Robbie (2003-2018)

We lost a very dear pet this week. Robbie’s health had failed considerably over the past several months. We knew it was his time and that we had to give him relief from his daily struggles. He died very peacefully in my arms at the vet clinic on 7 October 2018.

Losing a pet is not the same as losing a parent, sibling or child. Nonetheless they become very important members of our families and I think they also deserve eulogies. Pets give us great joy and companionship. The fact that we elect euthanasia to end their stress or sickness does not take away our pain or sense of loss.

Robbie was born 29 November 2003. His registered name was Brynmill Billy Barkwell: sire, Brynmill Bobbie Burns; mother, Banffshire Chloe. That did not mean much to us, really. He was just Robbie! We brought him home on 24 January 2004.

This is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. And while it has turned out to be a very sad time, we are thankful for having had Robbie in our lives for so many years.

Robbie was a very good dog for us. He was gentle; he loved people, especially children; the kennel where he used to visit put him in with the puppies staying there because he was so friendly and liked to play with them. He was also a curious dog, and his adventuresome nature occasionally got him into trouble when he was able to get through an open gate into the wide open neighbourhood. He did not bark much, in spite of his name, except when unauthorized cats or rabbits invaded his yard. He also had a thing about cube vans and made a scene until they drove away.

As one gets older I think the loss of a pet becomes somewhat more distressing, perhaps because we see the end of their life span in terms more relative to our own. In people years, Robbie was just a little older than me – a septuagenarian – so in that respect we can say he lived a full life.

Robbie captivated our hearts. And those hearts have broken a little with him now gone. He will always be in our memories, aided by the dozens if pictures we have of him in our family albums.

The last comment the attending veterinarian said to us was that she thought we had given him a very good life. My response was “and vice versa!” He gave us a great deal of happiness in return.

The Shepheard One-Name Study

Having finally decided to embark on a one-name study of the name Shepheard I now have to formulate what the limits might be in terms of variants. In an article in volume 12 Issue 4 of the Journal of One-Name Studies, (October-December 2015), titled The Shepheard Surname: An Unlikely Name for an ONS?, I indicated that I thought there was merit in such a study, but only for the specific spelling of my name.

So, that is what we will do! I say “we” because I intend to enlist my daughter to assist in the recording of data and organizing of a website. That will reduce my work-load (Yeah, right!) but mainly it will ensure that there is someone to take over when I am gone. There is no rush there.

In the study, I will consider including other individuals with variants in spelling, but only if it can “be demonstrated that individuals with those different names had ancestors or a significant number of other family members who spelled their name as Shepheard.” One example in my family was first cousin, five times removed, John Shepheard (pictured below), who I like to say was born with an ‘a’ and died without it. I wrote about him the in the JOONS article.

 

Baptism, marriage and burial records for John Shepheard (1815-1898) of Cornwood parish, Devon

The next matter is to decide where to start; that is, what geographic region will be reviewed first. The natural place is Devon, England, where my direct line originated and where I have data back to the early 17^th century. As I demonstrated in my 2015 article, the county represents the highest concentration of people with our version of the surname into the 19^th century. Censuses from 1841 to 1871 showed the largest number of Shepheards of any county in England. That turned over in 1881 when Middlesex took over as number one.

Records for many Devon parishes only go back into the 1600s. Only three parishes have information further back than 1550, so our data for early families is limited. In Cornwood parish, where my ancestors lived for several hundred years, almost all records kept in the parish were destroyed in a fire in the churchwarden’s house in 1685, resulting in virtually nothing past that year.

By far the greatest proportion of Devon Shepheards were born in Modbury parish. Baptism records there go back to 1601. Between then and 1730, there were 265 Shepheard baptisms listed (2.04 per year). During that period there were also 102 marriages of Shepheard family members, 56 men and 46 women. There are several variants of the surname in the parish but they are intertwined and I have assumed that, because of the small size of the parish and the concentration of individuals, they are all related and members of the Shepheard family. From 1720 to 1820, there were only 83 Shepheard babies baptized in the parish (0.83 per year). I do not yet know why the numbers were falling off.

I have been going through English census records, surveying the lists by county and year. I am in the process of downloading images of the census pages that show Shepheard individuals from which I can start to construct families. I am also obtaining the pages from baptism, marriage and burial registers across England that list every individual Shepheard, as far back in time as there may be available.

With even just one spelling variation, there is an enormous amount of information available. The first year (few years?) of this study will likely be just identifying sources of information and compiling the records that show where individuals and families lived. As well as where they are now.

I am sure this is going to be both interesting and frustrating. The main goals are to find Shepheard families as far back in time and possible and, hopefully, determine how or if they are connected.

Wish us luck!

Webinar Participation

I had the pleasure earlier this month in presenting my talk about Genealogy and the Little Ice Age to two groups. One was in Seattle at the one-day conference put on by Unlock the Past. I was joined there by international experts, Blaine Bettinger, Maurice Gleeson and Cyndi Ingle.

As a special bonus, registrants to the conference can view all of the presentations on the Legacy Family Tree Webinars website. It is not too late to sign up. As Unlock the Past has announced in their latest newsletter. Details can be found for late registration on the Unlock the Past website. In addition to getting access to the 10 presentations, the price also includes an entry into a prize draw and a AU$90 discount coupon (approximately the full value of the livestream registration cost) on an order of Unlock the Past’s genealogy ebooks. A great deal!

As they say, “UPDATE 18 September 2018 – the conference and livestreaming itself has ended. You may still book for the recorded sessions – until 30 September 2018. The recorded sessions, will be available from (or before) Thursday 20 September 2018. A link and code to access these will be given to all who have registered. You will have access to the recordings for a month after you receive information on how to access them. Those who pre-booked or registered on the day for the in-person conference at the library may add access to the recordings for just the US$20 price difference.”

As a presenter, I only got to hear a few of the other talks as we were split into two rooms. I am looking forward to now hearing the rest.

Regular subscribers of Legacy Family Tree Webinars have access to the recordings as part of their annual membership. So, if you are already part of that wonderful resource, I hope you will sign in and watch all of the Seattle conference talks.

The Seattle conference and my presentation in Alberta this month offered me an opportunity to introduce my book, Surviving Mother Nature’s Tests, to more genealogists. I am eager to spread the word about how habitat has played an important role in the lives of our ancestors and that many decisions they made with respect to relocating may well have been due to the physical circumstances in which they lived or because of disasters that befell them.

Readers may purchase my book directly from Unlock the Past (Gould Genealogy & History), including an electronic (PDF) version. Print copies can also be purchased from me for Cdn$40 (plus shipping cost for those living outside Calgary, Alberta). Anyone interested can email me at survivingmnt@gmail.com to inquire about ordering.

I continue to research topics concerning natural phenomena and family history and will write more about the stories and reports I uncover – both on this blog and in articles in various journals and magazines. I am also preparing other presentations for public webinars. Stay tuned!