We are Very British!

I read a lot about other genealogists and their searches for ancestors in continental Europe and other regions. I have even helped a few people find their family members in South America, Germany and The Netherlands. But in my family, when you back a few generations, we are very British!

My Shepheard ancestors originated in Devon, England. As I have discussed here previously, as far back as I can trace them – the early 17^th century – they lived in or near the parish of Cornwood in southeastern Devon County.

My DNA (from an analysis by 23andMe) is 100% European in origin: 43% British, 14% French and German, 7% Scandinavian and 32% broadly Northern European. One of my mother’s great-grandfathers definitely came from Germany, although we have not been able to find out specifically where he was born or anything about his family. It is speculated that, five generations back from her, there may also have been a French connection, however, again, we have not be able to confirm such roots. The Scandinavian contribution may have come down through my father’s mother. Her grandfather came from the eastern part of Scotland which may have had a possible Viking influence.

I have several lines that go back through the USA, the full origins of which have not yet been determined. Most of them were likely from England or Scotland, the first people having arrived in North America in the 17^th century as colonists or endured servants. My father’s side was 100% British (6 ½% of that Scottish) and my mother’s side was probably at least 85% British. That would give me at least a 92% British background; the rest is a possibly a mixture of German (6 ¼%) and French (1 ½%), somewhat lower than the 23andMe analysis suggests.

Both of my wife Linda’s parents were born in Scotland and met in Canada after they emigrated in the 1920s. I am still tracing many of her lines but have found all of her ancestors came from various parts of Scotland: her paternal line from Banffshire, Moray and Nairnshire in Northern Scotland; her maternal line from Moray and the Shetland Islands. Over 85% of her DNA (also from 23andMe) originates in Britain and Ireland and the rest mainly from Northern Europe. We have not found any family lines for Linda outside of Scotland so whatever contribution the DNA represents outside of Britain will remain a mystery. I have absolutely no explanation for the 0.1% East Asian & Native American DNA! For now we regard her heritage as being 100% Scottish.

Wayne Shepheard is a volunteer with the Online Parish Clerk program, handling four parishes in Devon, England. He has published a number of articles about various aspects of genealogy and is a past Editor of Chinook, the quarterly journal of the Alberta Family Histories Society. Wayne also provides genealogical consulting services through his business, Family History Facilitated.

Family Trees Online: My MyHeritage Website Example

I have long considered whether or not to put my family tree on a public website, for family members as well as others to access. One of the side benefits would be for backup storage. Websites such as Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch Family Tree, Genes Reunited, Geni or any of the other major genealogical repositories offer both access and reasonable security of family tree information. If the owner desires, data can be protected from public view or access can be granted only to selected individuals.

I do actually have my entire family database on a personal site using The Next Generation( TNG) software. I have not spent enough time to get it ready for viewing by others but the task is high on my to-do list. That site will be for family members only.

It did happen that my family tree ended up online by accident, something I wrote about in an article in the April 2014 issue of Chinook, the quarterly journal of the Alberta Family Histories Society. After suffering a loss of files, including my latest family tree data, in a hard drive crash back in 2010, I decided I would look at online storage solutions to protect against loss of valuable genealogical information. I had heard about a system called BackUpMyTree which, when installed on my computer, automatically created a backup of all of my data on a secure site. Among the benefits of using the system were:

·       The program would keep updating the file regularly, even when I was adding to or changing it.

·       My family history would be preserved if my own computer crashed again.

·       Previous versions would also be saved in case my current tree became corrupted or if I accidentally deleted any data.

·       The program would recognize any genealogy software I happened to be using.

·       I could access the tree from anywhere just by signing into the site.

·       Most importantly, it was safe and secure!

MyHeritage acquired BackUpMyTree in late 2011 and my family tree suddenly appeared on the MyHeritage website. All my data was there to view, as profiles of each family member or in a nice, pretty tree with lots of neat symbols. Not by just anyone, of course. I still had to grant access to people before they could see the actual family information.

A big part of MyHeritage is that the system automatically searches all family trees stored on the site and compares information on individuals in the various families. MyHeritage now has billions of records, from sources around the world, in hundreds of different types of databases. All can be searched for matches automatically! They are reported to the tree owners in two ways:

·   Record Matches – These find individuals in dozens of other websites or archives, such as newspapers or censuses.

·   Smart Matches – These match individuals in my family tree with hundreds of millions of profiles of individuals in other trees.

One can store a family tree on the website for free and still get the advantage of these searches. When matches are made a tree owner then can decide whether they will pay to see a particular item.

I recently took advantage of a promotion that MyHeritage offered to get a one year subscription. I updated my family tree by importing a new GEDCOM file and deleting the old family tree so that I would not get confused with which one I was using.

I presently have 2,786 Record Matches, for 1,830 people in 60 collections, with several hundred in each of such databases as Geni, World Family Tree, Find a Grave and the England and Scotland births and christenings from the 16th to 20th centuries. I also have 14,272 Smart Matches on 3,268 other family trees which I need to go look at. Some of them might give me the names of other cousins also researching various branches of the family. Many of the matches are for records I already have sourced, such as censuses and BMD information, but I have checked a few references and found some new information I did not have before.

There are some very obscure collections on MyHeritage – to me anyway – where matches occurred as well. One I had never heard of is called the Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Immigration Cards, 1900-1965. This one was for a 1st cousin, twice removed, who had travelled to South America in 1957. He was living in Prineville, Oregon at the time of his trip. There is even a photo of him on the card, along with his birth date, birthplace, parents’ names and occupation. OK, it wasn’t earth-shattering but it was kind of neat!

I believe my data has been well-sourced and properly documented. I currently have over 8,500 individuals in more than 2,600 families in my tree. But it is daunting to think about having to go through the fact-checking exercise again when confronted with, potentially, an enormous number of new records to review. It may be worth it but I don’t expect to be able to do it in just a few days!

Websites such as MyHeritage are places where one might connect with other researchers. Equally important to the search for new information about ancestors is the potential to find other family historians, perhaps remote family members, who are looking at some of the same people. The new age of genealogy is about collaboration – sharing resources, methods and data – and building family trees together.

I recommend people go to MyHeritage, or one of the other sites, and see what online storing and sharing is all about. You might find some new cousins to help you with your family tree. (www.myheritage.com)

Now all I need is the time to go through those thousands of leads provided by MyHeritage to see is there is any information of value.

Wayne Shepheard is a volunteer with the Online Parish Clerk program, handling four parishes in Devon, England. He has published a number of articles about various aspects of genealogy and is a past Editor of Chinook, the quarterly journal of the Alberta Family Histories Society. Wayne also provides genealogical consulting services through his business, Family History Facilitated.

The Bells of St. Michael’s

One might be reasonably sure Nicholas Shepheard (1716-1786) would never have considered that Wayne Shepheard, great-grandson of his great-grandson, would have had an interest in the bells installed in the parish church at Cornwood, Devon – some 230 years later.

My family has deep roots in Devon, England – in particular, Cornwood parish in the southwestern part of the county. I have been able to trace my Shepheard ancestors back 11 generations in the area. Shepheards lived there from the early part of the 17th century until the early 1900s. I mentioned a few things about Cornwood and my ancestors in an earlier post here, titled How I Became an OPC, published on August 17, 2013.

For much of its history, the community and activities of the citizens of Cornwood parish centred around St. Michael and All Angels Church. It is here where new births were recognized through baptisms, marriages were solemnized and residents at the end of their lives were buried.

 

St. Michael and All Angels Church in Cornwood Parish, Devon County, England

(photo taken by Wayne Shepheard, 2004)

In a booklet published by the church it is described thusly:

The Church is built on the highest point of a low ridge overlooking the original village which, 700-800 years ago, would have consisted of a straggle of cob and thatched cottages, running from the present cross-roads down towards Langham Bridge on the road to Ivybridge, together with some ten outlying farms … The oldest part of the Church is the squat, slightly tapering tower. The remains of its lancet windows suggest that it dates from the early part of the 13^th century. It was probably part of an earlier building whose nave and chancel may have corresponded in size with the present nave. We know that the Church and three altars were re-dedicated in 1336. The addition of the final bay of the chancel, the porch, the vestry and, in 1984, a small annex against the north side of the tower, does not alter the basic design of the 14^th century church in the Perpendicular style which is characteristic of so many churches in Devon.

Many members of the Shepheard family were active in the Church’s activities over the centuries. Of particular note was the Nicholas Shepheard I mentioned above, my 5^th great-grandfather. He was one of the main landowners and leaders in the area, as well as a tax assessor and collector for many years. Nicholas was also the Churchwarden in 1770, when five of the six bells in the tower were installed. As a result of his being responsible to their manufacture and installation, his name was part of the inscription cast into these bells.

When we toured the church in 2004, some of the things I most wanted to see were the bells, as they had a personal and historic meaning to our family. A description of them in The Book of Cornwood and Lutton said that they “were cast by John Pennington IV of Stoke Climsland, [Cornwall] in 1770, and bear the name of Nicholas Shepherd [sic], churchwarden.” The bells were determined to be unsafe and taken down in 1939. They were sent to the foundry of John Taylor & Co. of Loughborough, Leicestershire, where they were turned and had new hangings made. The bells were rehung and rededicated, by the Bishop of Exeter, at a special ceremony, in April 1940. A letter from the Taylor company also indicated the bells bore the name of Nicholas Shepherd.

 

Left – Part of one of the bells showing the name of Nicholas Shepheard

Right – Wayne standing alongside one of the church bells on which Nicholas Shepheard’s name appears (Photos from Shepheard family files, taken in 2004).

I was curious about this because all formal documents that showed his surname spelled it the way I do. One of the local residents, along with the head bell ringer took me up into the tower where we could see the bells and clock first-hand. Much to my delight, as can be seen in the photo below, the bells indeed did show the name of “Nicholas Shepheard”.

Seeing the bells was a highlight to our trip to Cornwood. It is always a special experience when you can find your family name recorded for posterity in an important piece of the history of an area.

The bells can be heard at my Cornwood OPC website. Just click the box below St. Michael’s Bells on the Home page.

Wayne Shepheard is a volunteer with the Online Parish Clerk program, handling four parishes in Devon, England. He has published a number of articles about various aspects of genealogy and is a past Editor of Chinook, the quarterly journal of the Alberta Family Histories Society. Wayne also provides genealogical consulting services through his business, Family History Facilitated.

Reference:

Dobinson, M. [Ed.]. (1997). The Book of Cornwood and Lutton. Tiverton, Devon, England: Halsgrove.