Absurdities #3

Given that the Confederacy was antithetical to the entire notion of the United States of America -- they went to war against the U.S., remember? -- how can anyone in their right mind fly both flags on one pole at the same time? This is patently ludicrous. Which side are they on? It can't be... Continue Reading →

Lessons From A Riot

By Eilene Lyon Every year for four days in March, I attend the local film festival. Though I love the feature films, I try to see as many shorts and documentaries as possible. After watching a series of international narrative shorts this morning, which were excellent, I went to see the documentary, “12th and Clairmount.”... Continue Reading →

Fonts of Knowledge: County Courthouses

By Eilene Lyon Genealogists and county courthouses go together like wine and cheese (you can see how I like to dine). We are a pair. As the Family History Library continues to digitize its microfilm collection and put it online, you might think that the era of visiting courthouses is coming to an end. Not... Continue Reading →

Game Night

Week 27: #52 Ancestors – Solo By Eilene Lyon If the saying goes… “The family that plays together, stays together”…well, that didn’t exactly work out for us. However, I do have fond memories of our family game nights. We had a number of the standard board games, including Monopoly, Scrabble, Clue, etc. There were dice... Continue Reading →

July 11, 2020 31

Mid-Century Kids

Week 26: #52 Ancestors – Middle By Eilene Lyon This brief tale is about two cousins (to each other, as well as to me), who were both born in the year 1850, but whose lives turned out very differently. Both lived in the north and their early teen years were marred by the devastation of... Continue Reading →

July 4, 2020 24

Paintersville, Ohio

Week 25: #52 Ancestors – Unexpected By Eilene Lyon I’ve long known that there are pioneers of many stripes in my family background. But I didn’t expect one of them to have been the first settler in Cæsers Creek Township, Greene County, Ohio – a location that is less than 20 miles from where I... Continue Reading →

June 27, 2020 28

Erasing History

By Eilene Lyon “There are those who wrap themselves in flags and blow the tinny trumpet of patriotism as a means of fooling the people.” -- George Galloway I recently saw this meme posted on Facebook and felt it brought up issues regarding history that this blog ought to address. Taken at face value, I... Continue Reading →

June 23, 2020 42

The Doily

Week 24: #52 Ancestors - Handed Down By Eilene Lyon I have very few family heirlooms. My Army-brat upbringing taught me to let go of things. We could only take so much whenever we moved. It's been only recently that I've come to appreciate what little I have received and kept over the years. This... Continue Reading →

June 20, 2020 33

They Peel Right Merrily

Week 23: #52 Ancestors – Wedding By Eilene Lyon Ogden and Mary (Kew) Casterton of England immigrated in 1852, shortly after their marriage. They settled for four years in Illinois, then permanently relocated to Winneshiek County, Iowa, in 1856. In their long marriage, they produced a robust family of ten children. The Casterton holdings grew... Continue Reading →

June 18, 2020 26

Hyphens Matter

By Eilene Lyon Just in case you don't think hyphens are really necessary. I thought, "Gee, that man must have an enormous appetite!" Feature image: Guadalupe Island great white shark (Wikimedia Commons)

June 16, 2020 23

Mea Culpa

Week 22: #52 Ancestors – Uncertain By Eilene Lyon After I posted my story about Nancy Self, I realized I made a series of errors. It happens when we make assumptions. Nancy’s obituaries stated that of her twelve children, five had died in infancy. But my tree had eight adult children. Um, basic arithmetic says... Continue Reading →

June 13, 2020 28

Not A Centenarian

Week 21: #52 Ancestors – Tombstone By Eilene Lyon Nancy (Ary) Self’s tombstone looks rather ordinary, except that it seems to indicate that she lived to a remarkable age: 105. It isn’t true, but according to her obituary she outlived all twelve of her children, so that makes it pretty easy to claim you’ve reached... Continue Reading →

June 11, 2020 41

Myricopia