~*~
At 75 years of age, 'Flitterfoot' fathered a son, Robert (Bob) 'Green Thumb' Shepherd,
with his second wife, Lucinda Ratliff. 'Flitterfoot' and Lucinda only lived together for a
few years following their marriage.
Lucinda was initially married to an Owsley and she brought eight or nine children to
her marriage to 'Flitterfoot', according to 'Flitterfoot's' grandson, Mort Shepherd (not to
be confused with his son Mort).
'Flitterfoot' would feed you if you worked, and if you were around Grandpa by golly
you were going to work," Mort said. He continued, "But Lucinda wouldn't have any of
it. She told Grandpa that her children weren't gonna work."
So, when their son Bob was about two years old, 'Flitterfoot' had had enough. Mort
said, "He asked her to pack her bags and to take her children with her, all except for
Uncle Bob that is!"
So she packed up and moved out, heading back down the hollar about four or five
miles, or so it seemed according to Mort.
"Grandpa kept Uncle Bob, and they moved in with us, or we moved in with them I
should say. Uncle Bob was more like a brother to me than an uncle ya know."
Mort added, "Some of those Owsley boys of Lucinda's were grown men and they
wouldn't work, not a lick I'm tellin' you. That's what got Grandpa the angriest...he liked
Lucinda, but those grown boys, he didn't like freeloaders."
"Grandpa used to hitch up the horse and wagon after Lucinda left and he'd tell my Dad
(Lewis) that he was going to take Uncle Bob down to see his mother. But we knew he
wasn't interested in Bob's concerns about seeing his mother, Grandpa was just wantin'
to see Lucinda for himself, ha!"
On the subject of 'Flitterfoot's' last days, Mort said, "I remember when Grandpa got sick.
I remember him dying. My brother Columbus and I cemented his tombstone in where
he's buried. Before that we just marked where our kinfolk were buried by placing a
rock there. And if you weren't there when the rock was laid, you didn't know who was
who. I knew!"
"A lady from Magoffin Co., Connie Wireman, came asking questions. She asked if I
knew where he was buried. I told her I placed the rock where he's buried so, I know
where he's buried." He continued, "She bought the tombstone for us to put up as a
marker for Grandpa. She came over often it seemed and wanted to know about
Grandpa and the kinfolk up on Rough 'N Tough. I told my wife that she was going to
write a book, and sure enough she did. We went over to Magoffin Co., and I think I paid
about $15 for that book, just to read my own words, or what I had told her, ha! I guess I
was interested what others had to say, I can't read, ha! I was never educated ya know."
Mort further commented on 'Flitterfoot's' final days saying, "Grandpa was laid up for
quite a spell, 'bout six or seven months as I recall. There was a black spot on the back
of his hand, and from that spot there was a red line, and when it finally reached his
pulse (presumably the veins on the underside of the wrist), that was it - he died!"
Mort concluded this conversation with, "Yup Grandpa, Uncle Bob, and a whole lotta
Aunts and Uncles lived at Grandpa's old place, sometimes it seems there were four or
five family's livin' in the house at the same time, but I can't remember why now, I'm 91
years old ya know, my memory isn't as sharp as it used to be."
~*~
