"The Best Is Yet To Be", April 20, 2016

Grow old along with me!

The best is yet to be,

the last of life,

for which the first was made.

~Robert Browning

In my last post regarding Siblings Day I referred to my mom Maida and her sister Vicki. I said that with combined ages of 173, they were among the oldest siblings we have ever had in our family. I heard from two different people who shared with me some family data that helps to complete that picture.

Two More Senior Siblings of Note. My wife Cindy reminded me that her mom and sister, right here in San Diego, are 92 and 94 years old respectively, and have combined ages of 186. Cindy's mom Paula Harris and Paula's older sibling Juanita Eeds have lived in their house on Burgundy Street for close to 40 years. In 1957 Paula and her late husband Joe Harris first bought that home in the Allied Gardens community of San Diego. Next year Paula will celebrate 60 years living in that location. Congratulations to Paula and Juanita on being such good examples of healthy longevity within our family!

This first picture shows Paula and Juanita last August in San Diego on the occasion of Juanita's 94th birthday. Also in this picture are Cindy on the left and my sister Barbara on the right, who were celebrating Juanita's birthday with her.

I also mentioned in my last post that in February of 1999 my Great Uncle Lawrence was 101 and his sister, my Great Aunt Marjorie was 92. That year their combined ages were 193, which seemed to me the record setter for siblings anywhere in our extended family.

Setting the Sibling Record Straight. After that post I received word from cousin Carolyn Kilpatrick Roberts of Bolivar, Missouri. Her mother was Winona Davis Kilpatrick, sister of my Grandmother Bura Davis Shepard. Carolyn corrected the statement in my last post about Lawrence and Marjorie Davis being the oldest siblings ever in our extended family.

Carolyn: "You cited Aunt Marjorie and Uncle Lawrence but my mother Winona was older than Marjorie and was still living in 1999. She died in February of 1999 at the age of 95 so that, added to uncle Lawrence at 101, is 196 combined years."

So there you have it. 196 years for a single pair of siblings. It happened in 1999 in our family. Can anyone else find any other pair of siblings whose combined ages at any single point in history totaled more than 196?

This second picture is one I have not shared in this blog for a couple of years now. It is an absolute classic and one of the most amazing 100+ year old photos in our family history archives. It shows James Brooks Davis, his wife Callie and their 7 children. The children standing across the back are Winona, Myra, Bura and Lawrence. In the very middle is Jesse. The youngest ones in the front are Marjorie and Esther. This picture was taken in 1908 in Spencer, Indiana, 5 years before the family moved to Oklahoma.

A Unique Family. James Brooks Davis and his wife Callie Spear Davis were married in 1896 in Spencer, Indiana. In 1913 they packed up their family and migrated to Beaver County, Oklahoma where some of their descendants live to this day. They were healthy Hoosiers, simple farming folk, heartland Americans, whose simple lifestyle contributed to a wholesome family life. They were "dyed in the wool" Church people who honored family and cared for others. Both the Davis and Spear families from which James and Callie came were "Restoration Movement" Church people who had their roots in early 19th century Ohio.

We have other exemplary family circles among us, but this particular family unit -- all of whom are gone now -- is a special example. It is no wonder that two of their members, Lawrence and Winona, are the senior siblings ever in our family. With people living longer these days, their record will probably be broken one day - maybe in my lifetime. Even so, we will do well to remember with respect and admiration the family of James and Callie Davis. 
- - -
Steve Shepard

Happy Siblings Day! April 10, 2016

Friends are the siblings

God never gave us.

~Mencius

Today is National Siblings Day, a fairly new holiday that celebrates brothers and sisters. It is not one of the more popular holidays on the calendar but it is one that has special relevance to families, and therefore to family blogs like this one.

On this special day I must offer my deepest gratitude for my 4 Washington siblings: Gary, Darrell, Barb and Russ. They all live near our mother Maida Shepard in Anacortes, Washington and are helping to care for her as her needs grow greater the more she moves into her 90s. Kudos to them for their love and dedication to our mom. 

Mason and Logan on Easter Sunday

Junior Siblings. On this Siblings Day we celebrate the junior siblings among us, who have a combined age of just 3: Mason Shepard (1 year old) and his brother Logan J. Shepard (2 years old) of Bothell, Washington. They are the sons of Nicole and Patrick Shepard, and 2 of the grandchildren of my brother Darrell and his wife Mary Shepard. This first picture shows Mason and Logan enjoying a happy moment on Easter Sunday.

Senior Siblings. The senior siblings among us are my mother Maida Gower Shepard of Anacortes, Washington and her sister Vicki Gower Johnston of Chandler, Arizona. Their combined ages are 173 years. There are no other siblings in our midst, who I know of, whose combined ages come even close to that number. We honor them for their longevity and for their special place in our hearts. Do any of you know of siblings in our extended families whose combined ages total more than 173? If so, please let me know.

Maida and Vicki in Chandler, Arizona

This second picture shows Maida (on the left) and Vicki when they were reminiscing recently over a family photo album, enjoying a very special visit with one another. This picture was taken last month when my mom Maida came to San Diego and we made a trip to Arizona to see her sister. Vicki lives in a beautiful home in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, very near her daughter Paula and husband Frank Tuzzolino. 

Family History Trivia Question. Here is a family history trivia question appropriate for Siblings Day: Has there ever been two siblings in our family whose ages at any particular moment in history have totaled more than 173 years? Thing about it. The answer is below. 

Happy Birthday to my niece Rachel Shepard this coming Thursday, April 14. Rachel is the aunt of the above mentioned junior siblings, Mason and Logan Shepard. Rachel and her son Kellan live in Bothell, Washington. Best wishes to Rachel for a wonderful 29th birthday.

Rachel and Kellan Shepard

This third picture shows Rachel with son Kellan. This was taken in front of a Halloween scarecrow when their family was out pumpkin hunting this past October.


Jerry and Cathrina, Celebrating 10 Years! This past Friday Jerry and Cathrina Clark of Lubbock, Texas celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary. Jerry is also one of my siblings, something of a "secret sibling". No, I did not say "pseudo sibling". That would suggest he has not really been incorporated into our family. The fact is that he became one of us back in 1970 when he married my late sister Linda, and we have refused over the years to let him go! Congratulations to my brother-by-another-mother Jerry and his wife Cathrina on 10 years of marriage, and best wishes for many more years together. 

Back to the trivia question... There have been a number of individuals in our family who lived a long time: Elmer Shepard, William Shepard, Marjorie Davis, Nola Shannon Gower, and Finetta Dearien to name just a few. But to find siblings whose combined ages totaled more than 173 you have to go back to my Grandmother Bura Davis Shepard (1896-1986). In 1986, the last year of Bura's life, she was 89 years old and, at that time, her younger brother Lawrence Davis was 88 years old. Their combined ages that year were 177, four years more than the combined ages of Maida and Vicki today.

In 1999, however, the last year of uncle Lawrence Davis' life, he was 101 years old, and his younger sister Marjorie Davis Millikan Williams was 91 years old. That year the combined ages of siblings Lawrence and Marjorie was an astounding 192 years, a total that has never been matched in our family history. In the year 2026 -- God willing! -- Maida and Vicki will break that record.

This is a bit of trivia to be sure, but it points to something quite significant. In our family there are instances of significant longevity. We and our ancestors seem to age pretty well. There are, of course, some in our family who died way too young. But looking at the big picture, we have a large number of relatives who lived long lives. Why do you think that is so?
- - -
Steve Shepard

"Days of Auld Lang Syne", December 31, 2015

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

and auld lang syne?

~Robert Burns

Best wishes to all of you for a wonderful new year! May 2016 bring much happiness, personal growth, and great joy.

Happy Anniversary Darrell and Mary. Happy 33rd Wedding Anniversary today, December 31, to my brother Darrell Shepard and his wife Mary Medina Shepard of Bothell, Washington. They were married in Abilene, Texas while students at Abilene Christian University. In the last third of a century their family has grown to a clan of 12 including three children and 4 grandchildren, all of whom live near them in the Seattle area. Happy Anniversary to Darrell and Mary, and best wishes for many more years to come!

This first picture shows Darrell and Mary with me on the right, in late 1983, just before they celebrated their first wedding anniversary. It was taken in Abilene, Texas where they were living at the time.

Remembering James and Callie Davis. Tomorrow is the wedding anniversary of my great grandparents James Brooks Davis and his wife Callie Spear Davis. They were married in Owen County, Indiana on New Year's Day, 120 years ago. Their decision to marry on the first day of the new year was understandable. A new year, a new marriage, a new beginning; it all fit together. For farming families it was also a slow time of the year work-wise. And if the weather was not too bad, family and friends from all around would be available to celebrate with them.

Their new year's day marriage so impressed their youngest daughter Marjorie Davis Millikan that she too decided to marry on that day. And not once, but twice! First in 1931 to John Millikan, the father of her children, and then 50 years later to Clyde Williams in 1981.

This second picture was taken in 1908, just a few months after their youngest child, Marjorie Davis, was born in Spencer, Indiana, and just a few years before the family moved to Beaver County, Oklahoma. This picture shows parents James and Callie Davis with baby Marjorie.

Happy Birthday Chenda! New Year's Day is also the birthday of our daughter-in-law Chenda Sou Shepard. She was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on the first day of 1980. She lives in San Diego with husband Nathan Shepard and their three children Preslea, Logan and William.

This third picture was taken just last week on Christmas Day in San Diego at the home of Cindy's mom Paula Harris. Chenda is on the left holding their youngest child William Shepard. Next to Chenda in the back are Logan with Nathan, Cindy, her mom Paula and me on the far right. In front are Cindy's aunt Juanita Eeds with Preslea in front of her.
- - -
Steve Shepard

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

OUR history begins before we are born.

We represent the hereditary influences of our race,

and our ancestors virtually live in us.

James Nasmyth

Hello Family and Friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- - -

Steve

A Chapter Closes, January 26, 2010

Generations pass like leaves fall
from our family tree.
Each season new life blossoms
and grows benefiting 
from the strength and experience 
of those who went before.
~Heidi Swapp

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you on this fine winter's day in San Diego where the weather is exceptional and the living is good.

A Chapter Closes. Our hearts go out to the family of Mildred Beck Davis (1911- 2011) who died last week after suffering a stroke. (See first picture of her in 2006.) One of her grandsons, David Jones, put together a video presentation that you can view at this link.

My cousin Dane Shepard attended her service on Jan 24. Dane: "I just returned from Mildred's memorial. I was moved and impressed. It was a deeply loving tribute to one whose direct influence spanned four generations. Of the 107 descendants listed in the program, most of them were present. Mildred was indeed a special person of love and faith whose life began in a simple dwelling on the prairie (not far from where Pauline, Elmer, and Eugene Shepard were born) near Logan in the panhandle of OK. The great changes and challenges she experienced in her lifetime are quite impressive and how she lived through and met them is even more admirable. I was so impressed with the great respect and devotion expressed by her grandchildren. She leaves a loving legacy which I find rare these days. I'm thankful for the opportunity to have shared in this very special tribute."

With Mildred's passing a chapter closes in the history of our family. My grandmother Bura Davis Shepard and Mildred's husband Jesse Davis were two of the 7 children of James Brooks and Caroline Davis. Mildred was the last surviving member of that generation in our family. (The second picture from the 1930s shows a young and smiling Jesse and Mildred Davis.)

Those 7 Davis children and their spouses spawned a unique and wonderful clan of people (Davises, Shepards, Kilpatricks, Jenkinses, and Millikans) whose descendants are spread out over much of the United States (especially Oklahoma, Texas, California and Washington) and number at least 400 today.

The lives of those 7 couples span the entire 20th century and cover quite an amazing era in American life. From the invention of the airplane, to the time of the internet and space travel; from a U.S. population of 60 million, to over 310 million today. Mildred's passing, then, brings to a close the era of those couples, who leave a remarkable legacy. We can do no better than live grateful for their lives, and the values, the faith and the heritage they have left us. Mildred reminds us that we are blessed to be heirs of these fine folk.

Happy First Anniver- sary! Best wishes to Kevin and Havilah (Colgain) Wardle who were married one year ago Jan 23, in the wilds of Utah. Or, as Havilah says, in "a place that is full of history and beauty, as old as time and as young as a newborn, a place that holds its ground, that is always evolving, that is sacred and precious, just like our relationship."

Havilah is the daughter of Joan Shepard of Dixon, California and the granddaughter of Elmer Shepard of Mustang, Texas. The happy couple live in West Valley City, Utah.
- - -

Steve

April 21: Our Brooks Connection

The other night I ate at a real nice family restaurant.

Every table had an argument going.

~George Carlin

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,


I never met my Ggrandfather James Brooks Davis - he died 20 years before I was born. But I do remember my grandmother Bura (Davis) Shepard talking about her father. She always referred to him by all 3 names, as if his middle name Brooks had special significance, but I never heard her say what that significance was. Perhaps she never knew. 

The Brooks Connection. From Ronald Davis' family history I learned years ago that James Brooks Davis had a Ggrandparent named Vashti Wright. (Vashti is the name of the queen of Persia in the Bible book of Esther) Recently I discovered that her maiden name was Brooks. Was she the one James Brooks Davis' parents were thinking of when they named him?

Vashti Brooks Wright was born in Bush River, South Carolina in the all-American year of 1776. After a remarkably long life for someone born in the 18th century, she died in Owen County, Indiana at 91. She had moved there from South Carolina with her family sometime in the early 1800s. Here's the interesting thing: it was also in Owen County, just 3 years after her death, that James "Brooks" Davis was born.

On the other hand, it might have been another member of Vashti's family that Charles and Melinda (Wright) Davis were thinking of when they named their first child James Brooks Davis. The name of Vashti's father, as well as one of her brothers, was -- get this -- James Brooks. The parents of the elder James Brooks were Matthew and Elizabeth (Warren) Brooks, who, according to historical records, had immigrated to the U.S. in 1731 via the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.

Here, then, are the names and dates of those in a 300 year lineage from my granddaughter Preslea Maida Shepard to Matthew Brooks, with James Brooks Davis smack dab in the middle:

Preslea Maida Shepard (b. 2010)...
Nathan William Shepard (b. 1977)...
Steven Dale Shepard (b. 1948)...
Eugene William Shepard (1921-2003)...
Bura (Davis) Shepard (1896-1986)...
James Brooks Davis (1870-1928)...
Melinda (Wright) Davis (1846-1920)...
John Lynn Wright (1819-1909)...
Vashti (Brooks) Wright (1776-1867)...
James Brooks (1747-1790)...
Matthew Brooks (1711-1755)...

The picture above on the left, taken recently, shows Preslea Shepard of San Francisco, California, the youngest in the lineage listed above, with her grandmother Cindy Shepard of San Diego, California.

20th Century Brookses. At least two 20th century members of our family were given the name Brooks, both grandsons of James Brooks Davis. One was James Brooks Millikan (1948-1958), John and Marjorie (Davis) Millikan's youngest son, whose life was cut short by bone cancer. The other is George Brooks (Bud) Davis, who lives in Washington State, and who I referred to in this blog a couple of weeks ago. The picture on the right, taken earlier this month, shows George Brooks (Bud) Davis with grandchild Moira. Bud: "Moira, six months old, is the daughter of my wife Janet's son David and wife Jenny Kaye who live in Edmond, OK."

Trivia Question for Today. The lineage listed above shows that immigrant Matthew Brooks is Preslea Shepard's GGGGGGGG grandfather. (With just a change or two, most of you can create a lineage similar to the one above that shows your connection to Matthew Brooks.)  Here is today's trivia question: how many GGGGGGGG grandparents does each person have in their family tree? (You have two parents, 4 grandparents, etc...) The first one to email me with the correct answer will get a special commendation in an upcoming post. (woo-hoo!)

In the meantime celebrate, protect and honor our beautiful world on Earth Day tomorrow.
- - -
Steve

Shepard Family Update, March 5, 2010

.
"Cousin to cousin we'll always be,
Special friends from the same family tree."
~unknown

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,

Greetings from our home in San Diego where the sun is shining and the living is great in these latter days of winter 2010.

Texas Emails. Jerry Clark of Lubbock, Texas emailed me this past week to confirm that he was indeed the photographer of the picture that I included last week of 5 Shepard siblings, taken in 1983 in Anacortes, Washington. How in the world he got that motley crew to pose so well for him I do not know. But I am glad that he did!

I also received an email this past week from Larry Davis of Dallas, Texas with updated information on his particular part of our family. Larry has been a reader of this blog for some time. He is one of the nephews of my grandparents Will and Bura (Davis) Shepard, and a first cousin of my father Eugene Shepard, who died back in 2003.

Cousins Galore. Larry and my dad were 2 of 31 first cousins who were grandchildren of James and Callie Davis. (See the first picture of James Davis, taken in the 1890s.) I have mentioned before in this blog that James and Callie had 7 children, including Larry's father Lawrence Davis and my grandmother Bura (Davis) Shepard. See a picture of all 7 children with their parents.

For those 7 children to have a total of 31 offspring is not an extraordinary number for the early to mid 20th century, but it still makes for a very large extended family. I am one of 12 first cousins on my dad's side of my family and that seems large. But 31? Those 31 cousins -- born between 1916 and 1949 - account for an extended family of several hundred people today.

Of those 31 cousins...
4 were born with the last name Shepard;
9 were born with the last name Davis;
8 were born with the last name Kilpatrick;
6 were born with the last name Jenkins;
4 were born with the last name Millikan;
and all 31 (and most of their descendants) can be found on our family tree on ancestry.com.

The second picture I am including shows 9 (of the 31) cousins who were gathered at the Shepard/ Davis Family reunion last summer. (Click the pic for a larger view.) Beginning upper left are: Virginia Jenkins Niles (with husband Harold), Arthur Jenkins (with wife Grace), Gary Millikan (with wife Barbara), Charlotte Davis Taylor (with husband Terrel), Arlen Millikan, Jessie Davis Bushong, and Kathy Davis Villanueva. Seated is Elmer Shepard (the oldest surviving cousin) and his sister Thelma Shepard Boyd. The two children are Kaylan and Nathan Shepard, Elmer's grandchildren and among the younger descendants of James and Callie Davis.

In the email from Larry Davis this past week, he referred to his older brother Ronald Davis, who died in 1998. When I first began research into our family back in the late 1980s, Ronald was a great source of information. He had done a tremendous amount of family research at that time, copies of which he graciously sent to me, and which I still find very helpful today. We can all be grateful for Ronald and the family work he did. He was undoubtedly the first compiler of our family tree to gather his information on a computer.

Who Do You Think You Are? I have received announcements about a new TV series that begins on Fridays starting this evening on NBC titled "Who Do You Think You Are?" It is about different celebrities and their search for their family roots. This evening's program concerns "Sarah Jessica Parker on her journey through family history as she discovers an ancestor involved in the Salem Witch Trials."  For anyone interested in family history it might be worth watching. If you happen to view it, I'd be interested in your reaction.
- - -
Steve

Shepard Family Update, November 20, 2009

.
(The following is the second of two blog entries by cousin Dane Shepard while I am out of town. Thanks so much to Dane for sharing these family thoughts!)

Dear Shepard Family and Friends,

Hello again from the southern region of the Great Plains. As we have been sharing, this is where both the Shepard and Davis families decided to migrate to, early in the last century just before and after Oklahoma became a state in 1907. By the way, according to www.mongabay.com, which lists the most common surnames in the U.S., the name "Davis" ranks seventh while "Shepard" comes in at 815.

This past November 11 was Veteran's Day.  Both sides of the family have members who once served in the armed forces. We are certainly grateful to them and all those who continue to protect our freedom. Recently I took my father, Elmer, to a local museum where they displayed some decor, clothing, and other items from dwellings of Adolf Hitler. Pictured below is Dad looking into a mirror once used by Hitler himself. Dad, now 91, served in the Army Air Corps in WWII. His brother, Eugene, was in both the Coast Guard and the Navy.  The next picture is of their younger cousin, Jack, son of John and Margie (Davis) Millikan who became a pilot in the Navy. Elmer took him for a plane ride when he was very young and it seemed to have made an impression.  In fact, sometime much later when Dad was working as an aircraft examiner at the North Island naval air facility in San Diego, a plane came taxiing up to where he was.  After the plane had parked, the cockpit canopy opened and he heard the pilot say, "Hello, Elmer."  It was Jack.

        

Now lets return to "Garden of Memory" for the second part of the Shepard Family Story that we began last week.  According to Margie, William and Bura were "Married June 2,1915 by Steve Shoemate, Sophia Community." Their picture below was taken sometime in the early 1960's, probably around Mother's Day as Bura is sporting a lovely corsage.

When he [William] asked Dad for Bura in marriage, Dad told him, "You are getting the best spoke in the wheel." His temper was likely his hardest job to control, but Bura, so calm and sensible, was always there to smooth things out for him. I can almost still hear her say, "Now, Daddy."

Bura didn't even weigh 100 pounds but was a regular work horse. Mother said at four years old she was a great help to her, carrying the butter and things back and forth to the spring house. She said she couldn't have raised the rest of us without her.

Bura was a good cook in her mid teens. When the wheat was harvested and stacked, then it was threshing time. Sometimes there was a cook shack that fed the regular crew. Bura took the hot, hard, low paying job of feeding those hungry, hard working men. The shack was a very small house set on wagon runners and wheels so it could be moved along with the threshing crew of six to ten men. There was a little monkey stove in the corner, no cabinets, two board tables along each wall, and benches to sit on and be pushed under the tables when not in use. There was a door at the back and a side door toward the front. There were potatoes to be peeled, corn bread to be made, water to be carried and dishes to be washed. I wish I had asked her what her wages were for all this. I would guess three to four dollars a week.

She was thrifty and bought a beautiful wedding dress of pure China silk with lots of embroidery on the overskirt of it. I think it cost around $12.00 ordered from a catalog. It would cost hundreds of dollars now. Later when Pauline, Elmer, and Eugene were little, they had a herd of milk cows. Bura had an account with Sears and Montgomery Ward, and bought a cream separator, sewing machine, brass bed, folding chair and other things.

She was an excellent seamstress. She sewed for me, Mother, and Will's mother, besides her own family. After they moved to Colorado, she was also a nurse. She delivered a friend's baby boy. The good old doctor, that didn't make it in time, looked things over and said she did a good job.

Will and Bura were married on Dad's birthday. The Shepard family all loved her dearly. She left a lot of footprints on the sands of time. She was truly a virtuous woman--Proverbs 31.

What a touching tribute!  I'm pleased to have had the privilege of sharing it with you all.  Next week we look forward to hearing from my cousin, Darrell, from the beautiful state of Washington. This happens to be the present home of not only many of the Shepard clan, but also of Bud and Janet Davis.

Gratefully,

Dane

Shepard Family Update, November 13, 2009

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(The following is written by my cousin Dane Shepard who has agreed to be the guest poster for two weeks while I am out of the country and unable to access email or the internet. Thank so much to Dane for this gracious contribution to the family blog.)

Dear Shepard Family and Friends,

Greetings from central Oklahoma where the wind does come "sweepin' down the plain." This is Dane Shepard filling in for my cousin, Steve, while he and Cindy are enjoying a cruise. Steve has done a great job of keeping us informed and connected and I will try to continue with that effort in his absence.

It's interesting and sometimes a bit surprising where we end up in life.  For example, take Chenda Shepard who recently came from Cambodia to be a part of the family. I imagine it has been quite an adventure for her. (See her below trying out a Razor while at the reunion in July.) For myself, being a native Californian for 55 years, I never dreamed I would be living in Oklahoma where a good portion of our family history took place. My father, Elmer, has made a complete circle returning to Oklahoma where he was born via Colorado, California, and Texas. Of course, this is nothing new, even for our ancestors on both the Shepard and Davis sides. Today and next week we'll be taking a look at the early lives of a special couple and the changes that life brought them.

The information I am sharing is from a homemade booklet of ten pages entitled, "Garden of Memory." It contains some Shepard and Davis family pictures and the recollections of Margie Davis Millikan-Williams regarding the Davis family and a special tribute to her oldest sister, Bura, and husband, William Shepard. I found it among my dad's belongings and I'm grateful that Margie took the time to record her thoughts so we could share in what otherwise might have been lost and forgotten. No date appears on the booklet but it seems to have been written after William and, perhaps, Bura had passed on. Maybe some of you can provide some helpful details. I have taken the liberty of doing some editing for clarification and continuity.

                  

The pictures above show Margie and Bura toward the end of their lives.  Bura was the oldest and Margie the youngest of the seven children of James Brooks and Caroline Davis. Both lived to the ages of 100 and 90 respectively.

Here is part one of "Garden of Memory: the Shepard Family":

Bura was only sixteen when the James Brooks Davis family moved to Oklahoma from Indiana. She left behind a young Christian man interested in her and I'm sure they must have missed one another. But Mother told Dad that she wouldn't leave a child behind so he got busy with a sale and preparations to go west. Oklahoma was a new state and it took hardy characters to remain there. The droughts, wind, and grasshoppers were something else.

The [William Elmer and Elvira] Shepard family had moved from East St. Louis where William had worked on the railroad. His run was from St. Louis to Kansas City. When he was in K.C. he felt so much better that he decided to go west to Oklahoma for his health. He could also get land cheaper there. They had two children, William and Sadie. Sadie worked at the Logan Post Office for a time and later married Levy Pruett, a rancher. They all seemed to enjoy the wide open spaces.

Dad at first substituted as a mail carrier for Sam Whitlow on the LaKemp route. However, the Sophia Post Office was soon discontinued; the two horse hack and the motorcycle route went with it. Dad looked for other work and found it in a country store owned by Harve Miller. The nearest store was in LaKemp, a small community of 45 or 50. There was a bank and a Dr. Smith with his small office and medical wisdom. [According to Elmer Shepard, this was the doctor that delivered Pauline, his sister, but was to too late when his time came so his father, William, did the honors.]

In 1915 we moved a quarter mile east to an 80 acre plot that Dad had bought from Grandpa [Charles Davis]. Dad had bought the store from Harve Miller, and he and his brother, Zaley, built a new one on the property. Grandpa was getting old and retired from farming as his cataracts were causing failing eyesight. He sold the other half to Uncle John. Later, Uncle John and Aunt Vera retired to Booker,TX.

The Shepard farm was less than a mile east of us and it didn't take Will long to notice and admire Bura. His father was a good man but no one had taught him the way of salvation. By that time he was in very poor health. They took him to Amarillo, TX and he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. It was too late for any help. He died in late winter or early spring.

While Bura and Will were going together, Will had a chance to learn the way of salvation. (He was a deacon in the church for several years before he passed away.) A pioneer preacher by the name of Ballard taught and baptized many people at that time. Will and his father were two of them. This meant so much to his father in his last days and I'm sure to Will the rest of his life. He continued going to church services and helped on the new South Flat church building which was built in about 1917. Before that we met in the Happy Hollow School and before that in a sod school house.

That's all for now. We'll continue next week.

Gratefully yours,

Dane

Shepard Family Update, October 9, 2009

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At the end of the day, a loving family
should find everything forgivable.
~Mark V. Olsen and Will Sheffer

Dear Shepard Family and Friends,

It is hard to believe that I have been sending out these family emails and posting them to my family blog (The Shepard's Crook) every Friday for nearly two years now! It has been quite an enjoyable enterprise and very rewarding. The feedback that I have received from many of you is gratifying and I am very thankful for it -- even the occasional corrections that I have received from a special auntie who lets me know whenever I make a mistake. (She is usually right on target, by the way.) But I am sure I would be doing this even if no one was reading it -- that's how much I enjoy it.

I am grateful that the list of readers continues to grow. It includes not only the families of the children of Will and Bura (Davis) Shepard -- which is a sizeable group in itself -- but the readership also includes a number of relatives of Will and Bura's siblings and ancestors. The last two years has yielded the pleasant surprise of putting me in touch with some wonderful relatives I had never even heard of before. These are people best described as "kissing cousins" -- second, third, or even fourth cousins who share a common ancestor and have as great a passion as I do for family research.

Even though these emails, and The Shepard's Crook as a family blog have only been around for about 2 years, as a tool for communication it has actually been around for over 10 years. It first began in Paradise.

In 1997 I was the minister of a church in the Northern California town of Paradise, California. My column in the monthly newsletter to the members of that congregation was called The Shepard's Crook. When I moved on to another church in Antioch, California, I carried the name with me, and labeled each regular communique to that group of folks the same thing.

And so it continued as I moved to Stockton and San Diego and Sacramento, until 2005 when I served a church in the California gold rush town of Murphys. In addition to the physical mailings of the regular church newsletter, I also posted my communications to that church family online, in a blog that I also called The Shepard's Crook.

This is why if you look back in the online archives of the blog, you can find some communications specific to that particular congregation, or you might find some sermons, or some other musings that have a different focus than what the blog has today.

Then on the last Friday in 2007, after my service to the Murphys church had ended, The Shepard's Crook evolved into what it is today, a weekly family blog. It now has a very specific focus -- the descendants and ancestors, as well as the family and friends of Will and Bura (Davis) Shepard.

And so it continues as a regular communications tool for sharing family news, reporting on the latest family history discoveries, promoting upcoming family reunions, offering old and new family photos (nearly 200 so far!), celebrating this unique family of ours, and simply musing on the subject of family.

FAMILY FACES. Speaking of family photos, above is the first of the two family pictures I am including today. (Click on the picture for a larger view.) Taken in 1951 in San Diego, it shows Will and Bura (Davis) Shepard on the right. On the left is Barney and Winona (Davis) Kilpatrick, Bura's sister and husband, when they came to California from Oklahoma for a family visit.

The second picture was taken this summer in Newcastle, Oklahoma at the family reunion. It shows two of Will and Bura's nephews and their wives. On the left is Arthur Jenkins of Beaver County, Oklahoma (son of Esther Davis Jenkins), with his wife Grace. On the right is Gary Millikan of Tulsa, Oklahoma (son of Marjorie Davis Millikan), with his wife Barbara.

Thanks to each of you for being one of the readers of these paragraphs. Whoever you are and wherever you are on life's journey you are welcome here. All I ask is that if you know of other family or friends who would be interested in what The Shepard's Crook offers, you will pass the word about it to them. It is very easy to add new names and addresses to the list.

As I have mentioned before, I always welcome your photos, stories, family news or opinions and comments that can be shared with the rest of the family. Ours is a family whose life is worth sharing!
- - -
Steve

Shepard Family Update, October 2, 2009

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Our most basic instinct
is not for survival but for family. 
Most of us would give our own life 
for the survival of a family member, 
yet we lead our daily life too often 
as if we take our family for granted. 
~Paul Pearshall

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from San Diego. Cindy and I are back from our recent trip and are glad to be home. We ate too much (but never enough Greek salads!), enjoyed ourselves with friends, learned a little more Greek, saw places visited by the Apostle Paul, marveled at some spectacular Mediterranean sunsets, spend part of a day in a foreign emergency room, and took lots of pictures (click here to see some of them).  

Happy Anniversary. This weekend marks the 200th anniversary of the American religious phenomenon known as the Restoration Movement, also called the Stone-Campbell Tradition. It is a great American story (and a continuing story) that deserves recognition. Actually, throughout this entire year of 2009 numerous groups of persons related to the churches of the Restoration Movement have gathered at various times to mark this milestone and celebrate the original ideals of Alexander Campbell and others. I have mentioned in recent weeks that many of our family members have been integrally involved in various congregations of this particular movement for 150 years, particularly in Churches of Christ, but also in the Christian Church. Therefore it seems appropriate to recognize and celebrate this anniversary. So hats off to all those Shepards, Davises, Millikans, Kilpatricks, Boyds, Clarks, Allens, and any others in our circle of family and friends who are members of congregations of this movement. For more information about this anniversary and its celebrations visit GreatCommunion.org.

Last week I included an old picture from 1972 in which there was a young boy whom I could not identify. Thanks to Maida and Barbara Shepard (two other people in the picture) for saving the boy from the terrible fate of anonymity. Bart Pruitt is his name, and he is the son of Harvey Pruitt, the President of the school from which Jerry Clark, who was also in the picture, had just graduated.

A Picture of FIRSTS. The second picture I am including this week was taken in San Diego in 1965 and shows Bura (Davis) Shepard in yet one more 4-generation-picture that our family has been fond of over the years. On the upper left is Pauline (Shepard) Russell, Bura and Will Shepard's first born. On the upper right is Rex Russell, Pauline's first born (Bura's first grandchild). The infant is Eric Russell -- Rex's first child, Pauline's first grandchild, and Bura's first great grandchild. Bura was born (as a first born child herself) in 1896, Pauline in 1916, Rex in 1936, and then Eric in 1965.

The corsage on Bura, the table in the back, and the look on her face all suggest that this was a special day for her. On the photo from which this image was taken is stamped, by the developer, the date Feb 1966. That may have been when they got around to developing that roll of film (remember those days?). My guess is that this picture was probably taken at the celebration of Bura and Will's 50th wedding anniversary, which occurred June 3, 1965. At that time Eric was 5 months old and Bura was 68, relatively young to be celebrating such a milestone.

Little did they know at the time that Bura and Will Shepard would eventually have 20 great grandchildren, born over the following 34 years. Both Bura and Pauline have since passed away, Bura 23 years ago last month, and Pauline 9 years ago this month. Rex and Eric Russell both now live in Red Rock, Nevada.
 
Changes and Transitions. If your email address happens to change, just drop me a line and I will gladly change it on our mailing list. Or if you know of some other family members or friends who might like to be on this mailing list, just let me know. If you need to be taken off this list, send me an email and I can do that as well. Or if you have family pictures or memories or news that you'd like to share, please let me know.
- - -
Steve

Shepard Family Update, July 24, 2009

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A person travels the world overin search of what they need,and returns home to find it.
-- George Moore

Hello Shepard Family and Friends.

Greetings to all of you from home in sunny San Diego, where Cindy and I have returned after last weekend's trip to Oklahoma. The Newcastle Family Reunion is over, but the memories remain. It was a grand event as 40 of our family members met outside Oklahoma City in the small throw-back town of Newcastle, Oklahoma. Most of those present were descendants of Bura Davis and Will Shepard, but we were also honored to have a dozen or so other Davis relatives (one of whom rightly reminded us that all of us Shepard descendants are also "Davis relatives").

The first picture I am including today shows the group who attended the reunion, including people with the last names of Shepard, Davis, Taylor, Sauvage, Millikan, Jenkins, Villanueva, Ortiz and Boyd. (Click on the picture to see a larger view.) Select this link to see the pictures that appeared in my PowerPoint presentation at the reunion. But be patient, there are lots of pictures, so it takes a while to load. The good news is there is a feature that allows you to download the pictures if you choose. Select this link to see a much smaller collection of some pictures that were taken last weekend.

The day began with a time of renewing family ties with people we had not seen in many years. In some cases family members were meeting for the very first time. We also shared a great meal catered by a local barbeque, and then viewed lots of old (and new) family pictures from photo albums as well as on a big screen. We also recognized special people among us, including the oldest and youngest members of the Shepard clan: 92 year old Elmer Shepard (Dane's dad), and 2 year old Damian Ortiz (Thelma's Ggrandson). Special thanks go to Dane Shepard and his cousin Kim Clark who formed the core of the planning team for the reunion.

BIRTHDAYS. Today is the birthday of Shannon Wilk of Atchison, Kansas, granddaughter of Pauline Shepard Russell. Shannon was planning to attend our reunion last week, but health concerns prevented her from coming. Best wishes to Shannon for good health and a happy birthday!

This coming Tuesday is the birthday of Barbara Shepard of Anacortes, Washington, who reaches a major milestone on July 28. Tuesday is also the birthday of Jeff Clark, husband of Kim Clark of Blue Springs, Missouri. The second picture shows these two birthday kids, taken last week at the family reunion. As you might guess from the camera in his hand, Jeff was the photographer of the group picture above.

And finally I would like to pass on some family emails I received just before the reunion.

From Eric and Ruth Russell of Red Rock, Nevada,
Hello Steve... Sorry we haven’t gotten back to you sooner. Work has been busy and dad was in the hospital two weeks ago with pneumonia. He’s doing well now. This past week was dealing with two wild fires near our houses. All is well now. I did find some photos of dad that you might enjoy. We are still trying to locate old family photos that you were asking about. We do enjoy reading your e-mails, and print them out for dad to read. Best wishes.
(Eric and Ruth graciously sent some photos of their father Rex, which I will include in an upcoming email.)
From Joan Shepard of Dixon, California,

Right now I'm concentrating to reach a deadline with my work. And I'll miss you all very much. I wanted to thank you for the inspiring comments in the family emails. Havilah and I appreciated your discussion so much. Thank you for your loving altruism. I'm also so delighted about Nathan and Chenda. My best to them. I've attached some memories for Dad. Perhaps you can read it at the reunion. Thanks so much, Steve. Have a wonderful weekend.

From Joan's daughter Halilah Reynolds, who lives just outside Salt Lake City, Utah,

I so wish that I could be there at the family reunion. I send my love to the family! Thanks for the updates, as always. Enjoy the day! -Havilah

From Bud and Janet Davis,

Please say hello to our family members for us, as we are not able to make the trip from the Tacoma, WA area. Sounds like you will have a great time at the reunion. Thank you for doing such a good job with your family email and website. It helps us hold on to memories. Great pictures of the Davis family including my dad Jesse. Jessie and Charlotte should have some pics to share and wish we could be there too. ...Bud and Janet Davis

And lastly, these insightful words from brother Darrell Shepard of Kenmore, Wa.,

I loved the quotes this week. I presume you are just being nice and upbeat regarding those quotes for the sake of the family reunion. Because quite frankly as funny as those quotes are, I think they reveal a usually unspoken truth about family dynamics. (Please don't make me sight examples or individuals, mainly because I would have to present myself as exhibit "A".) I believe when it comes to family self image, we like to present ourselves as we would like to be. Otherwise we might lose sight of how important and valuable and wonderful family relationships really are - in spite of all the quirkiness. If we hold that image of who would like to be as as a family up to ourselves and the world, we might move closer to actually being that someday.

Anyway, I will be with you all tomorrow in spirit. I hope you all have a terrific time. The family web site and the old pictures you post are a blessing to all of us. Especially my kids, and in fact all the younger members of our family. Thank you for the recent picture of Gram, me and Mary taken in 1984. My kids love that picture and it has launched many a story telling session about the "older days." It really gives them a strong sense of family and history and belonging to something bigger than themselves. It binds us all together more closely - quirks and all.
--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, July 10, 2009

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The lack of emotional security of our young people
is due to their isolation from the larger family unit.
No two people are enough
to provide emotional security for a child.
He needs to feel himself one in a world of kinfolk,
persons allied to himself by an indissoluble bond
which he cannot break,
for nature has welded him into it
before he was born.
~Pearl S. Buck

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you wherever you may be. Cindy and I are enjoying a few days with our son Nathan and his wife Chenda, in San Francisco. I am being reminded again that this is one of the most beautiful cities in the world! And that is saying a lot, coming from someone who lives in another one of the world's beautiful cities, San Diego. (Okay, okay, I may not be giving OKC, DFW, SEA or even LUB enough credit -- to say nothing of NYC -- but don't hold that against me!)

With our family reunion coming up next weekend just outside OKC in Newcastle, I am still thinking about those members of our larger Davis family who will be with us. The first picture I am including today is yet another old photo of Bura Davis Shepard and the other 6 children of James Brooks and Callie Davis (plus a couple of spouses). It looks very much like another picture I have of this same group dated 1968, taken on the steps of the South Flat Church of Christ in Beaver County, Oklahoma (click here to see that picture).

Becky Davis emailed me recently concerning this image. "Steve... Have never seen that picture before and it is a great one. I know the people in it but don't know where it was taken. Left to right: My dad Jesse, Marjorie Millikan, Nona and Myra Kilpatrick, Bura [and husband Will], Esther Jenkins [and husband Perry], and Lawrence [with wife Lou]. All 7 [Davis siblings] are there. They all look great and it must have been fun for them all to get together. Someone surely knows when they were all able to get together. Where are you coming up with all these old pictures? Keep them coming. ...Becky

Gary Millikan also emailed and reminded me that Jesse Davis (on the far left) passed away in the spring of 1969, so this may have been one of the last pictures of all 7 Davis children.

Like many of the old photos I have, I cannot remember where I got it. Most of the ones I have are from the photo collection of my mom Maida Shepard in Anacortes, Washington. But in recent months I have also received pictures from my cousin Dane, and my aunt Thelma and her daughter Kim. Unfortunately I cannot give credit to the one from whom I received this particular photo, but thanks to that person nonetheless.

The second picture I am including shows Bura Davis Shepard with one of her grandsons Darrell Shepard and his wife Mary. This picture was taken in 1984 in Anacortes, Washington where Bura lived with her son Eugene and his family for the last few years of her life, until she died in 1986.

Darrell and Mary, along with their three kids Chris, Rachel and Patrick, now live in Kenmore Washington, a suburb of Seattle. They are only part of our family who presently live in Washington State. Unfortunately the distance from Washington to Oklahoma is such that only a few of our kinfolk from the great Northwest will be with us when we gather next week in Newcastle, including Maida, Barbara, Steve and Linda Shepard of Anacortes. Those four will probably be coming the farthest distance to the reunion. Anyone coming from a greater distance?

In case you missed it before here is the location of our reunion in Newcastle, Oklahoma, which will be held from noon till 5 pm. As a final reminder, be sure to bring whatever old (or new) family photos you would like to place on our picture table at the reunion for all to see.

Dane wants me to tell everyone -- especially those of us coming from the west coast -- to be prepared, the temperature will probably be in the 90s. Best wishes to all for safe travels next week for our gathering on Saturday.
--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, June 26, 2009

We all grow up with the weight of history on us.

Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains
as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge
hidden in every cell of our bodies.~Shirley Abbott

Hello Shepard Family Members and Friends,

Greetings to each of you from hot Tucson, Arizona where Cindy and I are visiting friends for the weekend. At our family reunion July 18 -- which is fast approaching! -- we may have a number of relatives from my Grandmother Bura Davis' side of the family. Many of them live in and around Oklahoma and have been invited to join us, in particular by Dane Shepard and Kim Clark, who have gone out of their way to make contact with many of them.

The first picture I am including today shows the connections with our larger Davis family. In the picture is my great grandparents James Brooks Davis and Caroline (Callie) Spear Davis with their 7 children. It is one of the finest quality old family pictures that I have.

Standing tall in the back is the oldest child, my grandmother Bura Davis, who, 7 years after this photo was taken, would marry William Shepard, who she did not even meet until after they had moved and settled in Oklahoma. I never remember her looking any taller than she appears in this picture.

The boy on the far right is Lawrence Davis, taking the serious posture of the oldest boy. He was the second born in the family, and in 1930 would marry Loudella Jackson. Next to Bura is Myra Davis, the third child, who has her father's eeire eyes; in 1918 she would marry William Allen Kilpatrick. The boy smack dab in the middle is Jesse Davis, the middle child of the 7, who would marry Mildred Beck in 1930. (Mildred, by the way, is the last survivor of this generation in our family, and lives in Bartlesville, Oklahoma today.)

The girl nearly hidden on the far left is Winona Davis, child #5, who in 1924 would marry William Allen's brother Barney Kilpatrick. Esther, child #6, is the cute little girl in the front between her parents with her head slightly cocked. She would marry Perry Jenkins in 1923. Marjorie, the youngest of the 7, is the baby sitting in her father's lap. In 1931 she would become Mrs. John Millikan, and then 50 years after that, Mrs. A.C. Williams.

Marjorie was born in late December 1907. In the picture she cannot be any more than a few months old, indicating that this picture must have been taken in the spring or summer of 1908 -- 101 years ago! The location was probably Spencer Indiana, where the family lived at the time. A few years later they moved to Beaver County, Oklahoma.

None of the people in this picture are still living today. The last one of James and Callie's children to pass away was the youngest, Marjorie, who died just last fall in Tulsa, Oklahoma at 100.

One of the most remarkable things about this picture is how they managed to get all the children to pose so perfectly, at the same time. To get ANY 9 people to photograph well is tough enough. When 7 of the 9 are under 12 years old, it is uncanny. Some of our younger family members may need to be reminded that this picture was taken long before the age of digital photography, meaning that each shot was very important. They did not take 20 pictures and then select the best one. 100 years ago photography was still a relatively new phenomenon, which may help to explain the rapt attention given by each of the family members -- including the baby!

The indicators of the early 20th century in this photo are very apparent -- the curtains in the back, the knickers on Lawrence, the collar and blouse on Jess (try putting that on a boy today and the neighbors may call CPS!), the well worn shoes, the soft white cottons on all the girls, and the high collars on everybody.

Mother Callie, though 5 years older than her husband James, actually looks younger and is quite a beauty at 42 years old. He is the one who -- though only 37 --seems to show in his face the signs of having borne 7 children in the first 12 years of their married life.

Most of those who read this blog are descendants of Bura Davis, the tall girl in the back in the picture above. But a growing number of readers are descendants of the other Davis children, with names like Niles, Millikan, Allen, Borgstadt, Ellred, Taylor, Roberts and of course, Davis. We will be blessed to be joined at the reunion by some of these other members of our larger family.

Congratulations Newlyweds. I mentioned last week that Nathan, our son (and one of James and Callie's GGgrandsons) was recently joined by his fiance Chenda from Cambodia. But I need to report further this week that they were married last Sunday, on Father's Day! It was this father's honor to do the outdoor ceremony in San Diego, on a small bluff overlooking the Pacific ocean. Congratulations to Nathan and Chenda Shepard! The second picture I am including today is a picture of the newlyweds with Cindy and me. (I promise not to bore you EVERY week with updates. ;-)

Happy Birthday Kyle Sauvage. As a final word I want to say happy birthday to Kyle Christian Sauvage, one of James and Callie Davis' GGGgrandsons. Kyle, who turns 5 today, lives in Weatherford, Texas with his parents James and Kelly Sauvage. Kyle is the grandson of Gary Shepard and the great grandson of Maida Shepard.
--
Steve