Penang
Undaunted, our delegation to move on to Penang which has a longer history of British rule.
Our intention was to seek that single person who had laid the family roots in the distant
past. Our strategy was simple. We intended to visit all the churches which had been built
in the last century. Unfortunately, our two-day stay at Penang was futile with only a
consolation find at the 
Church of Immaculate Conception where we found 3 Shepherdsons
recorded. Our enthusiasm faded when we discovered that the presence of Shepherdsons in Penang
was next to none. We liked to rule out Penang!
Back to Malacca again
Tired, weary and discouraged, we nevertheless set forth to Malacca which was our final
destination in our ancestral quest. We took an entire day to reach Malacca.
Fortunately for us, we had luck at the Church of St Francis Xavier - which was built in
1845. We managed to gather more information to help reconstruct our family tree and we
noted that our ancestors belonged to this parish from approximately 1845 to 1880 before
they moved to Perak. The question was: Where did they come from before this period?
The only place which could reveal the secrets of our family roots was the Church of St
Peter, built way back in 1710 and so we drove there with great expectations. Again,
disappointment struck! Father Pintado, the parish priest was away and we were told
that the old records had been sent to the National Archives where it would have been
difficult if not impossible to gather the relevant information in such a short time.
Our last resort was the old cemetery at Bukit China. There, we found more useful
information and dates after an hour of tedious search at the 2-acre graveyard. From
the tombstones, we were also able to conclude that our ancestors were well-to-do.
Well, we completed our 5-day discovery trip and returned home, disappointed at being
unable to proceed any further but definitely satisfied with the wealth of information
we had obtained.
Final Trip to Malacca
There was a lapse of 2 months before our hopes were raised once again. Sylvia Carroll
and Terrence Miles informed us that Father Pintado had returned and that he had copies
of some old records kept by him. Without further delay, Mike and Kevin visited the
church once again. Mike spoke to Father Pintado who, unlike the rumours we had heard,
turned out to be a most helpful and concerned priest. He even motivated us in what we
were doing. However, only the records from 1894-1930 were viewed as the rest were either
destroyed during the Japanese occupation or sent for reconstruction at the National
Archives.
Nevertheless, Mike and Kevin are determined to complete the puzzle to our family roots
even if it means going to Macau or some distant place in the future.
