Shep's Place Family Tree

Humphry Jun. was 27 and a cordwainer like his father. Mary, his wife was 24 years and had four children under the age of six: Humphrey six, a scholar; Mary five; William three, and Elizabeth A. one year old.

In the street where they lived, some of the other occupations of residents were carpenter, grocer, ganger of highways, retired housekeeper and retired blacksmith.

Ten years later at the time of the 1881 census, Humphrey 37 and Mary 34 had six children at home: Elizabeth A. eleven, Frederick R. eight, Florence E. six, Edith five, Harriet three and John one. William was working as a servant with the Marks family in Poundstock. I do not know what happened to Mary, but Humphrey at some stage went to Canada.

The Skitches had moved to Jacobstowe, where Humphrey, formerly a cordwainer, was now a "Rural post messenger." The family lived at 9 Highway. I suspect that the industrial revolution may have left many shoemakers unemployed, hence Humphry's job as post messenger.