ROBERT LOUIS SHEPPARD 1920 - 1999 Robert Louis Sheppard was born on 10th March 1920, the eighth child of Charles and Elsie (Gomez) Sheppard's family of 13 children. At the time of his birth, the Sheppard family lived at Stone Street, Port of Spain. But Grandpa Charlie Sheppard later bought a large property at 30 Richmond Street to accommodate his rapidly increasing family. Young Robert and his nine siblings moved in. What an exciting new place that must have been for these children to explore! My father, Andrew , was the closest brother to Robert in age, born in 1922. Knowing how lovingly he spoke of him, I feel certain that, had he not predeceased Robert by eight years, he would have written a heartfelt tribute to his brother, as he had done for other family members. They shared much of the same childhood experiences, the most traumatic of which was the death of their father in 1931 when they were young boys. Their father Charles Sheppard died when he was only 45 (my Dad was not quite 9 years old, Robert was 11), leaving their mother to raise them all. Their widowed mother took in boarders to supplement her limited finances, and the children understood that they had to help. When my father was 66 and living in Barbados, he wrote some stories about family life in the 1930s and, not surprisingly, many of the memories he recalled included his close brother Robert. They were only two years apart and were best buddies. He recalled the days when he, along with his brothers Robert and George were the bread delivery boys, using their big brothers’ bikes. George was the brother just before Robert and Andrew was the one just after him, so they were a close threesome growing up. When George died suddenly at age 43, Robert and Andrew were shocked and heartbroken. I can truthfully say that it was the first time I saw my father cry, the day he received the phone call from Trinidad with that tragic news. I've transcribed this account from my father's own handwritten stories. School Days "Trinidad was and is a predominantly Roman Catholic Country because of its Spanish and French origins. I was Presbyterian. Being the last of six sons, obtaining a place in the Government-run main secondary school was a problem for my brother Robert and me because we had four older brothers attending that college, Queen’s Royal College, and their regulations did not permit any more than four pupils from any one family. Consequently, Robert and I found ourselves at St. Mary’s College, otherwise known as C.I.C. (College of the Immaculate Conception), almost entirely Roman Catholic. We were definitely out of place. Apart from studies, the only other activities that we could perform were football, athletics, boxing. We were not allowed to join the Sea Scouts, nor could we join choirs nor drama clubs. Cadets was also on the list of restricted areas. We were also prevented from entering the school chapel. Whenever our Catholic friends attended Mass, we were obliged to remain in our classrooms for the period under the supervision of a Protestant teacher or a Head Boy. It was uncomfortable and confusing to be in this situation. It was not our imagination either that non-Catholics were the victims of discrimination. We were always severely punished for any infringement of the rules of the school. Being late or forgetting poetry or not completing homework always guaranteed us a beating by the Dean of Studies or the Dean of Discipline. “Ten boarders, 6 cousins, 12 of us, Mama and “poor” little friends (usually 2), say 28-30 people to be fed each and every day, breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner. We all ate a lot of bread, so Ma employed Harris, Barbadian baker who had a problem with testicular hernia always getting in his way. Harris would arrive home and start baking between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. He supplied us with 100 hops loaves, and 6 pan loaves, plus other sweet breads for tea. He also baked some 30 other pan loaves which had to be delivered to the customers before 7:00 a.m. These were friends of the family who lived in the general neighbourhood. Ma had several bread bags made, some to hold one or two or more pan loaves. Each customer had a nail on the back or front porch to hold the stringed bread bag. The empty bag would be replaced by the full one. Each bag had the customer’s name. Problem – transportation. Andrew, Robert, George borrow Boysie’s, Bertie’s and John’s bicycles, surround the bicycles with bags of bread and make sure you return for the owners to get their bicycles to get to work. We “students” had to eat breakfast quickly and walk to school – and get there in time. Many times we failed as evidenced by the black and blues on our hands or backsides as administered by our school masters. But this was all part of life. We loved Mama and understood the situation.” "In spite of everything, Robert and I succeeded up to a point. Our widowed mother could no longer afford to pay the school fees of $12.00 per three month term each, so we had to leave and find gainful employment to assist in supporting our large family of twelve children. Robert got a job with a large, diverse commercial company as an office boy." Marriage and family life Robert married the love of his life on 11 April 1942. He had just turned 22 , his beautiful bride Angela de Souza was 20 years old. Like Robert, Angela's family roots were Portuguese. Her parents were Lucy Xavier and Henrique Rodrigues de Souza. Henrique was known as Henry, and was born in São Roque, Madeira. He was a merchant who ran an alcohol retail business, as well as a bakery and a couple of grocery stores in Chaguanas and Caripachaima. He owned the White Eagle Bar and Grocery, 97 Western Main Road, St. James, Port of Spain,around 1910s-1930s. Angela's siblings were Henrietta, Jacintho “Sonny”, Teresa, Monica, Henry and Sheila de Souza. The Sheppard, Gomez and de Souza families became close, as Angela's brother "Sonny" married Robert's cousin, Angela McCartney. She was the daughter of his mother's sister Edith Gomez and Thomas McCartney. Angela Lucy de Souza 1 November 1922 - 19 November 2004 Wedding Day - 11 April 1942 Standing next to Angela is Robert's bestman, my father Andrew, wearing his military uniform. Next to Robert is their sister Sybil, left is Theresa de Souza, the bride's sister Next to my father is another of the bride's sisters, Henrietta de Souza. Robert and Angela with their children l/r standing Carol, Bobby, Charlie Wayne is seated on his mother's lap and Gail is next to him Robert and Angela celebrated their first wedding anniversary with the arrival of their firstborn, Carol Ann, who was born on 12 April, 1943. Their family quickly grew with the addition of Robert (Bobby) in 1945, Charles (Charlie) in 1946, Gail in 1947 and then 12 years later in 1959, Wayne. Trinidadians would say that Wayne was the "langiappe". Robert was first and foremost a family man. I fondly remember him as charming and outgoing, with a lovable personality and infectious smile. He was quite like my father in that respect. He grew up in a home where the piano took centre stage in the living room, and where music was a part of everyday life. He must have seen his father play the mandolin. Robert loved to sing, and had a smooth velvety voice. Luckily, we have a few nice recordings of him singing some of the popular standards of his day, accompanied by his sister Jessie. He loved nothing better than a fete - family parties at his home were often held to celebrate various occasions, with everyone gathered around their piano - the very one given to Angela by her father for her eighteenth birthday. My Uncle Robert's early days of delivering the loaves of bread around the neighbourhood and his upbringing as a middle child in such a large family stood him in good stead for a business career in management of people. Robert worked for a while with the Singer Sewing Machine Company, followed by a long and successful career with the American Esso Standard Oil (S.A.) Ltd., where he was Personnel Manager, rising to become Regional Manager, with responsibility for Trinidad, Guyana. Suriname and several other West Indian islands where Esso had branches. His negotiating skills in dealing with trade unions were exceptional and recognized by the company. During his working career Esso transferred him to Guyana, where he moved to with his family for a few years before relocating back to his home in Trinidad. Guyanese people being known for their warm hospitality, Robert and Angela fitted right in, quickly making friends and enjoying a vibrant social life. While in Guyana, he quickly assimilated into the business community and became a Member of Council of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce in 1961. After Esso closed doors in Trinidad, Robert worked for the National Petroleum Corporation up until his retirement. After retirement, he became the Manager of The Union Club located on Independence Square in Port of Spain. It was the prime social meeting place for local businessmen. Robert's charming personality and business experience made him well suited to this position. Robert made time in his busy working life to enjoy his family and the sports he loved, together with the socializing that came along with that. He played rugby and was also at one time hockey goalkeeper for the Shamrock Club. In his private life, he was a man of faith, having been raised in a staunchly Presbyterian family. He was a Freemason, and belonged to the Royal Prince of Wales Masonic Lodge in Trinidad. He was also an active member of the Lions Club. Angela was Catholic, and as required at the time of their marriage, he promised to raise their children in the Roman Catholic faith. These beliefs and values stayed with the couple through thick and thin. Robert and Angela's eldest daughter Carol grew up to be an outstandingly beautiful and talented young lady. Many of my generation would remember her on stage at the Port of Spain Jaycees Carnival Queen show, where she competed as Miss Olympia. Contestants were sponsored by local businesses, and Carol's sponsor was her uncle Sonny de Souza, whose company sold Olympia typewriters. She wore a costume and evening gown designed by John Humphrey, husband of her cousin Helen de Sousa. Her costume depicted a volcano. Click on this link for photos. Carol married Douglas Yuille in 1964 and by 1969 they had given Robert and Angela three grandchildren. The marriages of three of their other children - Bobby to Fatima, Charlie to Anna and Gail to Errol gave them ten grandchildren in all. Of these, several are distinctly musical. As we say in the Caribbean "The mango don't fall far from the tree!" But life was to deal them the harshest of blows when in 1986, their lovely Carol died after a short illness of cancer. She was just 43 years old. Heartbreak beyond description enveloped Robert, Angela and their entire family. Carol Ann (Sheppard) Yuille Robert and Angela remained a devoted couple, until Robert passed away on 16th December 1999 when he was 79. Angela lived on for another five years, passing away at age 82 on 19th November, 2004. They are memorialized together in the De Souza family plot in the Lapeyrouse Cemetery, Port of Spain. The inscriptions on their plaques aptly describe their lives together "Loving husband and father", "Loving wife and mother". In closing, I think it fitting to share a video filmed by my husband Meindert at Robert and Angela's home in Diego Martin, Trinidad. It brings to life the warmth, hospitality and family love that they so enjoyed while gathered around the piano. We remember them with love and affection as we listen to the piano music of Robert's oldest sister Jessie (Sheppard) Brash, and Robert himself singing for us "Pennies from Heaven". The clip ends with him telling his beloved Angela "For posterity, kiss me."

I was pleased and honoured to have contributed this story to Simon Kreindler for inclusion in his book "The Sephardi Jews of Barbados (1627 to 1934)" published in November 2022. The Lobo & D'Azevedo Families Sephardic Jewish Ancestry In the winter of 1803 in Amsterdam, a Jewish couple from London registered their intention to marry. After the civil registration of the banns, their names and details provided by the couple were hung on the front of the town hall, called the Pui . There passers-by could read who wanted to get married and possibly object. If that objection was not made, the marriage could take place three weeks later. Moses Lobo was 28 years old and lived at 148 Rapenburgerstraat in the Jewish quarter of Amsterdam. He was accompanied by his father Daniel Lobo, a merchant and Public Notary, who was a witness to the registration. His bride-to-be was Sarah Azevedo, age 32, who lived at No. 3 Muidergracht over the busy Houtmarkt (wood market) situated on the canal, not far from where her bethrothed lived. Both of Sarah's parents had died, and her representative was her guardian, Moses Oliviera, who also lived at No. 3 Muideraght. On 9 December 1803, the young Jewish man signed his name Matthew Lobo in the Marriage Register. Moses (Matthew) Lobo's lineage went back six generations to Baruch Bento Osorio , of Lisbon, Portugal. Bento was among those Portuguese Jews who fled to Amsterdam during the time of the infamous Catholic Inquisition. Matthew's parents were cousins, Daniel Jessurun Lobo and Sipora Jessurun Lobo, children of two Dutch Jessurun Lobo brothers - David and Abraham. The story of our Sephardic Lobo ancestor Baruch Bento Osorio and the serendipitous way I learnt about him can be seen here . Moses (Matthew) and Sarah Lobo's first son Daniel Moses Lobo was born in Amsterdam on August 24, 1805. In 1806 the couple moved to Emden in Germany. From there the family emigrated to the Dutch colony of Suriname. On 15 December 1807 in Paramaribo, Suriname, their second son Isaac de Moses Lobo was born. Both sons would emigrate to Barbados in years to come. Daniel Moses eventually left Barbados and settled in Philadelphia, where his son Moses Finzi Lobo became a prominent citizen known for his journalism. Isaac Lobo made the island of Barbados his permanent home. It is evident that Isaac's parents, Moses (Matthew) and Sarah Lobo, the young Jewish couple from London who were married in Amsterdam, followed their son Isaac to Barbados. It is recorded in Shilstone's "Monumental Inscriptions in the Jewish Synagogue at Bridgetown, Barbados" that Sarah, widow of Moses Lobo, died on 18 August 1853 aged 92 years - an exceptionally long lifetime, especially in that era. Though so far I have been unable to find documented proof, I assume that Moses also passed away in Barbados. From Suriname to Barbados Isaac de Moses Lobo Our family's Barbados story starts in the early nineteenth century with Isaac de Moses Lobo, born in Paramaribo, Suriname. Isaac married Abigail Cohen D'Azevedo on 26 March, 1834 in Barbados. Abigail was born in London on November 29 1808 to Benjamin Cohen D'Azevedo and Judith de Abraham de Paz. Benjamin's parents were Haham Moses Cohen D'Azevedo, Chief Rabbi of the Bevis Marks Synagogue in London, and his second wife, Sara de Abraham Henriques Faro. Abigail was their granddaughter. Isaac and Abigail are my 3rd great-grandparents. Isaac Lobo's prayer book which he used at the Nidhe Israel Synagogue in Barbados. This family heirloom is written in Hebrew, Ladino and English. Ladino is Judaeo-Spanish language originally spoken by Sephardic Jews in parts of the Iberian Peninsula. It is derived from Castilian Old Spanish. Abigail's oldest brother was Moses Cohen d'Azevedo , also born in London. Moses and my 3rd great-grandmother Abigail (D'Azevedo) Lobo were both grandchildren of Haham Moses Cohen D'Azevedo of London. The Haham was born in Holland in 1720 and died in London in 1784. Moses was the creator and owner of the well-known Receipt Book, dated 1813-1837, in the collection of The American Jewish Historical Society. This intriguing receipt book mentions several of my family's ancestors and close connections. A description of the Receipt Book by The Centre for Jewish History: "Leather bound receipt book of approximately 200 pages, with 20 interleaved unbound sheets filled with signed transactions of voyage records in English of the commercial dealings of the brothers Moses and Isaac in the West Indies. Of note are vital statistics of the members of the family, and the record of a slave purchase. One of the interleaved sheets contains a record of the inscriptions on the monuments of the Battle of Waterloo. Among the merchants who signed the book are the following members of the Jewish community of Barbados: Abraham Rodrigues Brandon, Isaac Lopez Brandon, Hananel de Castra, Moses Mendes da Costa, Benjamin Elkin, Mozley Elkin, Abraham Finzi, David Lindo, Jacob Lindo, Raphael Lindo, D.M. Lobo, Isaac de Moses Lobo, Jacob Lobo, Hart Lyon, John Montefiore, Phin S. Nunes, Daniel Pass. Mention is made of S.E. Daniels, Sarah Finzi, Joseph Hart, Edward Aaron Moses and Sampson Shannon." This fascinating historical document can be viewed in two parts by clicking on the following links: Moses Cohen D'Azevedo Receipt Book 1 Moses Cohen D'Azevedo Receipt Book 2 Abigail and Moses Cohen D'Azevedo had a brother called Menessah. He was born in London and died in Barbados on 20 April 1836 when he was just 33 years old. I was touched to see his young age when I came across his grave a few years ago at the Nidhe Israel Cemetery in Barbados. I laid a stone. Recorded in "Monumental Inscriptions in the Burial Ground of the Jewish Synagogues at Bridgetown, Barbados" by Eustace Shilstone. Benjamin was my g-g-g grandmother Abigail's brother. The Barbados Lobo Family Daniel Lobo Our first Barbadian-born Lobo ancestor was Daniel Lobo, my great-great grandfather. He was born on 13 October 1840 to Isaac de Moses Lobo and Abigail Cohen D'Azevedo. Daniel was the fourth of Isaac and Abigail's five Barbadian children. His siblings were Moses, Benjamin, Miriam and Edward Burnett. It appears that the family lived in Swan Street, close to the Synagogue. On 28 August 1839, The Barbadian Newspaper announced the birth of Daniel's sister Miriam, born to Mrs. Isaac Lobo in Swan Street. Again, on 26 Sept 1849, The Barbadian Newspaper, carried this sad announcement: "Died. On Monday in Swan Street after an illness of only three days, Master Edward Burnett aged 6 years 3 months and 24 days, youngest son of Isaac Lobo." Four years earlier, a great tragedy had struck the residents of Swan Street who were mostly the Jewish merchant community. In 1845 when Daniel Lobo was just five years old, a disastrous fire ravaged Swan Street where they lived. The fire started at No. 20 Swan Street, the home and business place of his uncle Daniel Moses Lobo, father of Moses Finzi Lobo , Daniel's first cousin. Following in his father Isaac de Moses Lobo's footsteps, my great-great-grandfather Daniel Lobo became a merchant. We have been told that he officiated in the Nidhe Israel Synagogue. However, while he was most certainly a congregant there with his family, so far I have been unable to find out the full extent of his participation in the Barbados Jewish community. Records show that Daniel relinquished his Jewish faith when he was only 29 years old and was baptised on the day of his marriage. On 14 June 1870 Daniel Lobo was baptized at the Anglican St. Michael's Cathedral in Bridgetown. On that very same day, he married a Christian, Elizabeth Frances Ann Stoute, at St. Leonard's Chapel, St. Michael. As further records have shown, Miss Stoute was already six months pregnant with Daniel's child. Oral tradition tells us that for these reasons, Daniel was excommunicated from the congregation of the Nidhe Israel Synagogue and shunned by his people. Only his sister Miriam Lobo, whom he called Sissy, secretly befriended him and allowed him to visit her. One can only imagine the shame and scandal in the Jewish community! Daniel's wife Elizabeth had seen sad times as a young girl. Six years prior to her marriage to Daniel, both of her parents had died within six months of each other. It must have been a terribly difficult time for Elizabeth and her seven siblings. Their father Samuel Stoute, had been a clerk at the Bridgetown docks who worked for merchants importing goods to the West Indies and exporting colonial goods. Her mother Sarah Frances Moore, owned a small property, but the family wasn't very well off. Barbadian historian Pedro Welch and genealogist Patricia Stafford had researched the Stoute family for the TV network NBC, tracing American celebrity Gwenneth Paltrow to Elizabeth's youngest sister, Rosamund Stoute . They had also contacted me for information. A link to that story can be found at the foot of this page. At the time of their marriage, Daniel Lobo's mother Abigail had also died the previous year. The marriage register shows Daniel's occupation as Merchant, and young Elizabeth as Milliner. She was living in James Street, Bridgetown and he was also living in the city. On 2nd September 1870, just three months after their marriage, Elizabeth gave birth to their son at their home in Spry Street, Bridgetown. They baptized him Isaac Clement Milton Lobo, at St. Michael's Cathedral on 12 October 1870, the same year and place where his Jewish father Daniel had been baptised. This infant Isaac Lobo, who was given the name of his grandfather Isaac de Moses Lobo, would become my great-grandfather. An interesting detail to note is that although his father Daniel was no longer a member of the Jewish community, he still faithfully followed the Sephardic tradition of naming his firstborn son after his paternal grandfather. Four years after their first child Isaac, Daniel and Elizabeth had a daughter, Edith Jane Rogers. It is here that oral tradition tells a very tragic story of my Jewish great-great grandfather. In 1976 his granddaughter Freida (Lobo) Jackson recorded the story in her hand-writing: "After his daughter Edith was born, he was a real downcast man, spurned by his people, rejected by his wife because after Edith’s birth she locked him out of her heart and bedroom. She said she already had to work at sewing and teaching dancing and did not intend to have more kids to work so hard. Poor Daniel, rejected by his wife and people, was a sad and forlorn man. He took to drink, got ill and was taken to the Poorhouse where he died to pneumonia and a broken heart." While I have no official documents to confirm this story, I do believe that like all oral family history, there must be kernels of truth in it. Daniel Lobo died on 27 December 1903, just 22 days after the birth of his sixth grandchild, Lillian Isabel. His wife Elizabeth died two years later and they were both laid to rest at the Westbury Cemetery. They didn't live long enough to know that they would become grandparents to several more children born in Barbados to their only son Isaac Clement Lobo through his marriage to Lillian Boyle. Nor would they know that their only daughter Edith would leave the shores of Barbados and settle into a new way of life in America. Isaac Clement Lobo When he was in his twenties, my great-grandfather Isaac Clement Lobo fell in love with Lillian Alicia Boyle, a beautiful brunette. Isaac was known by his second name, Clement. Lillian's parents were Thomas Graham Boyle and Elizabeth Frances (Amey) Tryhane and they lived in Hindsbury Road, St. Michael at the time of her birth. Lillian had a younger sister and brother, Millicent (Millie) and Milton Boyle. Clement and Lillian's romance blossomed into a Christmas wedding at St. Mary's Church in Bridgetown, on 22 December 1892, followed by the birth of a son two months later. On 26 February 1893 when Clarence Alfred D'Azevedo Lobo was born, Lillian was then 20 years old and Isaac Clement was 23. For the next two decades their family continued to grow, until their eleventh child, Freida, was born in September 1912. She arrived exactly nine months after her six-month old sister Daphne Freida passed away. That sad day was also Clement and Lillian's 19th Wedding Anniversary. Isaac Clement Milton Lobo (1870-1943) My great-grandfather Lillian Alicia Theodora Lobo née Boyle (1873-1962) My great-grandmother In December of 1942, Clement and Lillian celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary, but Clement passed away 18 days later on 9 January 1943. Lillian went on to live quietly in their home "Raeburn", in Hastings until she was 88, along with three of their children - Arthur, Hilda and Carmen. Arthur married late in life, after his mother had passed away, while Hilda and Carmen remained single all their lives. In a photo album belonging to his wife Lillian which has been passed down, I found the newspaper clipping of his obituary and funeral announcement published in the Barbados Advocate: MR. CLEMENT LOBO The death occurred on Saturday of Mr. Clement Lobo. formerly of the firm of Messrs. Laurie & Co. Mr. Lobo was one of those figures, all too few in life, whose heartiness and general bon homie made him a favourite with all this community. He was employed at Messrs. Laurie & Co., Steamship Agents, in the period before the Great War when Barbados was the chief coaling station in these parts. His was a geniality which attracted friendship and he always had a kind word for those in distress. His heartiness of manner which he has bequeathed to his family circle led him at times to jest even at himself when he had committed some error of judgment. A true friend, he was highly respected and it was a source of much pride to him to receive a fortnight ago a chorus of congratulations on the celebration of his Golden Wedding. Failing eyesight limited his activities in recent years but he never lost touch with the things around him, or his interest in life. To his sorrowing relatives the Advocate tenders deepest sympathy. DIED LOBO, - On Saturday morning 9th January, Isaac Clement, aged 72. His funeral took place yesterday morning in the Westbury Cemetery. LILIAN LOBO and children. 11.1.43. A graphic chart of these three generations of our Barbados Lobo family can be seen here. The Lobo Family home "Raeburn" where my great-grandparents lived and spent the last years of their life is the yellow house third left Esmée Ione D'Azevedo Lobo Clement and Lillian's eldest daughter was Esmée Ione D'Azevedo Lobo, my grandmother. She was the only one their eleven children to get married in Barbados and raise their family of five children there. Esmée Ione D'Azevedo (Lobo) St.Hill My Grandmother My grandparents Henry Garnet St. Hill and Esmee Ione d'Azevedo Lobo on their wedding day - 18th December 1913. They are at the Lobo residence "Moorehouse", 9th Avenue, Belleville, St. Michael. Esmee's parents Lillian and Clement Lobo are standing behind her at the right, while Garnet's parents are on the left of the picture, behind the bridesmaids. All of the bride's siblings are here, the youngest being the baby in the arms of her nanny. Various records show Isaac Clement Lobo's occupation as Merchant's Clerk and as Merchant. In any case, he made a very successful career in the shipping business, and by all accounts, was well respected in the community. He traveled with his wife and daughters to the U.S.A on more than one occasion to visit his family who had emigrated there. Certainly by 1907, he had bought their spacious family home called "Morehouse" in 9th Avenue Belleville. He later purchased "Raeburn" on the Hastings coast, where he and Lillian lived with their unmarried children, and where he died on 9 January 1943 when he was 72. According to my mother, when Isaac Clement died, he left Lillian a very comfortable estate which comprised several properties. These included "Calcachima" - a seaside property located on the south coast next door to where the Accra Hotel is now, "Raeburn" in Hastings, "Moorehouse" in Belleville, as well as another property at the corner of 10th Avenue Belleville and Pine Road called "Govan." There are many entertaining tales to be told about cocktail parties and family gatherings by all of us who knew our great-grandmother Lillian Lobo and our great aunts and uncles whom we met at "Raeburn". We all remember that trap door in the kitchen floor of "Raeburn" that led down a dark, dank staircase of worn stone steps, finally opening on to the beach, close to the Ocean View Hotel . It was exciting for all of us who experienced with trepidation feeling our way down, the odd red crab scurrying away, and finally seeing the strip of bright sunlight and sound of the ocean, indicating we'd reached the beach! Lobos and The Peddlers in Barbados For now, I shall recount just one small but significant memory told me by my mother, Betty (St. Hill) Sheppard. My mother fondly recalls her visits to her Lobo grandparents when they lived at "Raeburn", Hastings and would spend a lot of time with them. She loved all the fuss and attention showered on her by her grandmother and especially her spinster aunts, who had no children of their own. As a young child, she vividly remembers seeing a mahogany bookcase with shelves of several "special looking" leather-bound books which were written in Hebrew. Fascinated and curious about them, she asked what they were all about. She was told that they were her great-grandfather Daniel's Jewish books that he used at the Synagogue. Excited to think there was some precious heirloom somewhere in our family's possession, I asked my mother what ever became of the books. The story goes that nobody understood what they were about, and Judaism was not their faith. The old books were just sitting there, collecting dust. Around that time, there were Jewish peddlers who would come regularly to the Lobo's door in Hastings selling their goods. My great-aunts who lived there, thought it would be a nice thing to give away the books to these friendly Jewish itinerant salesmen. After all, the Lobos certainly had no use for them and they thought that one of these men might like to have them. Knowing my great-aunts Hilda and Carmen, I am sure they had struck up a friendly rapport with these gentlemen, and also purchased laces, ribbons and other notions from them, as Aunt Hilda was a gifted seamstress. She knitted, did fancy embroidery work and sewed most of my mother's clothes and various costumes when she was growing up. She even sewed her pretty organza wedding dress in 1943. Daniel Lobo's Sephardic Jewish books which he quite likely inherited from his father Isaac de Moses Lobo might very well have ended up in the homes of such gentlemen as Mr. Joe Kreindler or Mr. Henry Altman and are no doubt long gone. Now that I have learnt more about our family history, I rather love the idea of those Hebrew books belonging to my Sephardic Jewish ancestor being passed on to one or more of the first Ashkenazi Jewish settlers in Barbados. My dear, sweet old great-aunts would have been unaware of the significance of their gesture, but to me it was quite serendipitous. Ripe Old Age My great-grandparents Lillian and Clement Lobo at their home, "Raeburn", Hastings, Barbados The family at "Raeburn", Hastings, Barbados Above: l/r standing: Colin Lobo, Beryl (Toppin) Lobo, Arthur Lobo (aka Shortie), Marilyn Lobo, Richard Lobo Hilda Lobo, Evan Lobo l/r seated: Clarence Lobo, Lillian (Boyle) Lobo, Frank Lobo, Carmen Lobo The four Lobo brothers at "Raeburn", Hastings, Barbados - l/r Colin, Arthur, Clarence, Frank Colin married Barbadian Ivy Atkinson and Arthur married Barbadian Elene Bowen , both of whom lived to be centenarians. Neither couple had children. Clarence married Barbadian Beryl Edith Toppin and emigrated to the USA, they had a son and two daughters. Frank married Trinidadian Rita Stokes and moved to Trinidad, they had two sons and a daughter. Isaac Clement Lobo's widow Lillian (in black) with three of her children, l/r Hilda, Carmen and Arthur, mourn at his graveside, Westbury Cemetery, Barbados His resting place is beside that of his parents, Daniel and Elizabeth (Stoute) Lobo whose headstone bears the inscription "Father and Mother - dearly loved." On a visit to the Nide Israel Synagogue, Barbados - 2015 In the mikveh (usually called baño by the Sephardim) Nide Israel Synagogue Barbados - 2015 This was built in the mid-seventeenth century over a natural spring. When Sarah Massiah was fired from the Barbados mikveh in 1814, Mrs. Lobo became the bañadeira . The Mahamad did not record her first name, and I would dearly love to know it. She was probably a poor widow who was receiving a pension from the synagogue. As the bañadeira she would have been provided with a house of her own within the compound of the Synagogue. See also: BARUCH (BENTO) OSORIO MOSES FINZI LOBO My research was done through: Dutch genealogists in Amsterdam Genealogy internet sites and Facebook groups Visits to The Shilstone Library in the Barbados Museum, reference to "Monumental Inscriptions in the Burial Ground of the Jewish Synagogues at Bridgetown, Barbados" by Eustace Shilstone. Visits to the Nidhe Israel Cemetery and Museum in Barbados Visits to The Barbados Archives Visits to the Barbados Nidhe Israel Synagogue and graveyard Collecting and archiving family documents and photos, and interviews with family members The Amsterdam Archives Barbados Jewish Community A Review of the Jewish Colonists in Barbados by Wilfred S. Samuel Cohen D'Azevedo Family Chart The Occident and American Jewish Advocate: Meeting at Barbadoes Barbadoes—Progress of Education . News Items Barbados Synagogue Historic District Laura Leibman about Mikveh Rediscovering an Important Link to American Jewish History: Field Notes from the Nidhe Israel Synagogue Complex in Barbados: Laura Leibman interview with Karl Watson, November 4, 2021 SAMUEL, E. (2013). Marriages at the Nidhe Yisrael synagogue, Bridgetown, Barbados. Jewish Historical Studies, 45, 163–171. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23720251 Cohen, C. J. (1910). Moses Finzi Lobo. Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society, 19, 197–199. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43057861 Excellent Books about Barbados Jewish families: PEDDLERS ALL - Simon Kreindler THE SEPHARDI JEWS OF BARBADOS (1627 - 1934) - Simon Kreindler ONCE WE WERE SLAVES - Laura Arnold Leibman Watch author Simon Kreindler's video presentation THE SEPHARDIC JEWS OF BARBADOS As we get to know more details about the history of the Sephardim, this webpage will be updated and/or corrected.

St. Patrick's Cathedral & The Ursuline Convent Barbados The history of my family and that of many other families seems to be intertwined in one way or another with religion. My family history includes Presbyterian ancestors in Madeira fleeing to Trinidad and Jewish ancestors in Portugal fleeing to Amsterdam because of religious persecution. In Barbados, my mother's parents, Esmée and Garnet St. Hill, who were baptised in the Anglican Church, converted to Catholicism sometime circa 1928. From then on, all baptisms, marriages and funerals of my immediate family took place and are recorded in Catholic churches. St. Patrick's Cathedral was central to family life for several generations. My Trinidadian father was Presbyterian, but since my mother was Catholic, in order for the marriage to take place at St. Patrick's in 1943, he was required to make a vow to raise his children in the Catholic faith. I was educated at the Ursuline Convent, as were my mother, aunts, siblings and several cousins. Altar boys at St. Patrick's Church, circa 1933 = my uncle Harry St. Hill holding the Bible CATHOLICS IN BARBADOS by John Prideaux Transcribed from an article appearing in The Sunday Advocate, Barbados - 14 July, 1950 The Roman Catholic community in this Island is in a minority, and the arrival of “Our Lady of Fatima” has brought it into the limelight. Barbados, due to its being English from the first settlers, and not having been occupied by the French or Spanish, is the most Protestant of the West Indian Islands. It is, therefore, not surprising to learn that the Roman Catholics were the last of the four leading denominations in this Island to have a Church. The first Churches were erected by the Anglicans, the religion of the State, then came the Moravians in 1767, and built their first Church in 1794. The Wesleyans were the next on the scene and when Thomas Cook, the founder of the Methodist Missions in the West Indian Islands arrived at Barbados in 1788, he found a nucleus of Wesleyanism in existence, formed by some of the soldiers who had formerly served in Ireland. Their first Church was destroyed by a mob of young men of the upper classes in 1823. Persecution Religious persecution came to an end whilst the Duke of Wellington was Prime Minister; Lord John Russell succeeded in carrying a Bill, which enabled dissenters to hold municipal or Government offices. At last, through the fear of civil war in Ireland, similar relief was given to Catholics by the Catholic Emancipation Bill of 1829. It was not, however, until ten years after the passing of the act by Parliament that the first records of the Roman Catholic Church in Barbados are found. On the 24th of February 1839, the gentlemen of Roman Catholic belief held a meeting and a resolution was passed to petition the Roman Catholic Bishop at Trinidad for a resident priest, and they engaged themselves to subscribe, and immediately subscribed £400 for his annual salary. In reply to this petition the Right Rev. Doctor MacDonnell appointed the Rev. Wm. Rogers to the mission. On his arrival here he was welcomed by the congregation, he proposed to build a church as soon as possible. This idea was unanimous with the congregation who opened a subscription list and Father Rogers went through the Islands to raise subscriptions from other Catholic communities, which were stronger than the one at Barbados, for it is found that in 1871, twenty-two years after the completion of the Church the Catholics in this Island only numbered 513. Committee On the 1st of September, 1893, a meeting of the congregation was held and a Committee was appointed to consider the purchase of a spot of land, just over an acre in extent, belonging to Mary Walcott, and situated in Jemmott’s Lane. This situation was considered as admirable and the land was purchased for £1,500, of which £1,000 was paid down. The most active member of the congregation appears to be Mr. Edward B. Haly, of whom his Lordship Bishop MacDonnell spoke most highly in his letter to the Committee on his decision to send a Priest. Other names found on this Committee are Mr. P. Didlon (whose son afterwards became Comptroller of Customs), Mr. Drinan and Mr. Thos. Stevens. The plan of the Church was made by Major Hart of the 81st Regiment, then stationed at Barbados. This Church was to have been dedicated to St. Edward the Confessor. The cornerstone was laid on December 24th 1840, but due to the lack of funds, Father Rogers would not continue with the construction. The next record is in November 1847, when Rev. M. O’Donnelly entered into a contract for the construction of St. Patrick’s Church. More money had been contributed in the meanwhile, and the names of officers and men of the soldiers stationed here appear in the list of donations. Progress appears to have been very slow, and it was not until 1849 that this Church was completed. An address was presented to the Rev. Father M. O’Donnelly on the 1st of August 1849, congratulating him on the completion of the Church. Father O’Donnelly did not live long enough to enjoy the fruits of his labours, and he was buried in the Church itself on the Epistle side of the Altar. Bishop’s Visit On the 20th of March, 1850, the sacred congregation of De Propaganda Fide put the Church at Barbados under the Vicar Apostolic of Demerara, the Right Rev. Bishop Haynes, who paid his first visit to the Island on the 14th of July, 1851. He again visited the Island on the 12th of May, 1854. After the death of Father Nightingale, who had succeeded Father O’Donnelly, there was no resident priest, and the Bishop promised to do all in his power to induce one of the Religious Orders to take over the Mission. In 1854, it is recorded that Father Henry Segrave of the Society of Jesus, was in charge of this Church, and since then the Mission as been served by the Jesuit Father of the English province. Fickle Fate Father Strickland, who was in charge of this Church in the eighties of the last century, had the great desire to get a Convent. He maintained that there was much work to be done by nuns in Barbados. He managed to raise funds enough to build the Convent in the Churchyard, and succeed in getting Rev. Mother Ursula to be the founder. She came with another sister, and opened a school. Later she was called by His Lordship, Bishop Butler, to found another Convent at British Guiana. In 1894, Bishop Butler requested Rev. Mother Stanislaus of the British Guiana Convent to take over from the Sisters of Mercy in Barbados. She started the Convent again and under her zeal and administration the numbers grew. Her successor Rev. Mother Angela Daly, an educationalist with thirty years experience, built up a reputation for the Ursuline Convent in the West Indies. Fire Fate again struck on the night of 13th June 1897, when St. Patrick’s Church was destroyed by fire. Services were then held in the Schoolroom at the Garrison, which was loaned for the occasion; the Church was soon rebuilt, due to the energy of Father Hogan. The Legislature made a grant of £200 in aid of this, and subscriptions and donations were given not only by Catholics, but by Protestants and Jews alike. The Convent was outgrowing the size of the buildings in the Churchyard and when the residence of the late J.H. Stokes Esq. came on the market, it was purchased and the Convent removed there. Thus the lovely residence known to many as “LINDEN” became the home of the Ursuline Convent of Barbados. This lovely building soon proved to be too small, and the residence “Somerville” was purchased and added to it. Today this lovely Convent is the home of many school children not only from the other West Indian Islands but from places situated on the continent of South America, and is recognized as one of the leading educational institutions in this area. The rear or apse of the cathedral, 2024 Click on the photo below to view a photo gallery of The Ursuline Convent The Ursuline Convent in 1950 - formerly "Linden", the home of Mr. J.H. Stokes The above video documentary was researched, written and presented by Professor Emeritus Sir Henry Fraser, and shown on CBC-TV, Barbados on April 9th 2013 Sketches by Sir Henry Fraser See also: ST. ANN'S/GREYFRIARS CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, TRINIDAD

TIMES OF OUR LIVES Written on July 7, 1988 - by my father, Andrew Desmond Sheppard (transcribed from personal family memorabilia) School Days
 
 Trinidad was and is a predominantly Roman Catholic Country because of its Spanish and French origins. I was Presbyterian. Being the last of six sons, obtaining a place in the Government-run main secondary school was a problem for my brother Robert and I because we had four older brothers attending that college, Queen’s Royal College, and their regulations did not permit any more than four pupils from any one family. Consequently, Robert and I found ourselves at St. Mary’s College, otherwise known as C.I.C. (College of the Immaculate Conception), almost entirely Roman Catholic. We were definitely out of place. Apart from studies, the only other activities that we could perform were football, athletics, boxing. We were not allowed to join the Sea Scouts, nor could we join choirs nor drama clubs. Cadets was also on the list of restricted areas. We were also prevented from entering the school chapel. Whenever our Catholic friends attended Mass, we were obliged to remain in our classrooms for the period under the supervision of a Protestant teacher or a Head Boy. It was uncomfortable and confusing to be in this situation. It was not our imagination either that non-Catholics were the victims of discrimination. We were always severely punished for any infringement of the rules of the school. Being late or forgetting poetry or not completing homework always guaranteed us a beating by the Dean of Studies or the Dean of Discipline. (Photo courtesy Geoffrey MacLean) St. Mary's College (College of the Immaculate Conception)
 Frederick Street, Port of Spain (Photos courtesy Geoffrey MacLean) The former was German with very bushy eyebrows and thick, horn-rimmed glasses. He had the largest wrists I have ever seen on a medium sized man. He was deadly accurate when he administered the mandatory six strokes of the thick cane which always caught you on the finger-tips or just below. Three on each hand. Very painful and humiliating. Eventually, I found out that by rubbing the affected fingers with a garlic pod, the result was all fingers swollen to twice their size. Of course, the garlic pod was in your pants pocket and you had to use it immediately for maximum effect. Then you displayed to your form teacher and fellow pupils, the result of this unnecessary cruelty administered by a priest, of all people. I think now that it was their means of expressing frustration. Of course, the Dean of Discipline was a larger man. The biggest Irish priest in the island, I am sure. He was tall, fat and ruddy-faced, like Goering. He really enjoyed hurting poor little defenseless boys. He preferred to beat you on your backside. Poor fellow, it must have been his heart or blood pressure. He dropped down dead in his office one day. His successor was worse. He had a bad temper and he was a Trinidad-Chinese. It was my good fortune not to have known him. In spite of everything, Robert and I succeeded up to a point. Our widowed mother could no longer afford to pay the school fees of $12.00 per three month term each, so we had to leave and find gainful employment to assist in supporting our large family of twelve children. Working Days Robert got a job with a large, diverse commercial company as an office boy and I got a similar job at A. S. Brydens nearby. Soon, I was promoted to Senior Office Boy and was taught Customs procedures as well as salesmanship. Our firm had good agencies. One day I would be selling Ponds Cold Cream, Tatoo lipstick and Erasmic Herbal Soap, the next day Gestetner duplicating machines, the next day medical lines. The island of Trinidad was my territory. On Tuesdays I would walk to the Railway Station and take a 3rd class seat in the train to either San Fernando, Princes Town, Rio Claro or Sangre Grande with my sample case, to sell and get orders for delivery next day. Most of my clients were druggists and were pleasant people. I was rewarded with more territory. I was given Belmont, St. James, Woodbrook and downtown Port-of-Spain. My shoes became worn so quickly, it was expensive to walk all over the city all day. I received only $12.00 per month. One day I gathered the courage and approached Mr. Burslem, Sales Manager, who was from New Zealand. I told him that I wanted to do a better job but was restricted due to lack of transportation. He said that I was doing a good job and offered me an increase in salary of $3.00. I would now be earning $15.00 per month. The year was 1938. He also offered to buy a bicycle from Mr. Gonzalez who were distributors of a brand of bicycle of which Bryden’s were agents. This I could have immediately but my company would deduct $3.00 per month as repayment. I gladly agreed and got my cherished bicycle. I rode it all over Trinidad and cared it like a baby. Start of World War II Mr. Bryden, who held the rank of Captain in the British Army during the 1914-1918 war, was in charge of a machine-gun company and suffered bad leg injuries in action. He called me one day and told me that he believed that another World War was imminent because a mad-man in Germany named Hitler was getting too powerful. He suggested that all young men should learn to bear arms and be prepared to defend their country. To this I agreed and joined Captain Bryden’s newly formed Machine Gun Corps, a branch of the 1st Battalion of the Trinidad Volunteers. There were 30 of us volunteers and we attended “parade” thrice weekly, after work, from 5.00 p.m.. to 7.00 p.m. We were instructed in the use and care of all available firearms, the .303 rifle, .45 revolver, bayonet use and the Vickers .303 machine gun. When war was declared, we already knew all about firearms and military drill and discipline. War was declared on 3rd September, 1939 and on 4th September, the next day being Monday, I reported to the Harbour Master as a volunteer for service in the yet to be formed TRINIDAD ROYAL NAVAL VOLUNTEER RESERVE. Our local “navy” was sold for $1.00 each, the following vessels:- The “Lady Hollis”, a wooden, flat bottomed boat which was used by Government to service the adjacent islands. The “Berwynd”, a steel hulled vessel used by the Archer Coal Depot for ship to shore operations. The “Lobelia”, the private yacht of the General Manager of Trinidad Leaseholds Ltd., Trinidad’s largest oil company and oil refinery. We also commandeered a Chris-Craft speed boat for conveying officers mainly to and from the boats, plus a couple of row boats. That was our navy, September/October 1939. Our Commanding Officer, with the rank of Lieutenant Commander, was George Lindsay who had previously gained fame by coming from England to Trinidad and taking back to England a trawler named “Girl Pat” which was stolen and brought to Trinidad. His second in command was Archie Arnold, also English, long resident in Trinidad. Ken Ball, George Black, Eric Scandella, Eric Norman, Peter Golding, < space > comprised the commissioned officers. Leading seamen included Pat Castagne, Archie Larsen and others. I became cook on “Lobelia” and machine gunner on Berwynd. In all we numbered 100 other ranks (sailors) with approximately twelve commissioned and non-commissioned officers. Our base was Staubles Bay which was a resort area on the North-West Peninsula of Trinidad and which contained a large club house with swimming pool and diving boards and a jetty. It was surrounded by beach bungalows which accommodated Command Headquarters and Officers’ quarters. We were a well trained group and our morale was high. We worked hard and long hours but never complained – until one night! One never-to-be-forgotten night! Staubles Bay, Trinidad It occurred when the Quartermaster and the Armourer from Military Headquarters arrived at the Naval Base and took away all the rifles and live ammunition for checking their efficiency and to complete their inventory. That night, when everyone but the sentries was asleep, a squad of Dutch Marines arrived and quickly captured the base. These marines were from Holland, an ally of the British, and they were survivors from a sunken Dutch warship who were brought to Trinidad to await conveyance back to Holland. The local military authorities thought it would be a good opportunity to test the defenses at the gates of Trinidad. The Dutch uniforms and helmets were similar to that of the Germans. Their accents are also similar to German. These invading “Germans” arrived by sea and land. They used rubber bullets and quickly captured the base and all personnel. The Sentry at the Main Gate must have broken the world’s record for running. He has not been seen since that night. A helpless situation and a dirty trick. My family’s need for money was great and I was persuaded to leave the TRNVR and join the Canadian Bank of Commerce where I worked for just over one year. I was offered and accepted a Commission as Second Lieutenant in the newly formed 1st Works Company of the South Caribbean Force, which included all the islands of the Eastern Caribbean and British Guiana. There were only two locally appointed officers – my superior officer was a Lieutenant and we were commanded by a Captain of the Royal Engineers who was sent to train us. Our original C.O. was a World War I officer of the R.E., Captain Watson, who was the head of Ash & Watson, Construction Engineers. He was also previously in charge of Public Works. Initially our personnel were drawn from the Public Works and comprised all of the construction and maintenance trades. We had plumbers, masons, electricians, carpenters, joiners, drivers, painters, labourers, mechanics, a total complement of 120 men. Public Works foremen were appointed according to value and quality of leadership to the posts of Sergeant Major, Sergeants, Corporals, etc. We were based at St. James Barracks, Port-of-Spain, but we worked in turn or collectively at British Army Camps all over Trinidad. This included camps of the Royal Artillery and of course, the Infantry. Other than constructing roads, drains, septic tanks, we also erected all of the personnel huts, offices, garages, etc. We constructed anti-aircraft sites to accommodate the AcK-AcK guns; coastal battery bases at Gasparee, Point Fortin, Point-a-Pierre; observation towers at La Brea, San Fernando Point Fortin and other locations. Bomb shelters and underground command posts were also constructed by our Company. July 31, 1943 marks the day of our marriage. My wife Betty was Barbadian whom I met during a short vacation to Barbados. We resided in Port-of-Spain but my duties took me away constantly. It was war-time and everything was in short supply but we were grateful for the availability of certain consumables from the NAAFI (British Navy, Army & Airforce Institute) and the US Army Post Exchange. While performing work at army camps, as visiting officers we were respected and treated well. I always sat at meals on the right side and next to the Commanding Officer of the Camp. One day I arrived in time for lunch at Kerry Camp, Pointe-a-Pierre and was greeted by the Commanding Officer at the door of the Officers’ Mess. “Hello, there you are Sheppard, and just in time. How are you? I say, do you notice that strong scent coming from the direction of the valley? Rather awkward to eat with that around. Please investigate and attend to it post-haste! Thank you!” So true, the smell of human excreta pervaded the atmosphere. I soon discovered the cause. The large septic tank at the bottom of the hill, below the camp, was overflowing. The camp accommodated 500 men and about 25 commissioned officers. It being my duty as Officer in Charge of the engineers, I called my Sergeant and all available men of the engineers Company. I put on bathing trunks, gum boots and a handkerchief over my nose and together with similarly dressed men, four of us removed the heavy concrete cover of the septic tank receiver. The contents gushed out and then stopped. I volunteered to find out why and placed my hand in the down pipe and pulled away the obstruction – pieces of clothing and stockings, etc. I almost drowned in this filthy mess which came down the hill like the rapids in a river. I had to be rescued by Sapper Daniel James (the light-heavyweight boxing champion of Trinidad – Gentle Daniel) who volunteered from the beginning to help. The Borough Council of San Fernando supplied a Merryweather pump truck to clear the remaining obstruction and we had to resume the septic action by putting three jitney-loads of cow manure in the well chamber. I did not and could not eat on the memorable Friday. SAN FERNANDO HILL Photo by Chris Anderson Another day we were being conveyed up a steep hill called San Fernando Hill where we were constructing 480 concrete steps from bottom to top, where we were were also constructing an observation post. Our mode of transport was a box-like arrangement which was used to carry material such as cement. It ran on two rails and was powered by a winch at the top and pulled by a steel cable. Inside the contraption were our Commanding Officer, the Second-in-Command and myself, together with six bags of cement. Half way up the hill the cable broke and we found ourselves hurtling downhill to certain death. We opted to jump out and into the surrounding bushes. The trolley with its load of six bags of cement plummeted down the incline and collided with a solid stone wall of a house owned by a rich East Indian man. The wall was demolished. We escaped with minor cuts and bruises. Thrilling business! My Captain (Commanding Officer) and I were sent early one morning to fly over Trinidad in a “Grumman Goose” aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy based in Trinidad. Our pilot was a scar-faced veteran of the First World War who was shot down by the enemy and survived many battles. He loved thrills and action. We were sent aloft to observe and report on the camouflage requirements of all British Army camps and installations with the intention of disguising them from enemy aircraft. Royal-Navy Rn Fleet Air Arm Grumman Goose After flying over all the targets, our pilot decided to fly off-course and went over a large coastal battery on an island off the coast. All of the other areas were notified in advance with times of over-flying, estimated heights and a description of our plane. This last call was not informed as they were not scheduled for observation. Our daredevil pilot climbed to about 10,000 feet and shouted to his two passengers to "hold tight, we're going down" and with that nosed the little "goose" directly for the gun emplacement which contained a naval 12" gun. Just before crashing, he pulled out and up, causing my Commanding Officer and I to be thrown and flattened to the floor of the plane and blacked-out. The military personnel were apparently cleaning the gun and scampered for the safety of the gun recesses. Before we realized it, our crazy pilot called over the intercom “Ho ho, would you care for another bouncer?” We shouted “No, let’s go back now!” Mr. Daredevil decided otherwise. Down again he went, wings and struts screaming and shuddering. But this time they were waiting for us. Every man had a rifle or machine gun pointed at us if we got close enough. Our world War I veteran chose evasive action and we flew back to base at Piarco. There to greet us were the Commanding Officer Fleet Air Arm and other top brass from the British Army. He told them he did it for a lark. Do not know what happened to him afterwards. My Commanding Officer got out of the plane very quickly, like myself, and accidentally pulled the rip-cord of the parachute which was on his back. With the aircraft engines still working the breeze opened the parachute and pulled our hapless Captain down the runway. It took six men an entire day to fold it back. The language used by all was atrocious and unprintable. That was our last camouflage observation flight. Lots of fun. See also: ANDREW DESMOND SHEPPARD

"Descendants" - BBC Radio 4 "Descendants looks into our lives and our pasts and asks how we are connected to slavery. And, in turn, who does that mean our lives are connected to?" - BBC Radio 4 An unexpected opportunity to participate in this radio programme came my way in 2021 when I received an email from BBC Radio 4. The story of my great-grandfather Alfred Sheppard led to this experience. I consider it an honour to have been among those selected to contribute to these important and timely stories. The series of seven episodes was aired each Friday from 28 May until 9 July, 2021. An introductory Zoom call and further exchanges of emails with the producer explained the project. CLICK TO SEE THE BBC RADIO 4 PROMOTIONAL VIDEO 'DESCENDANTS' The series is now available as podcasts that can be downloaded. Listened to in sequence, the stories are poignantly revealing. I find it fascinating to see all the links and connections that people all over the world share. The home page for the entire programme of seven episodes is Descendants . I was featured in Episode 3 , which was broadcast on Friday 11 June, 2021. My husband Meindert is a documenter/editor and filmed me during the Zoom interviews with producer Candace Wilson. He has added video to the portion of the program where I speak, preceded by the story of the evolvement of the steelpan as a musical instrument in Trinidad Carnival (for which there's no video). It is a shortened version of the episode. I might add that I did not know beforehand what specifically I would be asked, and so my answers were unrehearsed. You may wonder about the pile of books with the iPhone on top. That’s because I needed to place it at mouth level in order to record myself. That audio recording was used by the BBC. In listening to the stories on Descendants, I realize that the common thread running through the lives of all of the contributors is the absence of knowledge of their forefathers' lives. I've received several reactions that encourage me to continue writing and exploring our past, and to put into context the world in which our ancestors lived. My great-grandfather Alfred Sheppard was a man of his times, performing his duties as Sergeant-Major with the Colonial Police during an important turning point in Trinidad history. He was a family man, adapting to life in a foreign country, raising his family and being involved with social activities, particularly those held by the Portuguese community in Trinidad. His careful documentation in our family Bible has enabled us to know our genealogical history; delving into those times gives us a better understanding of the circumstances of his life. Below are four of the reactions I received from people in different parts of the world. "I’m so proud you’ve participated in conversations like this! I think it’s a big step especially for your generation to actually own and acknowledge the educational erasure during your upbringing and the general amnesia towards the past. I think there’s an interesting contrast with the young black man from the UK, like spheres of life that usually wouldn’t cross over being presented and shared in this way.” Kayla Archer (Granddaughter, Barbados) University of Leiden, Den Haag, Netherlands (BA International Studies) "I listened, last week, to the whole series of ‘Descendants’ which is the most fascinating and shocking series of our history that should be broadcasted in every school worldwide . I was so surprised and happy to hear your voice relating yet another interesting piece of your family history. I realise that how much we just carry on , without really considering what we know and why we know it and whether it’s correct or needs revising. Like you , I learnt ‘British History 1700 to 1945 at Grammar School but my mother always pointed out that my History text books were exceedingly blinkered and should be renamed as ‘English History’ as there was absolutely no reference to the Scottish Enlightenment or the plight of Scots or Welsh or Irish to maintain their identities so the rest of the world only existed if ‘we’ ( the English!?) went to war with them . I hope that all people , slowly but surely can find their own two feet and be whoever they feel they are and not be told who they are. Congratulations on your fascinating and eloquent story on Radio 4..." Much love and admiration, Susan - (Scottish-born Artist, The Netherlands) "Fascinating and refreshingly honest." - Liz (United Kingdom) "I thought the program was fascinating and I’m delighted that you were part of it. It is true that the interviewer collapses history in a rather efficient way that is not exactly accurate, suggesting that somehow the carnival started after emancipation, when history shows it to have it begun well before. There were a few other generalizations of that misleading kind that often tend to happen when history is collapsed into sound bites. I thought your role was fascinating and that you handled it beautifully and answered the questions in a really informed and thoughtful way. I was particularly interested in the big house aspect of your interview. Certainly those estate houses are beautiful and played a major role in the histories of both Barbados and Trinidad. I think it also useful that cross-links are being established through ancestral histories that show the interconnection of different races and different people with the history of enslavement. That is one of the best features of this project!" Milla C. Riggio James J Goodwin Professor of English, emerita Trinity College Hartford, CT, USA Milla Cozart Riggio has focused her research and much of her pedagogy since 1995 on Trinidad Carnival and the plays of Shakespeare. She has coordinated world conferences on Carnival, and served as a frequent consultant for the Trinidad and Tobago National Carnival Commission. She currently coordinates the Trinity-in-Trinidad Global Learning site, an exchange program that brings students from institutions in the U.S. to study in Trinidad each year. Among her books are included an edited volume entitled Teaching Shakespeare through Performance, as well as three books she edited or co-edited on Trinidad Carnival. She co-edited In Trinidad, a book of photographs by Trinity Professor Pablo Delano, published in 2008 by Ian Randle Publishers. These videos tell the story of Sunbury, referred to in Episode 3 and Episode 4 of "Descendants". The Dining Room at Sunbury Table ready for a private dinner party I attended, hosted by the then owners of Sunbury, Keith & Angela Melville "People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them." ~ James Baldwin

Mary Marjorie (Madge) Gonsalves née Sheppard This story of Madge was lovingly written in her memory by her eldest child, George Gonsalves Our mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, Mary Marjorie Gonsalves, née Sheppard (“Madge”), was born on 28 December 1910. She was the second child and second daughter of Elsie Mabel Sheppard , née Gomez, and Charles Sebastian Theodore Sheppard. She was born in Port of Spain into a very talented musical family, but she inherited none of those talents. She could not play an instrument and was unable to carry a tune vocally. As a child growing up, she remembered Sundays as being quite difficult. Her father was a wonderful mandolin player and her siblings mastered other instruments. In early days, the family observed strict sabbath laws. The day began with a cold breakfast, a walk to St. Ann’s Church , a couple of hours of church service and listening to a fire and brimstone sermon, then a walk back home to a cold lunch. The afternoon was spent singing hymns. Mum usually felt left out, since she could play no instruments and her voice did not add to the melodies of the hymns being sung. After tea, they would walk back to the church for Vespers. Then came Monday and school. Mum disliked school in her early years. She appears to have had some learning difficulties and was not treated sympathetically by her teachers. One teacher, however, took her under her wing and helped her with her penmanship. Her handwriting was beautiful. Mum, however, had buck teeth, a cause for derision by her schoolmates. Her protruding front teeth made her extremely self conscious. Her father, our Grandpa, took great pity of her. One day he spoke to a Venezuelan dentist who said he could put Mum in braces. The dentist demanded a huge sum of money in advance plus he said he needed a large number of gold sovereigns with which he was going to make the braces. Grandpa complied and Mum was fitted with the braces. A couple of weeks later, Mum’s mouth became septic and it was discovered that the braces were made of brass, not of gold. Gold could never be used to make braces. The unscrupulous dentist fled to Venezuela where, it was said, he perished in an automobile accident. In order to combat the sepsis, Mum’s entire top teeth had to be removed as well as her palate. She suffered excruciating pain and spent months in recovery. She grew very thin and was fed mainly liquids. For the rest of her life, she had to wear a false palate as well as false teeth. Mum recovered from her ailments, nurtured by what was a most caring and loving family. She also developed a very close bond with her father, who, one could say, spoilt her for the rest of his life. When she was 20 years old, she was alone in the house with Grandpa, when he had a an attack of phlebitis. His doctor came in to attend to him and gave him a shot of adrenaline. After the doctor left, the adrenaline precipitated a coronary thrombosis and Grandpa died in my mother’s arms. Years before this unfortunate event, whenever the siblings came down with mumps, measles, chickenpox or similar diseases, it was found that Mum was immune to them. She, therefore, assisted with looking after the sick ones. Later, when her parents were in England and her little brother, Arthur, developed diphtheria, it was Mum who cared for him until his sad demise. These experiences developed in Mum a profound interest in nursing and medical care. She studied nursing at the Colonial Hospital in Port of Spain, Trinidad and later became interested in midwifery. Her profession took her through all areas of Port of Spain, and she was well respected. In February, 1937, a passenger ship made an emergency stop in Port of Spain with a sick wealthy man on board. He was a Mr. Hussey whose wife had a connection with the Pillsbury Corporation. Those were very politically incorrect days and the call came for a white nurse. Mum appears to have been the only one to fill the bill and so she answered the call. The remuneration was good and the appeal of adventure was attractive, so she agreed to nurse Mr. Hussey back to Boston, It was her first trip outside of Trinidad and so she was very excited. The family treated Mum very well once they arrived in Boston and she lived a very opulent life until the return passage to Trinidad was arranged. She was shown around Boston and even lent a mink coat for a trip to New York to see a cousin who was there. History repeated itself in April the very next year when another ship docked in Port of Spain seeking a white nurse, this time for a Mr. Lord of Lord and Taylor in New York. Here too she looked after him all the way to New York and was very well treated. She was able to explore New York before her passage home was arranged, I believe there were several displaced persons on the ship and Mum must have met Mr. Wolf and informed him about Grandma’s boarding house. I found her name on this ship’s registry also. In 1936, my father had gone to board at our grandmother’s boarding house. There he met my mother and they were married in 1940. Mum brought many of her nieces and nephews into the world. Joan, Betty Helen, Bernard, Charles, Patricia, Marjorie and Stanley, she considered them to be her babies. Vin and Madge - Trinidad, 14 September, 1940

Ida Amelia Sheppard and her husband Leslie Robert de Sousa Four years into their marriage, my grandparents Charles and Elsie (Gomez) Sheppard welcomed their fourth child into their home in Edward Street, Port of Spain. They named their daughter Ida Amelia, born on 11 April 1913. She was a baby sister for Jessie who was then 4, Madge 3, and Boysie who was just 14 months old at the time. Over the next fourteen years, these four oldest children would welcome nine more younger siblings into their large Sheppard fold. As one of the older children, Ida grew up helping to care for her younger sisters and brothers. With his growing family, Charlie Sheppard bought a large house situated at the corner of Richmond and Park Streets, Port of Spain. The Sheppard family was living in this lovely family home at #30 Richmond Street when Charlie died at 45 years old in 1931. Ida had just turned eighteen. Left fatherless, Ida and her other older siblings undertook their responsibilities in helping their mother raise the younger children. In 1919 at the height of popularity for the Model T, a young Irish immigrant who settled in Trinidad acquired the country's sole Ford dealership. He was Charles McEnearney. He went into partnership with Trinidadian Robert de Sousa , an estate proprietor and entrepreneur. Together they owned and ran Trinidad's first Ford dealership, Charles McEnearney & Co. Ltd. By the time the Sheppard family was living at 38 Richmond Street, their company had established their automobile dealership and showroom right across the street from the Sheppard's residence. This is where Robert de Sousa's son Leslie would meet and fall in love with the beautiful Ida Sheppard. A romance and courtship ensued, and Leslie was warmly welcomed into the Sheppard family. Ida and Leslie were married on 22nd July 1933 at St. Ann's Church of Scotland, Port of Spain. It was the start of a long and happy marriage. Leslie and Ida presented Elsie Sheppard with her first grandchild, when their daughter Joan Elsie was born in 1934. Their family was complete by 1938 with the addition of two more beautiful daughters - Elizabeth Joyce (Betty) and Helen Jean. On the front staircase of her Richmond Street home circa 1936 Grandma Elsie Sheppard with her first grandchild, Joan de Sousa In her short memoirs "My Precious Jewels" written in later life, my grandmother Elsie called Ida her "Emerald". This is what she wrote about her: “Grandchildren started to appear because my third daughter married a wealthy estate owner. He had a wonderful country home, where he carried on a farm and raised cows, sheep, goats, chickens and ducks. Quickly babies came and their three lovely little girls were brought up among nature - the mountains, the river and the animals. It was a home that was always a nice place to go to, so my small children often spent their vacations with Emerald. Her husband was always proud to say, “My wife churned the butter, she made the jam, the cake …..” They were always very happy." My father Andrew was just ten years old when his sister Ida introduced her boyfriend Leslie to the Sheppard family. He always loved him and looked up to him with the greatest admiration. I recently discovered that he had written about him in his memoirs, in an article entitled "The Portuguese of Trinidad", dated July 1989, transcribed below: Leslie de Sousa, a perfect gentleman and a totally self-effacing, humble person, commanded great respect for his knowledge of cocoa and coffee as well as tonka beans (which are used for perfuming soaps and talcum powder). Leslie managed La Concordia Estate which occupied a large area of that part of the Northern Range known as Caura. It was all undulating land with a river and streams flowing throughout. It was rather difficult land to manage but through his quiet leadership La Concordia Estate prospered. The labourers were mostly of Carib/Indian origin with a dash of Spanish ancestry interwoven. Hard-working people who were always pleasant and docile. They worked from 5.30 a.m. to 5.30 pm. Leslie was married to Ida Sheppard and they raised three daughters between Caura and Port of Spain, where they attended school. When Caura was acquired by Government to create a dam the family moved to Diego Martin, another agricultural area near to Port of Spain. The dam idea was aborted and was the object of major scandal and corruption by Government officials. Leslie's father, Robert de Sousa, who was part owner of the cocoa estate, was also involved in the automobile business. He joined in a partnership with an Irish man, Charles McEnearney, to become distributors of Ford vehicles. They did very well until Robert (Bobby) decided to live in Grenada where he ran Geo. F. Huggins & Co.Ltd. and became a very wealthy land owner. The children were educated and lived in Trinidad with their mother in a large, stately house around the Queen's Park Savannah. Painting of the de Sousa Family home where Alice de Sousa lived with the children (Courtesy Joan (de Sousa) Bodu) Having settled into their new home in Deigo Martin, Leslie and Ida became pioneers in livestock farming, when they started Trinidad's first chicken farm. In 2012, an article about this was featured in "The Westerly". THE WESTERLY ISSUE 62, 2012 - PAGE 22 FIRST EVER CHICKEN FARM STARTED IN BLUE BASIN Information submitted by Joan Bodu (Transcribed from the article) In the 1940’s Leslie de Sousa moved from a cocoa, coffee and tonca bean estate in Caura to Blue Basin. His father had owned “La Concordia” in Caura where Leslie lived as a child and as a young man, until the land was bulldozed to make way for the Caura Dam (which incidentally never materialized). Leslie then moved to Blue Basin where he set up the first Poultry Breeder Farm in Trinidad. He built a house on 75 acres of land and set up buildings for laying, hatching and breeding. He and his wife Ida (nee Sheppard) raised a family of three daughters there. A photo of the old house is shown on left. As young girls, his daughters helped him on the farm every day by turning the eggs in the incubators before they left for school, and also later at night. In the morning, their mother used to drive them to Bishop’s High School in town, and after school in the afternoon they would walk down to the corner of Richmond Street and Arapita Avenue to get a wooden type bus, which would take them as far as the bus stop near the water wheel at River Estate. Their mother would meet them there and take them the rest of the way by car. Joan, Leslie’s daughter, remembers family and friends coming to visit them on weekends. The children would go to the back of the property which led to a spring and climb up the rocks, as high as they could go. On the other side of the Blue Basin road there was a piece of land which her father had cultivated with pink grapefruit. Behind this was the continuation of the Blue Basin stream. It was here that Joan and her sisters, along with the Salandy children, would catch crayfish. Another family who lived not far away was the Benson family. Joan remembers these years with fondness and the freedom she enjoyed as a child living in the ‘country’. After many years, her father Leslie sold the property and gave up his chicken breeding. The area nearby is now known as Blue Basin Gardens. Ida and Leslie de Sousa's daughters l/r Joan Bodu, Betty Scott, Helen Humphrey The de Sousa and Sheppard families became more entwined in 1938 when Leslie's younger sister Joyce married Ida's brother Bertie , the brother who came right after her in the family. This close family relationship continued to grow over the years. The marriages of Leslie's and Ida's daughters in 1955, 1956 and 1957 were occasions for great family celebrations - and more so when grandchildren started arriving. Leslie knew and enjoyed all five of his grandchildren, but passed away on 16th May 1974 at 65 years old. After Leslie died, Ida and her older sister Jessie who was also a widow, lived together in O'Connor Street. There they ran a preparatory school for several years, and many people who were their little students have the fondest memories of their early school days with "Auntie Ida" and "Auntie Jessie" , as they called them.. Sheppard sisters in Trinidad, February 1993 l/r Flo Johnson , Sybil Gibbon , Ida de Sousa , Audrey Clark I remember Auntie Ida as a fun-loving, beautiful lady, always stylish and erect in her bearing, lady-like and gentle in her manner. She lived to be ninety years old and to this day is very much missed and lovingly remembered by all her family. Ida and Leslie are laid to rest with Leslie's mother, Alice (Ferreira) de Sousa, at the Mucurapo Cemetery, Port of Spain, Trinidad. See also: Friendships~partnerships~family ties

Victor Colin Johnson husband of Edith Florence (Flo) Sheppard 1924 - 2005 Eulogy written by his eldest daughter Christine Patience Colin, Daddy, Grandpa, Uncle Colin, Mr. Ceejay, Boss - was born in Barbados to Barbadian parents Douglas Dowding Johnson and Iris Foster on December 8, 1924. He was the eldest child in a family of four (Maguriette, Lloyd and Angela). Daddy grew up at a time very different to now, a time when people enjoyed the simple things in life, a lot of outdoor activities, when men booked dances with ladies, your vehicle of choice when you were courting was a bicycle and people got married very young for the right reasons. It was a time of chivalry, family unity and adventure. As a result, Daddy left his much loved home in Barbados at eighteen and headed for the green Trinity hills of Trinidad (as many people did back then) to craft his future. He started his career at Cable & Wireless as a telegraph operator. Shortly after that at age twenty-one, he found himself in the magical spell of the beautiful Florence Sheppard and would have celebrated sixty years of marriage next year May. Daddy not only got married to a "Trini" but also ended up with six brothers and five sisters and their partners. He became a brother and a true friend to all of them. Colin and Florence (Flo) - 4 May, 1946 His working life successfully spanned companies such as Citrus Growers Association and Neal & Massy but of course the best was when he took the plunge and founded his own company some twenty-five years ago - Ceejay Engineering Limited. He successfully built and grew this family owned company from the back room of their home at Appleblossom Avenue where he was comfortable working in his pyjamas and short pants. Over the twenty five years he shared his knowledge freely. Just a "simple man of trade" with a wealth of knowledge in the field of engineering. Always giving his technical advice freely. He was proud to have accomplished all he did in his life and in particular, his business career. He loved the company he built and continued working right up until his recent surgery. Daddy was a simple, humble, hardworking, committed person. He was guided by a set of strong moral values. Daddy had faith in people and a trust that they would always do the right and honourable thing. He was always forgiving, never spoke ill of anyone nor did he ever encourage any ill words of anyone. He kept his feelings and thoughts to himself. Caring, quiet, kind and sentimental were some of his other traits. In business, he was a leader, decisive but always took the time to comuicate with his customers, suppliers and staff. Although, he did not take advice easily, he was a fair person and a good listener. Besides work, Daddy had other passions - Family, Food, Gardening, Writing, Driving and Sight-seeing. He was always happy to take his "Harem of Ladies" (Jessie, Ida, Sybil, Angela, Nora and recently Joan) for leisurely drives or to the "Bight" for some fish cakes and a drink of Fridays after a long hard week and a good deposit at the bank. Daddy still did the company banking, since he liked to go in and chat and maintain a personal relationship. He thought that was very important. Daddy never belonged to any social, sporting or golf clubs. He was content to work hard and come home to his wife and family. Daddy had Flo well trained from Day One. She just had to hear his car horn beep once and she would be up and opening the gate, even in the rain. She got so good at it she just had to hear the engine as he turned the corner. When they were married fifty years, we thought it was time we gave them an electronic gate but Dad would just smile, as he had his own special "gate-opener". Family was high on his priority list and it was reflected in family vacations, of which we have very memorable ones - at Toco (Patience's Bay) and Barbados. He especially loved when it involved several family members being there. He loved a good joke, even blushing and laughing over the few rude ones he gave, and he often shared these jokes with his "Sea Bathing Buddies" as they enjoyed the beautiful Barbados water. He would get so mad whenever we teased him that the Trinidad beaches and sea were "just like Barbados". He was so happy with and proud of ALL his children, grand and great-grands (the last being his namesake, Colin). He loved being a part of their lives, but not in an interfering way. Colin and Flo on their Golden Wedding Anniversary, 4 May 1996 with their children Michael, Jeffrey, Christine and Carol-Lyn Daddy loved to eat, especially good old local foods (yam, eddoes, sweet potato, Oil-down, Souse and let's not forget Cou Cou and Flying Fish!) He could always tell you where you could get the best meals on any holiday. His eyes sparkled and mouth watered at the thought of the Atlantis Sunday Buffet. Mummy would cringe any time Daddy was planning a party (there would be cooking for days). After coming back home from vacations abroad, Daddy had to pass through St. James to pick up a few rotis. In his youth they fondly nicknamed him "Ocean", probably due to his healthy appetite. Gardening was Daddy's relaxation, destresser and joy. He loved his kitchen garden and roses, which he lovingly planted, nurtured and grafted with great care and patience. Daddy was very meticulous about his weeding, no nut grass or stones got away as he sat for hours on his home-made wooden stool. Writing was another favourite pastime. Every Christmas card had a personal note included. When at boarding school, I was probably the only girl who received regular and lengthy letters keeping me in touch with home. Most recently, he embarked on writing his very detailed and graphic memoirs from his early years- from two-and-a-half years, and had just reached age seventeen. I guess we have to complete this task with Mummy filling in the missing parts. Finally, as the doctor promised, "Colin, you will enjoy a far greater quality of life after this operation". And it is true, only not what we had in mind. Colin has gained something however much more precious than that - he has gained Eternal Life. Colin, Daddy, Grandpa, Uncle Colin, Mr. Ceejay, Boss - go on now and Rest in Peace and continue planting in your Heavenly Garden "Up Yonder".

Charles Sebastien Theodore Sheppard (1885 - 1931) This image has been restored from black and white using AI Original photo shown below MY GRANDFATHER Charles , who was more often called Charlie by his friends and family, was born on 21st October, 1885 in the historic town of St. Joseph, Trinidad. He was the second child in a family of five children. His parents were Alfred Sheppard , an Englishman from Sussex, and Virginia de Freitas - daughter of Madeiran immigrants seeking a new life in the West Indies. My grandfather bore the names of his English uncle Charles and his Portuguese maternal grandfather Sebastien de Freitas. Various documents such as his marriage certificate also show the anglicized name Sebastian. Little is known of Grandpa Charlie's early childhood, other than he was the son of a police sergeant with the Colonial Police Force in Trinidad, who was in active duty at a time when there were at least three violent social uprisings in Trinidad. The year before Charles was born, The Hosay Massacre (also known as the Hosay riots or the Jahaji massacre) took place on 30 October 1884 in San Fernando, Trinidad when the British colonial authorities fired on participants in the annual Hosay procession. Charles' first years were spent in St. Joseph, where his father was working as a policeman and where his sister Amalia was also born. The family moved to Princes Town where Sergeant Alfred Sheppard had been posted after the riots, and where his two younger siblings were born. Charlie experienced the sad loss of both of his baby brothers when he was a 9 year old boy. Both little brothers were buried side by side in the Presbyterian section of the Paradise Cemetery, San Fernando. Next, we know for sure that Grandpa Charlie was living in Port of Spain as a 20 year old. By then he had already caught sight of the strikingly beautiful, blue-eyed brunette Elsie Gomez , a young lady whose grandparents were Portuguese. A courtship had started and Elsie's description of their rendezvous and first kiss at Carnival time recalls all the excitement and romance of the moment. Grandma Elsie wrote in her memoirs: "The wall was high, so a contrivance was made by placing a barrel and a box raised to the height of the barrel that my family and friends could stand on so that the masqueraders could be seen from over the wall. I was just sixteen years old and no one could stop me from being first to be standing there because I knew that my dear boyfriend would also be coming. I lived with my grandmother so naturally had my chores to do even though it was the Carnival Day, so early I got up and finished everything in time. Much too early for the crowds but not too soon for him to come. He and I sat on the board and talked so shyly to each other, then we would jump up to see some foolish disguised person or band of revelers go by. After a while I was tired and the heat of the sun was fiercely burning on the wall, so I decided to jump off the wall, stand and found myself right in the arms of my darling who immediately kissed me for the first time. I was so astonished and too excited for words so what do you think? I just flew into the house and rushed like mad to the piano and played as I never did before. He sat on a chair next to me and accompanied me with chords. My grandmother and sister came out of their rooms and made signs to each other. From then I knew that no obstacle could ever separate my darling from me. Two young lovers with a long journey to go. My story goes on to say that the happy boy and girl always loved each other until a marriage took place among a very happy home and family and continued happiness reigned with the young people enjoying the many good wishes of so many friends and relatives." At the time of their marriage in 1909, Charlie was employed as a clerk at the department store Wilsons Limited in Port of Spain, Trinidad. In 1930 Wilsons was taken over by Salvatori, Scott & Co. Ltd. Charles became a partner and Accountant in that firm where he worked for the rest of his life. Elsie wrote in her memoirs that her husband's business was going well, and as their family increased, he was able to purchase a beautiful, large home at #30 Richmond Street , Port of Spain. Charlie played the mandolin and piano, and there was always a piano in their home. Elsie's memoirs describe a happy home and holidays spent by the seaside where "the children enjoyed to their fullest all the bathing, fishing, etc. Their father always saw that other children joined his in their happiness." "The home in which my children grew up was very beautiful and surrounded by a setting of golden Buttercups, Bougainvillea bursting out its glorious branches of purple and red and even rusty shades, Poinsettias, and the gracious plumes of the Queen of Flowers. Music pervaded the air, father and children being the musicians." According to oral history, as well as documented passenger records, Charles and Elsie traveled to England on holiday regularly. Sadly, on the last trip they made, they were to get the heartbreaking news that their baby son Arthur had died on 1st September, 1928. He was just four months old. According to my cousin, George Gonsalves: "Grandpa used to take Grandma to England every other year as soon as the latest baby was weaned. That year, Jessie, who was in her 19th year, was included in the travel plans. My mother (Madge ) was left in charge and was assisted by Bertha . Diphtheria was rampant in Port of Spain at the time. One had to be careful and to avoid families where it was present. Mum said the disease would take out whole lots of siblings. It was not unusual to see the names of four or five children on the gravestones in the cemetery, the result of an infestation of diphtheria. Not long after the travellers left, Arthur began exhibiting signs of an illness. The doctor was called and after awhile it was determined that he had diphtheria. It is not certain where he got it from, but they used to go out for walks with the baby in the pram." Charles Sheppard’s journey—from the son of a police sergeant amidst social unrest to a partner in a leading firm—is a quintessentially Trinidadian story. Sadly, our dear Grandpa Charlie's health deteriorated in the years that followed. He passed away three years after the death of baby Arthur, when he was just 45 years old. Their union lasted 23 years, during which they had produced a family of thirteen children. Elsie never remarried, but continued bravely to successfully raise their large family. She lived to be 80 years old, and enjoyed a full life, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. Charles Sheppard at 44 years old This is the last known image of our grandfather. Photo restoration by Gemini AI, April 2026 Above: Wilsons Limited in Port of Spain, Trinidad where Grandpa Charlie Sheppard was working at the time of his marriage in 1909. Wilsons changed hands and became Salvatori, Scott & Co. Ltd.. By 1917 the business became The Trinidad Stores. He was a Director and Accountant with that firm up to the time of his death in 1931. The marriage of Charles Sebastian Theodore Sheppard and Elsie Mabel Gomez took place on 20th January, 1909 at the Presbyterian Church, St. Ann's Church of Scotland, St. Ann's Road, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. We examined the marriage record and took the above photo of the register in the Trinidad archives, but were scolded that it was forbidden! Too late! From the register we find that at the time of his marriage at age 23, Charles was living at 117 Edward Street, Port of Spain. Elsie was 20 years old, and her address was 4, Zampty Lane, Erthic Road, Belmont. The Minister who conducted their marriage ceremony was Mr. P. Simpson, and their witnesses who signed the Marriage Register were Joseph Cabral and Elsie's sister, Audrey Gomez. Elsie Mabel was born on 26 May, 1888, in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Her parents, Joseph Gomez and Christina Pereira, were both of Portuguese descent. Elsie was the eldest of their nine children. Both of her parents were present at her wedding; however, her father Joseph passed away just two years later, on 31 Dec 1910 - at age 47. Charles' oldest brother Alfred who had also attended their wedding, died in the January of 1910, succumbing to bronchitis, when he was just 25. Two very sad losses for the family in the same year. Elsie's mother, Christina, lived to be 83, and was able to enjoy many of her grandchildren born to Charles and Elsie. Charlie's father Alfred died just 8 years after the wedding, but his mother Virginia lived till 1936 and knew all of her grandchildren. The wedding reception was held at the home of Mr. Albert Mendes, at the corner of Shine Street & Park Street on Victoria Square, Port-of- Spain. Albert's wife was Mary Pereira, Elsie's aunt, and Albert was also Elsie's godfather. It appears that Charlie and Elsie were close to Albert and Mary, as in later years, Albert appointed Charlie to be one of the Administrators of his Estate, in which he bequeathed $500.00 to Elsie. Albert was the brother of Alfred Mendes Snr., great-grandfather of the British Academy award winner, Sam Mendes. News of the marriage appeared in the newspaper's social column, giving a lovely description of the occasion. The couple spent their honeymoon at the Santa Carlotta Estate - a cocoa plantation near the coast which was owned by Alfred Mendes Snr. Alfred was an Elder of St. Ann's Free Church and a good friend of the family. Elsie Mabel recorded details of her Wedding Day in her Bible, now passed down to her daughter Sybil. She wrote:- Bestman: Joseph Cabral Chief Bridesmaid: Audrey Gomez ; Edith Gomez; Alice Mendes Flower girls: Laurie, Phyllis and Birdie Peake, Thelma Fereira, Ivy Gomez and Ida Mendes Memories: A very happy wedding held at the home of my Godfather, Mr. Albert Mendes, Victoria Square. Many young people and children attended. In this wonderful wedding photo, we see the bride and groom Charles and Elsie with their family and friends, standing in front of Albert and Mary Mendes' residence, where the reception was held. I asked my aunt Sybil to identify the people in the photo and she pointed them out to me. The boy standing front left is Willie Gomez, the bride's brother. The little flower-girls next to him are all of the Peake family, not relatives, but children of Mr. Peake, the gentleman in the white tunic, a policeman who came from England along with Alfred, and remained good friends Charles' mother Virginia is standing next to her son, and behind her to the left is his father Alfred Sheppard. The flower girl standing next to the bride on the right side is Ivy Gomez , the bride's sister. Immediately behind her, his face partly hidden, is Sebastien de Freitas, the groom's grandfather. The gentleman standing between the bride and groom in the next row is Elsie's father, Joseph Gomez, and her mother Christina can be seen just to the right of Elsie. By 1924, Charles and Elsie had 11 children, pictured above. Charles and Elsie Sheppard with their family in 1928 Taken on the same day in 1928, in the backyard of their home on #30 Richmond Street l/r Elsie with baby Arthur, Florence (Flo) , Audrey , Andrew , Sybil , Robert , George , John , Bertie , Ida , Joseph (Boysie) , Madge, Jessie All of the children got married and had families of their own. Click here for their wedding photos. SEE ALSO: Elsie Mabel (Gomez) Sheppard

Moses Finzi Lobo (Barbados 1834 - Philadelphia 1904) Background and Early Life in Barbados The eldest son of London-born Moses (Matthew) Lobo and Sarah Cohen D'Azevedo , was Daniel Moses Lobo, born on 24 August 1805 in Amsterdam. His younger brother Isaac, born in Suriname, was my maternal 3rd great-grandfather. Both brothers emigrated to the island of Barbados, British West Indies - now generally referred to as the Caribbean. When he was 22 years old, Daniel married his first cousin Leah Lobo on 31 October 1827 at the Nidhe Israel Synagogue, Barbados. Leah was born in St. Thomas, British Virgin Islands, and was the daughter of Matthew Lobo's brother David Lobo and his wife Rachel de Leon. On 20 September 1828, Leah and Daniel became parents of a daughter whom they named Leah Sarah. Sadly, baby Leah Sarah Lobo would never knew her mother. Barely a year after their marriage, Daniel Moses Lobo's wife Leah died on 8 October 1828 in Barbados, just eighteen days after giving birth to their child. Six years later, Daniel Moses Lobo married Sarah Finzi, born in Barbados on 9 June 1798. They were married at the Nidhe Israel Synagogue, Barbados on 5 January 1834 when Daniel was 29 years old. On 29 March 1834, Sarah's brother Abraham Finzi married Daniel's cousin, Judith D'Azevedo. That year was to be a most eventful one for the family, as on 6 December 1834, Daniel's wife Sarah gave birth to a son. They named him Moses Finzi Lobo - a half brother for six-year old Leah. My great-grandfather Daniel Lobo was Moses' younger first cousin. Moses Finzi's father Daniel Moses Lobo was a merchant and, like many other Sephardic Jews of that time in Barbados, settled with his wife and family in Swan Street, where they also traded. He operated a dry goods store on Swan Street, which was just around the corner from the Nidhe Israel Synogogue in Bridgetown. Daniel Moses Lobo took an active role in the Jewish community of Barbados, as did his Azevedo relatives. He was the Secretary of the Rebuilding Committee of the Nidhe Israel Synagogue that was badly damaged in the hurricane of 1831 and is recorded as D.M. Lobo in several of the minutes of the Mahamad. Young Moses Finzi no doubt attended the first Jewish religious school which was established, in January, 1844. It is recorded that his second cousin, Mrs. Judith Finzi was superintendent ("Occident," ii. 102). The Great Fire in Bridgetown On 3 February 1845 when Moses Finzi Lobo was just eleven years old, a great tragedy struck that no doubt impacted the course of his life. A severe fire broke out at the family's home and business place, No. 20 Swan Street. The fire ravaged his father's property and numerous houses and acres of Lower Bridgetown were burnt, becoming aptly known as Burnt District. The area was subsequently rebuilt, but three years later advertisements placed by John Montefiore appeared in the The Barbados Mercury & Bridgetown Gazette , offering the Lobo property for rent. There are also advertisements for an auction sale of all of D.M. Lobo's furniture and household articles as well as for his stock-in-trade . Sometime after the fire of 1845, Daniel Moses Lobo, his wife and children all emigrated to Philadelphia, USA, where they lived the rest of their lives as part of a steadily growing Jewish community there. Many other Jews emigrated from Barbados to America, mostly to Philadelphia and New York. In 1848 there were only 71 Jews left in Barbados, 38 of whom belonged to the congregation. Dwindling Jewish Community in Barbados Dr. Laura Liebman interviewed Barbadian historian Dr. Karl Watson in 2010. When asked about the size of the Jewish community at its peak, Dr. Watson replied: "By the middle of the nineteenth century, the minutes of the Mahamad openly lamented that the “ancient” Barbadian Jewish community was under the threat of extinction, fueled by the forces of migration and intermarriage with Christian families. In 1848, the shamash (warden), E.A. Moses, wrote poignantly to a friend about the declining fortunes of the Nidhe Israel community: “You are aware of the departure of my friend Lobo & family and also of S.E. Daniels & family for the United States. M. D’Azevedo and family will very soon follow. My anxieties & labour for our fallen Snoga (Snoga is the diminutive of esnoga, or synagogue) are necessarily increased. Heaven guard it. Amen.” Life and Career in Philadelphia Moses Finzi Lobo was a fifteen year old boy in Philadelphia when his father Daniel died in on 23 August 1849. It was the day before his forty-fourth birthday. His widowed mother Sarah lived another eighteen years, and their burials took place in Philadelphia. Young Moses Finzi grew up to be a well respected and prominent journalist with a flourishing career. He died on 17 December 1904 and is buried in the Mount Sinai Cemetery, Philadelphia. The following article was written about him by Charles J. Cohen and has been published by the American Jewish Historical Society: "Moses Finzi Lobo was born in Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies, December 6, 1834, and died in Philadelphia November 17, 1904. He came to Philadelphia about 1845, and at twelve years of age attended the public schools, obtaining a good education, which was greatly added to in after years by close study, notwithstanding an active business career. About the year 1859 he entered the employ of the late Henry Cohen, importer of stationery in Philadelphia, and continued there until 1867, finding this position particularly attractive, as he had the privilege of the Sabbath and the holidays. Being devoted to his religious duties, he observed them with much care. After leaving Mr. Cohen's establishment he occupied several positions on different newspapers, being on the editorial staff of the North American and of the Age , and at the time of the Centennial Exhibition in 1876, through the influence of the late George W. Childs, he was appointed head of the Press Bureau established at that time, and did excellent work. His connection with the newspapers received the highest commendation, particularly from the late William W. Harding, of the Inquirer , and the Hon. Clayton McMichael, of the North American, both of Philadelphia. Mr. Lobo's knowledge of shorthand was exceptional, and he was frequently chosen to report scientific addresses, his knowledge of terms and scientific phraseology being superior to that possessed by many following the profession at that time. He was private secretary to the Superintendent of the Mint, resigning that position to engage in literary work, beginning with a complete concordance to the poetical works of Milton; this, however, was discontinued on finding that such a publication was already on the market. He wrote much on matters of local history, and was particularly interested in English grammar. In this connection it may be said he noticed that a comma had been misplaced in the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Writing to the Hon. Charles Sumner, the author of the amendment, regarding this error, he received in reply Mr. Sumner's statement that the criticism was justified, but that a greater object had been obtained, and that in his judgment it was unwise to again open the subject. Of a diffident, retiring nature he did not take that rank in communal affairs to which his abilities entitled him; many of his contributions to literature are not known, since they were published anonymously. He had a few close personal friends who esteemed him highly for his mental and moral worth. At the time of the Civil War he endeavored to enlist, but was prevented by physical disabilities; his pen and word, however, were always found on the side opposing slavery. In the year 1860 he became associated with the Congregation Mikveh Israel that had just removed on Seventh Street, above Arch Street, and remained a congregant until his death." Source for the above article: Author(s): Charles J. Cohen Source: Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society, No. 19 (1910), pp. 197-199 Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/43057861 Moses Finzi Lobo died on 17 November 1904 in 1524 North 8th Street, Philadelphia Pensylvania, U.S.A. and was buried on 20 November 1904. Inscription on his headstone at Mount Sinai Cemetery Philadelphia: MOSES FINZI LOBO BORN BARBADOS DECEMBER 5 1834 DIED NOVEMBER 17 1904 (Source: www.findagrave.com ) Genealogical information sourced in Holland, Barbados and Canada Other Reference sources: BARBADOS - Jewish Encylopedia Rediscovering an Important Link to American Jewish History: Field Notes from the Nidhe Israel Synagogue Complex in Barbados See also: BARUCH (BENTO) OSORIO THE LOBO & D'AZEVEDO FAMILIES

Jessie Mendes wife of John Rooks and Matriarch of the Mendes Family Jessie Rooks née Mendes on her 95th Birthday Jessie, now 96, is a Sheppard descendant Jessie's parents were Edward Oswald Mendes and Amalia (Amy) Sheppard . Amy was my great-grandfather's sister. She was the youngest of their eight children, born in Port of Spain, Trinidad on 14 October 1927. On the social page "Carib Calling" in The Barbados Advocate of January 4, 1950 there was a small article headed "Trinidad Engagements". In it was the announcement of the Christmas Eve engagement in Trinidad between Mr. John Rooks, son of Major and Mrs. Courtenay Rooks and Miss Jessie Mendes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Oswald Mendes of Port of Spain. The couple were married eight months later, on 26 August 1950. Jessie and Johnny Rooks enjoyed 51 years of marriage before John passed away in 2001. Their children are Richard, Ian and Gordon Rooks of Trinidad. This webpage is dedicated to Jessie in appreciation for her beautiful singing voice. In her youth she was a well known singer and performed at many functions and weddings. In 1958, her brother Malcolm recorded her on tape in his living room. These beautiful audio recordings from an era long gone are dearly treasured by our families. Valerie Sheppard 7 May 2024

Family history through AI enhanced photographs Fashionable Sheppard sisters in the 20s l/r Ida, Jessie, Madge at their Richmond Street, Port of Spain Home, Trinidad In this new section, it will be fun to have a look at the changing styles and fashions from the Victorian era to modern times. With the use of AI, I will attempt to enhance worn and damaged photographs to reveal fascinating details of attire. It has always impressed me to see how impeccably dressed children and young adults appear in our large collection of family photographs. Ladies in stylish dresses and accessories, men in dapper outfits, some wearing fashionable gold pocket watches on chains. Some of our ancestors are captured in impressive looking military uniforms. I hope to delve into the significance of their attire, and uncover details about their rank and position. I aim to explore the historical context behind these uniforms and what reveal about their lives and roles in society. It will be a look at how fashion can tell us so much about our heritage. It's in the works - stay tuned!