This past Christmas
my wife and I literally gave each of our grandchildren a gift of time.
Several heirloom watches
had come down to us from our parents and grandparents. Four of the watches were
passed along to our four grandchildren who we hope will also treasure them and
eventually leave them to their children or grandchildren.
James Shepheard’s Pocket Watch
The pocket watch
pictured here belonged to my Great-Grandfather James Shepheard. The watch had
been in the possession of my grandfather, James Pearson Shepheard until he died
in 1965. It came down to my father and then to me. I recently had the watch
cleaned and repaired. It does run, but because of its age it still does not
keep completely accurate time.
The watch may have
been given to James as a birthday or wedding present. Or he may have purchased
it himself once he was established in his working life. The watch was owned by
four generations of Shepheard men making it a prized family heirloom.
It was given to
grandson Ethan Charles, through his father, James, making it to a 6th
generation of owners.
 |
Pocket watch owned
by James Shepheard (1865-1940) – face and inside back of case
|
Watch Provenance
The watch is
designated as a “key wound and set” which means a key is used to wind the
movement and set the time.
The Gothic letter
"u" stamped into the case indicates a manufacture date of 1883/1884.
The Standard Mark of a lion “passant” (walking) shows the case was made of
sterling silver with 92.5% purity. The watch case has an assay mark for the
Chester Assay Office, a shield with the city’s coat of arms consisting of a
sword and three sheaves of wheat. This was used by Liverpool case makers
because there was no assay office in Liverpool and Chester was only a short
train ride away. The maker's mark, "H.G" (also stamped) is most
likely for Hugh Green of 20 Pownall Square, Liverpool. Scratch marks inside the
case were made by watch repairers when the movement was serviced (cleaned and
oiled) over the years.
 |
Photograph of inside of back case
showing the various hallmarks that indicate when and where the case was manufactured
|
The watch movement
has several large jewels, called “Liverpool windows” that are typical of
Liverpool work. The movement was made in Liverpool at around the same time the
case was hallmarked. It is unlikely there was a single watchmaker. In the 19th
century, components of watches like this were made by several specialists and
then assembled in a central factory.
The pocket-watch was
purchased in Torquay, Devon, England, at the establishment of Mr. Edward
Sermon. The movement is engraved with his name.
Edward Sermon was
originally from Birmingham, England, and worked in that city as a jeweler from
at least 1861 to 1881. In July 1881 he moved to Torquay, after purchasing a
business owned by W. H. Tozer. In
several trade directories for Torquay between 1889 and 1902, Edward was listed
under several categories: jewelers, diamond merchants, goldsmiths, opticians,
pearl merchant, silversmiths, stone & marble merchants and watch &
clock makers. His retail business was located at 10 Victoria Parade, near the
harbour.
 |
Photograph of the watch movement
showing the name of “Edwd. Sermon” of “Torquay” and the watch number “5338”;
engraving of name and birth date on case
|
A lever is present to
adjust the watch either slower (S) or faster (F). It is presently set toward
the fast rate, but it does still tend to lose some time each day. Given the age
of the watch, we probably won’t ever fix that problem.
We had my
great-grandfather’s name and birth date engraved on the back of the watch so
that anyone looking at it would know from whom it had come. The engraving is a
duplication of his actual signature.
About James Shepheard (1865-1940)
James Shepheard was
born at small farmstead called Dinnaton in Cornwood Parish, Devon, England, on 13
August 1865, to parents John Shepheard (1830-1901) and Mary Crispin Carpenter
(1830-1890).
He married Mary
Elizabeth Pearson (1866-1891) in 1890 and they took up residence at 13
Pennsylvania Road in Torquay. James was working as a gentleman’s servant and
footman for a Torquay family at the time of his marriage. James Pearson
Shepheard, the only son of James and Mary Elizabeth, was born in 1891 at the
family residence in Torquay. His mother unfortunately died a few months later.
James came to Canada
on 27 February 1913, on board the ship Ascania,
to join his son who had immigrated here in 1907. James worked on farms in
Alberta for many years including a short period when he homesteaded near
Drayton Valley. In his last few years, he lived with his son’s family. James
died on 30 October 1940 and was buried in Irricana.
James Pearson Shepheard’s Pocket Watch
The watch pictured
here was owned by my grandfather, James Pearson Shepheard. It was given to me
after his death in 1965. The watch was carried and used by him for many years.
It may have been purchased prior to his leaving for Canada in 1907, either in
Taunton, Somerset, England, or Birmingham where it was assembled.
The watch may have
been given to James Pearson as a birthday present or going away gift when he
immigrated to Canada. In any event he kept it his entire life and passed it on
to his son, Bill, who gave it to me. The watch was owned by three generations
of Shepheard men making it a prized family heirloom.
It was given to
grandson Ian Alexander (Alec).
 |
Pocket watch owned
by James Pearson Shepheard (1891-1965) – face and movement
|
Watch Provenance
The movement was made
by the American Waltham Watch Company in the USA. The original company
commenced production of watches in 1851, but after a series of setbacks emerged
as the American Waltham Watch Company in 1885. They continued to produce
watches until 1957.
The serial number
12496312 on the movement confirms this watch was made in 1903. The watch is a
stem wound and set movement, with a jewelled lever escapement with temperature
compensation balance and Breguet over-coil balance spring. The train bearings
are not jewelled, to keep cost down, hence the jewel count of seven; four
bearings for the balance staff, the impulse pin and two lever pallets.
The watch case was
made by Dennison, Wigley & Company, later to become the Dennison Watch Case
Company, in Birmingham, England. The Dennison case is the “Star” grade rolled
gold, guaranteed "to wear" 10 years (i.e. for the 9-carat gold outer
plating not to wear through for at least 10 years in normal use). Rolled gold,
or rolled gold plate, is a composite material where sheets of gold are bonded
by heat and pressure to a core of base metal such as nickel or brass. The
thickness of the gold determines how long the item will last in normal use
before the gold wears through and the base metal shows.
The serial number,
55981, on the case is consistent with a 1903 Waltham movement for which
Dennison cases were made in large numbers. The code S6F may indicate the
persons who made the case joints ("hinges") and case itself. F is
recorded as E. A. Furneaux, S as Albert Spiers. Although the movement was made
in 1903 it would not necessarily have been cased the same year, but within a
year or two. Marks have been stamped on James Pearson’s watch consisting of
three symbols: a radiant sun, crescent moon and a star. The marks do not appear
to indicate any specific type or grade of material, but simply are trademarks.
 |
Inside of movement cover and watch
case showing hallmarks indicating the maker and date of manufacture of the case
|
About James Pearson Shepheard
(1891-1965)
James Pearson
Shepheard, the only son of James Shepheard (1865-1940) and Mary Elizabeth
Pearson (1866-1891), was born on 12 March 1891 at 13 Pennsylvania Road, the
family residence in Torquay, Devon, England.
James Pearson
immigrated to Canada in 1907, on board the ship Empress of Britain, eventually settling in Irricana, Alberta. There
he met, and in 1914 married Carrie Jane Thompson (1889-1959). They had five
children together. After many decades of farming in Alberta, they relocated to
Vancouver Island in 1944.
James Pearson died in
Port Alberni, BC, on 12 September 1965.
The Pocket Watch Fob
The pocket watch has
a fob attached that was owned by another of my great-grandfathers, Newton Isaac
Thompson (1859-1937). Newton was James Pearson’s father-in-law. Photos of
Newton taken in several years from 1895 to the 1930s show him wearing the watch
fob. The later pictures have a different charm on the fob than the gold nugget
presently attached.
The fob comes down
through four generations. It eventually ended up with my sister and was passed
along to me after she died. It was also given to Alec, attached to the
Shepheard pocket watch.
 |
Great-grandfather Newton Isaac
Thompson, about 1936, and closeups of the watch fob
|
About Newton Isaac Thompson
(1859-1937)
Newton Isaac Thompson
was born on 29 October 1859 in Dunnville, Ontario, Canada, to parents John
Thompson (1826-1908) and Elizabeth Emerson (1832-1867). Both parents had immigrated
to Canada in the 1830s.
Newton moved to North
Dakota, USA, in the 1870s, where he met and in 1884 married Margaret Mary
Anderson (1857-1919). They had seven children there before they decided to come
to Alberta in 1910. The family farmed in the Keoma, Alberta area for many
decades.
In 1920, Newton
retired to Seaview, Washington, USA. He died there on 20 November 1937.
William Calvin Shepheard’s Wristwatch
The wristwatch
pictured here belonged to my father, William Calvin Shepheard (1914-1983). He
acquired it in Calgary, Alberta, sometime in the mid-1960s. Dad continued to wear the watch
until his death in 1983. The watch may have been given to Bill as a birthday or
other special occasion present. After his death it came to me.
It was given to grandson
Malcolm Macgregor (Mac).
About the Watch
The watch is a Rolex
Oyster Perpetual (self winding) wristwatch with a metal three-piece link
bracelet. The case is a 1002 model which was manufactured in the 1950s and
1960s.
 |
Rolex wristwatch
(face, band & movement) owned by William Calvin Shepheard (1914-1983)
|
It has a Calibre 1560
movement which beats (or ticks) at 18,000 bph (beats per hour). The movement
has a straight-line lever escapement and a Breguet balance spring and is meant
to be worn every day. The serial number of 1221621 indicates it was
manufactured in 1964-65.
About William Calvin Shepheard
(1914-1983)
William Calvin
Shepheard was the eldest son of James Pearson Shepheard (1891-1965) and Carrie
Jane Thompson (1889-1959). He was born in Irricana, Alberta, on 10 December
1914. The family farmed in the area for several decades while Bill was growing
up.
Bill married Norma
Mabel Miller (1917-1974) in 1939 at Irricana. They moved to Calgary shortly
after where they had five children.
William Calvin
Shepheard died on 3 November 1983 at the Vernon Fanning Care Centre in Calgary.
Jessie
Walker (Cooper) McKay’s Watch Pendant
The watch part of the
pendant necklace pictured here belonged to Linda’s mother, Jessie Walker
(Cooper) McKay. She acquired it in Calgary, Alberta, sometime in the 1950s,
perhaps as a gift.
Jessie kept the watch
and wore it regularly. It came to Linda when she died. We had Jessie’s name and
birth date engraved on the back of the watch so that anyone looking at it would
know from whom it had come.
The watch pendant was
given to granddaughter Calista James.
 |
Components of the watch
pendant owned by Jessie Walker (Cooper) McKay (1908-1998)v
|
About
the Watch Necklace
The watch was
purchased at People’s (Credit) Jewellers in Calgary in the 1950s possibly as a
birthday or anniversary present. It is a vintage Bertmar with a 17-jewel
mechanical Swiss movement and a 10k rolled gold case.
Bertmar was the house
brand name for People’s and named for the two sons of the store’s founder:
Bert(rand) and Mar(vin) Gerstein.
Originally the watch
had a black cord band that was replaced at least once. In 2007 I had Birks
Jewellers incorporate the watch into a pendant necklace for a Christmas present
to Linda, so that she could wear it when dressing up. The cable chain is 29
inches long and made of 14k gold, with a lobster clasp. The bezels are set with
the birthstones of Jessie (Blue Topaz) and Linda (Amethyst).
About
Jessie Walker (Cooper) McKay (1908-1998)
Jessie Walker Cooper
was born on 7 December 1908 in Glasgow, Scotland, to parents Alexander Cooper
(1867-1927) and Elizabeth Walker (1882-1922). She attended school in Maryhill,
a district of Glasgow, graduating in 1926 from the Gilshochill Girls’
Industrial (boarding) School.
She immigrated to
Canada on 8 August 1930 on the ship, Athenia. In Calgary, Alberta she
met William Alexander McKay (1905-1976). They married there in 1931 and spent
the rest of their lives in the city. Bill and Jessie had five children together
of whom Linda was the youngest.
Jessie died at the
Brentwood Care Centre in Calgary on 11 February 1998.
Family Heirlooms
All the watches, of
course, have special sentimental value, having been owned by our parents and
before them, for some devices, grandparents and great-grandparents.
They were given to
our grandchildren in hope that they would cherish their time and be reminded
constantly that they were loved.
