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Ancestors of Warren John Sheppard


Generation No. 5


      16. Samuel Shepherd, born September 7, 1826 in Cavendish, Suffolk; died August 21, 1900 in Casino, NSW. He was the son of 32. Thomas Shepherd and 33. Sarah Malyon. He married 17. Mary Ann Dare April 20, 1849 in Cavendish, Suffolk.

      17. Mary Ann Dare, born Abt. 1831 in Cavendish, Suffolk. She was the daughter of 34. William Dare and 35. Susan Mingay.

Notes for Samuel Shepherd:
My great-great grandfather, Samuel Sheppard, died on the 21st August, 1900 in a house in Barker St., Casino, NSW.

The local newspaper, "The Richmond River Express", issued on Friday August 24th, 1900, says of Samuel:

"There are occasions when death is neither expected nor unwelcome,
and this was the case of Mr.S.Sheppard, of this town, who passed
away on Tuesday last, aged 70 years.
Deceased had been invalided for several years, and for the past
twelve months was confined to bed.
He came to reside in the district 46 years ago, and was always a
conscientious, upright man, who merited the respect of his neighbours.
About a fortnight ago, he took a serious turn, and gradually becoming
weaker, he met with a peaceful end to a long and industrious life.
The deceased leaves a widow also four sons and two daughters -
Messrs.H.T.Sheppard, R.Sheppard, W.A.Sheppard, W.C.S.Sheppard,
Mrs.Hildebrand and Mrs.L.Don.
The remains were interred in the Church of England portion of the
Casino Cemetery on Wednesday afternoon last. The Rev.G.D.Frewin
and the Rev.Henry Jobson (Maclean) officiated. The later making a
touching address at the grave. The funeral was conducted by Mr. J.
Page."

Samuel died just months before the federation of the Australian colonies into the Commonwealth of Australia became a reality. During his last seven years he was ill "suffering paralysis", a fact recorded on his death certificate by Dr. A. H. Rutherford. He had lived through one of the most significant periods in the history of our nation and can be rightly called a pioneer. As regards Casino, he was there right from the beginning, seeing the town grow, seeing it proclaimed a town, and seeing the effect of the Robinson Land Acts of 1861 on Casino and its hinterland.

Samuel, and his wife Mary, arrived in Sydney on board the immigrant ship, "Gilmore", on October 18th, 1855 having left their home village of Cavendish, Suffolk, to begin the sea voyage at Southampton on June 12th, 1855.

The voyage out to the Australian colonies was common in the 1850's but still a high risk decision, especially when travelling in such a ship as the "Gilmore". Writing of a voyage on the "Gilmore" two years before Samuel and Mary's journey, Reuben F. Alexander writes:

"August 13, 1853. The ship is about 1,000 tons burthen, and has
only one class of passenger. Those whose "berths", or sleeping
apartments, are in the poop, pay 30 pounds each, and those
whose berths are between decks, pay 22 pounds each. All,
however, have the same dietary scale and are to have the same
provisions and the whole range of the ship." [Diary of Reuben F.
Alexander]

Samuel and Mary's journey out two years later was captained by the same captain as on Reubens' voyage, Captain William Scott. The difference this time, was that the "Gilmore" was full of Government immigrants.

The voyage to the Australian colonies was, by our standards, very crude. As assisted immigrants, Samuel and Mary had to supply their own table and cooking utensils, but were entitled to food rations. Usually groups of immigrants got together and made up a roster with the captain to attend to the distribution of provisions and attend to the cooking and the serving of the food. Conditions on board were basic, if not primitive - a statement affirmed in the diary of Reuben Alexander. According to other contemporary reports, mortality was high on some immigrant ships. To overcome this, the better ships had a surgeon on board who received a bounty for the immigrants who landed in the colony in good health. The records of the Immigration Board indicate that both Samuel and Mary arrived in the colony in good health.

The Gilmore arrived in Sydney with 280 passengers and a cargo that included beer, oil, cheese, shoes, cider and candles. The Sydney Morning Herald for Saturday October 20th, 1855, records:

"The Gilmore, which arrived yesterday, from Southampton, has
had a lengthy passage of 127 days, having met with much bad
weather.
On 31st August, latitude 41S, longitude 24.17E, at 2am, the vessel
was running with a fine quarterly breeze, when suddenly a heavy
sea broke on board, coming in before the main rigging on the
starboard side, and passing over the port quarter. The lifeboat and
cutter cutter laying on the booms were smashed to atoms. The
front of the poop drove in, and the berths in the cabins set apart
for a hospital, were knocked to pieces by which some of the
immigrants were severely cut and bruised. The port rail and
bulwarks were carried away and two butts, together with part of
the covering boarded started, besides other damage, fortunately
no lives were lost. Capt. Scott can only account for the un looked
for accident, by the supposition that the vessel must have passed
a shoal not laid down in the charts, as there was a comparatively
little sea running at the time.


The immigrants, who are mostly English agriculturalists, are
classified as follows: 92 married couples, 61 single men, 40 single
women and 50 children. The casualties during the passage were
six deaths (three adults and three infants).
Some complaints exist against some of the immigrants for their
conduct during the voyage, the particulars of which will transpire
in due course." [Sydney Morning Herald, Fri.Oct.19th 1855]

Samuel and Mary's home village of Cavendish is in the County of Suffolk, England, and in Stour River valley made famous by the 19th century English artist, John Constable.

According to White's 1844 Directory, Cavendish

"is a large village, on the north bank of the river Stour, nearly
3 miles E. by N. of Clare, and 6 miles NW of Sudbury, has in
its parish 1353 inhabitants...It has a fair for cattle,&c. on June
11th, and for pleasure on two following days; and is remarkable
for giving name to one of the most illustrious families (the
Cavendishes] in Great Britain...The present Earl of Burlington,
whose father was raised to that dignity in 1831, is cousin and
heir to the Duke of Devonshire. J.R.Brice, Esq. is now lord of the
manor of Cavendish...
The Church (St Mary) is a handsome structure, with a square
tower, containing six bells, and said to have been built by the
abbots of Bury. The rectory, valued in K.B. at 26 pounds, and
in 1835 at 547 pounds, is in the patronage of Jesus College,
Cambridge, and incumbency of the Rev. Thomas Castley, M.A.,
who has a good residence, and 61A.31p. of glebe...
Cavendish Free School was founded in 1696...for teaching 15
poor children of this parish in the English, Latin and Greek
tongues..." [pp.545-6 White's 1844 Suffolk]

Into this setting Samuel was born on September 7th, 1826. His wife, Mary Ann Dare, was born in 1831 and both were married on April 29th, 1849 by the same rector, the Rev. Thomas Castley who had baptised them. [On our visit to the village church in 1993 we discovered that this same minister, Thomas Castley, is buried in the aisle of the church.]

Though a lot is not known about Samuel's family, it seems that the family had lived in Cavendish for many years, a fact that can be gleaned from the parish records that go back to 1594. Samuel, like his father, Thomas Shepherd (note change of spelling) was an agricultural labourer. His wife was the daughter of William and Mary Dare. Some five years after they married the couple made the decision to leave their ancestral home to make the dangerous voyage to the colony of New South Wales. The reason for their departure is unknown, but rural poverty, the promise of a more prosperous future, the death of Samuel and Mary's mothers, and a warmer climate in "a land of opportunity" could have been reasons.

Having arrived in Sydney, Samuel moved north for work in the northern rivers district of New South Wales and to the newly proclaimed town of Casino, to the property called Tomki Station owned by then member of Parliament Clarke Irving.



Casino was proclaimed a town on November 11th, 1855. At the time it was a pioneer's town. The NSW National Directory of 1867 reports that Casino

"is situated as the head of the Richmond River; about 90 miles by
water and 50 miles by land from the Richmond River heads and
450 miles from Sydney." [p. 348]

The NSW Gazetteer of 1866 reports that Casino has

"two hotels - Durham, Ox & Tattersalls; Court of Petty sessions;
9 lock-up;National School; two stores...150 population.
Communication with Lismore by horse and dray and with Sydney
by horse and dray to Lawrence 50 miles south on the Clarence
thence by the Grafton steamer." [p.124]

Over the next 46 years Samuel and Mary became established in the town and district. Samuel was a farmer, an orchardist, a cedar cutter. Writing in the Murwillumbah "Daily News" (October 18, 1947) about the Tweed River "Cedargetters", M.J.Martyn writes:

"By 1850 there were about 12 men working the scrubs:
James Stott (whose name has been perpetuated in Stott's
Island), Richard Smith, Patrick Smith, John and Thomas Boyd,
Jack Brady, Gillet, Peter Wimbery, Samuel Sheppard, Daniel
Bullock, S. Kelly, Charlie Whitton, William Bozier, Overend,
and Dick Keyes (who incidentally later acquired a wooden leg
and became known as Hopping Dick). These men were the
vanguard of a new culture...
The boom period of cedar getting occurred in the Sixties...
Prices were high and with the influx of new population the
more distant fall became accessible..."

Into this setting too came the children born of the marriage: Eliza (1857); Henry (1859); Randolph (1861); Walter (1864); William (1867) and Rosetta (1872) - all pioneers in northern New South Wales.

Warren Sheppard 16.9.1995

[arrival on the "Gilmore" confirmed in the "Immigrants Arriving in Sydney and Newcastle 1844-59" file found in the Newcastle Local Studies Centre. It says that Samuel (age 28) and Mary A Shepherd (age 23) arrived on the Gilmore in 1855.



More About Samuel Shepherd:
Baptised: October 1, 1826, baptised, Cavendish, England
Cause of death (2): August 21, 1900, died "suffering paralysis"
Immigrant Ship: October 18, 1855, "Gilmore" arrived in Sydney NSW
Occupation: farmer/orcharist/grazier/cedar getter
Religion: member of the Church of England

More About Mary Ann Dare:
Baptised: May 8, 1831, baptised, Cavendish, England
Immigrant Ship: October 18, 1855, arrived in Sydney NSW on the "Gilmore"
Occupation: home duties
Religion: member of Church of England
     
Children of Samuel Shepherd and Mary Dare are:
  8 i.   Randolph St Clair Sheppard, born March 31, 1861 in Tomki, near Casino, NSW; died May 31, 1932 in Casino, NSW; married Margaret Caroline Johnson July 16, 1883 in Casino, NSW.
  ii.   Eliza Emma Sheppard, born December 27, 1856 in Tomki, near Casino, NSW, Australia; died August 6, 1955 in Casino, NSW, Australia; married Frederick Hildebrand August 17, 1875 in Casino, NSW, Australia; born 1841 in Sydney, NSW, Australia; died September 1, 1920 in Leeville, NSW, Australia.
  Notes for Eliza Emma Sheppard:
From "Fighting Sons of the Empire"" B.Jackson & Co, Sydney (undated c. 1918):
Driver Randolph Hilderbrand, Sergeant George Walter Hilderbrand, Signaller Leslie Hilderbrand, Tropper Thomas William Hildebrand, Private Samuel Hilderbrand

"The parents of the above five soldiers, FREDERICK and ELIZA HILDERBRAND, reside at Leeville, via Casino.
Driver RANDOLPH HILDERBRAND (2548) is 25 years of age, and enlisted at Casino in August, 1915. He trained at Moore Park, Sydney, and sailed for Egypt in November, 1915. He was finally sent to France, where he is still in action.
Signaller LESLIE HILDERBRAND (1046) enlisted at Casino in January, 1916, and is 21 years of age. He arrived in England in July 1916, where he was training at Salisbury Plains. He was sent to France, being slightly wounded in the battle of Messines, but has now recovered.
Sergeant GEORGE WALTER HILDEBRAND (2371) enlisted in may, 1915, at Casino, and was in action at Gallipoli, taking part in the evacuation. He was wounded at Pozieres, France, and after six months returned to the firing line, but became ill. He was sent to hospital, then to a convalescent home in Rouen, where he was promoted to Company Sergeant-Major. He is 27 years of age.
Trooper THOMAS WILLIAM HILDERBRAND (2999) is 36 years of age, and enlisted in the Light Horse in March, 1916. he sailed in October, 1916, and at present is in action in Palestine.
Private SAMUEL SHEPPARD HILDERBRAND is 40 years of age, and enlisted in January, 1918. he is training at Liverpool, Sydney, and expects to leave for the front shortly.""

  iii.   Henry Thomas Sheppard, born 1859.
  More About Henry Thomas Sheppard:
Occupation: saddler

  iv.   Walter Arthur Sheppard, born 1864 in Casino, NSW, Australia; married Olive Gould 1888.
  Notes for Walter Arthur Sheppard:
Walter was a bootmaker.

  More About Walter Arthur Sheppard:
Occupation: bootmaker in Casino

  v.   William L.S. Sheppard, born 1867.
  Notes for William L.S. Sheppard:
William was an auctioneer.

  More About William L.S. Sheppard:
Occupation: auctioneer, Casino, NSW

  vi.   Rosetta Mary Ann Sheppard, born 1872 in Casino, NSW, Australia; died 1952 in Casino, NSW, Australia; married Leonard W L Don 1890 in Casino, NSW, Australia.


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