When she was twenty-six years old, living at her parents' home in 117 Edward Street, Port of Spain, Amy married Edward Oswald Mendes (known as Oswald), a Proprietor, of 49 Jerningham Avenue, Port of Spain.  In the marriage register, the witnesses are Oswald's brother Hugh Martin Mendes and Edith Edmee Gomez.  Edith was a sister-in-law of Amy's brother Charles Sheppard, my grandfather.

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Oswald was the son of Antonio Mendes and his second wife, Matilda Gregorio. He had two brothers - Alexander Louis and Hugh Martin. Antonio was a founding member of the United Presbyterian Church of St. Anns and in latter years became an Elder of the Church.

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As written in the Sheppard Family Bible:

"Amalia Elizabeth Sheppard and Edward Oswald Mendes were united in Marriage in the United P. Church on the 18th January 1913."

 

Out of their union came a family of eight children, seven of whom survived.  They were all  were born in Trinidad, with the exception of their second son Malcolm, born in New York City, New York.    They were:

 

• Oswald Antonio - born 20 February 1914. 

• Malcolm Arthur - born 30 March, 1915

• Olga -  born 9th October 1918 (married Anthony Poyntz Mackenzie)

• Frederick Herbert - born 24 September 1920

• Albert -  born 24 September 1920

• Charles Gilbert - born 14 June 1923

• Leonard Alfred - born 14 April 1926

• Jessie Amalia - born 14 October 1927 (married John Rooks)

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In 2012, we visited Amy and Oswald Mendes' daughter Jessie in Trinidad.  She shared with us the following story about Oswald's father Antonio Mendes.  It was written by one their grandchildren.

 

"In 1846. Antonio, then only a boy, came to Trinidad from Maderia with his father,

Joaquim, and brothers. Joao. Manoel and Francisco. Untortunately, no information is

available about his mother. The family was of modest means having abandoned their

possessions to flee religious persecution and make a new life for themselves in these islands.

 

Antonio's education was limited and his grasp of English even more so. At the age of 14

he worked diligently as a gardener in the grounds of Government House, and the story

goes that one day he was digging a hole and there he discovered a lot of money.

Whether true or not, he did manage to amass a large fortune during his life.

 

Eventually he was a merchant by trade selling all sorts of provisions and, in fact, was one of the

most successful merchants of his time. He also acquired several large properties in and
around Port of Spain, and had substantial land-holding in far flung parts of Trinidad.
Such was his wealth. that he was able to leave his eight children enough money and
so that they never had to work a day in their lives. And many of them didn’t!
Antonio married twice - first to Virginia Ferreira with whom he had five children
Emily, Caroline, Frederick Antonio, Matilda and Francis. His second wife Matilda
Gregorio, produced three children: Alexander Louis, Edward Oswald (Grampa) and
Hugh Martin.
 

Edward Oswald was Antonio and Matilda's second son. He married Amalia Elizabeth

Sheppard (Amy) and they had eight children: Oswald Antonio, Malcolm, Olga, Herbert Frederick and Albert (twins). Charles, Leonard, and Jessie.
Albert died when he was about 18 months old. 

The servant was heating water for Albert’s bath (in those days there was

no running hot water), and Albert pulled down the pan of hot water on himself.

He died a few days later in the hospital.

 

Oswald (as Edward Oswald was called). was a charming gentleman. In fact, he was

immensely proud of the term "gentleman" and it was what he claimed as his occupation

in his passport, and every other official document, until his dying day! And this really is key to our Grampa.

 

He was a man about town! Always impeccably attired in his hallmark hat and cream

coloured suit, shoes shone to perfection and without a spec of dust, he was one of

Antonio's descendants who never really worked. In addition to his own substantial

inheritance from Antonio, he also inherited half of his brother's (Hugh Martin) estate.

Martin had lived most of his adult life in Venezuela and never married. On his death in

1947,  his inheritance was divided equally between his two brothers Alexander and Oswald."