I believe the eldest child of William and Eleanor Shepherd was Henry Ferguson Shepherd who was born at Lisburn in 1875. You can read his obituary here:
http://www.thessvlbhistory.co.uk/History/1914events.htmMy interest is in his cousin, George F Shepherd, mentioned in the obituary. He is George Ferguson Shepherd, born 1 Sep 1885 in Co Armagh, and a medical practitioner. In the 1939 Register he is living at the same address of Ogle Terrace, South Shields as given in Henry Ferguson Shepherd's obituary. The father of George Ferguson Shepherd was Ferguson Shepherd (who died 1917 aged 85 at Lurgaboy, Co Armagh). His father was George Shepherd who died in 1884 aged 90, at 'Lurgyboy'.
I would have expected the father of Rev William Shepherd to have been a farmer called George, not a farmer called William, assuming Henry F Shephard and George F Shephard were 1st cousins. Maybe I'm getting confused? It seems very likely that my daughter-in-law belongs to this family although I am missing a link at present.
