Hi,
I posted the following on the Suffolk queries page as all records found thus far have pointed to Suffolk. I have, however, since been told by one of the Suffolk researches that it looks as though the Sheppersons I am looking for were actually from Cambridgeshire.
If anyone has any info it will be greatly appreciated.
Shannon
[I am desperately trying to track down the children of Benjamin Murrell Shepperson. He was born in1779/1780 in Suffolk England - died - 28 May 1857 in Grahamstown, Albany, Cape Colony, South Africa.
He was married to Susan Fuller - born 1790 in England, died 1 November 1857 in Grahamstown, Albany, Cape Colony, South Africa.
They apparently, according to first hand information from their granddaughter, had 33 children. I have a list of only 5 - the one most important to my family line being Benjamin Matthew Shepperson - born around 1813, died 11 march 1872.
As far as I have been able to work out so far, the children, if not all, then most of them, were born in Suffolk - Eriswell seems to come up quite often.
I have the following 5 children's details, and I am trying to find the details of the missing 28.
Benjamin Matthew Shepperson - 1813-1872 (married Mary Ann Godlonton 245 Feb 1841 in Grahamstown South Africa)
Arnold Shepperson - 1815-1876
Fanny Shepperson - 1818-1843
John Fuller Shepperson - 1820-1865
Maria Shepperson - 1821-1890
I believe it is reasonable to assume that some of the children did not make it through to adulthood, but there must be records somewhere of the missing children.
Below is an excerpt from my grandmother's aunt's memoirs (grandmother's side of the family - Bate) mentioning the 33 children.
Now your grandmother's family. Her father was one of 33 children, born of one mother at Mildenhall, Suffolk. Benjamin was about the 15th and his mother's mother was so annoyed at the rate her daughter was having children that she took Benjamin to stay with her for a couple of years (and I think she must have died then) - anyway B. much enjoyed having toast and marmalade for breakfast and sitting down at the table, and was very upset when he returned to his own home and had to have a bowl of porridge for breakfast, standing at a long table along the side of the hall, and keeping his station according to his age. He later said his only picture of his mother was "a pale lady sitting on a sofa with her feet up, making babies' bonnets. I don't know how he got out to the Cape, but he was a tailor (of all things) in Grahamstown. He married first a 2Godlonton and had 6 children; she died and he then married my dearly loved grandmother, Elizabeth Anne Featherstone - "Fan". Fan's mother did not approve of her marrying a widower with 6 children and on the day of the wedding, in the Metropolitan Church, Grahamstown said she wasn't going to the wedding and would stay in bed. Fan then began tidying the bedroom , said she didn't mind, she'd be married in her mother's bedroom. So Grannie Featherstone got up and went to the church.]
