A Favorite Day of the Year, April 28, 2014

Change it had to come

We knew it all along...

But the world looks just the same

And history ain't changed

I'll tip my hat...

Smile and grin at the change 

all around me.

~Peter Townsend

Today is one of my favorite days of the year, a day to remember three of the finest people in the recent history of our family: my father, my maternal grandmother, and a cousin. All three were San Diegans for much of their lives, but none of the three were born in California.

Beverly Russell Wilk. Yesterday was the 75th anniversary of the birth of my cousin Beverly Russell Wilk, the oldest granddaughter of Will and Bura Davis Shepard, both of whom outlived her. Bev's untimely death came in 1974 at just 35 years old. Her descendants today are her daughter Shannon Wilk and her granddaughter Emma Beverly Jean Wilk of Atchison, Kansas. Most of our family members are too young to have known her, but she was a delightful person who had a beautiful disposition and loved all her family.

The first picture shows Beverly Russell with her cousin Barbara Shepard in 1961 when Bev was 22 and Barbara was just 2.

Eugene Shepard. Today is the birthday of my father Eugene William Shepard who died 11 years ago in 2003 in Anacortes, Washington. He was born in Beaver County, Oklahoma, but lived the largest part of his life in San Diego, California where all six of his and Maida's children were born. His parents and siblings moved to San Diego in 1940 where they lived for most of their lives. Dad retired in 1976 and moved with Maida to Anacortes in 1978 where he lived the last 25 years of his life. 

The second picture shows Eugene and Maida Shepard in a picture taken in the early 1970s, when they still lived in San Diego. In the early 1970s, many of us guys -- God only knows why! -- were sprouting a "frizzy 'do" such as dad has here. 

Maida and most of her and Eugene's family still live in Western Washington, although Maida has been known to find her way back to Southern California periodically for visits. 

The family picture shows her and the family in a picture taken just a week ago on Easter Sunday in San Diego where she and daughter Barbara are enjoying a visit with their California kin. On the far right is me holding our grandson Logan. Next to us is our son Nathan holding his daughter Preslea, and his wife Chenda holding their son William. On the far left is my wife Cindy next to Maida's daughter Barbara, and Jerry Clark. Maida is in the very middle with Cindy's mom Paula Harris just in front. 

Nola Shannon Gower. Today is also a day to remember my grandmother Nola Shannon Gower, who was born 111 years ago, on this day in 1903. Or was she?

Since 1940-something there has been a question about whether Nola was born in 1903 or 1902. When her sister had a birth certificate generated for Nola during World War II, the certificate said she was born in 1902, even though Nola swore she was born in 1903. There was never a question, however, about WHERE she was born and raised: Mountain View, Arkansas. She and husband Leroy relocated to Oklahoma for 17 years before moving on to San Diego in 1942 where they settled for the rest of their lives. 

The final picture of this post shows Nola on a park bench with a dog in 1990. Like many of the pictures in my library I am not positive who took it or where. The picture file says 1990. It may have been taken when she was visiting her granddaughter Gloria Watson in Knoxville, Tennessee. If so, credit for the photo should probably be given to cousin Gloria.
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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

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Steve Shepard

Siblings Galore, April 14, 2014

Help your brother's boat across,

and your own will reach the shore.

~Hindu Proverb

Happy Birthday to Rachel! Today, Monday April 14, is the 27th birthday of my niece Rachel Shepard. She is one of the granddaughters of Maida Shepard and the daughter of Darrell and Mary Medina Shepard. Rachel lives with her folks in Kirkland, Washington.

The first picture is a collage of photos compiled by Rachel and posted on Facebook recently, in honor of Siblings Day this past Thursday, April 10, 2014. In the collage are Rachel with her 2 brothers Patrick and Christopher. The collection also works well as a celebration of Rachel's birthday! 

What? You've never heard of Siblings Day? Neither had I till I saw Rachel's post on Facebook. Wikipedia tells me that Siblings Day has been around for 15 years. In that time 39 state governors have issued proclamations recognizing it. Unfortunately our dear governor here in California is not one of the 39, which may be why it is not so well known in this great state. Why are we always behind the times here in California? (jk!) Even though it is not federally recognized (as is Mother's Day and Father's Day), awareness of Sibling's Day is growing. Recognized or not, it is a day worth observing, so kudos to Rachel for doing so!

I will even jump on the bandwagon and post here pictures of my siblings. The top part of this second picture was taken in 1970 and shows my parents Eugene and Maida Gower Shepard with my siblings: Gary, me and Linda sitting on the couch next to our parents; and Darrell, Russ and Barbara down in front. This was probably the last picture taken of all 6 siblings together. Linda died the following year.

The lower portion of this collection of pictures shows my siblings once again: Gary, me, Jerry, Darrell, Barbara and Russ. These pictures were all taken at our Shepard family reunion last summer in Anacortes, Washington, the most recent time we were all together. One difference in the 1970 picture and the 2013 pictures (besides the obvious changes that 43 years have wrought!) is the inclusion of Jerry Clark, who married my sister Linda in 1970, and has remained a part of our family ever since.

Senior Siblings. I have one other set of siblings that I want to highlight in this post. The third picture shows my mother Maida Gower Shepard and her sister Vicki Gower Johnston with their late brother Hendrix (Hank) Gower in a picture taken about 10 years ago. Hank died the year after this picture was taken.

Maida and Vicki both live today in Western Washington and are the senior siblings among us. Maida, who lives in Anacortes, was born in 1924, while Vicki, who lives in Oak Harbor, was born in 1933. They are daughters of the late Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower, and are both Great Grandmothers in their own right. Are there others among our extended family who also deserve to be honored as "senior siblings"?

Whoever your siblings are, and whatever their age may be, be thankful for them!
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Steve Shepard

"Always Compete and Never Give Up", April 8, 2014

Attract what you expect,

reflect what you desire,

become what you respect,

mirror what you admire.

Today is the anniversary of my "brother" Jerry Clark and his wife Cathrina Clark, who were married in 2006 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They live today in a beautiful home on the southside of Lubbock, Texas. Lubbock is where Jerry has lived and had his Year Book business for over 40 years. The first picture shows Jerry and Cathrina. Happy 8th Anniversary to them!

Jerry shared with me recently about an experience he had in Albuquerque where he grew up. I would like to pass on to you Jerry's reflections about a very formative experience from his High School years.

Part of my history while growing up in Albuquerque was attending Highland High where my brother and I both graduated (Terry ’62…me ’68). At that time HHS was one of the largest schools in New Mexico. Known as ‘Home of the Hornets’ or ‘the Hive’, as we referred to it. The ‘Hive’ gave me my favorite colors of blue and gold. Ask any of my family which color I will pick and they will all answer “yellow”.

I recently had the privilege of attending the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame dinner in Albuquerque. My high school track coach, Henry Sanchez, and his son, Gary, were receiving recognition for their coaching tenure at HHS. Together they coached track 55 years at ‘the hive’. Henry coached 26 years and asked his son Gary to join him as he finished college. I found Gary about a year ago and asked him to pass my best wishes along to his dad. Thankfully Gary let me know about this event. 

Henry identified me during PE class and asked me to try out for the track team in 1966. He thought I would be a good hurdler because of my long legs. I told him I didn’t want to hurdle but that I did want to run. My senior year, all things came together for us as a team and we went undefeated and won state going away by more than 30 points. It was the highlight of my 3 years at HHS.I had run on a relay team my junior year and won a state ribbon for it but we came in third as a team. I was a small part of this team my senior year but I did play a big part in two relays, the 880 and sprint medley. We had the two fastest guys in the state on our team not to mention the fastest miler too. Guys like Charles Kaspar, Stan Hill and Robert Proctor were the real talent of this team along with sophomore Mike McEachern.

We travelled to Roswell, Amarillo and El Paso and had a close call only in the Tri-State meet against Amarillo high (We won 55 to 53). The state meet later in May was interrupted by rain on Saturday night and postponed half way thru the meet. We had to wait till the next day (at a different stadium) to win going away. The closest team, Hobbs, was 31 points behind us.

This was just one of Henry’s 10 state track titles. His son, Gary, won 5 state titles. Henry was also named the National HS Coach of the Year in 1983. I showed up at the banquet excited to get to see Henry again after 46 years, but found out that he had passed just 9 days earlier. It was a bittersweet feeling. I met his widow, daughters and nieces. What a great family this Sanchez clan is! It seemed like everyone in the room (a crowd of 600) was related to him and Gary. Gary did an excellent job of accepting tearfully for his hero...his dad. 

I never knew Coach Sanchez as a person… he was always my calm, assuring coach. He knew talent and how to develop it and use it. He did demand that you give it your all. His son Gary picked up the same traits.

Coach Sanchez, I am sorry that I didn’t get to see you at the banquet to let you know of your immense impact on my life. You gave me the drive to always compete and never give up. I know I will see you again somewhere beyond the blue….and gold.

Jerry's reflections remind me of how important early experiences are to our life today as members of our families. Thanks to Jerry for these remarks.
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Steve Shepard

"Faction Over Blood", April 3, 2014

"Faction over blood."

~Veronica Roth

Happy Birthday Nate! Today is the birthday of our son Nathan Shepard. Nathan, his wife Chenda and their three children moved earlier this year from the San Francisco Bay area and now live in the canyons of San Carlos, a community of San Diego. 

Nathan was born in San Diego but has spent most of his life in Northern California. He has worked for Wells Fargo Bank for 15 years, and enjoys playing hockey, visiting San Diego's New Children's Museum with the kids, tending to the family koi pond, and growing vegetables on the sunny deck outside his office (yes, really!).

Quite a Handful. The first picture, taken back in December, shows Nathan and Chenda, with their kids Preslea, William, and Logan. Standing behind them are Cindy and I. The second picture (below) was taken back in November and shows Nathan with their older son Logan. Happy Birthday to Nathan!

Happy Birthday Jim! Tomorrow is the birthday of my cousin Jimmie Gower, who has one of the easiest birthdays to remember: 4-4-44. Jim is the second son of the late Starlene and Hank Gower and with his wife Cheryl lives in Ft. Mohave, Arizona. A native of San Diego, Jim is the second grandchild of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower.

Happy Birthday Ciara! Tomorrow is also the birthday of Ciara Ortiz, one of the GGgrandchildren of Will and Bura Shepard and the granddaughter of Kim Boyd Clark. Ciara lives with her family, including mom and dad Desiree and Jeremy Ortiz, in Blue Springs, Missouri. The picture below shows a chilly but smiling Ciara on a winter's day in Missouri.

Reflections on Family and Film. The quote at the top of this post -- "Faction over blood" -- is from the recently released film Divergent. In the film, and the novel from which it came, Veronica Roth shares a dark vision of the future where every person is placed in a particular "Faction", based upon an aptitude test. One's "Faction" is all important and determines the rest of one's life. 

The "Faction" is even more important than one's family. "Faction over blood" becomes a binding motto that guides a person's life. Is the author envisioning a time when family ties become irrelevant or even forbidden? In the future will the State finally conclude that the institution of family is so broken, that it can no longer be tolerated? In Roth's vision of things to come, it would seem so. 

Ironically, in the film the family relationships of the protagonist are the most human and compelling of all the relationships in her life. As a result, the motto "Faction above blood," has a hollow, unrealistic ring to it. I am reminded of that great dichotomy of family relationships: they can be the most maddening, painful and crazy relationships in all of life. Yet there is nothing else that can give us the same sense of humanness and fulfillment. And from all indications, even the darkest of imagined futures will never change that.
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Steve Shepard

Family Keeps You Going, March 30, 2014

Trials keep you strong,
sorrow keeps you human,
failures keep you humble,
but family keeps you going.

Happy Birthday, Joan! Tomorrow is the birthday of my cousin Joan Shepard, mother of Havilah Wardle, daughter of Elmer and Beryl Shepard and granddaughter of William and Bura Davis Shepard. Joan was born and raised in the San Diego area but lives today in Davis, California. She is the third one in our family who was born in early 1954 and therefore is celebrating an important milestone birthday.

Joan: The years continue to bring blessings. The older I become the more I appreciate all our progenitors and our children--the love and gratitude flows both ways. I still have great health, which is probably a legacy from Bura and William. I remember Granddad Shepard climbing a large, old walnut tree to trim branches when he was in his 80's. We came home that day to find him over 30 feet in the air with a saw in his hand. That's a goal to consider!

A highlight of my year was visiting Havilah and Kevin in South Texas, their current home. It's a delight to be with them and sightsee.  I always learn exponentially when with them. They help me advance into the 21st century, this time with my Christmas gift, a Nook. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to podcasts with them and brought home some favorites for my tablet, "Stuff You Missed in History Class," for example. Being with them is a joy beyond compare no matter what we do. Blessings to everyone... Joan

The first picture (above) shows Joan while she was visiting in Texas last summer. The second picture (below) is an old family photo taken in 1975 in Mira Mesa, just north of San Diego, California at the home of my brother Gary and Jackie Shepard (pictured on the right). Joan is in the middle standing next to our grandparents Bura and William Shepard. Others pictured here are Darrell Shepard (standing to Joan's right), Barbara Shepard holding Kelly Shepard, Darren Boyd, Dane Shepard, Kerri Shepard, Jason Shepard and Kim Boyd. On the ground is Russ Shepard.

Woman of Note: Anna Pickens Shannon. On this last post of March, 2014 (National Women's History Month) I want to highlight one more woman in our family tree: Anna Pickens Shannon.

My GGG grandmother Anna Pickens was born in Abbeville, South Carolina on March 24, 1785 (229 years ago this month!). She was the great granddaughter of French-Irish immigrants William Henry Pickens and his wife Margaret Pike who came to America in 1722 from Limerick, Ireland.

Anna was the child of Andrew and Mary Gillespie Pickens and was born just 2 years after the American Revolution. It was not only a time of fighting the British, but also of dealing with warring American Indians. Her father Andrew Pickens served honorably in the Revolution, while her father's first cousin (also named Andrew Pickens) was a decorated General in the war. Anna Pickens' family has a prominent place in the history of South Carolina, not only because of Abbeville where many kinfolks settled, but also because of the namesake town of Pickens, 60 miles north of Abbeville.

Anna's grandmother was also named Anna Pickens, because her maternal grandfather was a first cousin of her father. This phenomenon of marrying relatives, though not too good for the long range health of the family tree, was fairly common at this particular time in American history.

As a young woman her family migrated a few hundred miles west to the area south of Nashville, Tennessee where she met her husband-to-be, David Shannon. They were married in 1808 and helped populate the American frontier by having a family of 9 children. Sometime after the children were born her family migrated southward to the area near Tupelo in northeastern Mississippi, where she lived the last years of her life. She and husband David are buried in Keyes Cemetery near Tupelo (see photo of Keyes Cemetery by Jonathan Phillips). 

Just as the American Revolution greatly affected Anna's early life, so the Civil War affected her later life. She outlived her son David Reid Shannon, who died in the War between the States as a young family man in Louisiana in 1864. One of Anna and David's grandchildren was my great grandfather Samuel Pickens Shannon (Nola Shannon Gower's father), who was named after his grandmother Anna Pickens Shannon.

You have to give it to Anna: she endured the aftermath of the American Revolution as a child, then moved as a youngster from South Carolina to Tennessee, where she married and bore 9 children on the American frontier, and finally relocated to Mississippi, where she was a Civil War Gold Star Mother for her last years. Even though her life was not too different from many frontier women, her sacrifices were great and her place of honor in our family tree is well deserved. She is remembered with gratitude on this Women's History Month.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Happy 4th Birthday Preslea! March 26, 2014

Women's history is...

an indispensable heritage

from which we can draw 

pride, comfort, courage

and long-range vision.

~Jimmy Carter

Celebrating Women of Character, Commitment and Courage. This month I have been observing National Women's History Month, and have been telling in this blog about women of note in our family history who have been "women of character, commitment and courage." It has been a part of The National Women's History Project which has a fine website with lots of good information. 

President Jimmy Carter in 1980 first designated March as National Women's History Month. In his message to the nation at that time he said,

"From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well. Women's history is women's right -- it is an indispensable heritage from which we can draw pride, comfort, courage and long-range vision."

The foregoing certainly is true when it comes to many women in our family history, whose stories have not been told and whose influence has not often been noticed. Hence my telling this month about particular women and their important place in our history. March is drawing to a close, so in my next post I will tell of one more woman of note in our family history and recount what we know of her story.

Happy Birthday, Preslea! 

Today is the birthday of someone who will one day be a woman of note in our family history, our granddaughter Preslea Maida Shepard. She and her siblings Logan and William, along with their parents Nathan and Chenda Shepard moved to San Diego last month and are now enjoying life in Southern California. The photo presentation above is offered in celebration of Preslea's 4th Birthday!

Happy Anniversary Patrick and Nicole! This Thursday, March 28, is the 2nd wedding anniversary of my nephew Patrick Shepard and his wife Nicole Haw Shepard who were married in 2013 in Cancun, Mexico and who live today in Bothell, Washington. Last summer in July they became the proud parents of their first son Logan Joseph Shepard. The picture on the right, taken this past December, shows Pat and Nicole and their son Logan.

Patrick tells me that "Logan keeps us very busy. Logan is doing much better since his last hospitalization last month. He is over that and doing very well! Nicole quit her job at Evergreen Hospital and is now a stay at home mom! :)"  Best wishes to Patrick and Nicole for a wonderful anniversary.
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Steve Shepard

The Life Journey of Lydia Warford, March 22, 2014

Rejoice with your family

in the beautiful land of life.

~Albert Einstein

Happy Birthday Gary! Tomorrow, March 23, 2014 is my brother Gary's birthday. Gary and his wife Cindy live in Oak Harbor, Washington. Like so many of us Shepards and Gowers, Gary was born and raised in San Diego and lived here for most of his life. 11 years ago now he retired from work with the County of San Diego and moved to Washington State.

The first picture, taken last December in San Diego, shows Gary with Cindy's daughter Michele McGauran. This was at the end of a week long cruise Gary took as a civilian family member aboard the USS Nimitz, the ship to which Chief Petty Officer Michele Gauran had been assigned. Gary told me that the experience of sailing on a military vessel from Hawaii to San Diego was a trip of life time.

Lydia Warford Williams. During this National Women's History month, I have been mentioning women of note in our family history. Another of the women who deserves mention is Lydia Warford Williams, who I have not mentioned in this blog for several years. Here's a lineage that shows how she is related to me: 

Lydia Warford Williams (1782-1829) 
John Pouty Williams (1806-1892) 
Margaret Williams Spear (1845-1904) 
Caroline Spear Davis (1865-1951) 
Bura Davis Shepard (1896-1986) 
Eugene Shepard (1921-2003) 
Steve Shepard (b. 1948)

From Pennsylvania To Kentucky. Lydia was born near the end of the Revolutionary War in Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania, a town named after her uncle Joseph Warford. The town -- which still exists today -- was started when Joseph was deeded 100 acres after his service in the Revolutionary War. Lydia was the youngest of the 9 children of Henry and Elizabeth (Vanhook) Warford. When she was just 2 years old Lydia's father died, perhaps as a result of his service in the Revolution. Lydia's mother then packed up her and her 8 siblings and moved to the wilds of Northern Kentucky and settled east of Louisville.

It was on the frontier in Kentucky that Lydia finished growing up and met John Williams. She married him in 1803 and bore to him 4 children. As fate would have it, another war -- the war of 1812 -- took the primary man in her life once again when Lydia's husband John died in 1813. Instead of being the child of a widow, this time Lydia became a widow herself at just 31 years old, with 4 young children, trying to make her way on the American frontier. Kentucky records show that Lydia received in her husband's estate 203 dollars and 19 3/4 cents, which in those days was enough to move on to the next phase of life for her and her children.

On To Indiana. For some reason -- supportive relatives, close friends? -- Lydia and her 4 kids packed up and moved further west to southern Indiana, which was not much more than Indian territory. Indiana did not become a state until 1816, and even then it did so despite the warring natives that made that region a dangerous place.

Lydia and her children appear in Washington County, Indiana, in the US census records of 1820. She was obviously a hearty and brave young widow to make a life for herself in the rugged hills of southern Indiana. We don't know how she made it through the next dozen or so years, we just know it must have been a struggle for this single mother. Sometime during these years Lydia and her children moved northward to Owen County and settled near Spencer, Indiana, which would become the birthtown of my great great grandmother Maggie Spear in 1845, my great grandmother Callie Davis in 1865, and my grandmother Bura Shepard in 1896.

The second picture shows Pleasant Hill Cemetery in the beautiful wooded hills outside Spencer, Indiana, the town where Lydia lived for a time with her children, and where our Williams, Spear and Davis ancestors settled for several generations. In this cemetery several of our ancestors are buried, including John Pouty Williams, the second son of Lydia Warford Williams, and the man who would become my GGG grandfather.

In 1826, after 13 years of widowhood, Lydia married a man named William Jones and settled with him in Putnam, Indiana, some 25 miles north of Spencer. Unfortunately her life as Mrs. Jones would only last 3 years. She died in 1829 at just 47 years old. But the final 3 years must have been a welcome relief from the many uncertainties, dangers and challenges of her life to that point.

A Life To Admire. What a life journey she lived! Born in Pennsylania during the Revolutionary War, fatherless at 2, and widowed at 31 with four children. During her life, she journeyed 700 miles westward on the American frontier, and finally spent her last 3 years in relative peace. It is hard to imagine the toll that takes on a person, and the personal resources required to endure all the struggles and the heartbreak she encountered. Lydia Warford Williams Jones lived a life that deserves our admiration and our gratitude. Hers was a life that, alongside many other ancestors, has made the people of our family what we are today.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Happiness is Being Irish! March 17, 2014

Family: we may not have it all together...

but together we have it all.

~old Irish saying

Kaylan Shepard. Happy 15th Birthday this coming Wednesday to Kaylan Shepard, daughter of Dane and Cindy Shepard of Newcastle, Oklahoma. Kaylan is the youngest of the 21 great grandchildren of William and Bura Davis Shepard. 

On this day of Saint Patrick, it is worth mentioning that her paternal grandparents were Elmer and Beryl Swinney Shepard, the latter having as Irish a name as you'll find anywhere in our family tree. Best wishes to Kaylan for a wonderful birthday!

Dane: "Kaylan is finishing up her freshman year in high school. She loves music, art, and bowling. In a state tournament, she placed 8th in the girl's scratch division. She keeps us young with her interests and activities. She will be getting her driver's permit in the fall at age 15.5 and I think she will do well! We are grateful for continuing health and being able to enjoy and help family and friends."

Since March is National Women's History Month, and since today is Saint Patrick's Day, it is only fitting that I mention one of the many Irish immigrants in our family tree. And we do have many. At last count, I have identified 30 different individuals (representing 8 different family units) who came across the Atlantic from Ireland to America. My 9th great grandmother Mary Maxwell, her husband and 6 children, were among them.

Mary Maxwell Alexander. What little we know of the life of Mary Maxwell Alexander tells a tale of courage, love and adventure. She was born in 1634 in the north of Ireland in the small town of Raphoe, in County Donegal. Mary was the only daughter of Scottish parents John Maxwell and Lucy Douglas, who were part of the immigration of folks from Scotland to Northern Ireland in the 17th century, many of whom eventually continued on to America.

Mary was a girl of just 16 when she married James Alexander, also from Raphoe. While still living in Ireland Mary and James had six children. When their youngest, Jane Alexander, was just 13, Mary and husband James decided to join the thousands of others Scots-Irish and immigrate to America. They boarded one of the many small sailing vessels, probably in nearby Derry, Ireland and set sail for America, an extended and dangerous journey.

They immigrated long before the massive immigrations of the 18th and 19th centuries. In the 17th century, when Mary and her family left their homeland, poverty as well as religious persecution of Protestants prompted many to make the journey to the new world. Many felt like they were on a religious pilgrimage when they traveled to America, much like the Israelites when they left Egypt for their "promised land." Since Mary and James were devout Presbyterians, this may have been their situation. Even so it took great courage and strength of spirit to uproot one's family and sail across the Atlantic.

The records of The Early Settlers to Maryland (1968), show that in 1678, Mary and her family arrived in Maryland, where they settled for the rest of Mary and James' lives. In Mary's case that was not very long, since she died just 2 years after arriving. Her death may have been a result of the transatlantic journey or the difficulty of adjusting to the new world. Mary is buried today in Cecil County, Maryland, northeast of Baltimore.

Their youngest daughter Jane Alexander married into another Irish immigrant family in Maryland, the McKnitts, who eventually changed their name to McKnight. A daughter of that family line, Jane McKnight, married into the Shannon family, which four generations later resulted in the birth of my grandmother Nola Shannon Gower.

We do not know all the hardships and difficulties that Mary and her family encountered in their life's journey. We do know she lived in a difficult time, and had to make some courageous choices. But she and husband James did what was best for their family. They made the journey to America, and began a new life here that has resulted in a great family of descendants who can be proud of her as an ancestor. On this National Women's History month, she stands out for me as a woman who deserves our appreciation for being a person of courage, faith and hope.

The following is one line of descendancy, including 15 generations from Mary Maxwell's parents to my granddaughter Preslea Shepard. The third picture, taken last summer, shows Maida Gower Shepard and her great granddaughter Preslea Shepard, two of the people in the following lineage:

• John Maxwell (1605-1677) - wife Lucy Douglas (1602-1699)
• Mary Maxwell Alexander (1634-1680) - husband James Alexander (1634-1704)
• Jane Alexander McKnitt (1665-1691) - husband John McKnitt (1660-1714)
• John McKnitt (1687-1733) - wife Dorothy Wallace (1687-1747)
• John McKnight (1715-1771) - wife Catrine McKnight (1720 - )
• Robert McKnight (1732-1818) - wife Cathrine (1748-1805)
• Jane McKnight Shannon (1759-1830) - husband David Shannon (1756-1823)
• David McKnight Shannon (1790-1860) - wife Anna Pickens (1785-1867)
• David Reid Shannon (1821-1864) - wife Peggy Gray (1829-1899)
• Samuel Pickens Shannon (1858-1930) - wife Finetta Dearien (1861-1960)
• Nola Shannon Gower (1903-2004) - husband Leroy Gower (1899-1974)
• Maida Gower Shepard (b. 1924) - husband Eugene Shepard (1921-2003)
• Steven Shepard (b. 1948) - wife Cindy Harris Shepard (b. 1948)
• Nathan Shepard (b. 1977) - wife Chenda Sou Shepard (b. 1980)
• Preslea Maida Shepard (b. 2010)

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Steve Shepard

A Bittersweet Tale of Love and Loss, March 10, 2014

Breed is stronger than pasture.
~George Eliot

Russ and Steve. This coming Thursday, March 13, is the birthday of my youngest brother Russ Shepard of Anacortes, Washington. Russ was born and raised in San Diego but moved with his parents in 1978 to Western Washington where he has lived most of his life now. This Thursday, March 13 is also the birthday of Russ' son Steven Paul Shepard, also of Anacortes. Best wishes to both of them for a very happy birthday!

The first picture shows Steve and Russ in a picture taken yesterday in Anacortes, Washington. Thanks to my sister Barbara for this picture.

Happy Birthday Jerry. This Friday, March 14, is the birthday of my brother-by-another-mother Jerry Clark of Lubbock, Texas. Jerry has been a member of our Shepard clan ever since he married into our family back in 1970 in San Diego. At the time he and my sister Linda were students at Lubbock Christian University. The second picture shows Jerry and his wife Cathrina in a picturesque selfie taken last month in Las Vegas, Nevada. Best wishes and a very happy birthday to Jerry!

March is National Women's History month, an occasion to "recognize the victories, struggles and stories of the women who have made our country [and our family] what it is today." Here is the link to the website with all the details of National Women's History Month.

A Bittersweet Tale of Love and Loss. Tomorrow, March 11, is the wedding anniversary of my GG grandparents William Shepard and Mary Ellen Sprague Shepard who were married 154 years ago. On March 11, 1860 they tied the knot in Montgomery County, Indiana when she was 19 and he was 24 years old. 

This month, being National Women's History month, is the perfect time to highlight what we know about the life of my GG grandmother Mary Sprague Shepard and her place in our history. Soon after their marriage in 1860 Mary and William relocated 100 miles east, to a farming community south of the town of Wabash. In the spring of 1861 she became pregnant, but in the fall her husband William went off to fight in the Civil War. It would not be the last time the most important man in her life left home, never to return.

A few years ago Cindy and I were in Wabash, Indiana doing some family research. I spent one afternoon reading Wabash's weekly Newsletters for the time that Mary's husband William served in the Civil War. In every issue there were reports of the local soldiers who had died, stories of heartbroken mothers and wives, beautiful poems lamenting the horrible losses, tear jerking eulogies, and graphic descriptions of the various conflicts and number of casualties. Week after week, month after month, the headlines continued with unabated sadness, heartbreak and horror. It is hard for us today to imagine what it was like for Mary as the War dragged on interminably. In September, 1862, after William had died in July, his name finally appeared in the list of deaths in the Wabash Newsletter. 

Picking Up The Pieces. Like so many Civil War widows, Mary had to pick up the pieces of her life and somehow move on. There is no record she ever received a military pension, so she was on her own. She took her baby, named William after his father, and returned to her home in Montgomery County, Indiana. Within a few years she met an older widower named William Ragsdale and in 1865 became his wife. She also became the step-mother for his 9 children, the oldest of whom was only 2 years younger than Mary.

With William Ragsdale she had 3 more children, and over the years did her best to hold this big family together. The one casualty of this big blended family was her son William Elmer Shepard, the only child of her short lived marriage to William Shepard. The teenager William Elmer left the family in a huff about 1880 and never looked back.

As far as we know, Mary was never reunited with her son William Elmer. Instead she remained in Indiana as the faithful wife and mother of the large Ragsdale clan. She and her first husband William Shepard had less than two years together. She and second husband William Ragsdale had 22 years together. She then outlived him by 32 years and is buried today in Indianapolis, beneath a headstone where the only description of her is, appropriately enough, the word "Mother".

Endurance and Survival. We cannot imagine what it must have been like to be widowed at 22 with an infant, then suddenly become the step mother of 9 more children at age 25. And then suffer the disappearance of her first son when he was a teen, an experience not too different from the loss of her soldier husband some 18 years earlier. She endured it all and survived as best she could for the nearly 80 years that she lived.

Mary deserves to be celebrated on this National Women's History month. Hers is a life to be pondered, to be remembered, and to be honored. We can be thankful that each of us who are descendants of hers carry something of her spirit of resilience and fortitude within us.
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Steve Shepard