Exploring the Past to Improve the Future
By Eilene Lyon Utah, like most western states, contains large swaths of federal land. It's safe to describe southern Utah as having nearly as much public as private land. The National Parks have become major draws to the region. These include Canyonlands, Arches, Capitol Reef, Zion, and Bryce Canyon. Then there are tiny-to-vast National Monuments:... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon I’ve had dogs in my life for decades, but never heard of pannus until a couple months ago. The technical name for the condition is chronic superficial keratitis (CSK). Our border-collie-mix dog, Hunter, joined the family a little over a year ago. We don’t know exactly how old he is, but likely... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon This information will be useful for any genealogist or family historian who deals with old land records in the eastern U.S. where surveys were done using metes-and-bounds, rather than the federal land survey grid (township and range). Metes-and-bounds surveys are usually irregularly shaped and often delineated by trees, streams, and other natural... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon For this story, I have to begin at the ending. The whole shebang is much more complicated—but this is bad enough! Who Are Louisa's Parents? My 2nd great-grandmother, Louisa Mary Dills, died on February 29, 1928 in Sioux City, Woodbury County, Iowa. Her death certificate gives her name as Mary Louisa Dills,... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon My mom, like her mother before her, did a lot of sewing early in her marriage. One of the last vestiges of those days is her “button box,” which I’ve inherited. I loved rooting around the button collection as a kid. For some reason, I still have a thing about saving extra... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon A Visit to Ancestral Homes A couple of years before I did my DNA testing, The Putterer and I went on vacation to Switzerland, Strasbourg, and western Germany. We went to the German village, Heidelsheim, that my Springer family emigrated from in the 1800s. What I did not know at the time... Continue Reading →
Found Photo Project #7-B By Eilene Lyon Last September I shared this portrait of the Eckermann family on their Idaho ranch. I said that I hadn’t found any other images of the family, but I was incorrect. I purchased two other photos in the same store at the same time. The name Eckermann does not... Continue Reading →
Black History Month By Eilene Lyon Genealogists and historians rely on many different record sets in their research. Often, we focus on the variable information on a form, items that identify our ancestors and relatives: name, birth date, address, occupation, physical description. It’s also important to learn about the record source itself. The World War... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon For my recent birthday, The Putterer got me a bird feeder with a remote camera built in. I can manually take photos and videos of the birds with an app that I monitor. It also has a motion detector and takes pictures when I'm not watching. About 99% of the birds coming... Continue Reading →
Where the locals go, because the locals know!
Exploring the twists and turns of Marie's mind and travels since 2013
Reflections of an inquiring retiree ...
The opinions expressed are those of the author. You go get your own opinions.
A Blog of Retirement and Related Thoughts
I write about genealogy on this site. Come see what's going on!
Fun With Genealogy
Discover and re-discover Mexico’s cuisine, culture and history through the recipes, backyard stories and other interesting findings of an expatriate in Canada
Navigating the second half of my life
A history of the people of the Willamette Valley as revealed through their structures.
Doing the best I can to keep it on the bright side
You might think you understand what I said, but what you heard is not always what I meant.
Author, Speaker, Family Historian
thoughts about life from below the surface
... stories of significant others in the Allery, Cutting, McCulloch and Robertson tribes ...
Celtic, Mythical and More ...
Illuminating the Ancestral Journey
Tracing The Faces
Uncovering Family Legacies One Stitch at a Time
Myricopia 