Family Vacations, June 26, 2012

Family's more than just DNA.

It's about people who care

and take care of each other.
-agent Gibbs, NCIS

Hello Family and Friends,

Today is the 8th birthday of Kyle Christian Sauvage of Weatherford, Texas. Kyle and his older brother Nate are the sons of James and Kelly Shepard Sauvage and the grandsons of my brother Gary Shepard (see third picture below). Kyle is also the 7th of the 12 GGgrandchildren of Leroy and Nola Gower, and the 5th of the 13 GGgrandchildren of Will and Bura Shepard. 

The first picture shows Kyle during a recent baseball game. The second picture was taken when Kyle (bottom, middle), his brother Nate (on the right) and his mom Kelly (left) along with Cindy (on the right) and I spent some time together at spring training back in March in Phoenix, Arizona.

Kyle's mother Kelly wrote me recently: "Hi Uncle Steve, yes Kyle's birthday is Tuesday. We have been really busy lately. Kyle made the all star team in baseball once again this year. Every day there was either a practice or a game. He had another great season and found he has a new favorite position...centerfield. He said he wants to play centerfield like Cameron Maybin on the Padres. He is also going to summer camp every day while I'm at work. He gets to go swimming every day and a big field trip once a week. He continues to be a big Chargers and Padres fan and has a dream of being a famous baseball player for the San Diego Padres when he grows up! Everyday he gives me more reasons to be a proud mommy!"

Family Vacation Pictures. The vacation season is well under way. Recently two of my brothers, Gary and Russ, came to California on a road trip and visited Cindy and me. One day while they were here we all went to Yosemite to sight see and to relive some of our favorite memories of years past when our whole family vacationed in Yosemite.

The third picture I am including shows the 4 of us at the entrance to Yosemite. It was the first time in 39 years that we had been in Yosemite together. From left to right are my brothers Russ and Gary Shepard (Kyle's grandfather), with Cindy and me.

Do you have a family vacation photo from this summer that you'd like to share? Or, if you will be vacationing this summer and taking pictures, pass one along to me and I'd be glad to include it in an upcoming blog post.

- - -

Steve

Gowers in the 1940 Census, June 20, 2012

 A family is a unit

composed not only of children

but of men, women, an occasional animal

and the common cold.

~Ogden Nash

Hello Family and Friends,

Happy Anniversary to Nathan and Chenda Shepard, who will celebrate 3 years of marriage tomorrow, June 21. They were married in San Diego overlooking the ocean on the summer solstice in 2009 just a week after Chenda arrived from Cambodia. 

The first picture shows Chenda and Nathan in a picture that was taken recently in Alameda, California where they live with their children Preslea and Logan.

More About the 1940 Census. Several weeks ago I referred the 1940 US Census and the information that I found there regarding our Shepard family who lived in Two Buttes, Colorado at the time. Recently I have found information about my mother's Gower family who lived in Oklahoma in 1940.

As I mentioned before, my Shepard grandparents moved to San Diego from Colorado just months after the 1940 US Census which was taken in April of that year. My Gower grandparents Leroy and Nola did not move to San Diego from Oklahoma until 1942, two years after the 1940 Census. Before their move they were living in the little town of Okemah, Oklahoma, about half way between Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

The second picture shows Nola and Leroy Gower with their two daughters, Maida and Melva (Vicki). Their other child, Hendrix, is not shown and may have been taking the picture. This photo was taken in San Diego not long after they left Oklahoma.

The 1940 Census records show that Leroy (age 39) and Nola (36) had three children: Hendrix (17), Maida (15) and Melva Bernice (Vicki, 6). What is not in the census, but what we know today, is that they had moved from Arkansas to Oklahoma in 1925, the year after my mother Maida was born. So they had been in Oklahoma for 15 years at the time of the 1940 Census. Family stories that I have heard indicate that times were hard for the Gowers and that Leroy in particular, had a very difficult time finding work.

The census reports that Leroy had only worked a total of 20 weeks in the year 1939, and that Nola had worked 44 weeks that year as a housekeeper, earning a total of $202. It also states that at the time of the Census Leroy had been looking for work for 36 weeks.

Leroy is listed as having completed the 7th grade in school, Nola the 4th grade. Melva (Vicki) was only 6 years old at the time and had just begun her public school education, while Hendrix and Maida had both completed the 8th grade. Maida was still in school in 1940, and was actually in the middle of her senior year in High School when they moved to San Diego in late 1942. She graduated from San Diego High just months after arriving in California.

The third picture I am including shows Maida Gower in a one of the few pictures I have which was taken in Okemah. It was taken shortly before they moved to California. Maida told me recently that she was not in a church choir but part of an Eastern Star program. For just a short time in Oklahoma she had responded to a neighbor's invitation to participate in Eastern Star.

In view of the information given in the 1940 Census regarding the Gowers, it is understandable why the family would move to California in search of work just two years later. It must have been a kind of dream come true when Leroy and his son Hendrix found good jobs just weeks after arriving. Being in California was a time of new beginnings for the Gowers. Their life on the west coast was very different from the difficult times in Oklahoma, reflected in the Census of 1940.
- - -
Steve

Celebrating 300! June 13, 2012

In the midst of the chaos

When the wind is howling I hear

the ancient song

Of the ones who went before

And know that peace will come

-Susan Stauter

Hello Family and Friends,

Father's Day. This coming Sunday is Father's Day, a day to remember and honor our fathers. The first picture I am including today shows the three fathers who have been most influential in my life: my grandfathers Leroy Gower (1899-1974) and William Shepard (1888-1976), and my father Eugene Shepard (1921-2003).

Happy Birthday Scott Ortiz. Today is the 27th birthday of Scott Ortiz, the son of Kim Boyd Clark. Scott is also the grandson of Terry and Thelma Shepard Boyd. The second picture (below), taken last Christmas, shows Scott on the left with his brother Jeremy and their Ortiz grandfather Gabe, Sr.

Celebrating 300! Today marks a major milestone in the life of The Shepard's Crook: the 300th blog post. When I first began this adventure 299 entries ago, I had no idea that it would continue this long. But I should not have been surprised. Researching our family, celebrating our family's life, and sharing pictures is a never ending enterprise.

Thanks to all of you who read this blog. More and more family members are added to my mailing list all the time. Some are close family while others are distant relatives -- kissin' cousins or shirttail relatives. Some are kinfolk I have never met but who are related to people I am related to, and who share an interest in our family. I appreciate the feedback, questions and insights that I have received from many of you, and the interest you have shown in learning about our common ancestors.

I don't know what the future will bring or how long this blog will continue, but for now I will keep telling the stories and sharing the pictures of our family. They are worth telling and sharing because they are about us: you and me, the new family members, as well as the relatives long gone. They are all people whose lives and loves, whose courage and mishaps need to be told and retold, because their stories are our stories. And because in the retelling we "hear the ancient song of the ones who went before and know that peace will come."

Arrival Day. Today is the anniversary of "arrival day" in our family. It was on this day 3 years ago that Chenda Sou arrived in California from Cambodia. A week later she and our son Nathan were married, and within a year they became parents when Preslea was born. The following year they became parents again when Logan was born, and today they are within weeks of yet a third child.

This means, of course, that Cindy and I are now grandparents, something that is changing our lives and touching our hearts in ways we never imagined. The third picture shows Nathan and Chenda (in the middle), with Cindy and me on either side, and their two children Logan and Preslea (the Khmerican Cowgirl).

We celebrate with Chenda as she looks back on her first 3 years in America and as she continues her adjustment to a new family, a new culture and a new language. The learning curve has been steep, and the road has not always been easy, but we are very grateful for her and for the change she has brought to our family.

- - -

Steve

A Widening Circle, June 6, 2012

I looked up my family tree

and found out that I'm the sap.

~Rodney Dangerfield

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from San Diego, where we are settling into our new home at the foot of Cowles Mountain on the outskirts of the city.

Happy Birthday Emma Wilk! Today is the 7th birthday of Emma Beverly Jean Wilk, the daughter of Shannon Wilk of Atchison, Kansas, and the granddaughter of my cousin Beverly Russell Wilk (1939-1974).

Shannon: "Yes Emma will be 7. Still trying to wrap my head around it. Where did my little baby go?? She is doing wonderful. Having a good summer so far. They got out of school a week early. They start back on the 9th of August. I think that is too early, but I don't make the rules....lol. I'm doing well, working and taking care of Emma. Enjoying nice weather, though it was quite hot yesterday. I think we hit 90. Still no rain, and the grass, and trees and fields are sure in need of it. I will admit I'm needing some good summer thunderstorms. They get pretty amazing here in Kansas. We have a new neighbor family and they have a 14 year old girl. Emma has found her a new BFF."

Emma is in the very middle (#7) of the 13 GGgrandchildren of Will and Bura Shepard. These GGgrandkids are a very special group who fills the rest of us with hope for our family's future. It's a group that embraces the youngest family members among us, from Lyndsey Aquiningoc (born 1990) to Dominic Ortiz (born 2012).

The first picture I am including today shows Emma Wilk with her cousin Ciara Ortiz. The second picture shows Emma's grandmother Beverly Russell with her brother Rex Russell. This picture was taken in San Diego sometime in the late 1940s when Bev was about the same age that her granddaughter Emma is today.

The Circle Widens. It is always gratifying when, in the midst of my online family research, I hear from people who are related to me in some way. Just the other day I got a message from a woman who is a GG granddaughter of John Pouty Williams and his wife Sarah, who are my GGG grandparents. I have written a number of times in this blog about John Pouty and Sarah. They are among our progenitors who lived outside Spencer, Indiana and are buried in the Pleasant Grove Cemetery there. They were the Ggrandparents of my grandmother Bura Davis Shepard.

The relative who contacted me is Betty-Jean Girouard, from Montreal, Canada. Betty-Jean's grandmother, Minnie Mary Williams was a first cousin of Callie Spear Davis (my Ggrandmother). Minnie Mary Williams (1900-1992) with her husband Alexander Kembel (see 3rd picture, from 1919), were early 20th century immigrants to Canada, where some of their descendants, including Betty-Jean, live today.

Connecting with people in this way not only gives me the simple joy of corresponding with folks who are related, albeit distantly, it also widens the circle of people who are researching some of the same people I am. And with a widening circle comes the hope of more discoveries and insights about people in our family trees.
- - -

Steve

Three Anniversaries, June 1, 2012

Don't worry that children never listen to you;

worry that they are always watching you.

~Robert Fulghum

Hello Family and Friends,

10 Years. Today is the 10th wedding anniversary of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz of Blue Springs, Missouri. Jeremy is one of the Ggrandchildren of Will and Bura Shepard. He and Desiree's new twin boys --  Isaac and Dominic -- were born April 23 and are the youngest of the 13 GGgrandchildren of Will and Bura Shepard. They are also the first set of twins among all their descendants.

Grandmother Kim reported just yesterday on Facebook: The babies are doing great. Isaac weighs 4 lbs 10 oz and Dominic weighs 5 lbs 1 oz. Dominic is a little bigger and has chubbier cheeks but other than that they are the same. They have been in the NICU over 5 weeks now. Grammy goes every day, now that I can hold them and feed them. What a fun job -- it's so beautiful there. It will be so nice to get them home pretty soon. We were told not to take them to church or other places with a lot of people until the end of summer.

Jeremy and Desiree's other children are Ciara, Ashlyn and Damian. Best wishes to Jeremy and Desiree for a happy anniversary in the midst of all that is happening in their lives these days.

33 Years. Tomorrow, June 2, is the 33rd wedding anniversary of my brother Gary Shepard and his wife Cindy Dillon Shepard. The second picture shows Gary on the left and Cindy on the right, with our father Gene Shepard in the middle. Even though Cindy's sweatshirt says Anacortes, this picture was taken at our vacation home in Arnold, California, Thanksgiving 1990.


Gary and Cindy had a beautiful garden wedding in our backyard in Los Alamitos, California in 1979, but will celebrate the event tomorrow in Oak Harbor, Washington, where they live. Cindy had much needed surgery on her shoulder about two weeks ago, and is recovering nicely. Happy Anniversary to them!

97 Years. Tomorrow, June 2, we remember the 97th anniversary of the wedding of William Shepard and Bura Davis who were married in Beaver County, Oklahoma in 1915. They were married on the 45th birthday of Bura's father James Brooks Davis (1870-1928).

Will and Bura's wedding 97 years ago was significant because it connected the Shepard and the Davis family lines that have been so important and valuable to our heritage. A key person in that part of our heritage was Bura's father James Brooks Davis, who was born June 2, 1870. He and his wife Callie Spear Davis are noteworthy "transitional people" in our family tree. They uprooted their family of 9 in 1913 and moved 900 miles from Spencer, Indiana, where their families had been settled for several generations, to Beaver County, Oklahoma where some of their extended family still live today.

The third picture is one I received earlier this year and shows William and Bura Davis Shepard sitting in a beautiful old car with their three children. From left to right are Eugene on the hood, Pauline on the running board and Elmer sitting behind his father William. This picture was taken about 1926, when the family lived in Beaver County, Oklahoma.

Will and Bura likewise were transitional folks who -- a generation later -- uprooted their family in 1940 and moved them 1,200 miles to San Diego where they settled for the rest of their lives, and where some of their descendants still live today. Will and Bura were the first of the Shepards and the Davises to move to Southern California.
- - -
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

The Most Valuable Heirlooms, May 19, 2012

Family stories make the most valuable heirlooms.
~anonymous

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you wherever you may be, on this wonderful spring day in San Diego.

Nicole. Happy Birthday Nicole Shepard! Last week my nephew Patrick Shepard emailed me that his new bride Nicole Haw Shepard had a birthday May 11. Happy Birthday, Nicole, and welcome to our family! She and Patrick were married back in March.

Ashlyn. Today, May 19 is the 7th birthday of Ashlyn Ortiz, daughter of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz of Blue Springs, Missouri. Ashlyn is an older sister of the twins Isaac and Dominic Ortiz who are the newest descendants of Will and Bura Shepard. The twins were born just last month. The latest word is that Mom Desiree and the little guys are doing much better.

The first picture shows Ashlyn Ortiz striking a pose in a picture that was taken last fall. Happy Birthday to Ashlyn!

Elmer. Tomorrow, May 20, is the birthday of Elmer Shepard who was the oldest member of the Will and Bura Davis Shepard clan when he passed away earlier this year in Oklahoma. Sunday he would have been 94 years old. His son Dane lives in New Castle, Oklahoma and his daughter Joan lives in Dixon, California.

Two weeks ago I posted a picture of Elmer that was taken in Colorado in the late 1930s, back in the days when he worked as a farm hand in Two Buttes, Colorado. Elmer's sister Thelma Shepard Boyd wrote me shortly thereafter to tell me that she remembered seeing that picture years ago, and that in it Elmer is holding a snake. Elmer's son Dane tells me that he thinks it is a fish in his dad's hand but he can't be positive.

I am including the picture again today for you to see it. Clearly it is Elmer on a horse, in work clothes. It appears that it may have been taken on the farm where he worked just outside of Two Buttes. Those were difficult days, and at the time he may have been the only gainfully employed person in his immediate family. If you look closely enough you can see a snake in his left hand, or at least something that looks like it might be a snake. Or is that a fish? What does it look like to you?

As a young buck of 22 or 23 years old, Elmer is striking quite an impressive pose: on a healthy steed, confident in demeanor, dressed in the rugged garb of a working man. If you let your imagination go for just a minute, to also be holding a defeated creature gives him the appearance of a kind of conquering hero.

Okay, maybe I am overstating things a bit. Nevertheless it makes for a good family story, one that deserves to be told and retold. And maybe even embellished as the years go by! I think Grandad would like that.

- - -

Steve

A GGGrand, A GGrand, and A Grand, May 15, 2012

To have a child is to decide forever
to have your heart go walking around
outside your body.
~Elizabeth Stone

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from Alameda, California, the home of our grandson Logan Alexander Shepard, whose first birthday is today! Logan is the son of Nathan and Chenda Shepard, the sister of Preslea, and the first grandson of Cindy and me. But he will not be the last. Logan's little brother is due to arrive this summer in July or August. And if you ask his mom Chenda, he can't come soon enough!

A GGGrand. Logan is the 11th of the 12 GGgrandchildren of Leroy and Nola Gower, and the 11th of the 13 GGgrandchildren of William and Bura Shepard. He also has the unique distinction of being the first GGgrandson of Will and Bura Shepard with the last name Shepard. But there will be others -- perhaps many others -- who will arrive in their time and will be able to pass on the Shepard name to future generations.

The following is a photo presentation to celebrate Logan's Birthday. (If the following does not play correctly, select this link.)

Another Alexander. Logan's middle name is the same as that of his 5th Great Grandfather Alexander Davis. I have not mentioned the name of Alexander Davis in this blog for a few months now. He is buried in Spencer, Indiana next to his daughter Elizabeth Davis Carter. Our larger family of Davises and Shepards collected funds last fall to get a new headstone for them. Their headstones were old and broken and badly in need of replacing. I just received a picture from cousin Jerry Davis showing that the new headstone is now in place.

If you happen to be anywhere near Spencer, Indiana this summer be sure and visit the New Union Cemetery which is home to the graves of many Davis ancestors, in particular the graves of Alexander and his daughter Elizabeth Davis Carter. The New Union Cemetery is easy to locate. It is 5 miles northwest of Spencer at the corner of Rattlesnake Rd and McKay Rd. (also marked as Shepard Patrick Rd.)

Two other descendants of Will and Bura Davis Shepard will celebrate birthdays in the next couple of days: Jason Shepard and Darren Boyd. Jason is also a Ggrandson of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower.

A GGrand. This Friday, May 18 is the birthday of my nephew Jason Shepard.  He was born and raised in San Diego but lives these days in Fort Worth, Texas where he works for Pepsico. Jason is the son of my brother Gary Shepard of Washington and Jackie Perry of Texas. The second picture shows Jason with his nephews Kyle and Nate Sauvage, children of Kelly and James Sauvage of Weatherford, Texas.

A Grand. Happy Birthday tomorrow, May 16, to Darren Boyd of Santee, California. Darren is the son of Terry and Thelma Boyd and a grandchild of Will and Bura Davis Shepard. The 12 grandchildren of Will and Bura were born over a period of almost 30 years, between 1936 and 1964, with Darren being the final one. Darren is the father of Courtney, Brandyn and Kori.

Darren: "Hi Steve. Things are good. Very busy. Courtney moved out; just Brando and Kori left. Just being a dad and working. Hope everyone is awesome." See a picture of Darren with his 3 kids in a blog post from last week.
- - -

Steve

Thank You Lord For Loving Mothers, May 11, 2012

The sweetest sounds to mortals given
Are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven.
~William Goldsmith Brown

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you on this weekend of Mother's Day, especially my mother Maida Shepard of Anacortes, Washington. Cindy and I are celebrating this special weekend in Northern California with our son Nathan and his wife Chenda, the mother of our grandchildren Preslea and Logan.

Today is the birthday of Cindy Saunders Shepard of Newcastle, Oklahoma, the wife of my cousin Dane Shepard. This Cindy is, of course, one of the THREE Cindy Shepards in our family, the others being the spouse of my brother Gary, and my own wife.

Dane: Cindy continues to be a band, bowling and camp mom along with church activities and helping out her mother and handicapped sister. I don't know what I would do without her. She is ready for a real getaway vacation as we haven't had one in three years. She keeps a watchful eye on weather reports and tracks storms for us. Thankfully, we've had no problems to report so far. I'm reminded of a verse from a hymn in honor of loving mothers:   

Thank you, Lord, for loving mothers, 
godly hearts and hands to serve; 
priced above the precious rubies, 
having virtues all observe.  

Children rise and call them blessed; 
husbands give them praises due.  
Who can tell of their adornment, 
inward beauty, pure and true?

The first picture I am including shows Cindy with her family --  her two children Nathan and Kaylan, and her husband Dane -- in a picture that was taken just a few months ago. Happy Birthday and Happy Mother's Day to Cindy!

This coming Monday, May 14, is the birthday of three different descen- dants of Will and Bura Davis Shepard: their daughter Thelma Shepard Boyd, and two of their Ggrandchildren: Christopher Shepard, and Courtney Boyd.

Thelma, who lives today in Gallup, New Mexico is the last surviving child of Will and Bura Shepard, and the last surviving member of the family of 9 who migrated to San Diego back in 1940. I am especially grateful for Thelma who is my best source of first hand information on our Shepard family and its history. She and Terry are the parents of Darren Boyd and Kim Boyd Clark.

One of the grandchildren of Terry and Thelma Boyd is Courtney Boyd whose birthday -- just like her grandmother -- is this coming Monday. Courtney, who turns 22, lives in the San Diego suburb of Santee, California with her family. The second picture shows a blond and smiling Courtney on the left next to her sister Kori, her brother Brandyn, and her dad Darren.

Christopher Shepard, who turns 28 on Monday, is the son of Darrell and Mary Medina Shepard and lives in Kirkland, Washington. The third picture, taken in March, shows Chris with his girlfriend Jessica.

Best wishes to all these birthday folks and to all the mom's among us on Mother's Day!

- - -

Steve

Shepards in The 1940 Census, May 5, 2012

I don't care how poor a person is;

if they have family, they're rich.
~Dan Wilcox

Hello Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you from San Diego on Cinco de Mayo! It's a holiday few people north of the border knew about in 1940 -- even in the border town of San Diego -- and that even fewer celebrated.

One of the most significant events for family researchers this spring is the release of the 1940 U.S. Census, with personal data on millions of Americans that has been kept confidential for 72 years.

As I sought to find out what the Census said about my Shepard and Gower grandparents, my first search was for my Shepard ancestors. (I will share what I find out about my Gower kinfolk in a future blog post.)

In April, 1940, when the Census was taken, I knew that my grandparents William Shepard and Bura Davis Shepard and their family lived in the small town of Two Buttes, Colorado.

Which was a stroke of luck. Later that year the Shepards moved from Colorado to San Diego. Finding them in the San Diego records would have been much more difficult than tracking them down in the little hamlet of Two Buttes.

When I brought up the records for Two Buttes, Colorado I found what I was looking for on the second sheet of names. There at the top of the list was William Shepard, 51 years old, with wife Bura (43), son Eugene W (18), and daughter Thelma Lee (3). (See first picture from about 1937 of teenager Eugene and his sister Thelma in Colorado.) The listing further showed that the Shepards were renting a home for only $6 per month. The record also showed that father William and son Eugene (one year out of High School) were unemployed, and that William had only worked a total of 3 weeks in the previous YEAR. 

How did the family survive? I wondered. But the biggest question I had at this point concerned Elmer, the oldest son of the family, who I thought lived with the family at this time. Did he live somewhere else in town? Had he left home for the military? I kept looking.

Three family listings later I found my uncle Willie D. Russell (31), and his wife Pauline (Shepard) Russell (23), with children Rex D. (3), and Beverly Jean (11/12 of a year old). (See second picture from 1940 of Rex and his sister Beverly Russell in Two Buttes.) Uncle Bill, the Census record showed, was working steadily for the Government at the time as a "tractor man" on road construction, having made $575 in the last year. They were renting their home for $7 per month (which puts an annual income of $575 in perspective).

I found only 4 pages of names for the entire town of Two Buttes, with 40 names on each page, but nowhere could I find the last Shepard family member at that time, Elmer. Then I discovered that the 4 page list I had been searching consisted only of those who lived IN town. There was another smaller list of families who lived OUTSIDE Two Buttes -- a 3 page list with 40 names per page. On the second page of that list I found Elmer. He was shown as a "hired hand" who lived on a farm with a family named Brown, consisting of an older widow with 5 grown children. Elmer had been with them for at least a year and was making $7 per week. (See third picture of Elmer from about 1940, taken in Colorado.)

So there they were in the Census records: all 9 members of our Shepard clan (Will, Bura, Elmer, Eugene, Thelma, Bill, Pauline, Rex and Beverly). Just 5 months after the Census was taken, all 9 left the dusty confines of South East Colorado, motored across 1,200 hot miles of barren deserts and rocky hills (that must have been an adventure in itself!) and settled in San Diego. And a whole new era in the life of the Shepard family began.

The 1940 Census records didn't show a lot of information, but enough to confirm that these were our people, and that their life was not easy in that particular region at that time. It also confirmed what I had already suspected: that financial concerns, and in particular employment opportunities, were a major factor in their wise decision to move to Southern California. 

- - -

Steve