Memorial Day, May 26, 2014

Oh, tell me not that they are dead

that airy army of invisible heroes.

They hover as a cloud of witnesses

above this Nation.

~Henry Ward Beecher, 1863

Today we celebrate Memorial Day and remember those who have died in the service of our country. I would like to mention in this blog post 4 people -- that I have found so far in our family tree -- who died fighting in our nation's wars. One in the war of 1812, two in the Civil War, and one in World War I. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to them as we honor them on this Memorial Day.

John Williams Sr. (1782-1813) was a 31 year old husband and father of 4 when he died, most likely in the War of 1812. Born in Virginia he had been in Kentucky just long enough to marry Lydia Warford and have 4 children with her when his life ended in the service of the nation. John left a modest estate that enabled his widow Lydia and her children to move to Spencer, Indiana where they

settled and where his GG Granddaughter Bura Davis (my Grandmother) was born.

David Reid Shannon (1821-1864), my GG Grandfather, was in his 40s living in Louisiana with his wife and 7 children when he was called to serve in the Confederate Army late in the war. After not hearing a word from him for a year, his wife Peggy finally got the news indirectly that David had died and was buried with other Civil War soldiers in Chalmette National Cemetery in New Orleans. His needy widow and 7 children were rescued by Peggy's father and brothers who moved them to Stone County, Arkansas. Select this link to visit his grave online.

William Shepard (1835-1862) of Wabash, Indiana was a young Union soldier of just 26 when he was injured at Bowling Green, Kentucky in what may have been the very first battle of his Indiana Regiment.

He languished in a hospital for 5 months before he died in July, 1862 in Evansville, Indiana, leaving a young wife and an infant son (my Great Grandfather). After a very difficult couple of years for the two of them, his widow remarried and settled into a new life. Select this link to visit his grave online.

Lloyd W. Gower (1896-1918) of Newnata, Arkansas, brother of my Grandfather Leroy Gower, was a single man of 22 when he was killed in 1918 in Cheppy, Lorraine, France during World War I. He is buried in Cooper Hill Cemetery near his home outside Mountain View, Arkansas (see picture of his grave) and is memorialized on a plaque in Mountain View's town square. Select this link to visit his grave online.

These four -- John, David, William and Lloyd -- are among that great "cloud of witnesses", in the words of Henry Ward Beecher, that hover above our nation. And not only our nation, but on this Memorial Day, in a special way, they also also hover over us, their descendants, their families, who owe them much more than we can ever repay.

That Was Then, This Is Now. Today, May 26 also happens to be the 21st birthday of Brandyn Boyd, grandson of Thelma Shepard Boyd of Blue Springs, Missouri. Brandyn, the son of Darren Boyd and Victoria Boyd, is a graduate of Santana High School in Santee and lives in San Diego.

He is one of the Great Grandchildren of William and Bura Davis Shepard.

This coming Wednesday, May 28 is the birthday of Ruthie Styer Russell of Red Rock, Nevada. She is the daughter-in-law of my late cousin Rex Russell, whose birthday was also on May 28. Rex was the first grandchild of William and Bura Shepard, and the son of Bill and Pauline Shepard Russell. The picture above shows Rex Russell and daughter-in-law Ruthie in a picture taken a few years ago in San Diego, with the bay and the Coronado Bridge in the background. Happy Birthday to Ruthie!

This coming Thursday, May 29, is the birthday of my cousin Michael Harrell, who lives with his wife Carole in Zionsville, Indiana. Mike is one of the grandchildren of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower and the son of Vicki Gower Johnston of Oak Harbor, Washington. 

Mike and Carole lived in California for many years but now live in Indiana and have settled right in to Hoosier life. They are shown here at an NFL playoff game earlier this year in Indianapolis wearing Andrew Luck jerseys. Best wishes to Mike for a very happy birthday.
- - -
Steve Shepard

More January Celebrations, January 10, 2014

A true friend doesn't care...

if your family is filled with crazy people.

They love you for who you are.

Greetings to all of you yet again from Tucson, Arizona, in the desert of the Great Southwest, a beautiful, relaxing and comfortable setting for January.

Mary Shepard. Happy Birthday today to the senior celebrant of this post, Mary Medina Shepard, the wife of my brother Darrell Shepard of Kirkland, Washington. The big news in Mary's life this past year was the birth of her and Darrell's first grandchild Logan Joseph Shepard, born to Pat and Nicole Shepard last summer.

The first picture shows Mary on the right with husband Darrell and son Chris in the back, daughter Rachel and Chris' girlfriend Jessica in the middle, and Patrick and wife Nicole in the front.

Carsyn Slaughter. Speaking of new births, last Sunday was the very first birthday of another little one in our extended family, Carsyn Rene Slaughter, the junior celebrant of this blog post. She is the daughter of Courtney Boyd and Cody Slaughter of San Diego. The second picture was taken recently and shows little Carsyn being smooched on by her parents.

The following is one particular lineage of Carsyn, going back 9 generations and nearly 300 years. Included is her proud grandfather Darren Boyd and her great grandmother Thelma Shepard Boyd:

• Carsyn Rene Slaughter (b. 2013)
• Courtney Boyd (b. 1990) - Cody Slaughter
• Darren Boyd (b. 1964) - Victoria Mills
• Thelma Shepard Boyd (b. 1936) - Terry Boyd
• Bura Davis Shepard (1896-1986) - William Shepard
• Callie Spear Davis (1865-1951) - James Brooks Davis
• Maggie Williams Spear (1845-1904) - William Spear
• John Pouty Williams (1806-1898) - Sara Richardson
• John Williams (1782-1813) - Lydia Warford
• William Williams (1745 - 1801) - Elizabeth Averett

Eric Russell. One other birthday that needs mentioning will occur this coming Wednesday when the calendar turns another year for cousin Eric Russell, who lives with his wife Ruthie Styer Russell in Red Rock, Nevada. In my last post I included a picture of Eric's grandparents, the late Bill and Pauline Shepard Russell. This third picture shows Eric and his wife Ruthie.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Can't Give Up On Family, January 14, 2013

My dear young cousin,

if there's one thing I've learned over the eons,

it's that you can't give up on your family,

no matter how tempting they make it. 

~Rick Riordan

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you, wherever you may be. Cindy and I are visiting our friends George and Diane in Tucson, Arizona, which -- as it turns out -- is a great place to spend part of January.

Happy Birthday Eric! Today is the birthday of Eric Russell, son of the late Rex Russell, and the first born of the 21 Ggrandchildren of Will and Bura Davis Shepard. Eric and his wife Ruthie (see first picture) live in Red Rock, Nevada (which is obviously not where this picture of them was taken).

Ruthie wrote to say: Happy New Year to you! Eric is going to turn 48 on Monday, January 14. "Happy Birthday, Honey!" 2012 was a good year for us, but we're looking forward to 2013. No big plans, maybe not all work and a little bit of fun. This picture was taken in Hawaii this past August. Thanks for thinking of us. Best Wishes!


Happy Anniversary Jeff and Kim! This Friday, January 18, is the 6th wedding anniversary of Jeff and Kim Boyd Clark of Blue Springs, Missouri who were married in 2007. The first picture shows Jeff and Kim in November of last year.

Kim: This picture was taken on my birthday. We have plans to leave for 4 days but I don't know if it will happen. The twins Isaac and Dominic are in the hospital with RSV and we are taking care of the other kids. We will at least try to squeeze in a quiet dinner for 2 and pray that everyone will be feeling good soon.

My dad has been sick from receiving chemotherapy. Tomorrow he finds out if his tumor is shrinking. I sure hope so. We need a break from health care issues and to just feel good.

I am really excited to be a great aunt and want to see that sweet little Carsyn Renee. It is strange to see such light hair in our family again. There is a good picture of Carsyn on Facebook if you would like to send out her picture.


More About Carsyn. Taking great aunt Kim's suggestion, I snatched a picture of her new niece Carsyn off Facebook and am including it here. I asked mom Courtney Boyd if she would mind if I sent out the baby's picture.

Courtney: "Of course, thank you! She was born January 5 and weighed in at 8 lbs 5.3 oz and 21 inches long. Her full name is Carsyn Renee Slaughter. We live in Alpine currently; me, my boyfriend Cody (her dad), and baby. We are all doing well, Carsyn sleeps a lot. We love her. Thanks again!"
- - -
Steve Shepard

Family Matters, Aug 21, 2012

Inside every older person

is a younger person

wondering what the hell happened.

~Cora Harvey Armstrong

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from San Diego, California, where Cindy and I are enjoying the company of family to the north. Our son Nathan, his wife Chenda and their children Preslea, Logan and William are here visiting us from Northern California. Also with us is my mom Maida Shepard from Anacortes, Washington as we celebrate the birthday of Cindy's mom Paula Harris, who was 89 years old this past Saturday.

This time with family has also been a time to remember loved ones who have gone before us. We visited Green Wood Cemetery here in San Diego where numerous members of our family are buried, including all four of my grandparents: Will and Bura Davis Shepard, and Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower. Among family members also buried there is my sister Linda Shepard Clark (1950-1971) who was born 62 years ago today.

The first picture, taken yesterday, shows my mother Maida Gower Shepard in the middle, holding her newest Ggrandchild William Q. Shepard who was born just 3 weeks ago. William's father Nate Shepard is on the right, and I (the proud grandpa) am on the left, to complete this four generation picture.  

Happy Anniversary Ruth and Eric! Today is the 19th anniversary of Eric and Ruth Styer Russell of Red Rock, Nevada. Eric is the oldest Ggrandchild of Will and Bura Davis Shepard, and the oldest grandchild of Bill and Pauline Shepard Russell.

Ruthie: Eric and I are going to Hawaii for my niece's wedding. It will be a couple of days late but I think that's a fine way to spend our 19th wedding anniversary. I will send you a current picture then. Thanks for thinking of us:)

Happy Birthday Amanda! This coming Saturday is the 29th birthday of Amanda Ortiz of Blue Springs, Mo. Amanda is the daughter of Kim Boyd Clark and the late Gabe Ortiz.

The second picture shows Amanda on the right, with her sister-in-law Desiree Ortiz on the left.

Amanda: I am doing well, and keeping busy. This last year has been great having my niece and nephews so close now and also having Grandmother and Granddad living near by. We have had some big changes in our family this last year. My summer has been super hot but great. I am actually looking forward to fall. It's crazy that I am celebrating my 29th birthday on the 25th. I will just be going out to dinner with my family and hopefully get to spend some time on the lake. Thank you for the birthday wishes!

- - -

Steve

One Smile To Give, May 26, 2012

If you have only one smile in you,

give it to the people you love.

~Maya Angelou

Hello Family and Friends,

This last week Cindy and I spent most of our time moving. As much as we have moved in recent years you would think that we would learn. You would think that we would settle down and be like normal people -- rooted in one home for 10 or 20 years so we can accumulate years and years worth of clutter in an attic or garage.

Our move here in San Diego was only 8 miles, from Mission Valley to San Carlos, yet it seems to have taken as much energy as a move of 800 miles. It causes me to wonder what it must have been like 70 years ago when my Gower grandparents chose to move over 1000 miles from a small town in Oklahoma to San Diego; or when my Shepard grandparents moved from the dusty plains of Southeast Colorado to San Diego. It was a real challenge for them to uproot their families and move to the west coast in a time of great uncertainty. In many ways their moves were much more difficult emotionally and physically than ours. But I am grateful to them for their courage and their foresight to relocate. For both families their moves proved to be positive and beneficial for decades.

Brandyn. Today, May 26, is the birthday of Brandyn Boyd of Santee, California, the son of Darren Boyd and Vicki Boyd. Brandyn is one of the 21 Ggrandchildren of Will and Bura Davis, and is the youngest of the 3 grandsons of Terry and Thelma Shepard Boyd. The first picture shows Brandyn and his sister Kori Boyd.

Ruth. Monday, May 28 is the birthday of Ruth Styer Russell who lives in Red Rock, Nevada with her husband Eric. Ruthie shared a birthday with her father-in-law Rex Russell who passed away last year. The second picture shows Ruthie with her husband Eric.

Michael. This coming Tuesday, May 29, is the birthday of my cousin Michael Harrell who lives in Mountain View, California with his wife Carole. Michael is the son of Vicki Johnston of Washington, and is the 9th of the 12 Grandchildren of Leroy and Nola Gower. The third picture shows Mike and his wife Carole.

Michael: Carole has some plans for my birthday but she won't share them with me. She is surprising me with something. In the mean time I have saved my pennies and will be buying myself an iPad for my birthday.  Additionally I have spent this year eating healthier and living a more active lifestyle. My goal has been to arrive at my coming birthday at the same weight and same level of fitness I was when I graduated from high school. I achieved that goal a couple of weeks ago and feel much better for it (albeit with some achy joints that will never be young again).

Things have been going very well for us. Our dog has become a local celebrity because on two separate occasions he has protected our friends from unsavory characters, the weather has been great giving us lots of outdoor time, all our debts (except the mortgage) are zeroed out, and I've been spending more time at home than on the road which has allowed me to put in some volunteer time in the local community. In other words, life is very good. I embrace my family and friends and smile, knowing that I must have done something good and they are my blessings.

Best wishes to Mike, Ruthie and Brandyn on their birthdays. 

- - -

Steve

Happy Friday the 13th, January 13, 2012

Genealogy:

An account of one's descent from an ancestor

who did not particularly care to trace his own.

-Ambrose Bierce

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from San Diego, California on what appears (so far) to be a wonderful Friday the 13th. There will be no paraskevidekatriaphobia here.

Happy Birthday tomorrow to Eric Russell, who lives with his wife Ruthie in Red Rock, Nevada, outside Reno.

Eric, born in San Diego in 1965, is

• the first (and only) child of Rex and Ellen Russell,
• the first of the 3 grandchildren of Bill and Pauline Shepard Russell,
• the first of the 21 Ggrandchildren of Will and Bura Davis Shepard,
• the first of over 100 GGgrandchildren of James Brooks and Callie Spear Davis,
• and probably the first of the several hundred GGGgrandchildren of Charles and Malinda Wright Davis.

I added the word "probably" in the above sentence because that gets us to the level of 4th cousins, and includes such a large number of descendants that I do not know who they all are, much less who is the first born among them all. But I'll bet it's Eric!

Eric's wife Ruthie wrote me recently: We are doing fine. Hope all is well with you and yours. The weather has been beautiful here in Reno. Should feel guilty, but we don't. We had so much snow and rain last winter that we are loving this mild weather. I am sure it will change soon. Nothing new to report except that Eric will be a year older on Sat. the 14th.

I'm embarrassed to say that [the picture of us] was taken in 2005. Eric is a little thinner and a lot less hair now, but aside of that he looks the same. We are approaching our 19th wedding anniversary this year. Thanks for thinking of us. Best Wishes!

Thanks to Ruthie for sending me the two pictures above. The first one shows Eric when he was a youngster back in 1966. The second picture (referred to in the previous paragraph) shows Eric and Ruthie just a few years ago. The third picture shows a proud and happy Bura Davis Shepard with her first Ggrandchild Eric in 1966.

Special Note Regarding Email Addresses. On a few occasions recently I have had some of you request the email address of a family member. I want to remind you that the emails I send out do not normally show the email addresses of every one on my mailing list. But I am always glad to share an email address with any family member who requests one from me.
- - -
Steve

Memorial Weekend Celebrations, May 26, 2011

Memory is a way of holding onto
the things you love,
the things you are,
the things you never want to lose
~from "The Wonder Years"

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you as the Memorial Day holiday approaches.

Congratulations to Brandyn Boyd who turns 18 today, May 26. Brandyn lives in Lakeside, California with his family, including parents Darren and Vicki Boyd and his sisters Courtney and Kori. His mother tells me that Brandyn is working and will graduate from High School next spring. Baseball player Brandyn is the grandson of Terry and Thelma Boyd.

Ruth Styer Russell's birthday is this Saturday, May 28. She shares a birthday with her father-in-law Rex Russell who died earlier this year. Saturday would have been Rex's 75th birthday. Ruth and husband Eric Russell live in Red Rock, Nevada.

The picture on the left from the 1990s was sent to me recently by Ruthie, who said, "Attached is one of my favorite pictures of Dad (Rex), Grandmother (Pauline) and me. I'm not sure of the year but it is one of the last pictures I have of Grandmother and one of the few of Dad and me. I have been so blessed to have had dad in my life. He was such a warm and funny man and it is going to be tough this year without him. We were connected with birthday's 5-28-36 & 5-28-63. How often does that happen? I love reading your letters! Hope all is well."

Best wishes to my cousin Mike Harrell who has a birthday this Sunday, May 29, the day before the Memorial Day holiday. Mike is one of the 12 grandchildren of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower, and is the son of my aunt Vicki Gower Johnston of Oak Harbor, Washington.

The third picture shows Mike and his wife Carole enjoying themselves at a New Year's celebration.

Mike: Hi Steve, my wife Carole and I have been living in San Jose for 11 years. I left San Diego when I was 18 and have spent the rest of my life trying to get back. Nowadays I am a project manager for an Engineering Software company (Siemens PLM Software). I work on-site at Lockheed Martin Space Systems helping them develop their satellites used for communication and deep space exploration. Life is good, but it will be much better if/when I reach retirement like you.

Setting the Record Straight. Thanks to Brandyn Boyd's grandmother Thelma Boyd for correcting my last post. The sweetest nitpicker I know, she wants it made clear that her brother Elmer's birthday is May 20th (not the 19th), and her Ggranddaughter Ashlyn Ortiz' birthday is May 19 (not the 20th). Thanks to Thelma for setting the record straight.

This weekend of Memorial Day we remember and celebrate family who have meant so much to us over the years, including Rex Russell and Mildred Davis who passed away in recent months.

THIS JUST IN...
From an email yesterday from my cousin Dane Shepard:

"It was quite an afternoon on the Great Plains. It was very warm and humid as we sat in our shelter listening to the news of the approaching storm. Around 5:30 PM it hit with a tornado passing just a few miles to the NW cutting across the town of Newcastle, OK. Just a few blocks from where we had the family reunion a diagonal path cut through the neighborhood. It was a saddening experience to see the loss, especially for those you happened to know. We are grateful to have only lost a shingle and power. The rest of the family here is fine. I called Arbor House and they reported all was well. They probably had to move Dad and others to a safe area for a while. We are thankful for God's care and pray for those in need."

Thanks to Dane for this update, and best wishes to all those who have been affected by the recent tornadoes.
- - -
Steve

Info on Shepard Family Reunion Aug 13, 2011

Memorial Day Weekend, May 27, 2010

If you would not be forgotten,

as soon as you are dead and rotten; 

Either write things worthy of reading,

or do things worthy of writing.

~Benjamin Franklin

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you on this beautiful spring day on Memorial Day Weekend. I hope the weather is as wonderful in your part of the world as it is here in Southern California.

Congratulations to Mandi Aquiningoc who will be graduating from Weatherford High School this coming Wednesday, June 2! (See picture with her on the left next to cousins Linda and Steve, in a picture taken last summer in Texas. Thanks to Barbara Shepard for this picture.) 

Mandi lives with her sister Lyndsey and mom Kerri in Weatherford, Texas. She is one of the GGgrandchildren of Will and Bura Shepard.

Yesterday, May 26, was the 17th birthday of Brandyn Boyd, the middle child of Vicki and Darren Boyd of Lakeside, California. Brandyn is one of the last Ggrandchildren to be born to Will and Bura Shepard. (See picture of Brandyn taken last year.)

Tomorrow, May 28, is the birthday of Rex Russell (son of Bill and Pauline (Shepard) Russell), as well as his daughter-in-law Ruth (Styer) Russell. Rex and Ruth (and their son and husband Eric) live in Red Rock, Nevada.

Rex in the first of the Grandchildren of Will and Bura. He, his aunt Thelma (2 weeks older than him!), and his sister Beverly were born in Two Buttes, Colorado, but as young children moved to San Diego in 1940 when the family first migrated to Southern California. (See picture of Thelma (Shepard) Boyd and her nephew Rex Russell in a picture taken in 1958.)

Early last week my mother Maida, my sister Barbara, and I, with flowers in hand, made our annual trek to Greenwood Cemetery here in San Diego. It was an early Memorial Day visit to the final resting place of over a dozen of our family members, including William and Bura (Davis) Shepard, Bill and Pauline Russell, Leroy and Nola Gower, and Eugene Shepard. It was a humbling experience, as it always is, and was a reminder of what a what a great family legacy we have.

In a special way, this weekend of Memorial Day is a time to remember those who have died in service to their country. One such person in our family was William Shepard (1835-1862), who I have referred to before as "Wabash William", since there are several William Shepards in our family, and this one's home was in Wabash, Indiana. He is the oldest Shepard ancestor of which we have any knowledge (although I hope our knowledge will grow as research continues).  

He died in July of 1862 during the Civil War as a result of injuries suffered in the service of the 2nd Indiana Calvary of the Union Army. When he went to War in 1861 he left a pregnant wife, whose child would be named William Elmer Shepard (my Ggrandfather). Even though we have no photos of "Wabash William" (see a picture of his grave in Evansville, Indiana), we are humbly grateful this Memorial Day weekend for his sacrifice, as well as that of countless others like him.

- - -

Steve

Shepard Family Update, May 22, 2009

The dispossessed were drawn west

from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico
...families, tribes, dusted out, tractored out.
Car-loads, caravans, homeless and hungry
...two hundred thousand.
They streamed over the mountains,
hungry and restless - restless as ants,
scurrying to find work to do
- to lift, to push, to pull, to pick, to cut
- anything, any burden to bear, for food."
John Steinbeck
(Grapes of Wrath, 1939)

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from beautiful Southern California where it feels like summertime and the living is easy. Our son Nathan has just returned -- yet again! -- safe and sound from Cambodia where he was with his fiance Chenda, continuing their (seemingly) never ending adventure to get her a Visa to come to the U.S.

This coming Tuesday is the birthday of Brandyn Boyd, teenage son of Darren and Vicki Boyd of Lakeside, California. Brandyn is the 17th Ggrandchild of Will and Bura Shepard. Pictured at left is Brandyn with his two sisters, Kori and Courtney. Dad Darren tells me that "Brandyn is doing good. He is about finished with his freshman year of high school. Baseball is about over and spring football starts next week." Happy Birthday, Brandyn!

This coming Thursday is the birthday of Rex Russell of Red Rock, Nevada, who is the first born grandchild of Will and Bura Shepard, and the son of Pauline and Bill Russell. Thursday is also the birthday of Rex's daughter-in-law Ruth Styer Russell. She has been a member of our family since she and Eric married in 1993. They live next to Rex in Red Rock. Happy Birthday to both Rex and Ruth!

Rex was born in Two Buttes, Colorado. He, his aunt Thelma, and his infant sister Beverly were young children who made the move to California from Southeast Colorado in 1940 with the others of the Shepard clan. The second picture I am including is a delightful picture of 7 year old Rex and his 4 year old sister Beverly, taken just 3 years after the family had moved to San Diego. Neither these two, nor the three above, look "dispossessed" by any stretch of the imagination! (see quote above.)

When Rex was born, one of our nation's worst natural disasters was taking place in and around Oklahoma and Southeast Colorado -- the severe drought of the 1930s. During a time when 1 in 3 Americans lived on farms -- including most of our ancestors -- the drought was one of the worst in history, and it had a significant impact on our people.

Becky Davis, youngest daughter of my great aunt Milded Davis, shared with me some memories her mother recounted recently regarding a catastrophic dust storm resulting from the drought. The events of this story -- as told by Becky but originating with Mildred -- were experienced by Mildred herself when she was in her early 20s.

In 1934 the "Dust Bowl", as it was called, was underway. My aunt Myra (Davis) and her husband William Kilpatrick and their 3 children decided to leave Two Buttes, Colorado, where the family lived, and go to Chowchilla (in the Central Valley of California), because William had relatives there. My dad Jesse Davis had asthma, and since the blowing dust made his condition worse, he and my mom Mildred went from Oklahoma to Colorado to go with the Kilpatricks to California.

They built a 'house' on the back of a truck. In that 'house', William, Myra, their 3 children, Mom, Dad and their daughter Jessie, plus Grandmother Callie Davis, and an 18 year old neighbor of William's, ate and slept and rode to California. When they arrived, they set the house in the yard of their relatives in Chowchilla, while Dad and William used the truck to do hauling to make some money.
The following May, mom was heavy with their second child. So Dad bought a car and they returned to Oklahoma. One week later Oklahoma was hit with the worst of the dust storms, on what came to be known as 'Black Sunday'. Mom and Dad (Mildred and Jesse) had gone home with aunt Esther and her husband Perry after church that day at the South Flat Church of Christ. When the storm hit, they all took shelter in the basement. Esther thought the world was coming to an end and started crying, which made all the children cry. The world did not end, of course. Instead, just a few weeks later, my sister Charlotte was born.

This next image is from an old family photo. On the back is written: "April, 1935, Two Buttes, Colorado." It shows the ominous look of an approaching dust storm.

The Dust Bowl prompted the largest migration in the history of the United States. Several hundred thousand people fled the economic disaster it created and moved to California, the (supposed) land of opportunity at the time. It prompted the writing of John Steinbeck's classic novel The Grapes of Wrath. The migration was such that for several months in the mid 1930s, the Los Angeles police department sent officers to the state border to turn away Oklahoma migrants. For a period of time the situation was not unlike the Mexico-U.S. border problem today!

Will and Bura Shepard were among the many Oklahoma families ("Okies") who became Californians. But as Mildred's story reminds us, they were not the first to move to the west coast, even among our own relatives. Were it not for the economic conditions created by the Dust Bowl, the Shepards' might never have moved to San Diego in 1940. And many of us who are now native Californians, might be living in Oklahoma or Colorado or Texas. Interestingly, a number of our family, after 50+ years, have migrated BACK to Oklahoma and Texas, in some instances for the very same reasons that some of our people left there in the first place: in search of a better life.

Speaking of going back to Oklahoma... are you making your plans for our family reunion July 18 in Newcastle, Oklahoma? We hope many of you will be able to join us!
--
Steve