Shepard Family Update, March 5, 2010

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"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, Sept. 11, 2009

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The value of the family 
is not that adults produce children,
but that children produce adults. 
-Peter de Vries

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,

"Kalimera!" from the beautiful little seaside town of Napflion, Greece, southwest of Athens. We are on the Peloponnesian peninsula, which is a place of vital importance to the history of western civilization. The ancient city of Corinth is about an hour's drive from here, and is home to some of the most stunning archeological ruins in the entire country. That city is also where the Apostle Paul lived for a period of time, and where he planted a church that became one of the most famous in the first century.

On this 8th anniversary of 911, it is humbling to be an American on foreign soil. Of more particular concern to our family, this is a day to be reminded again of how much our world and our country has changed. I can still recall my Grandad Will Shepard 35 or so years ago, talking about the Russians (he pronounced the word "Ruushuns") and how they were the fulfillment of Biblical teaching and a grave danger to our future. How times have changed when thinking about the threats we have to deal with!

Select this link to listen to Will Shepard being interviewed on a variety of family subjects in 1975. In this particular recording he does not expound on the "Ruushuns," but you will still find it interesting and -- if you knew Grandad -- nostalgic. Thanks to Dane Shepard for this recording. (The file is very large, so please be patient.)

As a day of remembrance, September 11 is a day of darkness and tragedy. I prefer September 12 myself. There is a movement afoot to make 9-12 a day of recovery, a day of reconciliation, an annual Axis of Friendship Day, in order to move beyond the ugliness and horror of 911.

I also like September 12 because it was on that day in 1861 that GGgrandpa "Wabash" William Sheppard joined the Union cause and began his military service. Even though he would not live to see another September 12, that day in 1861 must have been for him a time of great hope and expectation. He had just left his young wife in Wabash, Indiana -- who was four months pregnant with their first child -- and found himself in Indianapolis. It was very early in the conflict, so he -- like all the other recruits -- was anticipating a swift conclusion to the southern rebellion, so they could all get on with their young lives. In hindsight we know that his story ended sadly, but it was a fine September 12 when the last adventure of his life began.

Back to the future: here in the 21st century, September 12 is important because it is the birthday of Kelly Shepard Sauvage of Weatherford, Texas. Those of you who were at the July reunion will remember her and her 2 boys who attended and enjoyed themselves immensely. Kelly emailed recently to say,

We have a lot going on here in Texas. Nate and Kyle entered public school this year. YEAH!! No more monthly payments to daycare/private school. They are so excited about public school. Kyle is so happy to have some boys in his class. In Pre-K he was one of only three boys in a class with 13 girls. He had his first T-ball practice this week and is excited to finally be old enough to play. Nate loves his new school too. Especially going to P.E. and Music class. Nate will have his first "coach pitch" practice this week. After two seasons of T-ball he will be moving up. James started a new job with Direct TV in July and he seems to be enjoying it. He will once again be referreeing football as often as his job will allow. He referees everything from pee wee to high school. So I will once again be a "single mom" until football season is over. It doesn't leave me much free time, but I love being with my boys. I had a great time this summer at the family reunion in Oklahoma. It was great to see everyone. Nate and Kyle still talk about the people they met and played with. Nate loves to talk about his "best buddy" Steven. Kyle still talks about his second cousin Linda and his third and fouth cousins... Nate Shepard and Nathan Shepard.  I can't wait for us to do this again!

The first picture I am including was taken in San Diego in 1976 and shows a young Kelly on the shoulders of her uncle Darrell Shepard, who now lives in Kenmore, Washington. Also in the picture are her aunt Barbara Shepard and another uncle, Russell Shepard, who both now live in Anacortes, Washington.

The second picture I am including was taken in July in Newcastle, Oklahoma at the family reunion. In the middle of the picture is Kelly. Surrounding her (beginning in the bottom left and going counterclockwise) are her younger son Kyle Sauvage, Ciara Ortiz of San Diego and Kelly's older son Nate Sauvage. Then Virginia Niles of Edmond, Oklahoma, Linda and Steven Shepard of Anacortes, Washington, and Nathan and Chenda Shepard, of San Francisco.

Speaking of Nathan and Chenda, congratulations are in order. They are expecting a baby next spring! Best wishes and good health to both of them. Have a great week, wherever you may be, celebrating this wonderful, diverse family that we are!

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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