Jesse Shepard
| Francis Grierson | |
|---|---|
Grierson c. 1890
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| Born | Benjamin Henry Jesse Francis Shepard September 18, 1848 Birkenhead, England |
| Died | May 29, 1927 (aged 78) Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation | Composer, pianist, writer |
| Relatives | Benjamin Grierson (cousin) |
Benjamin Henry Jesse Francis Shepard (September 18, 1848 – May 29, 1927) was a composer, pianist, and writer who used the pen name of Francis Grierson.
Jesse was born in Birkenhead, England, to Joseph Shepard and Emily Grierson Shepard and his family migrated to Illinois, United States while he was still a baby. Shepard traveled in Europe, finding audiences even among royalty, and impressed the French novelist Alexandre Dumas, fils. He was involved with Spiritualism and stated that many of his musical performances were the result of the spirits of famous composers channeling through him. Shepard traveled through California in 1876 performing at several of the old religious missions founded by the Spanish. He was invited to live in San Diego by a pair of real-estate developers, the High brothers, who enticed him by promising to build a mansion to his specifications. The result was the Villa Montezuma (named after "The Montezuma", a migrant ship that first brought Shepard to America).
In 1885, Shepard met Lawrence Waldemar Tonner, who became his friend and supporter for over 40 years. Tonner was born into the Danish Royal family in Thisted, Denmark on October 15, 1861. He emigrated to the U.S. through Glasgow, Scotland in 1870 and became a naturalized citizen of the U.S. in 1875, in Chicago, Illinois. He worked as a manager, press secretary, interpreter, French teacher, and as a translator and aide for Herbert Hoover. Among the Waldemar Tonner Papers at ONE Archives, Los Angeles, is a letter recommending Tonner for a position with the Bureau of Public Information from Hoover, then head of the Food Administration. The letter was among Shepard's archived papers, which also included Tonner's credentials for the National Press Club of Washington, the Chevy-Chase Club and The University Club, Washington D.C., as well as Tonner's U.S. passport (issued in England by Robert Lincoln, son of the former president). Tonner died on May 25, 1947 in Los Angeles, California, and is buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.
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