I have been researching my wife's Newfoundland roots for almost a year now. About 8 months ago I posted a question about my wife's great grandmother Genevieve Sheppard, born in Miller’s Passage in 1903 over on the Family History Society of Newfoundland site. It seems that traffic is pretty slow over there and nobody responded. Recently I was able to track down a very helpful person in Harbour Breton who was able to finally answer my question from the local parish church records. I posted this update over there last week. I have found this site to be a treasure trove of records and useful information, and thought I might redirect my question here.
Subsequently I have been able to find a few more connected family members and have been able to connect several of the Sheppard households in Miller’s Passage on the 1921 census to my wife’s line. For anyone who might be interested, and better yet in case anyone someday reads this and is able to share more, I give the following essentials:
John Sheppard married Susan Penny (b. 1845 in Burin) on October 3, 1866, somewhere in Fortune Bay, recorded in the parish records at St. Bernard’s. They had at least 7 children that I can find records for, possibly 8, including Isaac Sheppard (b. 1875 I assume based on his baptism that year). Isaac was Genevieve’s father, and married her mother Elizabeth Green on November 20, 1901 in Miller’s Passage. His siblings, at least 3 of which were born in Miller’s Passage, include the following:
Mary Ann Sheppard, b. 1868 Elizabeth Sheppard, b. 1872 Richard Sheppard, b. 1873 Joseph Sheppard, b. 1877 in Miller’s Passage Ellen Sheppard, b. 1881 in Miller’s Passage Margaret Sheppard, b. 1883 in Miller’s Passage …and (possibly) Philomena Sheppard, b. 1888
Isaac Sheppard and Elizabeth Green had 3 children that I know of:
Genvieve Mary(Mae?) Sheppard b. 1903 at Miller’s Passage William Patrick Sheppard b. 1909 at Miller’s Passage “Jack” Sheppard , possibly born 1907 at Miller’s Passage.
By the time of the 1921 census, Genevieve was living as an “adopted daughter” with a family named Gorman in Harbour Breton, William Patrick was living with his grandmother Susan (then widowed) and two of his aunts, and “Jack” is I assume John Sheppard, born in 1907 and living with another Sheppard family in Miller’s Passage as an “adopted son”. Their parents Isaac and Elizabeth were no longer anywhere to be found, and I presume dead. I have combed through the death records available online for the Fortune Bay area and found no trace of them anywhere. Perhaps they succumbed to the Spanish Influenza epidemic in 1918 that took so many lives in this area and worldwide. I have no way so far of knowing.Their disappearance is a mystery that I am eager to get to the bottom of.
If there is ANYONE out there reading this who can point me to possible sources to find ancestors further back than John Sheppard and Susan Penny, or who can tell me who Elizabeth Green’s parents were, or who might know what became of Isaac Sheppard and his wife Elizabeth, please shout out.
Thanks for reading, and thanks even more if you have any reply.
Roy Grant
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