"Misfits From the Start", September 29, 2016

Humans are things of shreds and patches,

borrowed unequally from good and bad ancestors,

and misfits from the start. 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Happy Birthday, Alexandria! Today, September 29, is the 5th birthday of Alexandria Cotten, of San Antonio, Texas, the younger daughter of Heather and Sean Cotten, and the granddaughter of my cousin Paula Harrell Tuzzolino. Lexi is another one of the GG Grandchildren of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower. 


This first picture was taken earlier this year and shows Lexi in a pleasant pastoral setting sharing a flower with her big sister Tori.

As I mentioned in my last post, September 29 is the anniversary of the wedding of Leroy and Nola Gower, in 1921 in Stone County, Arkansas. So their Great Great Grandaughter Lexi Cotten was born on their 90th wedding anniversary. Happy Birthday to Lexi and best wishes to her family.

Happy Birthday Cathrina! Today we celebrate another Texas milestone. It is the birthday of Cathrina Helms Clark. She and husband Jerry Clark live in Lubbock, Texas. Lubbock is where their base of operations is in their visits and love for the ten grandchildren they share between the two of them.

This second picture shows Cathrina celebrating with friends earlier this year. It wasn't her birthday celebration, but she was certainly in a festive mood.

Happy Birthday Kellan! This Saturday, October 1, is the birthday of Kellan Christopher Shepard who will celebrate his second birthday! Best wishes to Kellan and his mom Rachel Shepard, and his Grandparents Darrell and Mary Shepard, all of whom live in Bothell, Washington. 

Kellan is one of the youngest Great Grandchildren of my mother Maida Gower Shepard, the senior member of our family. This makes Kellan another of the Great Great Grandchldren of Leroy and Nola Gower.

This third picture shows Kellan with his grandfather, my brother Darrell Shepard.

Best wishes to all three of these families, from the heart of Texas to the Great Northwest. May their celebrations fill their homes with joy and thanksgiving.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Hello From Scotland! September 29, 2015

I am a Scot.

I do not need your approval.

Great things are in my immediate future.

Watch me do exactly what you said I could not.

~ Old Scottish saying

Greetings today from Edinburgh, Scotland where Cindy and I are continuing on vacation. The first picture was taken yesterday and shows Cindy and me in St George's Square here in Edinburgh. In the background is a statue of a Lion, which is a symbol of the country of Scotland, dating back to the time of Richard I, the Lion Heart.

Many of you know about the importance of Ireland in our family history, being the ancestral home of many of those in our family tree. But did you know that many of our Irish immigrant ancestors had parents or grandparents who were from Scotland?

Among our Scots-Irish ancestors is immigrant Thomas Shannon (1686-1737). His American descendant Dexal Shannon was the one who wrote the book "Shannon" which is the closest thing to a definitive history of that part of our family that we have. Thomas Shannon's grandfather John Shannon was originally from Scotland, born here in 1601. 

In another part of our family tree is Jane Alexander McNitt (1665-1691), who immigrated from Ireland to what is now America in 1678 as a wide-eyed 13 year old girl. Her grandfather Robert Alexander (1610-1704) was born in Stirling, Scotland, just 35 miles up the road from where we are today in Edinburgh.


These are only two of those in our family tree who trace their roots to Scotland, this interesting country where Cindy and I are visiting for the first time. 

Happy Birthday, Alexandria! Today, September 29, is the birthday of Alexandria Cotten, of San Antonio, Texas, one of the direct descendants of the aforementioned Scots Irish ancestors Thomas Shannon and Jane Alexander McNitt. Lexi is the younger daughter of Heather and Sean Cotten, and another one of the GG Grandchildren of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower.

This second picture shows Lexi with her mother Heather Robson Cotten. Lexi's grandmother is my cousin Paula Tuzzolino and her Great Grandmother is Vicki Gower Johnston of Oak Harbor, Washington.

Happy Birthday Cathrina! Today we celebrate another Texas birthday. It is the birthday of Cathrina Helms Clark. She and husband Jerry Clark live today in Lubbock, Texas. On the right is a picture of Jerry and Cathrina with their dog while hiking in the mountains this past summer.

Happy Birthday Kellan! Happy Birthday this Thursday, October 1, to Kellan Christopher Shepard who will celebrate his first birthday! Best wishes to Kellan and his parents Rachel Shepard and Brian Miller, and his Grandparents Darrell and Mary Shepard, all of whom live in Bothell, Washington. 

This final picture, taken at our family reunion back in August, shows Kellan with mom and dad, Rachel and Brian. Kellan's Great Grandmother is my mom Maida Shepard of Anacortes, Washington.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Celebrating Siblings, April 8, 2015

Brothers and sisters...

We know each other as we always were.

We know each other's hearts.

We live outside the touch of time.

~Clara Ortega

Today is the wedding anniversary of Jerry Clark and Cathrina Helms Clark, who were married 9 years ago in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They live today in Lubbock, Texas. 

The first picture shows Jerry and Cathrina back in 2010 when they were on vacation. Congratulations to both of them on 9 years of marriage!

National Siblings Day. This Friday, April 10, is National Siblings Day, a relatively new 21st century opportunity to celebrate one aspect of family. Our siblings are usually the persons we know longer than any other people in our lives. Siblings day is an occasion to show our gratitude for brothers and sisters. One of the things in my life for which I am most grateful is my upbringing. It is the thing for which I will forever be indebted to my mother and dad. Not only did that upbringing include a stable home in a fine neighborhood of San Diego, but it also included a rich church experience, a good public education, and a larger family experience of aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents, on both the Gower and Shepard sides of my family.

My family experience included being one of 6 siblings, whose births were spread out over 16 years, from 1946 to 1962. The third in that sextet was my sister Linda who died tragically in 1971 but who, through marriage, brought into our family Jerry Clark who has remained one of us through the years. Linda will always be remembered fondly when speaking about the children of Maida and Gene Shepard.
My siblings and I have each chosen a unique direction for ourselves, but it has all contributed to the beautiful collage that is our family's life. I am honored to have siblings who mean a lot to me, and who each contribute to the rich family experience we enjoy today.

The first image is the most recent picture of me and my siblings together. It was taken at the last Shepard family reunion in Anacortes, Washington in August, 2013. From left to right are me (child #2 ), Darrell (child #4 ), Barbara (child #5), mom Maida Shepard, Gary (child #1) and Russell (child #6).

Senior Siblings. As we celebrate Siblings Day it seems only appropriate to honor the senior siblings among us. That distinction belongs to Maida Gower Shepard and Vicki Gower Johnston, the daughters of the late Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower.

Though they are the senior siblings among us, this third picture shows them in about 1942 when Vicki (left) was 8 years old and Maida was 17 years old. These two pictures were taken in San Diego, shortly after the Gower family moved there from Oklahoma. Vicki Gower Johnston and Maida Gower Shepard live today in Western Washington, Vicki in Oak Harbor with her husband Duke, and Maida not far away in Anacortes with her daughter Barbara and grandson Steven.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Warm Love and Great Hopes, March 13, 2015

We're all ghosts.

We all carry, inside us,

people who came before us.

~Liam Callanan

Merry Milestones. Happy Birthday today to my brother Russ Shepard and his son Steven Paul Shepard. Steven has lived his whole life in Anacortes, Washington, while Russ has lived there for 37 years now, ever since the Shepards moved to Washington in 1978. Even though it is Friday the 13th, best wishes to both of them as together they celebrate their birthdays, very possibly at Grammie Maida Shepard's home in Anacortes!

The first picture, taken just yesterday, shows father Russ on the right and son Steven on the left. Thanks to sister Linda Shepard for taking the picture.

Happy Birthday tomorrow, March 14, to my brother-by-another-mother Jerry Clark. Jerry lives today with his wife Cathrina Helms Clark in Lubbock, Texas where he has worked for Taylor Publishing Company for many years. Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico Jerry attended Lubbock Christian University in the late 1960s, which is when he met and married my sister Linda Shepard (1950-1971) also a student at LCU.

That's when Jerry became a member of our family, and has remained a part of us ever since. The second picture shows Jerry and Cathrina Clark with Jerry's brother Terry Clark and his wife Susan.

A 100th Wedding Anniversary. Later this spring, in early June, we will have opportunity to remember the 100th wedding anniversary of my grandparents William and Bura Davis Shepard. It will be a very special occasion marking a significant milestone in our history.

A 155th Wedding Anniversary. Wednesday of this week marked the 155th anniversary of the wedding of Granddad Shepard's grandparents, William Shepard and Mary Sprague. The story of my Shepard Great Great Grandparents is as heartbreaking as it is important in our family history. Here is a lineage from our Civil War soldier-ancestor William Shepard to his namesake, my grandson William Shepard. 

• William C. Shepard (1835-1862) who married Mary Ellen Sprague
• William Elmer Shepard (1862-1915) who married Elvira Owens
• William Shepard (1888-1976) who married Bura Davis
• Eugene William Shepard (1921-2003) who married Maida Gower
• Steven Shepard (b. 1948) who married Cindy Harris
• Nathan William Shepard (b. 1977) who married Chenda Sou
• William Quincy Shepard (b. 2012)

The third picture shows two of the William Shepards listed above, the one on the left my grandfather William Shepard (1888-1976) and on the right my grandson William Quincy Shepard (b. 2012).

Here is a timeline of the important events of the early 1860s, when William and Mary Shepard were married:

• March 11, 1860: Marriage records for Indiana show that on this day William C. Shepherd (note the spelling of his last name) and Mary E. Sprague were married in Montgomery County, Indiana, 50 miles northwest of Indianapolis. 
• June 1, 1860: U.S. Census records show William and Mary living in Ladoga, Montgomery County, Indiana. (Those Census records show their last name spelled Shepheard.) 
• June 22, 1860: U.S. Census records shows William Sheppard (note yet a different spelling) living some 100 miles away in Wabash County, Indiana in the home of a farming family.
• December, 1860: In late 1860 or early 1861, William and Mary's first child, Frank, was born.
• February 2, 1962: Their second son, William Elmer Shepard, was born in Wabash County, Indiana.
• July 22, 1862: William Shepard dies after being injured in the Civil War.
• November 12, 1865: Mary E. Sprague Shepard marries William Ragsdale and lives the rest of her life as Mary Ragsdale.

William and Mary had what turned out to be a war time romance, with all the drama and tragedy that often attends young people married in war time. Married as the Civil War was ramping up, they had their first child within a year. Another one was on the way when William was drafted into military duty in September, 1861. He died in the summer of 1862, leaving his wife Mary with two young boys, Frank (18 months old) and William Elmer (5 months old). William and Mary were only married 18 months when he left for the war, never to return. What we know about his stint in the military is a story unto itself and you can read about it here.

New Information About Our Shepard Ancestors. For several years I thought that William and Mary's son (Great Grandfather William Elmer Shepard, 1862-1915) was an only child, but I uncovered new information in recent weeks showing that there was another son, Frank J. Shepherd, born to them in late 1860 or early 1861.

Here's how I found out about the TWO sons of William and Mary Sprague Shepard: After Great Great Grandfather William Shepard died in the Civil War, Great Great Grandmother Mary E. Sprague Shepard went back home to Montgomery County, Indiana. 3 years later she married an older widower named William Ragsdale, who had several children already. Together they had several more children and went on to create a blended family. As a result, 19 year old Mary Sprague, who became Mary Shepard for 5 years, became Mary Ragsdale for the last 54 years of her life. Over time, her short but exciting war time marriage to the ill fated soldier William Shepard faded into the background.

An 1880 U.S. Census record, pictured above, lists the family of William and Mary Ragsdale with the 8 children in their household. The two oldest of those 8 children are listed as "step-sons", and are the children of Mary Shepard Ragsdale and her first husband William Shepard. The older child is Frank J. Shepherd, born in 1860 or 1861, and the younger one is William Shepherd, born in 1862. (You may have to click on the picture to see the document better, although at 135 years old it is understandably hard to read!)

Another recent discovery. I have wondered many times over the years why Mary Sprague Shepard Ragsdale never filed for a widow's pension. Who would be more deserving than a 22 year old widow left with two very young boys? As it turns out she did file for a widow's pension. 

I recently uncovered a record in the "U.S. Civil War and Later Wars Index to Remarried Widow Pensions Applications 1860-1934." It shows that "Mary E. Ragsdale", the remarried widow of Civil War soldier "William C. Sheppard" of the Indiana Cavalry, filed for a pension on June 10, 1901. By that time the soldier William had been dead nearly 40 years, and her second husband William Ragsdale had been dead 14 years. Mary was 61 years old and would live another 18 years. 

Civil War pensions were given out for many years, well into the 20th century. And the rules for dispensing them kept changing. Widows who remarried (like our Mary Shepard Ragsdale) were ineligible at first. But in 1901 (the year Mary filed for a pension) the rules were changed and a Civil War widow became eligible for a pension even if she remarried, as long as she was a widow again. That was exactly the situation with Mary and explains why she waited until 1901 to apply. Did she ever actually receive a pension? I will let you know when I find the answer to that question.

Didn't These People Know How To Spell? As indicated above, there were various spellings for the last names of William and Mary and their sons William and Frank: Shepheard, Shepherd, Shephard, Sheppard, and Shepard. Some historical records indicate that many of these folks could neither read nor write, making variant spellings understandable. Even so, the other information about them indicates they are our ancestors. It was not until after the Civil War, that "Shepard" became the common spelling for members of our family.

May Their Memory Live Forever. So this week we celebrate the 155th anniversary of the wedding of our ancestors William Shepard and Mary Sprague in 1860. But we do so realizing that theirs was a short lived marriage filled with warm love and joyful births, great hopes and terrible tragedy -- a story mutiplied half a million times during the conflict of the 1860s.

Though Mary moved on with her life as Mrs. Ragdale, surely the soldier, father and husband William Shepard retained a special place in her heart for the rest of her long life. In a similar way we, their descendants, remember their great sacrifice and honor their love for one another and their place in our family history and our nation's history. May the memory of William and Mary Shepard live among us forever.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Catching a Glimpse of the Ancestors, September 29, 2014

I grew up with six brothers.
That's how I learned to dance -
waiting for the bathroom.
~Bob Hope

Greetings to all of you from Peru where Cindy and I are enjoying ourselves with a couple friends. Today we are on our way to the scenic and lofty Colca Canyon (where we are staying at over 11,200' elevation) in the southern part of this beautiful, historic country. 

The first picture was taken a few days ago in front of the Basilica San Francisco in Lima, Peru and shows our traveling companion Linda with Cindy and me. We had just come up out of the sprawling catacombs beneath the church behind us, where we walked through a maze of dark, dank caves. All around us were thousands of ancestral bones. At one point we heard music and looked up to see a ventilation grate in the ceiling of the catacombs. Through the grate we caught a glimpse and heard the sounds of a worship service in progress in the Church over our heads. It was somewhat eeire, a little bit comforting, but all a part of this strange but memorable subterranean experience. Since then I have considered how that is what the Shepard's Crook is: a way of catching a glimpse of the lives and stories of our ancestors whom we seek to remember. Thanks to Barbara, our other travelling companion, for taking this picture.

George and Serena Gower. In this post I am offering a glimpse of my Great Grandparents George Gower and Serena Turner. On September 15, 1893, 121 years ago, they were married in Timbo, Arkansas, a little country town west of Mountain View. Interestingly, their son Leroy and his wife Nola were also married in that same little town, also in the month of September, but 28 years later. Timbo was, and still is, the only town of any size in the area known as Sylamore (in Stone County) where our Gower and Shannon ancestors were farmers.

Like many young adults in the 19th century, George and Serena were young when they married. He was 20 and she was just 17. George's grandfather Jackson William Gower had been among the first Gowers to settle in Stone County, Arkansas in the 1850s when it was very sparsely populated and a welcome place for homesteaders. 

Serena Turner's family was from Tennessee and came to Arkansas not long before she was born in 1876, and settled east of Mountain View on the White River. She never attended school or learned to read or write.

There were not too many options for young couples of farming families in late 19th century Arkansas, so George and Serena also became farmers. The 1900 Census, when he was just 27 and she was 23, shows that they owned their own Sylamore home and farm outright. 

On their farm they raised 6 children, the second one being my grandfather Leroy Gower. Their first child Lloyd W. Gower was killed in WWI in France, and is buried today in Stone County Arkansas. There is a marker in Mountain View's town square honoring him.

Farming in the hills of the Ozarks was not the most lucrative profession, so George and Serena, like others of their kin, moved westward into Oklahoma in the 1920s and settled in Okemah where they farmed and lived the rest of their lives. Serena died in 1931, George in 1944. 

The first picture (above) shows their graves in Highland Cemetery, just north of Okemah. He has one of the most rustic looking headstones, with nothing but a rough "G" carved onto it, while hers is significantly more attractive (see the circular insets). Sometime after their deaths, their family erected a large headstone alongside their graves with simply "Gower" written on it.  

Happy Birthday to Alexandria Cotten. Today is the birthday of Alexandria Cotten, of San Antonio, Texas, one of the direct descendants of the aforementioned George and Serena Gower. Lexi is the younger daughter of Heather and Sean Cotten, and another one of the GG Grandchildren of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower.

The second picture, taken in August in Oak Harbor, Washington, shows Lexi with her Great Grandmother Vicki Gower Johnston. This picture was taken in the home of Vicki and her husband Duke.

Another Texas birthday. Today is also the birthday of Cathrina Helms Clark of Lubbock, Texas, the wife of Jerry Clark. The third picture, a selfie taken in Yosemite this past summer, shows Jerry and Cathrina enjoying the beautiful scenery of California alongside a stream in the Sierra Nevada.

Cathrina: Thank you for the birthday wishes! We have had a great year! My, how quickly the years pass! We took a road trip up Hwy 1 (north of LA) this past summer. What a beautiful drive. We also really enjoyed Yosemite! I truly understand why Yosemite is one of your and Cindy's favorite places. Death Valley was very interesting. I really enjoy working at the school and being on the same work schedule as Jerry. Our grandchildren are growing and all doing well!  All of our children are doing well. We have so much to be thankful for. So exited to hear about Maida's 90th Birthday party Nov 1 in Anacortes that Jerry will be attending.
- - -
Steve Shepard

"Always Compete and Never Give Up", April 8, 2014

Attract what you expect,

reflect what you desire,

become what you respect,

mirror what you admire.

Today is the anniversary of my "brother" Jerry Clark and his wife Cathrina Clark, who were married in 2006 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They live today in a beautiful home on the southside of Lubbock, Texas. Lubbock is where Jerry has lived and had his Year Book business for over 40 years. The first picture shows Jerry and Cathrina. Happy 8th Anniversary to them!

Jerry shared with me recently about an experience he had in Albuquerque where he grew up. I would like to pass on to you Jerry's reflections about a very formative experience from his High School years.

Part of my history while growing up in Albuquerque was attending Highland High where my brother and I both graduated (Terry ’62…me ’68). At that time HHS was one of the largest schools in New Mexico. Known as ‘Home of the Hornets’ or ‘the Hive’, as we referred to it. The ‘Hive’ gave me my favorite colors of blue and gold. Ask any of my family which color I will pick and they will all answer “yellow”.

I recently had the privilege of attending the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame dinner in Albuquerque. My high school track coach, Henry Sanchez, and his son, Gary, were receiving recognition for their coaching tenure at HHS. Together they coached track 55 years at ‘the hive’. Henry coached 26 years and asked his son Gary to join him as he finished college. I found Gary about a year ago and asked him to pass my best wishes along to his dad. Thankfully Gary let me know about this event. 

Henry identified me during PE class and asked me to try out for the track team in 1966. He thought I would be a good hurdler because of my long legs. I told him I didn’t want to hurdle but that I did want to run. My senior year, all things came together for us as a team and we went undefeated and won state going away by more than 30 points. It was the highlight of my 3 years at HHS.I had run on a relay team my junior year and won a state ribbon for it but we came in third as a team. I was a small part of this team my senior year but I did play a big part in two relays, the 880 and sprint medley. We had the two fastest guys in the state on our team not to mention the fastest miler too. Guys like Charles Kaspar, Stan Hill and Robert Proctor were the real talent of this team along with sophomore Mike McEachern.

We travelled to Roswell, Amarillo and El Paso and had a close call only in the Tri-State meet against Amarillo high (We won 55 to 53). The state meet later in May was interrupted by rain on Saturday night and postponed half way thru the meet. We had to wait till the next day (at a different stadium) to win going away. The closest team, Hobbs, was 31 points behind us.

This was just one of Henry’s 10 state track titles. His son, Gary, won 5 state titles. Henry was also named the National HS Coach of the Year in 1983. I showed up at the banquet excited to get to see Henry again after 46 years, but found out that he had passed just 9 days earlier. It was a bittersweet feeling. I met his widow, daughters and nieces. What a great family this Sanchez clan is! It seemed like everyone in the room (a crowd of 600) was related to him and Gary. Gary did an excellent job of accepting tearfully for his hero...his dad. 

I never knew Coach Sanchez as a person… he was always my calm, assuring coach. He knew talent and how to develop it and use it. He did demand that you give it your all. His son Gary picked up the same traits.

Coach Sanchez, I am sorry that I didn’t get to see you at the banquet to let you know of your immense impact on my life. You gave me the drive to always compete and never give up. I know I will see you again somewhere beyond the blue….and gold.

Jerry's reflections remind me of how important early experiences are to our life today as members of our families. Thanks to Jerry for these remarks.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Summer Fun, September 26, 2013

We are all intertwined in one another's story.

We are all a part of each other's communities

despite our seeming differences.

~Ciona D. Rouse

Greetings to all of you from San Diego as summer draws to a close and fall has officially begun.

This Sunday is the birthday of Cathrina Clark, wife of Jerry Clark, of Lubbock, Texas. Best wishes to Cathrina for a wonderful birthday. The first picture shows Cathrina with her husband of 7 years Jerry Clark.

Cathrina: It's been another great year! I'm feeling very blessed this year. New job, more time off. I love being on the same work schedule as Jerry! Have so much to be thankful for. Glad Jerry was able to make the reunion. He enjoyed seeing everybody! Your grandkids are precious! Enjoy!

This Sunday, September 29 is also the birthday of little Alexandria Cotton, another Texan in our family, who will turn two years old. She is the daughter of Heather and Sean Cotton and the granddaughter of my cousin Paula Harrell Tuzzolino. Lexi and her sister are the two Ggranddaughters of Vicki Gower Johnston of Oak Harbor, Washington. Lexi and her family live in San Antonio, Texas.

With the arrival of fall, I am reminded of how quickly the seasons change. In the last few months, in all of our families, there has been lots of travels and activity, milestones and special memories and, hopefully, plenty of summer fun. The following photo presentation celebrates our family and shows a sampling of all the various activities, births, reunions, vacations, and a wide variety of happy events.

  

- - -
Steve Shepard

Family Treasures of Many Kinds, September 29, 2012

I have decided to be happy

because it is good for my health.

-Voltaire

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from Alameda, California where Cindy and I are visiting with our grandchildren and their parents.

Today is the birthday of Cathrina Helms Clark, whose husband is Jerry Clark of Lubbock, Texas.

Cathrina: We are staying plenty busy. I just recently changed jobs. I am working in the office at a middle school in Lubbock only 10 minutes from home. Finally on a similar schedule as Jerry. The first few weeks of school have been a bit of a challenge. Things are beginning to settle and I really feel blessed to have this job. Also we are expecting our 10th grand baby in January. My daughter Ashley is expecting her second daughter! So exciting that our families are growing!

The first picture, taken earlier this year, shows Cathrina and Jerry Clark.

Today is also the birthday of Alexandria Cotton, another Texan in our family. She is the daughter of Heather and Sean Cotton and the granddaughter of Paula Tuzzolino. Her Ggrandmother is Vicki Gower Johnston of Oak Harbor, Washington. Alexandria and her family live in San Antonio, Texas.

Alexandria is one year old today; her older sister Victoria was 5 years old back on July 23. Happy Birthday to these sisters and best wishes to them and their family. The second picture, taken back in the spring, shows Heather with her daughters Alexandria and Victoria.

Family History Book. A few weeks ago I mentioned my Kilpatrick relation Marjorie Eldred in this blog when I wrote about my aunt Thelma's strange birth certificate. Marjorie has written a family history book about her Vaughn - Kilpatrick family, which includes stories set in Two Buttes, Colorado, a town of importance to the history of our Shepard - Davis family. She asked me if I would mind giving her book a recommendation once again, which I am glad to do. The title of her book is Seizing the Treasure: Nuggets of Vaughn-Kilpatrick Story.

Marjorie: "I will lower the price on the book to $15.00 plus postage for anyone who orders through me. Ask them to email me at cemeingv@q.com." 

Thanks to Marjorie for her generous offer and for all her work in family research.
- - -
Steve

Happy Easter Tomorrow! April 7, 2012

The resurrection gives my life meaning
and direction and the opportunity to start over
no matter what my circumstances.
~Robert Flatt

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you yet a third time on this week of Easter. Please bear with me. I promise that this amount of clutter in your email inbox will not happen on a regular basis.

Happy Easter Day tomorrow to everyone! May it be a wonderful day of family gatherings, a celebration of spring, and a time to remember the meaning of Jesus' resurrection.

The first picture I am including today was taken Easter Sunday, 2006 in the Murphys Hotel in Murphys, California. It shows me on the left, next to our son Nathan, with Jerry Clark on the right. In front is Jerry's daughter Amanda Clark Farrell with Cindy on the right. At the time of this photo we were living at our mountain house and I was the minister of a church in the town of Murphys. Jerry and Amanda were visiting us from Texas for the special weekend. 

Happy Anniversary! This blog post is also coming to you today in celebration of the wedding anniversary of Jerry and Cathrina Helms Clark of Lubbock, Texas. Tomorrow it will be 6 years to the day since Jerry and Cat were married in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Congratulations to them and best wishes for many more happy years together.

The second picture I am including today shows Jerry and Cathrina in a pose befitting their anniversary. It was taken last summer when the four of us were vacationing in Italy. Behind this happy couple are the ancient ruins of Ostia Antica outside Rome.
- - -
Steve

Jerry, Russ and Steven Paul, March 13, 2012

The old believe everything;

the middle aged suspect everything;

the young know everything.

~Oscar Wilde

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from San Diego where the trees and flowers of spring are beginning to burst forth with new life. 

Russell and Steven Paul Shepard

Today is the birthday of my brother Russell Shepard and his son Steven Paul Shepard. They are not the only father- son combi- nation in our family who share a birthday on the same day of the year. In January we celebrated the birthdays of my cousin Dane Shepard and his son Nathan who were both born on January 21. Are their any other parent-child same day birthdays in the family?

Russ and Steven live in Anacortes, Washington at the family home on Wildwood Lane. Russ (who turns the big 5-0 today!) has lived in Anacortes ever since his parents Eugene and Maida Gower Shepard moved from San Diego 34 years ago.

Steve turns 22 today and has lived his entire life in Anacortes. His mother Pam Engan Shepard and sister Linda also live in Anacortes. The first picture shows the happy father and son duo. Happy Birthday to Steve and Russ!

Jerry Clark and a Roman "Soldier"

Tomorrow, March 14, is the birthday of my "brother by another mother" Jerry Clark, who lives with his wife Cathrina Helms Clark in Lubbock, Texas. He stays busy with Taylor Publishing in Lubbock, a small business which he has owned for most of his life, and which he runs these days with his daughter Susan Clark Cox.

The second picture shows Jerry in front of the ancient Roman Colosseum mixing it up with a Roman "soldier" while on vacation last summer in Italy.

Jerry: Wow, I can't believe that I will be able to get social security now. I got here way too fast! Cat is healing well [from back surgery] and will start back to work part-time after the 19th. We have been busy going back and forth to Dallas to visit kids and go to Cat's doctor followups. 

My business is still blessed even during this depression. Susan bought a used building for us to move into this summer. It is a great investment and better than paying rent as I did for 30 years. Cat and I have 8 grand-kids to keep up with and more on the way with Susan's next one due in July. Becky is doing great with 3 kids and an active business. Amanda just bought a house in Bedford (suburb of Ft Worth) and is doing well. 

God bless the Shepard's! Hope to see you all soon and if you ever want to come to the dust bowl, please come see us. Remember we live here so you guys don't have too. We will celebrate my birthday all week and as long as I can milk it!

Best wishes to Jerry for a happy birthday, or a happy week if he can swing it! By the way, don't let Jerry mislead you. West Texas can also be a very beautiful place as this link illustrates so well. Thanks to my old college roommate Robert Joe Lee for sharing this link.
- - -

Steve

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

In time of test,

family is best.

~Burmese proverb

Hello Family and Friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Steve

Joy and Bewilderment, April 8, 2011

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

Hello Family and Friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Steve