Kuala Lumpur
The grand opportunity to meet the eldest family member was a treasured
one for Uncle Nick, who at 90 years old, was healthy and mentally alert.
His height was an amazing 6 feet and he spoke articulate English in a
calm and gentle tone of voice . Uncle Nick told us about his family history
and that James Domingo, Cuthbert's father had supposedly been buried in
Kuala Lumpur. He also expressed joy that we were trying to achieve family
unity.
Both Uncle Nick and his wife were indeed hospitable to us who had seemed
to be strangers at the start but we left their house as reunited relatives.
The information we received 
put us two whole generations back into the past as Uncle Nick was able
to tell us who his grandparents were. Coincidentally, he was also born
in Perak, the birthplace of Cuthbert. With that, we proceeded on. Next
stop ... Taiping, Perak.
Perak
Perak,
another 6 hours on the road, seemed discouragingly long but we pursued our
objectives with eagerness and zest. Sleep was not important.
Finally, we met Father Surmon, a French priest, at the Church of Our
Lady of Sacred Heart where Cuthbert and Uncle Nick had been baptized.
The church seemed ancient and we felt as if we were being transported
into the past. Father Surmon was interested in our project and he surprisingly
gave us access to the old dusty records of baptisms, marriages and deaths
which were more than a century old!
Just imagine, we had a once in a lifetime chance to see pages signed by
our ancestors more than a hundred years ago; the decaying pages, written
in Latin manuscript, had to be turned delicately. A truly fulfilling experience!
We observed that the Shepherdson family was prominent during the period
1880-1908 and it was from here that the family shifted its presence to
Singapore, Malacca and Kuala Lumpur where Shepherdsons are strongly evident
today.
An attempt made by Mike and Theresa to search for more information at
the old graveyard behind the church failed. The cemetery, a replica of
the horror movie Salem's Lot, was spooky and covered with thick and tall
lalang where snakes and mosquitoes were prevalent. Even if the pair had
managed to pull through, the hidden unmarked graves blessed with only,
a wooden or iron cross would have been an instant disappointment.
