Shepard Family Update, March 27, 2009

Families are the compass that guide us.
They are the inspiration to reach great heights,
and our comfort when we occasionally falter.
-- Brad Henry

Dear Shepard Family and Friends,

Hello on this last Friday of March! It is a beautiful spring day in San Diego, warm even though it is a little overcast. I hope spring is treating you as well wherever you may be.

Welcome to two new members of our online readership, sisters of Norma Lou Allen: Carolyn Kilpatrick Roberts of Bolivar, Missouri and Shirley Kilpatrick Borgstadt of Springfield, Missouri. They are both nieces of Bura Davis Shepard and are members of the Kilpatrick clan, whose family tree branches intertwine with ours.

This coming Tuesday is a milestone birthday for Joan Shepard who is the 7th grandchild of Will and Bura Shepard and the daughter of Elmer and Beryl Shepard. Joan is originally from the San Diego area, but now lives in Dixon, California. She stays busy as a full time High School teacher, as well as directing an independent studies program in Dixon. In addition she is a teaching assistant at a private school for hypnotherapy in Auburn, California. But most of all she is the proud mother of Havilah Colgain. Happy Birthday, Joan!

She wrote me recently and said, "Life is good. Spring is simply gorgeous now in the Sacramento valley. Soon, I'll plant some vegetables in the front courtyard. I keep waiting for "victory gardens" to replace front lawns in our stretch of suburbia, but so far I see herbs and a zucchini plant here and there. I enjoy our rainbow chard that sprouts up anywhere a seed lands and seems to be perennial. The plants remind me of Gram's garden in Lakeside. She loved green chard and rhubarb (I planted some in her honor), which she ate with cottage cheese. The local co-op sells quince, another home-grown food she loved. I always think of her resourcefulness, especially as I plant seeds that will last as long as I'm around."

The first picture I am including shows Joan with her daughter Havilah who lives in Utah, near her father Art Colgain. It was taken a few months ago in the Utah desert just outside Price, when Joan was there visiting.

The second picture I am including was taken about 1961 and shows Will and Bura Shepard with several of their family. This photo may have been taken at the Russell home on Mandalay Place in San Diego. It is an unusual picture, being rather dark, both in the feel of the photo as well as the actual color. The one bright spot, however, is birthday girl Joan at 7 years old, in front on the right.

From left to right in the picture is Joan's brother Dane Shepard, then a rather ominous looking Will Shepard, next to his wife Bura Davis Shepard (both of whom deserved better from the photographer!). In the beehive hairdos are Beverly Russell and her mother Pauline Shepard Russell. Next are Thelma Shepard Boyd and her partially hidden husband Terry Boyd, then Joan's parents Beryl and Elmer Shepard.

Many of us are looking forward to the Shepard Family Reunion that will take place this summer on July 18 at Newcastle, Oklahoma. It will be hosted by Dane Shepard. All family members and friends are welcome to attend.
--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, March 20, 2009

Family life is full of major and minor crises
the ups and downs of health, success and failure
in career, marriage, and divorce.
With all of these felt details,
life etches itself into memory and personality.
It's difficult to imagine anything
more nourishing to the soul.
-- Thomas Moore

Dear Shepard Family and Friends,

Greetings to y'all on this first day of spring! In our day of well heated homes, the coming of spring does not mean what it did 100 years ago. At that time many of our people lived in places where keeping warm through the winter required a major effort, making spring a very appealing time with the promise of better weather.

That was especially true of our Indiana ancestors, including Maggie (Margaret Frances) Williams (1845-1904), who was Gram's (Bura Davis') grandmother. She lived her whole life near Spencer, Indiana where the winters can be harsh. Maggie was the baby of the 9 children born to Sarah and John Pouty Williams. In the early spring of 1861, when Maggie was just 15, her 21 year old sister Callie (Caroline Matilda Williams), married a young man named William Spear. Though this wedding took place as the Civil War was beginning, it must have been a happy occasion, especially for the impressionable teenager Maggie.

Just two years later Callie -- only 23 at the time -- died while giving birth to her and William's first child (Isolena Belle Spear). The family was crushed, especially young Maggie. In the ensuing months, as her grief subsided, she fell in love with the young widower William, and two years later, in January of 1865, they were married. She was just 19, he was 34.

Over the next 17 years Maggie and William brought 8 children into the world, and might have had more if he had not died the year after their youngest arrived. But their first one was special. It was a baby girl who they decided to name Caroline Matilda, after Maggie's late sister, and William's first wife. This Callie would later become the mother of Bura Davis, and the great grandmother of those of my generation.

• See an 1880 picture of Maggie with her teenage daughter Callie
• See a 1922 picture of Callie with husband and grandchildren, including Elmer, Eugene, Pauline and a couple of Kilpatrick kids.

Among Callie Spear Davis' great grandchildren is Gary Shepard -- Maida and Eugene's oldest -- whose birthday is this coming Monday. Gary, lives in Oak Harbor, Washington with his wife Cindy, and has three children -- Kerri Aquiningoc, Jason Shepard and Kelly Sauvage -- and 4 grandchildren, all of whom live in or near Weatherford, Texas. Gary is retired and enjoys cooking, occasional weekends at their lake house, spending time with their dog Dexter, visiting his mom Maida in Anacortes, and being involved in his church in Oak Harbor. And he does not seem to miss the San Diego area at all, which is where he spent nearly his entire life until 6 years ago. Happy Birthday, Gary!

The first picture I am sending shows Gary with his oldest daughter Kerri on his lap at Christmas 1968. The picture was taken in San Diego. Gary and his wife Jackie had moved back to San Diego earlier that year after a couple of years in Michigan, where Kerri was born.

The second picture I am including was taken (39 Christmases later!) in Anacortes, Washington and shows Gary and his wife Cindy, with Cindy's daughter Samantha McGauran of Spanaway, Washington.

Be sure and make your plans for the Shepard Family Reunion this summer on Saturday, July 18 at the Newcastle Community Center, Newcastle, Oklahoma.

--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, March 13, 2009

A man can't make a place for himself in the sun

if he keeps taking refuge under the family tree.
-- Helen Keller

Dear Shepard Family and Friends,

Hello to all of you as we move through these last days of winter. It has been cold here in San Diego, but probably nothing compared to the weather some of you are having; snow in some places, and inclement weather of various sorts elsewhere. The good news is that spring begins in just another week!

Today is the birthday of Russ Shepard and his son Steven Paul Shepard who were both born on March 13, one in 1962 and the other in 1990. Russ lives in Anacortes, Washington with his wife Pam and daughter Linda and works for Dakota Creek Ship Builders in Anacortes. Steven lives with his grandma Maida Shepard in Anacortes and will be graduating this spring. Happy Birthday to both of them! Click here to see a new and improved version of a photoshow presentation of them I did a few years ago.

Steven Paul says this about himself in a recent email: My plans this summer are to attend the family reunion in Oklahoma City, and look at the Lubbock Christian University campus during the same trip. I am interested in glass design this year and more importantly graduating from Anacortes High School. I will then take a year off and earn some money to go to College. I enjoy glass design and am thinking about making that a career. I was saving money to buy a kiln for my own glass work, but the necessity of transportation was far greater, so I bought a 1999 Ford Ranger in January. We have a small youth group at Church and are having a "lock-in" this Friday night from 7pm until 8am Saturday morning. This will be my last year as a teenager. =( I am not sure what direction my life will take but I am sure that it will be positive.

Tomorrow is the birthday of (50-something) Jerry Clark who lives in Lubbock,Texas with his wife Cathrina. Jerry is the one whose 4th grandchild was born last Friday in Lubbock. Which means we are celebrating my late sister's first husband's 2nd (maybe 3rd) daughter's 2nd baby, being the 4th grandbaby. (Clear as mud, right?) While I am on the subject, I need to correct the spelling of the new baby's name. Born to Susan and Andrew Cox is Brooklyn Kale Cox (Kale with a "K" not a "C").

The first picture I am including shows Jerry Clark next to his wife Cathrina. On the left is Maida Shepard and Steven Paul Shepard, and on the right is Cindy Shepard. This picture was taken last summer in Anacortes at the family reunion.

Last week I mentioned Pam Martin, a fourth cousin who is now among the readers of these weekly emails. Some other extended family members have also been added to this email list in recent weeks. One is Marjorie Eldred, who along with her husband Clio Eldred live in Renton, Washington. The two of them just happened to visit mom's church in Anacortes a few weeks ago and made a serendipitous family connection. Marjorie's mother was Marion Kilpatrick who had two brothers who married two of Bura Davis' sisters. (Confused yet? Keep reading. It might help.)

Another recent addition to our family email list is Bud Davis, who with his wife Janet lives in Graham, Washington. Bud is also related to us through my grandmother Bura Davis. Bud's father, Jesse Davis, was Bura Davis' brother. I also should mention Norma Lou Allen of Bolivar, Missouri, another reader of these emails. She is the daughter of Bura Davis' sister Winona Davis Kilpatrick.

These family connections can be confusing, so I am including a photo that may help (or make matters even more confusing!). Taken in 1965, it shows Gram (Bura Davis Shepard) with her 4 sisters and one of her 2 brothers. Bura -- the oldest -- is in the lower right hand corner. Next to her is her brother Jesse, and next to him is their sister Winona Davis Kilpatrick. On the back row are Esther Davis Jenkins, Myra Davis Kilpatrick and Margie Davis Millikan. Not pictured is the older brother Lawrence. Margie, the youngest, was the last one to pass away, and died this past November at the age of 100.

All these folks are our reminder that our family is larger than our small part of it. To take this thought a step farther, we are related to every other person on this planet, a realization that should motivate us to view our entire world with a sense of family. And if we can do that, there may not be a single world problem that won't be affected.

Remember the Shepard Family Reunion July 18 in Newcastle, Oklahoma.
--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, March 6, 2009

Hello Shepard family and friends,

Greetings this morning from Southern California as we continue to "caress our history" by celebrating the family we are. I invite you to ponder the following poem which is part of a longer piece titled Family Reunion by Jeredith Merrin. It beckons us to gain perspective on our family history, to "put your arms around" it, to pay attention to it.

Almost everyone has separated
from the landscape of childhood.

most are cut off from their own
histories, each of which waits
like a child left at day care.
What if you turned back for a moment

and put your arms around yours?
Yes, you might be late for work;
no, your history doesn't smell sweet
like a toddler's head. But look

at those small round wrists,
that short-legged, comical walk.
Caress your history—who else will?
Promise to come back later.

Pay attention when it asks you
simple questions: Where are we going?
Is it scary? What happened? Can
I have more now? Who is that?

Happy Birthday to Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc who celebrated this past Tuesday! Kerri was born and raised in San Diego but now lives in Weatherford, Texas with her friend Wade and her daughters Lyndsey and Mandi. She works in Ft Worth, Texas for Hallmark Insurance Group. Kerri, Lyndsey and Mandi are part of our family who moved from California to Texas 10 years ago.

The first picture I am including today is actually a set of pictures of birthday girl Kerri. (You can click on the picture to see a larger view.) The first one was taken in 1968, the last one was taken a few months ago, and the others were at various times in between.

Another "misteak." Last week I included a picture of Darrell Shepard with Kelly Sauvage and said that Kelly was Darrell's cousin. How wrong I was, as several of you were swift to inform me (good naturedly, of course!). Kelly Shepard Sauvage of Weatherford, Texas is Darrell's niece, not his cousin. In one fell swoop I wrongly flattered Darrell and insulted Kelly! Oops. My bad.

In recent weeks I have corresponded with several members of our extended family. One of them is Pamela Williams Martin who lives in North Carolina. She stumbled across my family blog online and emailed me. She does lots of family research and it has been a joy to compare notes with her on ancestors we have in common.

Pam said this in a recent email: Our common ancestor is John Pouty Williams, who is my GGGgrandfather by way of John Fleming Williams, Joseph Preston Williams, William Harvey Williams, and Paul Edwin Williams (my dad). I was born and raised in Aurora, Illinois in the mid 1950’s, and moved to Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina in the early 1980’s. I have three sons Bret, Robin, and Dallas, and one daughter Lindsey. In 2007, I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Florida Metropolitan University with a degree in Criminal Justice. A North Carolina State Certified Nurseryman since 1984, I protect and propagate threatened and endangered species of carnivorous plants. My passions are my children and grandson, genealogy, and crocheting. I feel wonderfully blessed to have found my fourth cousin Steve during my research on John Pouty Williams.

Bura Davis' (Gram's) grandmother was Margaret Francis Williams, one of the children of John Pouty Williams, mentioned above. The second picture I am including is of Will and Bura Davis Shepard (Gram and Grandad). It was taken somewhere in San Diego on Mother's Day, 1967. This is a scanned copy of one of several photographs that Kim Clark graciously let me borrow a while back, that came to her via her mother Thelma Boyd.

This just in: Congratulations to Jerry Clark and Jane Brock on the birth of grandchild number four! Brooklyn Cale Cox (little sister of big brother Drew) was born this morning to Andrew and Susan Clark Cox in Lubbock, Texas. Best wishes to them all!

Shepard Family Reunion: July 18, New Castle Community Center, Newcastle, Oklahoma. As your plans take shape, be sure to email Kim Clark or Dane Shepard and let them know if you will be attending. Or email me and I will pass the word to them.
--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, February 27, 2009

Some family trees
bear an enormous crop of nuts.
- Wayne H.

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,

Greetings from home in San Diego where we have returned, after our time away in the snow of Northern California and the cold of Washington.

I saw this cartoon and wanted to share it with you. It reminds me of the quote I sent some months ago: "Families are like fudge, mostly sweet with a few nuts." The fact of the matter is every family has its share of nuts. The only question is who among us are the nuts and who are not? It is not always obvious, you know. Each of us has our own nomination, and they are not all the same.

I think my Grandad, Will Shepard, was something of a nut. As a grandfather he could be a very funny person and quite a tease. But he wasn't always that way, of course. Just a few weeks ago Kim Clark sent me a picture of a Sheriff's badge that belonged to Grandad, suggesting that he was some sort of authorized law enforcement official for a period of time in Baca County, Colorado back in the 1930s. (She is doing some research to find the full story.)

I don't know how the word "nut" came to mean a crazy or eccentric person anyway. I like nuts. They're sweet. They're tasty. They make great snacks. People sometimes call my state, California, "the land of fruits and nuts," as if that were a derogatory comment. In reality it is a point of pride. Be that as it may, our family does have its nuts, and I am glad it does. As I said, I like nuts.

After all, what would our family be if we didn't have a few nuts in it? They are what spice up our family life. They are what keeps our family life from being boring. They are the stuff of great family stories. And they are our reminders that, like the rest of the world, our family has great variety in our ranks. Some of us are straight as an arrow, others are wild and crazy; some have chosen a life that follows familiar patterns, others are very unique; some are definitely old school, others are paving new ground; some are very religious, others haven't seen the inside of a church in a long time. But all of us belong to the same family nonetheless.

So I think the squirrels have it right. When I look around at our family, I find myself saying the same thing they are saying, because the nuts among us seem to be everywhere. And to that I say... Thank God for the wonderful family we have been and are becoming!

Happy Birthday today to Darrell Shepard! The fact that today is Darrell's birthday has nothing to do with this discussion about nuts. Honest. It was simply coincidental.

Although when I think about it, Darrell is one of the more likable nuts among us. I know of no one who is more "nuts" about his family than Darrell. He is the 7th Grandchild of Will and Bura Shepard and lives in Kenmore, Washington with his wife Mary and their three children, Chris, Rachel and Patrick. After being a devoted father and husband, he somehow finds time for his job, his church, and to play guitar in his band! Congratulations to Darrell on this special, milestone birthday! Interestingly, Darrell, (Gary's) Cindy Shepard, and Joan Shepard were all born within just a few weeks of each other, back in early 1954.

The first picture I am including today is a picture from 1964 and shows Darrell and his younger brother and sister, Russell and Barbara Shepard. (Did mom know how to dress her kids, or what!) The three of them form the second triad born to Maida and Eugene Shepard.

The second picture I am including today was taken last summer in Anacortes, Washington and shows Darrell with two of the loveliest women in our family -- his daughter Rachel on the left and his niece Kelly Sauvage on the right. This picture was taken at the 2008 Shepard Family reunion.

The 2009 family reunion will be at the Newcastle Community Center in Newcastle, Oklahoma, this coming July 18. That is less than 5 months away. Are you making your plans?
--
Steve
One of the nuts in the family tree

Shepard Family Update, February 20, 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 and Friends,

Greetings from the chilly Northwest, where Cindy and I are visiting with mom and family. There is no snow or ice at the moment here in Anacortes, but it is cold -- that painful, penetrating, damp cold that makes Californians like us wish we had heavier coats! We are also talking through our plans to attend the family reunion this summer in Newcastle, Oklahoma (just south of Oklahoma City) on July 18. Have you made your plans yet?

In the last two posts I have shared some thoughts regarding the Owens branch of our family tree, that we are connected to through great grandmother Elvira Owens. I have one more interesting thing to share related to this part of our family. If one follows the information on the Owens lineage on Ancestry.com, it continues back at least 62 generations with names and dates, all the way back to the time of Jesus in the first century! I traced our family information all the way back to "Joseph of Arimathea", who was born in the year 1. This was the person who is mentioned in the Bible as having buried the body of Jesus. (Mark 15.43-46) What a find! I was thrilled to discover that we were related to someone who, over two thousand years ago, knew Jesus and is even mentioned in the Gospels.

It did not take me very long, however, to realize that I had been duped. This was "creative" family research, not careful, honest work. This was someone (probably several someones) trying to make the family story much more interesting that it actually is. There are no legitimate resources for the information I was finding before the 18th or 19th century. I mention this to show that sometimes people get carried away. And I suspect there was probably some religious motivation here to find some (imagined) connection to the life of Jesus. In any case, I have no reason to believe that the information I found can be trusted as factual.

It was something of a let-down, but it was also a learning experience. It helped me to see that family research is a very inexact science, unless the information is very carefully resourced, which is nearly impossible at times. It also tells me that family research is a very emotional matter, and that it is very tempting to stretch the truth to fit one's interests. Or to put it another way -- you always, always, have to be careful about any information you find on the internet.

Speaking of family research being emotional, have you seen the National Treasure movies? Nicolas Cage plays a character who is very serious about his family history. So serious, in fact, that he is willing to risk life and limb to clear up a misunderstanding about relatives long dead. You have to admire the spirit of one who feels "the weight of history" that much and takes his family connections that seriously.

Today is the birthday of Terry Boyd of Gallup, New Mexico. Terry has been a member of our family since he and Thelma were first married over 50 years ago. Happy Birthday, Terry!

The first picture I am including today is a picture of Terry with his mother-in-law Bura Davis Shepard, taken in December, 1958. The second picture I am including was taken 50 years later. It is a picture of Terry and Thelma Boyd, which I took last year when visiting them in New Mexico.
--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, February 13, 2009

Family life is too intimate
to be preserved by the spirit of justice.
It can be sustained by a spirit of love
which goes beyond justice.
- Reinhold Niebuhr

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,

Greeting from the snowy mountains of Northern California where Cindy and I happen to be on this day before Valentine's Day. May you be blessed with loved ones around you tomorrow on a special day that celebrates love -- that perfect remedy for the coldest winter weather.

I want to continue some thoughts I began last time regarding the Owens family to whom we are connected through Grandad's mother Elvira Owens (1864-1931). I have mentioned before that I correspond with Roberta Owens Brooks, a third cousin who is herself originally from Alton, Illinois (Grandad's birthplace) in Madison County. With her we share a common ancestry, through Edmond Owens, Jr. (1795-1864), who is Roberta's gg grandfather, and ggg grandfather to those of my generation.

Roberta has graciously shared with me valuable documentation regarding Edmond Owens. He was originally from South Carolina, but was living in Davidson County, Tennessee when he became one of the famous "Tennessee Volunteers" and served in the War of 1812, which began when Edmond was only 17 years old. That war lasted until 1815 and has been called "the second war of independence" against Great Britain.

Madison County history books say that the war veteran Edmond, his wife Anna Phelps, and their 6 children migrated in 1838 to Madison County, Illlinois, 300+ miles from their home in Tennessee. It was not until 15 years later, in 1853, that President Franklin Pierce signed a declaration giving Edmond an 80 acre land grant in Madison County, Illinois as a result of his military service 38 years earlier! (The wheels of government ground slowly EVEN then.) Hence the presence of the Owens family in Madison County, which continues to this day. The 5th of Edmond and Anna's 6 children was Payton Owens (1826-1872), the father of Elvira Owens, the mother of William Shepard (Grandad).

One of Edmond Owens' gg grandchildren is Dane Shepard, who will be hosting the Shepard family reunion this summer near Oklahoma City on July 18. He was kind enough to send me these details about the event:

The reunion will be held in the small town of Newcastle, Oklahoma off Interstate 44, 25 minutes south of the Will Rogers World Airport. Reunion facility: Newcastle Community Center, 1221 N. Main St., Newcastle, OK 73065. Date and time: Saturday, July 18, noon to 5 p.m.

Accommodations: nearest is a local motel about one mile from the facility (newly remodeled) -- Newcastle Motel, 1221 N. Main St., Newcastle, OK 73065, phone 405-387-4444. Rates: single = $40; double = $45. They will give a lower rate for 5 or more rooms. The other option is the city of Norman (home of OSU) which is about a 15 mile drive east. You can Google "motels in Norman, OK" and see them all. They are located along I-35. Here are a few: Days Inn: 405-360-4380; Guest Inn: 405-360-1234; La Quinta Inn & Suites: 800-531-5900; Super 8: 405-329-1624.
Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day it seems to me that family pictures of young lovers is in order. The first picture I am including is the wedding picture of Bura Davis Shepard's parents, James Brooks Davis (25 at the time) and his wife Caroline Matilda Spear (30 at the time). They were married January 1, 1896. Kim Clark recently send me several old family photos, including this gem. Thanks so much, Kim!

The second photo is a picture of one of Edmond Owens' ggg grandchildren, Nathan Shepard of San Francisco. Nate's fiance Chenda Sou is on the right, and his mother, (my favorite valentine) Cindy Shepard is on the left.

This picture was taken last month near the world famous 12th century temples of Angkor Wat near Siem Reap, Cambodia. We were visiting Chenda there in her home country, where she presently lives until she is able to get her visa to come to the US.
--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, February 6, 2009

The family is a haven
in a heartless world.
~Christopher Lasch

Dear Shepard Family and Friends,

Hello everyone from San Diego where a "fierce" winter storm has been raging. The drizzle has been relentless with winds up to 20 mph, and temperatures in the mid 50s. I am not sure how much more of this we can take. ;-)

This next Wednesday, Feb 11, is the 154th anniversary of the birthday of my great grand uncle Josiah Owens (1855-1903), the older brother of my great grandmother Elvira Owens Shepard (1864-1931). They are both members of the Owens branch of our family tree. This particular branch was rooted in Madison County in Southern Illinois when Grandad's father William Elmer Shepard (1862-1915) married Elvira there in 1886.

William Elmer Shepard was the young man whose father had died in the Civil War a few months before he was even born. At its best a family is "a haven in a heartless world", but for the young William Elmer such was not the case. The family story I heard recounted many times by my father is that life was so unbearable for William Elmer with his step-father that he ran away from home in Wabash, Indiana as a teenager, never to see his family again. What we do know for a fact is that he made his way (by himself?) to Madison County, Illinois, some 330 miles southwest, just across the Mississippi River from St Louis, Mo.

I wonder if, on the way, he went down to Evansville, Indiana, to visit the grave of his biological father (whose grave one can visit even today in the Civil War section of Oak Hill Cemetery). This was the father he had never met, the father who had given his life in the Union cause, the father whose death had been the root cause of the unhappiness of this young wandering nomad. I suspect we will never know for sure what route he took, but I cannot help but think that thoughts of his father weighed heavy on his mind as he traveled.

Today you can drive from Wabash south on Hwy 31 to Indianapolis, catch Interstate 70, and skoot on over to Madison County, Illinois in 5 or 6 hours. In the 1870s God only knows how long it would take a teen to travel that far by himself. However he finally arrived "out west" in Madison County, whatever adventures he had on the way, whatever side trips he happened to take, it was in Illinois that he eventually met and then married Elvira Owens (whose great grandchildren 12 of us would become, some 3 generations later). In 1886 when he and Elvira married, the 23 year old William Elmer, so far from his mother and step-family, must have been thrilled to suddenly belong to the Owens family, a large, well established family in that part of Southwestern Illinois.

The convergence of the Owens line and the Shepard line is a fascinating aspect of our family history. There is more I want to share about these folks and their place in our family tree. But I need to save that for another time. Since most of what I have been sharing took place over 100 years ago, precious few photos of these folks exist that I can share. Hopefully as more research is done, and more networking takes place, more photos and more interesting stories will surface.

The first photo I am including is a small collection of Owens pictures. The first 3 images are of Elvira Owens, the first in 1919 showing her young grandson Elmer Shepard on her lap. The next two are from 1920 with her young daughter-in-law Bura Davis Shepard. The third image is Elvira's grandfather Edmond Owens Jr. (possibly her great grandfather Edmond Owens, Sr.).

The second picture I am including shows some of the family of Kim Clark. In the picture is one of Elvira Owens' great great grandchildren Jeremy Ortiz and his wife Desiree Ortiz of El Cajon, California, with their three children Ciara, Damian and Ashlyn. On the left is Jeremy's sister Amanda Ortiz, of Blue Springs, Mo. This picture was taken this past Christmas at the home of Jeff and Kim Clark.

I received an email from Kim recently who said: "Ciara is now starting softball and Jeremy coaches and Desiree is team mom. Ashlyn is in preschool and is really liking it but she is on the shy side. Damian was in the hospital for 3 days. He is home on a monitor now and seems to be feeling ok."

Remember to put the Shepard Family reunion on your calendar for July 18, 2009, at the Newcastle Community Center, in Newcastle, just south of Oklahoma City. Kim Clark will be sending out an announcement about the event. If we do not have your physical address, or if you know of a family member or friend who would like to receive an announcement by USMail, please send Kim or me an email with their address.
--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, January 30, 2009

Why study history?
There's no future in it.
-sign on a history professor's door

Dear Shepard Family and Friends,

Hello on the last Friday in January of this new year -- a year that I have yet to catch up to. Have you noticed that in each of the messages so far in this new year I have put the date 2008? (You didn't even notice, did you!) I think I am finally "with it" (at least as far as the calendar is concerned).

One of the dangers of genealogical study is that one gets so engrossed in the past, that the present and the future somehow slide to back burners. I remember a sign on a history professor's door at Abilene Christian, put there by some witty student. It said, "Why study history? There's no future in it!"

That makes for a good chuckle, but it's not really true. Especially when it comes to research into one's family. I love finding new information about our forefathers and foremothers. I enjoy remembering those family members who are now gone, whose lives overlapped with mine. I find it important to remember -- or discover -- their values, their commitments, their loyalties, their life choices, their mistakes, their strengths, their weaknesses, their disadvantages, and especially their courage. But to become so enthralled with their stories that we fail to live with courage in our lives is not only a mistake, it dishonors the legacy they have left us.

We are surrounded by "a great cloud of witnesses," who faced the challenges of their time with insight, and wisdom and daring. Now to be sure, sometimes they were not up to the task. But the wonderful thing is that sometimes they were. I find it very important to draw upon the best of our family legacy and to live a life that honors their spirit, and does not simply duplicate their particular choices. So as far as I am concerned, family research is valuable, and not just because it tells me about the past. More importantly it helps guide me into the future. But it will guide me well only as I learn from them how to face new challenges in new ways.

I hope that the younger ones of our family today will do exactly that in relationship to us who are older. They honor us best not by making the same choices we have made, but by living with faith and courage, with honesty and generosity, with love and open-mindedness.

This coming Tuesday, Feb 2 is, of course, Ground Hog Day, and the midpoint of winter. But of even greater importance, it is the birthday of Cindy Ann Dillon Shepard, who, along with her husband Gary, live in Oak Harbor, Washington. It is hard to believe that this June she will have been in our family for 30 years!

Cindy and Gary made their home in the San Diego area for the first 24 years of their married life. 6 years ago they sold their small business, Gary retired from his work with the County of San Diego, and they moved to Washington to be with family there. Cindy now commutes each day to work at Schenk Packing Company in Mount Vernon from their home near Oak Harbor on the northern end of Whidby Island. Happy Birthday Cindy!

The first picture I am including (as always, click on the picture for a larger view) shows birthday girl Cindy in the middle, with husband Gary on the left, me in the upper right, mother Maida on the far right, our son Nathan in the lower right, and Gary's daughter Kelly in the lower left. This picture was taken in October, 1981, in front of our home in Los Alamitos, California when we were getting ready to visit Disneyland.

This past weekend Cindy and I enjoyed a visit with Jerry Clark and some of his family from Lubbock, Texas. They were in San Diego for Taylor Publishing Company, for whom Jerry and Susan work. The second picture I am including shows the 7 of us as we enjoyed an underwater adventure at the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla. In the picture is Jerry and his wife Cathrina in the middle, his daughter Susan Clark Cox, and her husband Andrew and their son Drew on the left, and Cindy and me on the right.

Best wishes to all of you as you continue to cope with whatever winter weather comes your way. In just 6 more weeks spring will arrive!
--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, January 23, 2009

A family is a unit
composed not only of children
but of men and women,
an occasional animal,
and the common cold.
~Ogden Nash

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,

I hope that all is well with you and your part of our family, wherever you may be and whatever your particular sutuation is. Regardless of your political bent, it has been an exciting week for our nation. The inauguration of our 44th president, Barack Obama, has ushered in a new day with this historic election, and has brought with it a sense of renewed optimism and energy. Our Shepard ancestors have experienced American Presidencies back to the very beginning of our nation. They could not possibly have imagined the changes that we have seen in recent times. What would they have thought about the changes we see today?

Speaking of ancestors, this coming Tuesday is the anniversary of the birthday of Sadie J. Shepard Pruett, the sister of Grandad (William Shepard). Sadie was born during the leadership of our 23rd President Benjamin Harrison in 1892 in Alton, Illinois. Alton is in Madison County, Illinois, where our Shepard/Owens ancestors lived during the late 19th century. She was the second and last child of William Elmer Shepard and Elvira Owens. By the time she was 18 the family had moved to Oklahoma, which is where she met and married Levy Pruett with whom she had three daughters. Sadie lived in Oklahoma until her death in 1980.

Sadie Shepard Pruett represents a whole other side of our family that most of us know very little about, which is understandable. For one thing, none of that part of the family moved west to California when Gram and Grandad did in 1940. For another thing, none of them have the name Shepard, but instead have last names like Getz and Allred and Pruett.

One claim to fame from this part of our family: In 1983 Sadie's granddaughter Lisa Gayle Allred, living in Fort Worth at the time, won the Miss Texas beauty contest, and was the first runner-up in the Miss World Contest the same year.

The first picture I am including is a picture of Sadie and her husband Levy Pruett with Bura and (Sadie's brother) Will Shepard. The smiling tyke in front is Bura and Will's youngest child Thelma Shepard (now Boyd). The picture was taken in June, 1942. It appears to be taken in Beaver County Oklahoma. Will and Bura and their family were living in San Diego at the time, so this picture must have been taken while they were back in Oklahoma for a summer vacation.

The second picture shows a recent holiday scene of Elmer Shepard (on the right) and his son Dane, Dane's wife Cindy, and their children Nathan and Kaylan. Dane, of course, will be hosting the Shepard family reunion this summer. The reunion is not that far off -- Saturday, July 18 in Oklahoma City -- so clear your calendars and make your plans. More details will be forthcoming about the exact location, directions, housing possibilities, and other specifics. It will be a very special event and we hope you will make it!
--
Steve