Mary Jane Shepherd
Parents
| Father | John Shepherd ( - ) |
| Mother | Sarah Davis (ca. 1811 - 20 May 1876) |
Personal Information
| Record Created: 13 December 2013; Last Edited: 5 March 2024 |
| Person ID | 6222 |
| Name | Mary Jane Shepherd |
| Gender | Female |
| Born | ca. 1829 in England1, 2, 3 |
| Married | ca. 1849 to John William Bowker4 |
| Divorced | 22 October 1860 from John William Bowker4 |
| Married | 22 April 1861 in San Francisco, San Francisco County, California to David Montross Gazlay5 |
| Died | 27 February 1864 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York2, 6, 7 |
| Buried | in Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York1, 8 |
Biography
Identifying Mary’s birth surname as Shepherd is based on circumstantial evidence. What is known is that a Mary S. Bowker married David M. Gazlay in San Francisco on 22 April 1861, that a Mary Gazlay died on 27 February 1864 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, and that a Mary S. Gazlay (or Gazley) is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn in a lot belonging to the Shepherd family. This Mary Gazlay is believed to be David M. Gazlay’s wife. David, originally from New York, was known to be in California for several years starting in 1858, and returned to New York in late 1863 or early 1864, likely with his wife Mary.1
The name Mary S. Gazley tops the gravestone in Green-Wood Cemetery that also bears the barely readable name of Sarah D. Shepherd, who died on 20 May 1876 in Brooklyn. Sarah bought the grave lot in 1864, shortly before Mary’s burial, so one surmises that the lot was purchased specifically for that purpose. With both Sarah and Mary’s names appearing on the same gravestone, the presumption is that they were related, most likely as mother (Sarah) and daughter (Mary).1, 8, 9
Sarah Shepherd’s will names several children, including Sarah R., wife of William Bowker, residing in San Francisco (in 1876). Association of the surname Bowker with both Mary and Sarah, and both in San Francisco, seems more than a coincidence. It’s possible that sisters Mary and Sarah married Bowker brothers, but records suggest that John William Bowker first married Mary, and after her death married Sarah R.10
Person/Family
| Spouse 1 |  John William Bowker |
| Born | ca. 1810 in New York |
| Married | ca. 1849 to Mary Jane Shepherd |
| Married | 1 March 1874 in Carson City, Nevada to Sarah R. Dryden (née Shepherd) |
| Died | before 1884 |
| Spouse 2 | David Montross Gazlay (son of Charles M. Gazlay and Martha Ann _____) |
| Born | 17 September 1835 in New York |
| Married | 4 November 1858 in New York, New York to Anna Sophia _____ |
| Married | 22 April 1861 in San Francisco, San Francisco County, California to Mary Jane Shepherd |
| Married | to Mary Malvina Jennings |
| Died | 31 May 1895 in Nassau, Rensselaer County, New York |
Sources
- Cemetery Record, Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York, Mary S. Gazlay indicating her dates of death and burial, residence in Brooklyn, and birthplace (England).
- New York City, Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (website: a860-historicalvitalrecords.nyc.gov), Certificate of Death, Mrs. Mary Gazlay, age 35, died: 27 February 1864 in Kings County (Brooklyn), born: England; buried: Greenwood; residence: 272 Pacific St. [This is a hand-written certification of death]. [On the reverese: For Mrs. Shepperd, 272 Pacific St.].
- U.S. Federal Census, 1860, California, San Francisco County, San Francisco, 2nd District, Page No. 91, Mary Bowker (31, N.Y.).
- Divorce, Sacramento Daily Union, Sacramento, California, articles in 1860 on 6 March, 9 July, 17 July, and 22 October, announcing divorce proceedings and divorce grant to Mary Jane Bowker from John W. Bowker for alleged extreme cruelty and abandonment. The first article indicates they had been married for 11 years.
- Marriage, Sacramento Daily Union, California. Available at California Digital Newspaper Collection, cdnc.ucr.edu. 25 April 1861: In San Francisco, April 22d, David M. Gazlay to Mary S. Bowker.
- Italian Genealogical Group, New York Death Index, Gazlay, Mary, 27 February 1864, Kings County, age 35 years, Cert# 1191.
- Deaths, Sacramento Daily Union, Sacramento, California. Available at California Digital Newspaper Collection. 26 March 1864: In Brooklyn (N.Y.), Feb. 27th, Mary S., wife of David M. Gazlay, of San Francisco.
- Headstone, Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York, Lot 12808, Section 55, Mary S. Gazley and Sarah D. Shepherd. Visited and photographed by Karen Held in September 2012 and by Lee Gazlay in December 2012.
- Email between Karen Held and Lee Gazlay, September 2012.
- Last Will and Testament, Sarah D. Shepherd, 1876, that names four children: William J. Shepherd residing in the City of Brooklyn; Elizabeth, wife of William P. Smith residing at Seattle Washington Territory; Sarah R., wife of William Bowker residing at San Francisco, California; and Annie, wife of Benjamin Harned residing at Trenton New Jersey. Copy of probate documents in possession of Karen Held.