“Can You Read Me Now?”

By Eilene Lyon Reading handwritten documents is a critical part of genealogical and historical research. The debate about teaching children to write cursive is ongoing. The question for me is, “Can you read cursive writing without learning how to do it yourself?” I believe the answer is “Yes.” I quit writing cursive as soon as... Continue Reading →

Tale of Two Adas

Week 37: #52 Ancestors – Closest to Your Birthday By Eilene Lyon In my last post in this series, I told you that my grandparents, Reatha Gusso and Everett Halse, were married on December 31, 1932.1 I squelched into existence on what would have been their 29th wedding anniversary, except that Everett had been gone... Continue Reading →

September 16, 2018 10

Solving a 166-Year-Old Crime

By Eilene Lyon One of my readers, Irene at My Slice of Mexico, commented, “Great research! When I read your family history posts, I always think of one of my favourite shows ‘The History Detectives’” Thanks, Irene! I love that show, too. In fact, I frequently DO feel like a history detective. So let me... Continue Reading →

September 13, 2018 24

The Halse Work Ethic

Week 36: #52 Ancestors – Work By Eilene Lyon I got my work ethic from my dad. We kids were expected to do a variety of chores (wash dishes, dust, set the table, clean the bathroom) from a very early age. We were given a generous allowance, too, so we also learned to manage our... Continue Reading →

September 11, 2018 17

The Sentry (for dog lovers)

By Eilene Lyon She has always stood at the ready to protect us: from lizards, squirrels, bears, hummingbirds, flies, and free-range garbage trucks. Kyra is now into her second decade of guard duty. We didn’t name her. In retrospect, she should have been christened with a warrior’s name – “Xena” or “She Who Eats Skunk... Continue Reading →

September 8, 2018 22

The Schoolma’am

Week 35: #52 Ancestors – Back to School By Eilene Lyon The ancestor that I most closely associate with schools is Clara Pearl Ransom. Education was the driving force in her life – her own and that of others. Her early life was marked by tragedy, but when she moved to Moscow, Idaho, it was... Continue Reading →

September 7, 2018 28

BWCA: Into the Wilderness

By Eilene Lyon It’s exactly a year since The Putterer and I went on a trip through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota. Since I use a photo from that as the blog header and one in my About page, I probably should get on with a post about the trip. This had... Continue Reading →

September 5, 2018 18

The Ag Schedule Mysteries

Week 34: #52 Ancestors – Non-Population By Eilene Lyon The agricultural schedules for the 1850 U. S. Federal Census are of particular interest in researching my eastern Indiana families and their gold rush stories. They’ve also left me with a couple of mysteries. Perhaps you’ll have some insights that might help me solve them. For... Continue Reading →

September 3, 2018 14

Genealogy (sort-of haiku)

By Eilene Lyon It is the job of The ones who are left, to do The remembering. Feature image: Collage of photos from W. Halse collection 2015

August 23, 2018 20

16 Tons of Healthcare

By Eilene Lyon “You load sixteen tons, what do you get?/Another day older and deeper in debt/Saint Peter don’t you call me, ‘cause I can’t go/I owe my soul to the company store.” – Sixteen Tons by Merle Travis I marvel at the fact that so many Americans believe that healthcare should be a for-profit... Continue Reading →

August 21, 2018 27

Myricopia