Or, Why Charlemagne is Not My Ancestor By Eilene Lyon My recent post, The Instant Tree, sparked a discussion with Zoe Krainik from Hollywood Genes which I thought worthy of expanding on. Zoe provided a link to this article that seems to suggest that each European today is descended from everyone living in Europe during... Continue Reading →
Grandma Johnson Saves a Life
Week 19: #52 Ancestors – Nurture By Eilene Lyon An Abandoned Boy I can’t tell you much about bachelor South Dakota farmer Clarence Halse’s long life. But I can tell you this – it got off to a rough start. Clarence’s parents were Robert J. Halse (youngest son of Robert H. Halse) and Alsina Neville.... Continue Reading →
The Berkeley Bus
By Eilene Lyon (for SB) My recent trip to California included a four-day stay in Berkeley to do research. My hotel was a few miles from the UC campus. I don't often take public transportation - it isn't an option where I live. I asked at the hotel desk about the bus to campus. It... Continue Reading →
Jonathan Zane: Traitor?
Week 8: #52 Ancestors -- Power By Eilene Lyon “Revolutions, by their very nature, produce dilemmas of loyalty. Practically overnight men who previously had been considered good citizens find themselves suspected of treason while those who betray the existing order are hailed as heroes and patriots.” Robert F. Oakes The two men huddled through a... Continue Reading →
Reflections
By Eilene Lyon Happy New Year and welcome to 2021!! Well, I'm pretty sure we're all happy to say "adios" "adieu" and "farewell" to 2020. But it wasn't an entirely bad year - I had the company of my fellow bloggers to cheer me along the way. This is the third anniversary for the Myricopia... Continue Reading →
La Vida Alta
By Eilene Lyon Just over 35 years ago I made the decision to settle in southwest Colorado in the foothills of the spectacular San Juan Mountains. I hope I never have to leave this beautiful place. I'd like to share some of my favorite high-country photos and touch on a few aspects of life up... Continue Reading →
In the Line of Duty
Week 52: #52 Ancestors – Resolution By Eilene Lyon Katie Davis, my first cousin 2x removed, grew up near Kendrick, Idaho. She was the second child of Charles A. Davis and Minnie Holcombe. Charles was the older brother of my great-grandfather, Sterling Price Davis. Katie and her sister, Sarah, were less than two years apart... Continue Reading →
The Slide Years: Christmas Tree
By Eilene Lyon The Slide Years is a series in which I select an image my dad took from 1957-1982 with Kodachrome slide film, then I write a stream-of-consciousness essay – a sort of mini-memoir. When we arrived in Guatemala in January 1974, Christmas was the furthest thing from our minds. But as the holiday... Continue Reading →
That Is Mighty Cold
Week 51: #52 Ancestors – Winter By Eilene Lyon My grandfather, Laurence M. “Smitty” Smith left us with a small stack of typed memoirs written in brief spurts. The following passage opens a piece he titled “The Early Years.” “During the winter of 1921-22 the religious fanatics in California were predicting the end of the... Continue Reading →
A Visit to Cincinnati 1851 – Part 2
Part 1 By Eilene Lyon The canal packet Indiana – designed specifically to fit in the locks at Louisville – arrived from New Orleans on Tuesday the 11th, pulling into the public landing, a sloping embankment on the Ohio River, alongside a dozen other steamboats. Though scheduled to depart the next day, obtaining a suitable... Continue Reading →
A Visit to Cincinnati 1851 – Part 1
Week 50: #52 Ancestors – Witness to History By Eilene Lyon Introduction: This two-part feature is an excerpt from my book about the California gold rush. The Blackford Mining Co. left a farming community in eastern Indiana to seek their fortunes in 1851. The ten men ranged in age from Peter Liestenfeltz, the youngest at... Continue Reading →
Big Bend Country
By Eilene Lyon We decided to take one last RV trip before settling in for a long, Covid-avoidance-at-home winter nap. For years I’ve wanted to visit Big Bend National Park, one of the most remote and least visited parks in the lower-48 states. I had to plan and book in advance (not normally my style),... Continue Reading →