My
2nd great-grandparents, John and Mary Crispin (Carpenter) Shepheard were
married in Stoke Damerel Parish, Plymouth on April 15, 1855. John was a
labourer at the time. Both were living in Stoke Damerel Parish, John on Garden
Street and Mary on St. Aubyn Street. There is still a Garden Street in
Plymouth, although almost entirely rebuilt. St. Aubyn Street is no longer in
existence. Much of the city was bombed during World War II and the area may
have been destroyed then. They lived in a number of different places, mainly
around Cornwood Parish, prior to their move to Torquay, Devon, in the late
1870s.
A
younger brother of John’s, James Thomas Shepheard, together with his wife,
Charlotte Crispin, had been running a dairy operation in Torquay for a number
of years. James Thomas died in 1878, leaving his wife – with two young children
– to carry on. I suspect that John was recruited by Charlotte, who was also a
sister of John’s wife, Mary, to help out with the business following her
husband’s death. They are both shown as dairy owner/operators on censuses
through 1891, in the case of John, and 1901, in the case of Charlotte.
John’s
eldest son, William John Shepheard, had taken over his father’s share of the
business prior to 1901. He later expanded the business to Taunton, Somerset,
and following his death in 1908, his wife, Jane, continued as the proprietor.
My grandfather, James Pearson Shepheard, lived and worked with his aunt and
uncle for many years after his mother’s early death, until he immigrated to
Canada in 1907.
The
family’s first home in Torquay was at number 14, Princes Road. That address was
changed to 44 in the late 1940s when the local council adjusted street
addresses. The row of terraced residences appears to have just been completed
or under construction on the 1866 map of the Ellacombe area.
Map
of Ellacombe area, Torquay, Devon in 1866 (left) and 1906 (right) –
showing
locations of Shepheard family residences
|
By
1906, the area was completely developed. On the 1891 census, the family is
shown living up the street at number 28 Princes Road (now number 58). When
William John took over the dairy, it was located at 42 Princes Road (now number
72). The old dairy is now the site of a tanning salon called Beauty & The
Beach.
Number
44 (dark grey unit, previously number 14) Princes Road, Ellacombe, Torquay,
Devon –
former residence of John and Mary (Carpenter) Shepheard
|
Number 58 (light blue unit, previously number 28) Princes Road, Ellacombe, Torquay,
Devon –
former residence of John and Mary (Carpenter) Shepheard
|
Number
72 (tanning salon, previously number 42) Princes Road, Ellacombe, Torquay,
Devon –
former residence and dairy business of John and Mary (Carpenter)
Shepheard
|
My
great-grandparents, James and Mary Elizabeth (Pearson) Shepheard were living at
13 Megla Terrace (Pennsylvania Road) in 1891, located two streets south of
Princes Road. That is where my grandfather, James Pearson was born. It, too, is
multi-family complex, built in the late 19th century.
Number
13 Pennsylvania Road (unit with red door) – former residence of James and Mary
Elizabeth (Pearson) Shepheard
|
These
were the last homes in Devon, England in which my direct ancestors lived. My
grandfather immigrated to Canada in 1907, followed by his father in 1913. A
future post will deal with their homes in Canada.
Mary
Crispin (Carpenter) Shepheard died on June 27, 1890 in Torquay. John died on
January 17, 1901, also in Torquay. Both are buried in Cornwood Parish.
Gravestone
Inscription:
In Loving Memory Of
MARY CRISPIN
THE BELOVED WIFE OF
JOHN SHEPHEARD
WHO DIED JUNE 27TH 1890
AGED 60 YEARS
HER END WAS PEACE
WHOSOEVER LIVETH AND BELIEVETH
IN ME SHALL NEVER DIE
ALSO
JOHN SHEPHEARD
WHO DIED JANUARY 17TH 1901
AGED 70 YEARS
Mary
Elizabeth (Pearson) Shepheard died on October 4, 1891, in Torquay, just seven
months after the birth of my grandfather. She is buried in the Hele Road
Cemetery there.
Gravestone
Inscription:
In Loving Memory
MARY ELIZABETH
THE BELOVED WIFE OF
JAMES SHEPHEARD
WHO DIED OCTOBER 4TH 1891
AGED 24 YEARS
HER END WAS PEACE
Wayne
Shepheard is a volunteer with the Online Parish Clerk program, handling four
parishes in Devon, England. He
serves as the Editor of Chinook, the quarterly
journal of the Alberta Family Histories Society. Wayne also
provides genealogical consulting services through his business, Family History Facilitated.
Regarding 72 (formerly 42)Princes Road Ellacombe. This was the home of my Grandparents on my Fathers side. From the mid 1950s until 1980. They were George & Winifred Cowling and their two sons. George ran Cowling's Bakery over the other side of town in Chelston while Winifred ran number 72 as a Bakery shop. As a kid in the 1970's one of my favorite things there were the large glass jars of brightly coloured sweets. And my least favorite had to be the far more common back then bakery shop wasps.
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