary Shepard and Jackie Perry, is pictured above with his niece Lyndsey Aquiningoc. This picture was taken last fall in Weatherford, Texas.

Also with a birthday this past week is Ashlyn Ortiz of El Cajon, California, who turned 12 on Friday. Ashlyn is the daughter of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz and the grandchild of my cousin Kim Clark. The final picture, taken overlooking the Pacific Ocean, shows Ashlyn, on the left in the picture, with her siblings Dominic, Isaac, Damian and Ciara.
- - -
Steve Shepard

The Runaway, March 2, 2017

Peace is not absence of conflict,

it is the ability to handle conflict

by peaceful means.

~Ronald Reagan

Happy Birthday Kerri! Today is the birthday of Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc of Weatherford, Texas. Kerri is the oldest child of my brother Gary Shepard and Jackie Enderle Perry. Kerri was the first grandchild of my parents Eugene and Maida Shepard. I still remember what a joy it was for my parents when Kerri was born. She actually came into the world in Walled Lake, Michigan where her parents were living at the time. But within months they moved back to San Diego where Kerri was raised. Kerri has two daughters, Lyndsey and Mandi, and two grandchildren, Kambree and Karver. Best wishes to Kerri as she enters the last year of her 40s! 

Lyndsey and Kerri Aquiningoc

The first picture shows Kerri Aquiningoc with her older daughter Lyndsey.

We've been having an unsettling family squabble in the Northwestern part of the family these days. As a result I have been thinking about other times when there was conflict in our family. In my lifetime we have been, for the most part, free from the kind of conflict that is troubling us today. And for that we can be grateful. But looking at the larger historical picture of our family there have been some doozies over the years when it come to squabbles in our midst. 

The Runaway William Elmer. We have clear evidence of a serious family conflict that took place over a century ago, during the years following the Civil War. It was more painful and destructive of our Shepard family back then than what we are dealing with now. 

My Great Great Grandfather William Shepard died in the Civil War in 1862, leaving a grief stricken wife Mary Shepard, and two young sons, Frank and William Elmer, both in diapers. Just three years later the widow Mary married a widower living in Montgomery County, Indiana. Her second husband was William Ragsdale, who was 23 older than her, and already had 9 children. Into that family Mary brought her two young sons who were just 3 and 4 years old. In the ensuing years she gave birth to three more children by Mr. Ragsdale. Frank and William Elmer Shepard were raised in the household of this blended family, but when they became teens conflict arose. Before even reaching adulthood William Elmer ran away from home never to return. 

We don't know the details of the problems that lead to William Elmer breaking the family apart. We do know that it was a difficult time socially and economically in the rebuilding years following the Civil War. We also know that it was challenging family to begin with: 14 total children from two different marriages, spread out over 35 years. Frank and William Elmer were the only two of those 14 who were not fathered by Mr. Ragsdale and therefore did not have his name. The grieving widow Mary Shepard was alone with her two baby sons after her husband died. When she married Mr. Ragsdale she was suddenly the mother of 9 other children, and in the following years she was pregnant three more times. Imagine the stress of that blended family situation! It must have been incredibly intense and difficult for her.

Bura and William Shepard, William Elmer's son

The family story my father told me was that William Elmer could not get along with his step father and felt the need to leave and stay away for the rest of his life. It is interesting to note that the teen William Elmer also had his differences with his own brother Frank, who chose the spelling "Shepherd" for his last name, while William Elmer chose the spelling "Shepard", which we all have unquestioningly used ever since the young man William Elmer separated from his Indiana family.

Mary Shepard Ragsdale outlived her runaway son William Elmer Shepard, who died in Beaver County, Oklahoma in 1915 at just 53 years old. She died in 1919 at 79 years old, in Indianapolis, Indiana where she lived the last 20 years of her life. Tragically there is no evidence they ever reunited after their separation in about 1880.

Family squabbles can lead to great heartbreak that lasts for many years. The fact of the matter is that families have long memories. Serious conflict is remembered for generations because of how much pain it brings. Here I am, almost 140 years later, recalling a conflicted family incident from the 19th century! Memories of this painful incident have been passed down all these years. 

Will we ever learn?
- - -
Steve Shepard

Remembering the Past, Celebrating the Future, September 23, 2016

The past gives you an identity
and the future holds the promise of salvation. 

Both are illusions.

~Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now)

95 years ago this month my Gower Grandparents were married. On September 29, 1921 Leroy Gower and Nola Shannon said their vows and began a relationship that would result in a wonderful family that today is spread over a large part of the US. They were married in the town of Timbo, in Stone County, Arkansas while living in the nearby town of New Nata, 9 miles west of Mountain View, Arkansas. At the time Leroy was 22 and Nola was just 18.

The first picture shows Leroy and Nola at their 50th anniversary celebration which took place in 1971. The location was the family home of their son-in-law and daughter, Eugene and Maida Gower Shepard, on Armstrong Street in San Diego. 

After marrying in Arkansas they lived 4 short years there, before moving to Okemah, Oklahoma with their first two children, Hendrix who was 3, and Maida who was a year old. In Oklahoma their 3rd child Vicki (Melva) was born. In 1942, during the second World War, they moved to San Diego where their family flourished and grew and where they lived most of the rest of their lives. 

Today less than a dozen of Nola and Leroy's descendants live in the San Diego area, while the rest of them are found in Western Washington, Texas, Arizona, Southern California and Indiana. Their oldest living descendant is my mother Maida Gower Shepard of Anacortes, Washington, while their youngest descendant is Finley Shepard of Seattle (see recent picture above). In between those two is a diverse clan of several dozen people with the last names Gower, Shepard, Johnston, Harrell, Tuzzolino, Aquiningoc, Sauvage, Bearden and Cotten.

Living in San Diego gives me a chance to visit important places in the life of our larger family in year's past. This third picture shows a beautiful building in Balboa Park that for many years was the home of the Balboa Park Baptist Church. It has undergone some renovation over the years but it still has the Angel Gabriel on top, the only part of it still owned by the Church. Leroy and Nola attended that church for many years in the middle years of the 20th century. Leroy was a leader of the congregation, while Nola was very dedicated to it in many other ways. The only time I remember being in the church was that very memorable occasion in December, 1974, when Grandpa Leroy's funeral took place there.

Among the youngest descendants of Leroy and Nola are the two mentioned below whose birthdays are this week. 

Happy Birthday Karver. Yesterday, September 22, was the second birthday of Karver Ryan Bearden, one of just two Great Great Great Grandchildren of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower. He is the baby boy of Lyndsey Aquiningoc of Granbury, Texas, and Colton Bearden. Here is Karver's lineage: Lyndsey Aquiningoc / Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc / Gary Shepard / Maida Gower Shepard / Leroy and Nola Gower.

Mom Lyndsey posted this on Facebook yesterday: This day 2 years ago was the most amazing experience in my life! The love that I have for this boy gets stronger and stronger every day. Its hard to believe that he is 2 today! Happy birthday Karver! I love you more than I can ever explain. 

Happy Birthday Victoria. Today, September 23 is the 9th birthday of Victoria Cotten, the older daughter of Sean and Heather Robson Cotten. Tori is one of the 16 Great Great Grandchildren of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower. Tori and her family live in Austin, Texas. Here is Tori's lineage: Heather Robson Cotten / Paula Harrell Tuzzolino / Vicki Gower Johnston / Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower.

Looking back, we celebrate with gratitude and joy the lives of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower and the wonderful foundation they provided for all of us, their descendants. At the same time we honor these two young ones, and celebrate with them and their families.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Aaah Summer, August 25, 2016

Aaah, summer - 

that long anticipated stretch

of lazy, lingering days,

free of responsibility

and rife with possibility.

It's a time to hunt for insects and master handstands,

practice swimming strokes,

conquer trees, explore nooks and crannies,

and make new friends. 

~Darell Hammond

Greetings to all of you today from Anacortes, Washington. For most of us, summer is winding down and the events and responsibilities of fall are fast approaching. 

I am in Western Washington this week visiting for a few days with my mom Maida Shepard and family. The Anacortes family continues to adjust to the increasing needs that mom has now that she is approaching her 92nd birthday. Mom is still living in her home on Wildwood Lane just south of town and is doing very well, thanks to her kids and grandkids. Special thanks to her son Gary, her daughter Barbara and her grandson Steve, the latter two of whom live with her and care for her on a daily basis.

The first picture was taken just last night on Mom's front deck as the bright sun of late summer was setting over Puget Sound. It shows Maida Shepard in the middle with daughter Barbara Shepard on the left and me on the right.

Happy Birthday Amanda! Today, Aug 25, is the 33rd birthday of Amanda Ortiz Davis, daughter of Kim Boyd Clark and granddaughter of Thelma Shepard Boyd of Blue Springs, Missouri. Amanda and husband Justin Davis live in Wathena, Kansas. Best wishes to Amanda!

The second picture shows (Raiders fan!?) Amanda with smiling husband Justin in an image from earlier this year.


Happy Birthday Lyndsey Aquiningoc. This coming Monday, August 29 is the 26th birthday of Lyndsey Aquiningoc of Weatherford, Texas. Lyndsey was born in San Diego but has lived the last 18 years in Weatherford, Texas and thereabouts. 

Lyndsey is the older daughter of Kerri Aquiningoc and is the oldest grandchild of my brother Gary Shepard and Jackie Perry. Lyndsey is also the proud mother of 2 year old Karver Bearden. Best birthday wishes to Lyndsey!

This second picture shows Lyndsey with a couple of her friends, David and Harley, in a photo that was taken earlier this year in Granbury, Texas.

A Sign of the Times. I just noticed that all three pictures included in today's post are selfies. (Yes, even the first one.) I don't think that has ever happened in all the hundreds of posts of The Shepard's Crook. I suppose we can just chalk it up to the nature of picture taking these days. Part of me rues the fact that it often means photos are of lesser quality, though that is not always true. I should, however, be grateful (and I am) that it means there are more family pictures being taken, and being made available. Especially in summer with more daylight hours and happy times that long to be captured.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Generations Apart, One in Heart, June 12, 2016

If you look deeply into the palm of your hand,

you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors.

You are the continuation of each of these people.

~Thich Nhat Hanh

Generations Apart, One in Heart. Four birthdays are celebrated this week in our larger family. I thought it appropriate to highlight their birthdays by including pictures of each birthday person with their grandparent, or in one case, with their grandchild. In all four pictures, the pairs are approximately the same age.

Emma Wilk and Beverly Russell Wilk. June 6, Monday of this past week, was the 11th birthday of Emma Beverly Jean Wilk, granddaughter of Beverly Russell Wilk (1939-1974). Emma and her mom Shannon Wilk live in Atchison, Kansas. 

Emma and Grandmother Beverly

In this first picture, Emma's image (left) was taken on her birthday earlier this week. On the right is her grandmother Beverly Russell in a picture that was taken in San Diego almost 70 years ago, in 1947. At the time of Beverly's photo she was about the same age that Emma is now.

Beryl Swinney Shepard and Kaylan Shepard. Yesterday, June 11, was the 93rd anniversary of the birth of my aunt Beryl Swinney Shepard (1923-1994), wife of Elmer Shepard, and mother of Dane and Joan Shepard. 

Kaylan and Grandmother Beryl

In the picture above, Beryl's image (on the right) is coupled with the image of her granddaughter Kaylan Shepard, daughter of Dane and Cindy Shepard of Blanchard, Oklahoma. Beryl, in military uniform, served during World War II, which is when this picture of her was taken, while Kaylan's picture was taken earlier this year. 

Scott Ortiz and Thelma Shepard Boyd. This coming Monday, June 13, is the 31st birthday of Scott Ortiz of El Cajon, California. He is the second son of Kim Boyd Clark and her late husband Gabe Ortiz.

Scott and Grandmother Thelma

This picture shows Scott on the left in an image from a picture taken earlier this month. The right half of this picture, taken in 1958, shows Scott's grandmother Thelma Shepard Boyd when she was about the same age that Scott is now and living in San Diego. Thelma lives today in Blue Springs, Missouri, not far from her daughter, and Scott's sister, Kim.

Kambree Kay Bowman and Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc. And finally, this coming Tuesday, June 14, is the 3rd birthday of Kambree Kay Bowman, daughter of Mandi Aquiningoc and Stephen Bowman of Weatherford, Texas. 

Kerri and Granddaughter Kambree

This composite photo shows Kambree on the right, from a picture taken very recently. The image on the left is a picture of her grandmother Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc, taken in 1971 in San Diego when she was about the same age that Kambree is now. Kerri lives today in Weatherford, Texas. 

Happy Birthday and best wishes to each of the birthday people pictured above!

These pairs are presented in this way not just to generate some nostalgia, especially among those of us who can remember life years ago. But this also highlights the important relationships between the generations. Being two generations apart sometimes suggests distance and separation, but the fact is that there are connections that cannot be denied, connections that are significant whether or not the two relatives ever met. 

Look closely with eyes of discernment and you can see the connections in the images above, in the eyes, in the hair, in the smiles. All of this is one more reminder that our lives, minds and hearts are inextricably intertwined with our ancestors, even if that ancestor is only two generations away.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Happy Mother's Day!, May 8, 2016

Mother is the name for God

on the lips and hearts of little children.

~William Makepeace Thackeray

Tomorrow is Mother's Day, an occasion to honor all mothers in our family: young, old, those who have gone before us, and those many of us never even knew.

Maida Gower Shepard. I start with my own mom, Maida Shepard for whom I am eternally grateful. At 91 years old, she is a bright and shining star in our family. She will celebrate Mother's Day this weekend with her family in Anacortes, Washington where she lives. 70 years ago this week she enjoyed her first Mother's Day here in San Diego with her husband Eugene and her first son Gary who was just a few weeks old at the time.

Mandi Aquiningoc. The youngest mom in our family is 23 year old Mandi Aquiningoc of Granbury, Texas. She is the proud mama of Kambree Kay Bowman, who is just a few weeks short of 3 years old.

This first picture is a composite of my mom Maida Shepard on the left and her Great Granddaughter Mandi Aquiningoc with her daughter Kambree on the right. Maida's picture was taken by her grandson Patrick when she was spending the day at his Care Facility earlier this week in Edmonds, Washington. Mandi and Kambree's image is from a picture taken earlier this year in Texas.

Thelma Shepard Boyd. One of the senior moms among us is Thelma Shepard Boyd of Blue Springs, Missouri. Originally from Two Buttes, Colorado she was among the first ones in our family to live in San Diego where she grew up. She is the youngest and last remaining child of my grandparents William and Bura Davis Shepard. She is the mother of 2, the Grandmother of 6, and the Great Grandmother of 7. The second picture shows my aunt Thelma with her late husband Terry Boyd, and their two children Kim and Darren. This particular picture is an old one, taken in 1973.

My aunt Thelma also receives special birthday wishes. Next Saturday she reaches that magic milestone of 80. One of her San Diego Granddaughters, Courtney Boyd, has a birthday the same day and will turn 26.

Mary Terry Buskirk. I want to share with you one other deserving mother in our family tree, who most of you probably do not know. But she is a mother of note among our ancestors. Her name is Mary Terry Buskirk. She was originally from Dover, England not far from London but migrated to the United States as a young girl and settled in Monroe County, Ohio. The details of her journey and the route she took to Ohio are unknown to us. We simply know that she and her family were living in Southeast Ohio when she was a teenager. At 14 or 15 years old, young Mary married a neighbor of hers who was at least 12 years her senior, a man by the name of John Foggin Burkirk. Between 1823 and 1843 Mary gave birth to 9 children. It is hard to imagine the difficulty of being not only a new young immigrant but also a young mother on the American frontier in the early 19th century.

She and John's first child was Jane Burkirk who later married a local Ohioan by the name of Alexander Davis. The two of them became the first of our Davis relatives to leave Ohio and settle near Spencer, Indiana about 1850. Indiana is where the Davises lived for several generations before moving on to Oklahoma after the turn of the 20th century and eventually on to California in the 1940s.

Here is Mary and John and some of their descendants:

• Mary Terry Buskirk (1807-1886) and husband John Foggin Buskirk (1795-1873)
• daughter Jane Burkirk Davis (1823-1895) and husband Alexander Davis (1819-1866)
• son Charles Edward Davis (1848-1926) and wife Melinda Wright Davis (1847-1920)
• son James Brooks Davis (1870-1928) and wife Caroline Spear Davis (1865-1951)
• daughter Bura Davis Shepard (1896-1986) and husband William Shepard (1888-1976)
• son Eugene Shepard (1921-2003) and wife Maida Gower Shepard (b. 1924)
• son Steve Shepard (b. 1948) and wife Cindy Harris Shepard (b.1948)

Though a number of her children were part of America's westward movement, Mary Terry Buskirk lived out her days in Monroe County, Ohio. A number of the Terrys and Buskirks are buried in Rutter Cemetery which is down Sunfish Creek from the community of Adams where they lived. (See picture of Rutter Cemetery.) That cemetery is where I discovered a number of our Terry and Buskirk relatives last summer when Cindy and I visited there.

Though none of us ever knew Mary Terry Buskirk, we do know something of her life, and can be thankful for her being a hard working mother whose lot in life was difficult. From she and John we are descended and we gratefully acknowledge their hardships and remember her as a mother of note on this weekend of Mother's Day.

In the midst of all the Mother's Day Celebrations around our family this Sunday, best wishes to all the moms!
- - -
Steve Shepard

Kiss Me I'm Irish! March 17, 2016

Kiss me and you will see how important I am.

~Sylvia Plath

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! As I have mentioned in this blog in the past, our family tree is loaded with Irish immigrants. I continue to add to the number of ancestors who came over from Ireland. Therefore this day and this post is an opportunity to celebrate our long, rich and illustrious Irish heritage.

A few weeks ago I included in this blog a post with a link to a YouTube slide show for Valentines Day. Unfortunately most of you were unable to view it, so I am including it again today in hopes that you can now view it after a few changes. The fact of the matter is that it may be as appropriate for St. Patrick's Day as it was for Valentine's Day.

Kiss Me, I'm Irish! I've titled the following slide show "Kiss Me I'm Irish" for reasons that will be obvious when you see it. You will see wedding day kisses, pecks on the cheek, baby smooches and some other crazy kisses that reflect well this diverse, oddball family to which we all belong. The pictures are of kids and adults, young parents and older lovers, wedding moments, birthday celebrations and everything in between. Each picture includes at least one member of our extended family. How many of these folks can you identify?

Enjoy this homage to love within our family, set to the music of k.d. lang -- herself of Irish ancestry -- singing a contemporary cover of an old classic. 




- - -
Steve Shepard

A Memory No One Can Steal, March 12, 2016

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal,

love leaves a memory no one can steal.

-From an Irish headstone

Birthday Wishes to Russ and Steve. Happy birthday this Sunday to my brother Russ Shepard and his son Steven Paul Shepard, who were both born on March 13; Russ in 1962 in San Diego, Steve in 1990 in Anacortes.

Steven P. Shepard with Maida Shepard

Russ is the 6th child of Maida and Eugene Shepard and was raised in San Diego, but moved to Anacortes in the 1970s and has lived there ever since. Steve, born in 1990, is the first child of Russ and Pam Shepard of Anacortes, Wa, where Steve has lived his whole life.

This first picture, taken just a few months ago in Anacortes, shows Steven on the left with his grandmother Maida Shepard.

Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc. Celebrating a birthday earlier this month is Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc of Weatherford, Texas. She was born in Walled Lake, Michigan on March 3 to my brother Gary Shepard and his wife at the time Jackie. Kerri came to California as a baby and was raised here before moving to Weatherford, Texas where she still lives today.

Eugene and Maida Shepard Family

This second picture is an oldie which includes two of the birthday folks mentioned above, Russell Shepard and Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc. 

Taken in 1974 this image shows a gathering of all the members at the time of the family of Eugene and Maida Shepard. The picture was taken in the backyard of the San Diego home of Hendrix and Starlene Gower. In the front on the right are 12 year old Russ Shepard (in green) and 6 year old Kerri Shepard (in the long dress), who look more like brother and sister than uncle and niece. Also pictured from left to right are Kelly, Darrell, me, Cindy, Barbara, Jackie, Gary, Maida, Eugene and Jason.

Jerry Clark

Happy Birthday Jerry. Monday, March 14 is the birthday of Jerry Clark. Born in Albuquerque in the very middle of the last century, he and his wife Cathrina live today in Lubock, Texas. They enjoy life there as grandparents to about a dozen total grandkids. 

May She Rest In Peace: Gloria Harrell Watson (1953-2016). With sadness I report the untimely death of my cousin Gloria Harrell Watson. She passed away early this week in her apartment in Knoxville, Tennessee. Her mother is Vicki Gower Johnston of Chandler, Arizona, and her siblings are Paula Tuzzolino, Michael Harrell and David Harrell.

Gloria was born and raised in San Diego. She and Bill Watson were married in San Diego in December 1972, after which they moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. She is one of the 12 grandchildren of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower. The only other one of those 12 to have passed away is my sister Linda Shepard who died in 1971 and who at the time was the wife of Jerry Clark mentioned above.

Gloria Watson, Nola Gower, Steve Shepard

This last picture was taken in 1993 in San Diego and shows Gloria on the left with her Grandmother Nola Shannon Gower and me on the right. Gloria was visiting San Diego from Tennessee at the time, taking care of Granda Gower, who was ready to undergo knee replacement surgery (at 90 years old!).

Our prayers and best wishes go out to the family of Gloria, especially her mother Vicki and her brothers David and Michael and her sister Paula.
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Steve Shepard

A Nightmare On My Street, October 30, 2015

'Tis now the very witching time of night,

When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out

Contagion to this world.

~William Shakespeare

Hello on this weekend of Halloween from Anacortes, Washington where Cindy and I and Grandsons William and Logan are visiting with family and celebrating some special events.

Birthday Wishes to Pam! Happy Birthday today to Pam Engan Shepard, wife of my brother Russell Shepard. Pam and Russ are the parents of Steven Paul and Linda Shepard. Pam has lived in Anacortes, Washington all her life and works there today at the Cap Sante Inn.

This first picture shows Pam and Russ this past summer at our family reunion in Bothell, Washington. Best wishes to Pam for a very Happy Birthday!

Nightmare on My Street. The following is a musical slide show capturing many halloween moments in the life of our larger family over the years. All of the folks you will see in this slide show are from our varied and diverse family. Can you identify them all? It's not as easy as you might think.




Some of the above images are classics from many years ago (one is from 60+ years ago!) while others are very recent and still others are just a few years old. These Halloween revelers are from places as diverse as California and Texas, Washington and Kansas, Pennsylvania and Missouri, and Oklahoma and Illinois. As varied as the locations are, there is one thing all these creepy critters have in common: the spirit of Halloween!

Birthday Wishes to Maida! Happy Birthday this Sunday, November 1, to my mom Maida Shepard, who will be 91 years young! She was born in Arkansas, but lived for most of her growing up years in Okemah, Oklahoma. The last 72 years of her life have been divided equally between San Diego, California (where she and husband Eugene raised their 6 children) and Anacortes, Washington (where she now lives with daughter Barb and grandson Steven).

This picture shows Maida with her 5 children: Russell, Barbara, Darrell, Gary and me. This picture was taken this past August in Bothell, Washington.
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Steve Shepard