Christmas Joy! December 12, 2014

Before you speak to me about your religion,

first show it to me in how you treat other people.

~Cory Booker

Christmas Joy! Congratulations to Patrick and Nicole Haw Shepard of Bothell, Washington on the birth of their second child earlier today. At about 10 a.m. this morning Mason Michael Shepard was born in Kirkland Washington at 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 20 inches long. The birth went just fine with no complications and everyone in the family is relieved and in a celebrative mood.

Mason is the third grandchild born to my brother Darrell and his wife Mary Shepard in the last 17 months. I thought our 3 grandchildren, who arrived over a period of just 28 months, were born in rapid succession. But 17 months is breakneck speed in grandchildren years! Best wishes to Mason's whole family, including his Great Grandmother Maida Gower Shepard, who was there to welcome Mason as her 10th Great Grandchild.

This first picture shows Mason and was taken just a few hours ago, shortly after his birth.

More "Christmas Joy!" Stanley Guy of Dallas, Texas is a second cousin of mine, a few branches over on the family tree. We are both descended from Charles Davis (1848-1926) and Malinda Wright Davis (1847-1820). I have never met Stan in person, nor his husband David, but we have corresponded many times by email and on Facebook. Stan is an accomplished musician and, with four fellow harpists, has recently released a Christmas CD.

Being an afficianado of Christmas music, as well as interested in noteworthy accomplishments of family members, I obtained a copy of the CD. Titled "Christmas Joy" it says it is "beautiful Christmas classics performed by the Harp Essence quintet," of which Stan is a member.

This second picture is from the cover of the CD, and shows Stan on the far left with the other 4 members of the group.

Although I find myself interested in a wide variety of holiday tunes, my favorite Christmas music is contemporary, rousing, and religiously oriented. So I must admit that I was not expecting too much from a Christmas harp collection. But in truth, I found it to be a fine collection of 12 pieces of holiday music that range from "Angels We Have Heard on High" to "Greensleeves" to "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

My favorite piece on the CD is the traditional English folk tune "Greensleeves." That particular melody seems to work very well when interpreted by the strings of the harp. In this collection it is beautifully done, carrying with it all the peace and beauty of Jesus' birth story. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed their interpretation of the french Christmas carol "O Holy Night." That is such a big song I could not imagine harps giving it nearly enough power and dynamic contrast to do it justice. Yet Harp Essence accomplished something special, and with a unique flair was able to make this piece about the night of Jesus' arrival an emotional and satisfying experience.

I found "Christmas Joy" to be just that, a joyful holiday celebration worth listening to, and have gladly added it to my Christmas collection. Kudos to cousin Stan and the Harp Essence Quintet for a job well done.

Stan says, "I'm just proud to be sharing the Davis musical heritage. Music has given me a great deal of joy all my life and I think music lessons were the greatest material gift my parents gave me... People can get information on ordering "Christmas Joy!" from the CD page at our website harpessence.net."
- - -
Steve Shepard

Each Family's Story, October 10, 2014

In each family a story is playing itself out,

and each family's story

embodies its hope and despair.

~Auguste Napier

Greetings to all of you once again from the beautiful South American country of Peru! Today we are in the ancient Inca town of Ollantaytambo in southern Peru, as we draw ever nearer to Machu Picchu, one of the great wonders of the world.

The first picture shows Cindy and me a few days ago when we visited the sacred Saqsaywaman ("sexy woman" is a close pronunciation) Incan Ruins and "The Temple of the Sun", above the city of Cusco, Peru.

Our Hoosier Roots. 145 years ago two of the most important people in our Davis heritage were married. On October 10, 1869 Charles Edward Davis and Malinda Wright tied the knot in Owen County, Indiana. Charles and Malinda were the grandparents of my paternal grandmother Bura Davis Shepard. 

Charles was one of the last of our Davis ancestors to be born in Ohio. Born in 1849, his parents Alexander and Jane Buskirk Davis, when they were about 30 years old, moved their small family from Adams in Monroe County, Ohio to Spencer, Indiana in the early 1850s. Before the Davises got there, the family of Malinda Wright had already settled in Indiana, which is where Malinda was born. Charles and Malinda met in the 1860s and were married in the fall of 1869.

Much of what we know about Charles and Malinda Davis in the 19th Century is because of the records of their church, the New Union Church of Christ near Spencer, Indiana. They and many of their relatives were active participants and founders of that congregation out on Rattlesnake Creek. Among the most important records is the baptism record of their granddaughter (my grandmother) Bura Emerald Davis in 1906.

Unfortunately I do not have a picture of Great Great Grandmother Malinda Wright Davis. The only picture I have of Charles Edward Davis is this second picture. It was probably taken sometime in the 1920s, after Malinda had died. It shows the widower Charles Edward Davis late in his life with a cane and a white beard. On the left is Charles and Malinda's firstborn James Brooks Davis, and on the right is another one of their 7 children, John Emery Davis.

Charles and his family were trailblazers in many ways. Simply getting from Eastern Ohio to Southern Indiana in the 1850s (with a couple of children!) took great stamina and fortitude. Indiana was still frontier to a great extent in these pre-Civil War years, and establishing a place to live took hard work. By the end of the 19th Century many of our Davis ancestors began to move westward to Oklahoma. The 1910 US Census shows Charles and Malinda living in Logan, in Beaver County, Oklahoma. They are both laid to rest in Beaver County.

Because of Charles and Malinda, we have deep roots in Ohio, Indiana and Okla- homa that will always be reminders of the kind of people we have come from. 21st Century America is, of course, far removed from life in the 19th Century mid-west, but we will always be connected to these pioneers and have a strong bond with them.

Scary Days Ahead. Halloween is just a few weeks away, and again this year I plan to put together a slide show of family halloween pictures. If you have a recent or old halloween picture, of a youngster or an oldster, that you would like for me to include, please send it my way.
- - -
Steve Shepard

James Brooks Davis and Descendants, June 1, 2014

I note the obvious differences

between each sort and type,

but we are more alike, my friends,

than we are unalike.

~Maya Angelou

The Birthday of James Brooks Davis. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the birth of my Great Grandfather James Brooks Davis, who was born outside Spencer, Indiana on June 2, 1870 -- 144 years ago.

James' grandparents, Alex and Jane Davis, had migrated from Ohio to Owen County, Indiana about 1850 and were the first of our Davis ancestors to settle there. James' father Charles, a young child when his family left Ohio, met a young Indiana native as a teenager by the name of Malinda Wright, and eventually married her in Owen County in 1869. The following spring, baby James Brooks arrived and became the first Davis child to be born a Hoosier.

James was raised near Spencer, Indiana and at 25 years old married another native Indianan, Callie Spear, on New Year's Day 1896. In the first 12 years of their life together they had 7 children, their oldest being my grandmother Bura Davis. Their other children were Lawrence, Myra, Winona, Jesse, Esther and Marjorie. The first picture from 1908 shows James surrounded by 4 of their daughters, including their youngest, Marjorie, in his lap.

In March, 1913, James and Callie uprooted their family of 9 -- all of whom had lived their entire lives in Owen County, Indiana -- and moved them all to "the land of opportunity", the panhandle of Oklahoma. At the time their children ranged in age from 4 to 16 years old. They settled in Beaver County and joined the ranks of hard working farming families on the Oklahoma frontier.

A few of the descendants of James and Callie still live in Beaver County today. Over the last century since the family settled in Oklahoma, however, most of them have moved away and today live elsewhere in Oklahoma or in places like Washington, California, Missouri and Texas. In Sophia Cemetery in Beaver County James Brooks Davis is laid to rest alongside his wife Callie. Select this link to visit their grave online.

The Anniversary of William and Bura Davis Shepard. 100 years ago this year -- shortly after moving from Indiana -- James and Callie's oldest daughter Bura got to know another recent immigrant to Oklahoma by the name of William Shepard. The following spring Will and Bura decided to marry. Because of the high regard in which she held her father, James' 45th birthday, June 2, 1915, seemed the best day to tie the knot. So on Wednesday, June 2, after a very rainy spring in the panhandle, 18 year old Bura and 26 year old William got into his new Model T Ford, braved the mud mired roads and ventured out to the country home of their Church of Christ preacher and the deed was done. 

It's been 99 years since Will and Bura were married, but their love and devotion remains a great influence on those of us who knew them. The top couple in the tryptich on the right is William and Bura in San Diego in 1975, the year they celebrated 60 years of marriage. William died the following year, and Bura 10 years after that.

The Anniversary of Gary and Cindy Shepard. One of the Great Grandchildren of James Brooks Davis, my brother Gary Shepard, also chose June 2 as the wedding day for him and his bride Cindy. On Saturday, June 2, 1979 -- 35 year ago tomorrow -- Gary married Cindy Ann Dillon at the home of me and my wife Cindy in Los Alamitos, California, in a small beautiful ceremony attended by a few friends. Happy Anniversary and best wishes to Gary and Cindy! The middle couple on the right is Gary and Cindy on their wedding day in 1979.

The Anniversary of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz. Today, June 1, is the anniversary of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz of Blue Springs, Missouri. Jeremy is one of the Great Great Grandchildren of James and Callie Davis and the oldest grandchild of Thelma Shepard Boyd. He is the first born of Kim Boyd Clark. Jeremy and Desiree were married when they were living here in San Diego 12 years and 5 children ago. The bottom couple on the right is Desiree and Jeremy. Best wishes and happy anniversary to them!

Father's Day is in two weeks. If you have a picture of your father or grandfather that you would like me to include in my upcoming Father's Day photo presentation, please send it my way.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Many Leaves, One Tree, May 14, 2014

Ronin: "Many leaves, one tree."

M.K.: "What does that mean?"
Ronin: "We are all individuals

but we're all connected.

It's what we live by."

~from the film "Epic"

This week is a time to celebrate the truth that we are many leaves but one tree. In the next few days the San Diego contingency of our family celebrates several birthdays, yet those are not all the celebrations for family members around the country this week.

Today is the rare occasion when three birthdays in our family appear on the calendar: Thelma Boyd, her granddaughter Courtney Boyd, and Christopher Shepard.

My aunt Thelma lives in Blue Springs, Missouri and is the youngest (and last remaining) child of my late grandparents Will and Bura Davis Shepard. The first picture shows Thelma with her daughter Kim Boyd Clark.

Thelma's granddaughter, 24 year old Courtney Boyd was also born on May 14, but she was raised here in Southern California. Courtney tells me that she and her daughter Carsyn and boyfriend Cody still live in the east county of San Diego. "I just finished school this past February to be a medical assistant, so I'm just busy job hunting and being a mommy. [Our daughter] Carsyn is doing well, walking and talking more everyday. She is 16 months now... so big." Courtney is the daughter of Darren Boyd of Coronado, California whose birthday will be on Friday of this week. Happy Birthday to Thelma, Courtney and Darren!

Today is also the birthday of my nephew Christopher Shepard of Seattle, Washington. Chris -- 30 years old today! -- is the older son of my brother Darrell and his wife Mary Shepard. Chris and his girlfriend Jessica Bell just competed a trip to Hawaii. This second picture shows the two of them on a beach in Kauai.

Happy Birthday, Logan! Tomorrow is the birthday of our older grandson Logan Alexander Shepard of San Diego. At just 3 years old he is the older of the two Logan Shepards in our family, the other one being his second cousin Logan Joseph Shepard, the son of Patrick and Nicole Shepard of Bothell, Washington.

Logan Alexander Shepard is the middle child of the three children of Nathan and Chenda Shepard, who moved to San Diego just a few months ago. Logan's namesake in our family tree is Alexander Davis, his 5X Great Grandfather via my grandmother Bura Davis Shepard. Here is a lineage from Logan Alexander Shepard to Alexander Davis.

• Logan Alexander Shepard (b. 2011)
• Nathan Shepard (b. 1977) - wife Chenda Sou
• Steve Shepard (b. 1948) - wife Cindy Harris
• Eugene Shepard (1921-2003) - wife Maida Gower
• Bura Davis Shepard (1896-1986) - husband William Shepard
• James Brooks Davis (1870-1928) - wife Carolyn Spear
• Charles Edward Davis (1849-1926) - wife Malinda Wright
• Alexander Davis (1819-1866) - wife Jane Buskirk

 The following photo presentation celebrates Logan's 3rd birthday tomorrow.

  

- - -
Steve Shepard

The Echo of Wedding Bells, April 21, 2014

If we have no peace

it is because we have forgotten

that we belong to each other.

~Mother Theresa

Happy Easter Monday on this day after all the many celebrations around our larger family yesterday. The first picture is one I could not resist. It shows a slightly uneasy Kambree Bowman, daughter of Mandi Aquiningoc and granddaughter of my niece Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc, sitting on the lap of a rather unsettling Easter Bunny.

Happy Birthday Dominic and Isaac. This Wednesday, April 23 is the 2nd birthday of twins Dominic and Isaac Ortiz of Blue Springs, Missouri. They are the two youngest children of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz, the grandchildren of Kim Boyd Clark, and the great grandchildren of Thelma Shepard Boyd. Thanks to mom Desiree for this second picture of Dominic and Isaac.

Desiree: Yes the boys are going to be 2 on the 23rd. I just can't believe it. Time goes by so fast when you have little ones. The last two years have been so much fun watching the two grow :) They are such sweet little guys and so smart.

They are finally starting to look like toddlers. They have looked like babies for so long that it's sad to see them grow out of that stage! We will celebrate their special day with the family at our home with a "Monster University" theme and a BBQ. It should make for a fun day!

Happy Birthday Susan and Amanda. This Friday, April 25 is the 34th birthday of another set of twins: Susan Clark Cox (of Lubbock, Texas) and Amanda Clark Farrell (of Bedford, Texas), the twin daughters of Jerry Clark and Jane Clark Brock of Lubbock, Texas. Best wishes to Susan and Amanda for a wonderful birthday.

The Echo of Wedding Bells. 250 years ago this month, in April, 1764, my 6X Great grandparents Mary Blackmore and John Van Buskirk were married in Washington County, Maryland. John's family had migrated to America from Holland in the mid 1600s (15 generations ago!), settling first in the New Jersey area, then Eastern Pennsylvania where John was born. Mary was originally from Maryland, near Hagerstown, which is where they married in 1764. 

They had only been married a few years, and were living north of Washington, DC, when the Revolutionary War began in 1776. Do the math: they were young marrieds, had children when the war heated up, and John was at an age to be a prime candidate for service in the Revolution. In addition they lived near the heart of the conflict. It was not the most opportune time to raise a family, but that is what came their way. 

One can only wonder what sacrifices this couple had to make. What courage did they have to muster to contribute to the cause of freedom from British oppression? How was their family life and their personal lives disrupted? What we do know for sure is that it was ancestors like Mary and John that made American history and contributed to the formation of our nation.

Jane Buskirk, a great granddaughter of John and Mary, married into the line of our Davis ancestors when she and Alexander Davis were married in Ohio about 1840. Around 1800 Jane's family had dropped the "Van" from their last name. In 1849 Jane and Alexander migrated with their kids to Spencer, Indiana where our ancestors settled for several generations before moving to Oklahoma in 1913 and then on to San Diego in 1940.

I mention the young Revolutionary era couple John and Mary Van Buskirk not only because this month marks their 250th wedding anniversary, but also because they illustrate how deeply rooted our ancestors are in American history. We carry within us the genes of folks who sacrificed tremendously in the birth of our nations, folks who experienced first hand what it was like to struggle for the right to be free. Within us are the secret memories of what it was like to be a family in critical historical times. It is that sense of history that enables us today to give our best to living as responsible citizens, honoring our past while embracing our future.

Here is a lineage that shows our family line to John and Mary Blackmore Van Buskirk, then on to the original Van Buskirks who immigrated from Holland:

• Logan Shepard (b. 2011)
• Nathan Shepard (b. 1977) - wife Chenda Sou (b. 1980)
• Steve Shepard (b. 1948) - wife Cindy Harris (b. 1948)
• Eugene Shepard (1921-2003) - wife Maida Gower (b. 1924)
• Bura Davis (1896-1986) - husband William Shepard (1888-1876)
• James Brooks Davis (1870-1928) - wife Carolyn Spear (1865-1951)
• Charles Edward Davis (1849-1926) - wife Malinda Wright (1846-1920)
• Jane Buskirk (1823-1895) - husband Alexander Davis (1819-1866)
• William S. Buskirk (1804-1873) - wife Mary (Buskirk) (1809-1886)
• George Van Buskirk (1767-1825) - wife Mary Rulon (1767-1828)
• John Van Burkirk (1743-1829) - wife Mary Blackmore (1742-1823)
• George Van Buskirk (1721-1800) - wife Sarah Ashton (1720-1779)
• Johannes Van Buskirk (1694-1747) - wife Marytie Hooglandt (1696-1738)
• Thomas Van Buskirk (1668-1748) - wife Margrete Brickers (1668-1719)
• Laurens Van Buskirk (1630-1694) - wife Jannetje Jans (1629-1694): immigrants from Holland

- - -
Steve Shepard

The Strength of the Ties That Bind, January 29, 2014

My grandmother started walking

five miles a day when she was sixty.

She's ninety-seven now,

and we don't know

where the heck she is.

~Ellen DeGeneres

Family and Media. Occasionally I come across a depiction of family in a novel or movie or in some other media that I feel compelled to mention in The Shepard's Crook. Such was the case when Cindy and I recently viewed the movie "12 Years a Slave". 

It is a hard hitting story of a free man taken into slavery in pre-Civil War America. It is based on actual events documented in the 1853 book of the same name, by Solomon Northup. This award winning film includes one of the most powerful and emotional scenes of a family reunion I have ever witnessed on the big screen. It is the tale of a family torn apart by deceitful men, the resulting injustice and violence, and then the eventual return of family members to relationship with one another.

The acting is outstanding, the story is believable and well told, the message is strong and unequivocal, and the overall movie experience is excellent. For those willing to view horrific yet true to life scenes of early 19th century slavery, it is a remarkable movie that lifts up the power of familial love. In view of the harsh challenges that families encounter, it is a clear testimony to the enduring strength of the ties that bind us.

Charles Edward Davis. Today is the anniversary of the birth of my Great Great Grandfather Charles Edward Davis (1849-1926), who was born in Ohio during the era of the above mentioned film. 

Many of the folks in our family tree were part of a major move that their family made from one state to another, e. g. from Oklahoma to California, or from Indiana to Oklahoma. But C.E. Davis was one of the few people who made a major move early in his life, as a child, from Ohio to Indiana; and then later in life when, about 60, he made another major move from Indiana to Oklahoma where he lived the last 16 years of his life.

The first picture I am including (above) is one you have seen before in this blog. Taken in the early 1920s, in Beaver County, Oklahoma, it shows Charles Edward Davis (second from right, with a cane) as he was nearing the end of his life. Standing with him are 5 of the 6 sons born to him and his wife Malinda Wright Davis: Zaley, Benjamin, Morton, James Brooks and, on the far right, John.


The only son of Charles and Malinda Davis not included in the family picture above, is Thomas Davis, who lived his whole life in Spencer, Indiana, and did not migrate with his family to Oklahoma in the early 20th century.

The second picture, also taken in the early 1920s, shows Thomas Davis (second from right), and the Hinton family into which he married. (Compare Tom Davis in this second picture, with his brother Zaley Davis, on the far left in the first picture, and you can see a remarkable resemblance.) 

In this second picture with Thomas Davis is his wife Alice Hinton Davis on the far right. Also in this picture, taken in Spencer, Indiana, from left to right, is Loomis Hinton, Lucy Davis, bearded grandpa William Hinton, Stella Davis, Delia Hinton and Mamie Hinton.
- - -
Steve Shepard

More About Our Owens Kin, July 13, 2012

When I was a kid

my parents moved a lot,

but I always found them.

~Rodney Dangerfield

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you on Friday the 13th from Alameda, California where Cindy and I are lucky enough to be visiting our kids and grandkids. Chenda's next baby is not due for another two weeks, but you know how kids are these days. They seem to have minds of their own. "Due dates" seem to mean nothing to them. Baby #3 has his own agenda and may arrive sooner. Or later. But whenever he makes his appearance, you will be among the first to know!

In a post earlier this month, I referred to my Ggrandmother Elvira Owens Shepard, who was the mother of my grandad William Shepard. Elvira met and married William Elmer Shepard, and then bore their two children in Madison County, Illinois. In the early years of the 20th century William, Elvira and their kids moved to Beaver County, Oklahoma, where their son Will met and married Bura Davis. In 1928 Will and Bura then moved to Southeast Colorado and in 1940 they moved to California, settling in San Diego.

Other Owens Kin In California. That much of our family story I have told many times in this blog. What I did not know until just last week is that grandad Will Shepard was not the only Owens descendant to move to California in the early 20th century. Will had a number of first cousins on the Owens side of his family who also moved to California in search of a better life.

Two of Will's aunts and uncles were Mary Elizabeth and Elias Veach Owens (see first picture). Like William Elmer and Elvira, they migrated to Oklahoma around the turn of the century, and spent their last days there. They had a family of 11 children. Of these 11 first cousins of Will, 5 of them migrated to California as Will and Bura did. As far as I can tell, none of them settled in San Diego like Will and Bura. Instead many of them made their homes in the San Joaquin Valley, which in the early 20th century was a favorite settling location for countless families from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Colorado.

Elias was just one of Elvira's 8 siblings. Between them all, Will had 34 Owens first cousins. In the records I have found, at least 9 of them migrated to California. (By the way, can you guess how many Shepard first cousins Will had? If you guessed "0" you would be correct. His father was an only child.)

Two California Cousins. Two of the Owens cousins of Will who migrated to California were a set of twins with the clever names of Ivy Pearl and Irvin Earl Owens. (See second picture of these twins, which looks to be from around 1915.)

Irvin Earl came to California first and married a California girl in 1917 and settled in Tipton in Tulare County. (The 1940 Census shows that Irvin owned and ran a garage in Tipton.) His twin Ivy Pearl came to California after 1930 with her husband and family and also settled in Tulare County where she spent the rest of her life.

Cousin Ivy Pearl died in 1971 and is buried in Tulare County's Tipton-Pixley Cemetery. Interestingly enough, her grave is just a mile or so from the route Cindy and I regularly take between Northern and Southern California. I look forward to stopping the next time we pass that way, and visit the final resting place of this first cousin twice removed that I never knew I had until last week.

I wonder if grandad William even knew these first cousins of his who came to California like him? I never heard him talk about any of his Owens kinfolk except his mother, either those who remained in Oklahoma or Illinois, or those who came to California.

- - -

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

Thanks To A Fantastic Family, November 6, 2011

We are linked by blood;
and blood is simply
memory without language.
~Joyce Carol Oates

Hello Family and Friends,

Greeting to all of you from San Diego, California where Cindy and I have returned after a trip to Anacortes, Washington to be with family to celebrate my mom's birthday.

Happy Birthday tomorrow to Havilah Colgain Wardle of West Valley, Utah. She is a Ggrandchild of Will and Bura Davis Shepard and the granddaughter of Elmer Shepard, the senior member of our Shepard clan. The first picture shows Havilah with her husband Kevin.

Havilah: "I've had an incredible year since my last birthday! Every year gets better and better, which makes me especially excited on my birthday to celebrate and be thankful for my life! Kevin and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary in January, and have been working together all year on our house and property. We doubled the size of our garden, upped the number of fruit trees in our yard to 19, added a crested duck to our family, and remodeled our kitchen. (I celebrated the removal of my tonsils in June by lying on the couch, drugged, watching Kevin knock out the wall between our kitchen and living room.) 

My mom Joan and I took a trip to Oklahoma to visit Granddad, and Dane, Cindy and family earlier in the year. [See picture of Havilah with grandfather Elmer and mother Joan.] In August, I attended a fantastic wedding celebration for Art (my dad) and Valery Colgain. My dad is extremely happy and loving life with his lovely wife! This year was my 10 year high school reunion. My best friends from high school and I created a fabulous impromptu reunion in Chico, CA, and I got to visit Mom on the same trip. =) I just received my business license for Tiki Dogs Grooming Salon, which I run out of our house. I'm proud to say I have some very loyal customers! I continue to paint, write, and cook for fun. 

As for my birthday celebration this year, Kevin took me to Topaz Mountain a few days ago to find my birthstone. Dad and Val are cooking dinner for us Saturday, and I've been told there may be a deep fried turkey. Can't wait! I've gotta say, these past 29 years have been fantastic, thanks to a fantastic family, and I look forward to the bright future I've been blessed with." 

The following is a lineage for Havilah that includes her Davis ancestors.

• George Davis (1799-1843), who married Rozilla Davis (1796-1880), the parents of...
• Alexander Davis (1819-66), who married Jane Buskirk (1823-95), the parents of...
• Charles Edward Davis (1849-1926), who married Malinda Elizabeth Wright (1846-1920), the parents of...
• James Brooks Davis (1870-1928), who married Caroline Matilda Spear (1865-1951), the parents of...
• Bura Emerald Davis (1896-1986), who married William Shepard (1888-1976), the parents of...
• Elmer James Shepard (1918), who married Beryl Swinney (1923-94), the parents of...
• Joan Elaine Shepard (1954), who married Art Colgain (1954), the parents of...
• Havilah Treaest Colgain, who married Kevin Wardle.

Also in the above lineage is Alexander Davis, the one for whom we are seeking to get a replacement headstone in Spencer, Indiana. Jerry Davis reports that we have received over $1000 in donations, enough to obtain the new headstone for Alexander and his daughter Elizabeth Davis. Thanks to all of you who have made a contribution to this effort! More details about this project will be forthcoming.
- - -
Steve

Davis Descendants Now and Then, October 25, 2011

It is a desirable thing

to be well-descended,

but the glory belongs

to our ancestors.
-Plutarch

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from San Diego where fall has finally decided to arrive with cool nights and overcast skies.

Update on New Headstone Project. Second cousin Jerry Davis contacted me this past week and was excited to tell me that we are getting close to the total we need to purchase a new headstone for our ancestors Alexander and Elizabeth Davis. 12 different descendants of theirs have so far contributed toward the effort, leaving us only $164 short. Please let Jerry (jerthebear@sbcglobal.net) or me know if you can help us complete this project. We are hoping to raise the necessary amount soon.

As I have mentioned before, the new headstone is to replace the broken and unreadable stones that now exist for Alexander Davis (1819-1866) and his daughter Elizabeth Davis Carter (1844-1867) in Spencer, Indiana. Elizabeth died the year after her father, at just 24 years old, and is buried next to him.

Alexander and his wife Jane Buskirk Davis (who is buried in Helena, Oklahoma) were important pioneer ancestors of ours who migrated westward from Ohio to Indiana in the early 19th century and began a period of several generations when our family lived in the area around Spencer, Indiana. They are also the very first ones among our ancestors to belong to the Campbell/Stone religious movement (The Church of Christ, Christian Church, Disciples of Christ).

Very few of our relatives still live in Spencer today, but it remains a special place in the history of our family. Especially important is the New Union Cemetery northwest of town, where Alexander and Elizabeth, and a number of other ancestors, are buried. Next to the cemetery is a grassy area where the old New Union Church of Christ stood for nearly 100 years until 1957. We are indebted to these folks for their pioneering spirit, their enduring faith and their love of family. Their legacy continues through us and is present in many ways in their descendants who remember them even today.

Happy Birthday Mandi! One of their many descendants is Mandi Aquiningoc of Granbury, Texas. Tomorrow is Mandi's 19th birthday. She is also a descendant of Leroy and Nola (Shannon) Gower. For the first half of Mandi's life she lived in San Diego, where she was born in 1992. The last 10 years or so she has lived in Texas. The first picture shows Mandi (on the right) with her older sister Lyndsey and her cousin Kyle Sauvage. The picture below shows Mandy with her dog Bubbers.

Mandi: "Hi uncle Steve, it's so good to hear from you:) I'm doing great! I finally got a job at panda express here in Granbury and its amazing. I love the job I love the people and I think I'm gonna fit right in:) My sister and I moved in with our grandparents in Granbury which was the best thing for us to do. Life's great uncle Steve, and I'm proud to say that! Hopefully me and my sister can make it out there sometime and visit with the rest of our family."

Here is Mandi's lineage from Alexander and Jane Davis:

• Alexander Davis (1819-66) who married Jane Buskirk (1823-95), the parents of...
• Charles Davis (1849-1926) who married Melinda Wright (1846-1920), the parents of...
• James Brooks Davis (1870-1928) who married Caroline Spear (1865-1951), the parents of...
• Bura Davis (1896-1986) who married William Shepard (1888-1976), the parents of...
• Eugene Shepard (1921-2003) who married Maida Gower (1924), the parents of...
• Gary Shepard (1946) who married Jackie Enderle (1947), the parents of...
• Kerri Shepard (1968) who married Manuel Aquiningoc (1961-1992), the parents of...
• Mandi Aquiningoc (1992)

- - -

Steve

What's In A Name? May 7, 2011

I remember my mother's prayers
and they have always followed me.
They have clung to me all my life.
~Abraham Lincoln

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you on this day before Mother's Day. Happy Birthday this coming Wednesday to Jacinta Saunders Shepard of Newcastle, Oklahoma. This "Cindy Shepard" is the mother of Nathan and Kaylan Shepard and the wife of Dane Shepard. A special Mother's Day wish to Cindy and all mothers in our families! Below is an updated Mother's Day photoshow celebrating our moms.

What's In A Name? With our daughter-in-law Chenda soon to become a mother once again, we have been thinking a lot about names. As a result I have been pondering outstanding names in our family tree.

What makes an outstanding name, you ask? Admittedly it is a very subjective matter. For me an outstanding name is one that rolls off the tongue easily (is phonetically pleasing), or one that has some depth of meaning to it (is rich with history), or one that strikes me as strong, intelligent, handsomely masculine or beautifully feminine. (See what I mean about subjective?) Of the 1,393 people presently in our family tree, the following are my choices for the Top 10 outstanding names.

10 - Mary Questionable Gillespie (1756-1789) - her grandmother was from Questionable, Ireland. Both "Q" names may be questionable, however.

9 - James Brooks Davis (1870-1928) - my grandmother Davis always spoke her father's name with great respect.

8 - Rebecca Floride Calhoun (1745-1814) - among our Gower/Shannon/Pickens ancestors; hopefully her middle name is pronounced "floor-a-day" or "floor-a-dee," not "floor-ride".

7 - Nathan William Shepard (b. 1977) - I confess: I am prejudiced here. What can I say? It's Biblical and it includes William Shepard.

6 - Thomas Laurens Van Buskirk (1668-1748) - my 9G Grandpa; son of a Danish immigrant; The Donald can only WISH he had such a rich, distinguished name. 

5 - Julius Theophilus Vessels (1871-1942) - See Acts 1:1; his mother was Narcissus; father was Julius Ceasar. He was from Limestone, Alabama.

4 - Preslea Maida Shepard (b. 2010) - I admit it: I am shamelessly prejudiced with this choice. But every part has real meaning.

3 - Robert Columbus Shannon (1893-1923) - Grandma Gower's brother. With a name like this, it would be criminal to call him "Bob."

2 - Benjamin Harrison Davis (1888-1963) - his namesake, a popular hoosier politician, was elected our 23rd President just 3 months after BHD's birth. Great choice by his parents Charles and Melinda! I never knew our Davis people were so political. (See picture of our Benjamin Harrison, alongside President Harrison.)

1 - Kyle Christian Sauvage (b. 2004) - a superb combination of sounds and strength; handsomely masculine; even a wonderfully bit oxymoronic.

What do you think? I am sure each of you has your own favorite outstanding family name. Who would you include? I'd like to hear from you and share your choices in a future post. 

Kids Say the Darn- dest Things. My niece Kelly Sauvage of Weather- ford, Texas, (mother of Kyle Sauvage, mentioned above) told the following story on Facebook. I think you will enjoy it as much as I did.

"I was at 'Yogurt Story' with my boys tonight when two girls walked in wearing prom dresses. One of them was showing a whole lot of cleavage. My 8 year old son Nate, who will say anything to anyone, says, "Excuse me, you may want to pull that up!"

The second picture shows Kelly and Nate in the summer of 2008 at our last Shepard Family Reunion in Anacortes, Washington.

Our next family reunion will be in Anacortes once again, on Saturday, August 13. If you plan to attend, please notify me or one of the Shepards in Anacortes. The meal preparers are making plans, and we want to make sure everyone will be well fed! Select this link for all the reunion details.
- - -
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, July 3, 2009

.

In each family a story is playing itself out,
and each family's story embodies its hope and despair.
-- Auguste Napier

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,

Best wishes to all of you for a safe and sane July 4th weekend, on our nation's 233rd birthday! We have had family members in this country for all of those years. One Yankee Doodle Dandy was Vashti Wright (the Ggrandfather of James Brooks Davis) who was born in South Carolina in 1775, the year before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He was part of the westward movement that brought our ancestors in the 19th century to Indiana. Our family's history has been primarily an American story for more than two centuries.

This is not to diminish that part of our story where we have embraced, through marriage, other ethnicities such as Irish, Mexican, Colombian, Native American, and most recently Cambodian. But it is to celebrate the degree to which our roots are deeply ingrained in the American landscape.

More on Our Davis Roots. The first picture I am including today -- like last week's picture -- illustrates our Davis roots, by showing the 7 children of James and Callie Davis. In last week's picture (from 1908) the children were all between 11 years old and just a few months old. They have grown considerably by the time of this week's picture, taken 14 years later, in about 1922.

Bura Davis, the oldest, was the tall girl in last week's picture, but this week (on the far right, at 25 years old) she appears to be the shortest one of the bunch. (Was the camera tilted, giving a false impression? What do you think?) When this picture was taken, she was married to William Shepard and the mother of their first 3 children, Pauline, Elmer and Eugene.

Next to her is Jesse Davis, about 21 years old. (You gotta love the preppy hair styles on the boys!) Moving to the left, the next person is Myra Davis, about 22 years old, married to William Allen Kilpatrick at the time, and the mother of their first two, Geneva and Bernard. Behind her is Marjorie Davis, the youngest at 14 years old.

Next to Marjorie is Esther Davis, in the blouse with the interesting designs. She is about 17 years old here, and married Perry Jenkins the summer of the following year. Next to her is Lawrence, the oldest son at 24. On the far left is Winona, who was about 19 years old at this time.

If any of you have other insights into this picture, regarding date, place, circumstances, etc., I would appreciate you dropping me a line with your thoughts.

It must have been an interesting time for the James and Callie Davis family. These 7 siblings were maturing into adulthood and beginning to leave home, with three of them married, and 5 grandchildren on the scene. It is very interesting to compare this picture with one I shared with you last June. That picture (select this link to view it) appears to have been taken at the same time, and in the same setting, as this picture. It shows James and Callie Davis with their first 5 grandchildren (they would eventually have 31).

Among the people scheduled to attend the reunion in two weeks will be 2 of Bura's children (Elmer and Thelma) plus other descendants of hers (including the two boys pictured below), and at least 2 of Jesse's children (Charlotte and Jessie), perhaps other descendants of his as well. I do not have the entire list of those planning to attend, but other descendants of the 7 Davis kids may also be with us.

Happy Birthday to Kelly and James Savage's older son Nathaniel, of Weatherford, Texas, who turns 7 this coming Tuesday. I mentioned his younger brother Kyle last week, whose 5th birthday was last Friday. The second picture shows these two young San Diego Padre fans at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, just last weekend. Their family moved from San Diego to Texas several years ago, but have kept their love for the San Diego team.

Nathaniel and Kyle are two of Bura Davis and Will Shepard's GGgrandchildren. Gary Shepard is the proud grandfather of these two. Their mother Kelly said in a recent email...

"The whole family, including the four of us, [my] mom, Rick, Kerri, Lyndsey, Mandi and Jason enjoyed it very much when the Padres came to Texas to play the Rangers for the weekend and won two out of three! We braved the over 100 degrees every night. Kyle was so excited because he thought the Padres came all the way to Texas for his birthday. They put his name on the rolling score board and brought him a gift bag. Kyle turned 5 on June 26th. Loves the Padres! His favorite players are Adrian Gonzalez and Tony Gwynn Jr. He finished his first season of soccer this past Spring. He did a great job and loved to play. He can't wait to play T-ball next season!

Nathaniel ('Nate') turns 7 on 7-7. He just finished his second season of T-ball. He was on the Padres!! He has played soccer and is an orange belt in Karate. Nate loves to do anything that gives him a chance to run and get dirty. He never misses an opportunity to tell a stranger he loves them and/or give them a hug."

Best wishes for a very happy birthday this coming week!
--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, May 16, 2008

Dear Family members and friends,

Hello from Anacortes, where Cindy and I are visiting the family and thinking through some of the details of the family reunion coming up July 19. Maida and Barbara have done a lot of work making plans for the special day and deserve a lot of thanks.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? This coming Tuesday is the 90th Birthday of Elmer Shepard, presently the senior member of our Shepard clan. Elmer was born in 1918 in Beaver County, Oklahoma, the second child of William and Bura Shepard. He is one of our only living ties to the life of the Shepard family before they moved from Oklahoma about 80 years ago. His little sister Thelma and his nephew Rex Russell also came west with the family to California, but were born in the tiny Southeast Colorado town of Two Buttes, where the family lived for a few years before coming all the way west. Congratulations to Elmer on this great milestone of turning 90!

Very few of the Shepards we know about lived into their 90s. Grandad, and his only sister Sadie, both died in the very month of their 88th birthday. Gram and Grandad's two children who have died, Pauline and Eugene, each lived to be 82. Gram, a small, tender woman, surprised many of us by living to be 90. So our prayers and birthday greetings are with Elmer at 90, as he continues to set the pace for all of us! Our best wishes are also with Dane and Joan and all those who provide care for our favorite nanogenarian.

These days we are as concerned as ever with living as long as possible with good quality lives. One big factor in how long we each will live is our family history. For this reason I took a look at the folks in our Shepard family and found some interesting facts. Gram and Grandad had 31 ancestors whose ages we know (they are all listed on Ancestry.com). The average life span of all these relatives (Gram, Grandad, Pauline, Eugene and the other 31) is 65 years, which is above average for people of their time.

Only 3 people among them all lived at least 90 years: Gram (1896-1986) plus two of her great grandfathers: John Lynn Wright (1810-1909) who lived to be 99!, and John Pouty Williams (1806-1898), who lived to be 92. This is remarkable since the life expectancy for Americans at the end of the 1800s was about 50 years. The life expectancy for Americans born today is about 77 years.

These facts relate only to the William and Bura Shepard part of our heritage. Each of us has at least one other part of our family tree which has to be taken into consideration. The bottom line though is that generally our Shepard ancestors lived longer than the average person for their time in history, and in some cases lived exceptionally long lives! All this is quite encouraging as we each seek to live as long and full as possible.

Birthday wishes: Besides Elmer, whose birthday will be this coming Tuesday (May 20), we extend a very Happy Birthday to Jason Shepard (30-something) on Sunday (May 18). Happy Birthday also to Ashlyn Ortiz who turns 3 on Tuesday (May 19) and TODAY to (40-something) Darren Boyd!

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first is a picture of Elmer with his oldest granddaughter Havilah Colgain. On the back of the photo it says that it was taken on Elmer's birthday in 1984. (Joan, can you tell us more about the circumstances surrounding this picture?)

The other picture is of birthday girl Ashlyn Ortiz and her family. Ashlyn is the one on the hip of her mother Desiree. Her father Jeremy is holding her little brother Damian. In front is her older sister Ciara, who, like her Great Great Grandfather William Shepard, is not always comfortable in front of a camera. Thanks to Grandmother Kim for this picture, taken just last month in Balboa Park in San Diego.

--

Steve