This post is inspired by the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompt “immigration”. In addition, I have been investigating the Shephard family recently after finding some DNA Matches with some distance cousins.
My ancestor George Shephard was born in Charleton, Devon,
England on 4 September 1835. He was the fifth
child of John Camp Shephard and Priscilla Goodyear. I have previously written about Priscilla. John and Priscilla’s other children were
Jane, Susan, George (who died age 2 in 1829, so the name was reused), Mary Ann
and Samuel. Prior to marrying Priscilla,
John was married to her sister Susanna.
Marrying a dead spouses sibling was a forbidden degree of affinity at
the time but it happened, anyway. John
had 5 children with Susanna, John, Maria (died age 2 in 1817), Maria (born shortly
after her sister of the same name died), William and Phillip.
