My Nordic Calvert Line

By Janis Sandell McKee (with the help of David Bell)

March 3, 2022

My paternal grandmother, born Ruby Calvert Shepherd (m. Edward Sandell), had always told us grandchildren that the Calvert name was given to her as a middle name because of the family connection to the Lord Baltimore Calverts of Maryland. She backed up her assertion with an article that she showed us, entitled, "Billions to Divide," from the Beacon newspaper in Wichita, Kansas, dated October 24, 1910. It named her grandfather, John N. Shepherd, and his mother, Ann Calvert (m. William Shepherd) as descendants and heirs of that Calvert family. Supposedly, there was an estate that Lord Baltimore George Calvert had leased to the state of Maryland for ninety-nine years, but it had never been returned to the family. So some members of the family had been trying to reclaim it.

The article also mentioned that John N. Shepherd went to St. Louis to consult with Mrs. Calvert Bourgeoise, a lawyer and genealogist, whom it stated was also an heir. She was working with other heirs around the country, that they might be able to claim part of the estate. Below is an image from the Newspaper Article.

Unfortunately, new information has contradicted what my grandmother was told and passed to us. In my research on the Calvert family, I have been following the Calvert Family Genealogy Blog, The Calvert Family Surname Project, and the Calvert Genealogy Facebook site. With much help from David Bell, an administrator for these, I have found that there is great doubt that my family is descended from the Lord Baltimore Calverts.

First, DNA tests show that the Lord Baltimore Calverts were R1b1 (English), while our line is I1a (Nordic). Therefore, we cannot be genetically related to the Lord Baltimore Calverts.

Second, accusations were made that there was estate fraud taking place during this era. Scammers would run ads for "missing heirs," then form associations of estate claimants, who paid a fee to be part of the group. It appears likely that my grandmother's claims were a result of these deceitful practices.

Third, our research, documents, and DNA have linked us instead to the Nordic Calverts, descending from John Calvert (b. c.1580). He is the oldest known ancestor that has been documented in our line, at this time.

I believe this to be my Calvert lineage:

John Calvert (m. Grace _______)(1)

b. c.1580, Great Moorsham, Skelton, Yorkshire, England

d. 1617

Was a Quaker in Ireland

Thomas Calvert (m. Jane Glasford)

b. Ulster

d. c 1686 Delaware County, PA

Thomas was recorded in Quaker records. He removed, along with his son John (b. 1648, m. Judith Stamper) and grandson Joshua (b. 1680), to New Castle County, Delaware, then to Upper Providence, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

John Calvert (m. Judith Stamper)

b. 1648, Stranmillis (near Belfast), Ireland

d.1699, Delaware County, Pennsylvania

Married 5-12-1673 at Lurgan, County of Armagh, Ireland, was a Quaker in Ireland.

Their children were Mary, Thomas, Joshua, Anna (m. Hugh Parrell), Ruth (m. Edward Paviour), Daniel, Mary, Judith, Isaac, John Jr. (of Orange County, VA), William, and possibly three other children.

Joshua Calvert (m. Deborah Harlan)

b. 10-18-1680, Lurgan, County of Armagh, Ireland

d. 1753 in Pennsylvania.

Thomas Calvert (m. Sarah Williamson)

c. 1710

d. 7-30-1760, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Married 1739 in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Their children were Joshua, John, Rebecca, Robert, Joseph, Thomas, Isaac, Daniel, William, and Deborah.

John Calvert, Sr. (m. Jane Swayne, the widow of Joseph Mercer)

c. 1740

d. 1796

Married 12-20-1763. Their children were John (Jr.), Job, Jacob, and Sarah (Sallie).

He also adopted her children, Amos and Hannah Mercer.

John Calvert, Jr. (m. Esther "Hetty" Jones)

b. 2-22-1766

d. 2-26-1847, Belmont County, Ohio – both are buried in Centerville Cemetery.

Esther was born at sea, coming from Wales to America; daughter of William Jones.

Their children were Jane, Jacob, John, William, Esther, Hannah, Margaret, Elizabeth, John Wesley, Sarah (Sallie).

Ann Calvert (m. William Shepherd)

 

b. 10-10-1806, Belmont County, Ohio

d. 12-4-1894, Guthrie, Oklahoma

Married 10-16-1830 in Belmont, Ohio.

Their children were John Newton, Mary Ann, William Jasper, Esther Louisa, Rachel Amanda, George Washington, Hannah Jane, Benjamin Franklin, and Robert.

John Newton Shepherd (m. Harriet Henderson)   * see News Article Below

b. 7-5-1831, West Liberty, West Virginia

d. 9-30-1911, Guthrie, Oklahoma

John was a Methodist minister, among other trades, also in the military.

Their children were Elva Louise, Charles Fremont, Mary Alice, Robert Clinton, Hattie Beth, Minnie Jane, Addie May, Frank Carl, and Nettie Calvert.

He wrote an autobiography (available in "Files" on Calvert Genealogy Facebook site).

Robert Clinton Shepherd (m. Sophia Viola Miller)

b. 6-25-1860, Knoxville, Iowa

d. 3-26-1952, Riverside, California

Was an inventor and early pioneer in Redlands, California.

Their children were Hazel Edith, Ruby Calvert, Clinton Fremont, and Viola Elaine.

 Ruby Calvert Shepherd (m. Edward Sandell)

 b. 1-13-1888, Redlands, California

d. 3-22-1981, Riverside, California

Their children were Mildred Viola, Edward Jr. (died in infancy), George Edward, baby boy (died in infancy), Ruby Sophia, Charles Calvert, Paul Franklin, Robert Clinton, and Willis Leroy.

Charles Calvert Sandell (m. Marcene Lorain Messal) – these were my parents

b. 9-21-1920, Terra Bella, California

d. 10-29-2002, Riverside, California

Charles was also given the middle name of Calvert.

Their children were Janis Dianne and Michael William.

Notes:

(1). Albert Cook Myers who researched the Quakers moving into Pennsylvania, believed Grace’s surname was Myers. Reference: https://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/pacscl/ead.pdf?id=PACSCL_CCHS_CCHSMSColl190’ and “Immigration of the Irish Quakers into Pennsylvania, 1682-1750 : with their early history in Ireland.”

(2). Note: Anita Calvert (Jewel Maude) was the daughter of William Preston Calvert and his first wife, Zella Jones. Anita formed “Calvert Heirs Inc.” in Kansas City, Kansas, along with her second husband Adolph A. le Bourgoise. Many Calverts gave money to “apply” for getting funds of the Calverts Lord Baltimore, namely related to the posited theory that money seized by the Colonies from Frederick Calvert's Maryland Holdings was due to Calvert descendants. Several Calvert families who descend or are related to the Calverts who are Nordic (Quaker), provided funds. Their viewpoint after doing so and getting nothing in return was that Calvert Inc. was a scam. We do know that Anita le Bourgoise’s worth was about $5 million dollars, so it is very highly likely that an Attorney of that era with that kind of net worth could very possibly have been involved in a scam. would say that a lawyer of that era who had that net worth, was very possibly involved in a scam. Even so, this is conjecture on my part. – David Bell - 2 March 2022. 

Newspaper Article - John N Shepherd & Calvert Heirs, Inc

 

RC Shepherd (Family Group)

RC Shepherd Patent(Muffler)