Week 2: #52 Ancestors – Family Legend By Eilene Lyon My grandmother, Clare (Davis) Smith, left this typewritten note regarding her paternal ancestors. I want to learn more about the first one, but I’m going to address them all, beginning at the bottom. (Typos have been corrected.)“The Davis family moved from Missouri to Texas Ridge,... Continue Reading →
Three Generations
Week 3: #52 Ancestors – Namesake By Eilene Lyon This is the story of a granddaughter named in memory of the grandmother she never met. And of the woman between them who outlived them both. We’ll begin with Mary Frances Stephens, the young woman in the feature image above. She was the eighth of nine... Continue Reading →
From the Vault: Pencil Cup
By Eilene Lyon The “From the Vault” series features an artifact or family photo from my collection to illustrate a tale from my distant past. In 1976 my school, the American School of Guatemala, participated in an international high school drama arts festival in Managua, Nicaragua. We took a bus trip through part of Central... Continue Reading →
A Hepler Connection
Week 10: #52 Ancestors – Name’s the Same By Eilene Lyon The older I get, the less enamored I am with celebrity culture. The names I know mostly date to the last century; about today’s stars I'm clueless. But, I'm still amused when I discover famous cousins. For example, Bette Midler is supposedly a 10th... Continue Reading →
Killarney Lady
Week 11: #52 Ancestors – Fortune By Eilene Lyon The Struss family may have hailed from Germany, but not their dogs. The Putterer’s grandfather, Carl F. Struss, bred Irish setters. One of them, Killarney Lady, achieved a tiny measure of fame. In 1937, she “whelped thirteen of the finest pups that any breeder could wish... Continue Reading →
Freedom’s Journal
By Eilene Lyon -- March 16, 2021 This date in 1827 saw the publication of the first issue of Freedom’s Journal in New York City. It was the first newspaper produced by and for Blacks in the United States. A group of free men of color, primarily clergymen, met at the home of community organizer... Continue Reading →
Peoria Pair
Week 4: #52 Ancestors – Favorite Photo By Eilene Lyon This is a snazzy portrait of The Putterer’s parents, Cliff and Fran, taken in the early 1940s. I love many things about it: their clothes, the car, the expressions on their faces. I also like how they had it framed: Clifford Park Lyon, Jr. (Cliff)... Continue Reading →
From the Vault: Berlin Wall
By Eilene Lyon The “From the Vault” series features an artifact or family photo from my collection to illustrate a tale from my distant past. Bridging the East-West divide has never been a simple matter. It's complicated further when the two sides have been handed entirely different sets of expectations. My tale begins when a... Continue Reading →
Meet The Lyons
Week 1: #52 Ancestors – Beginnings By Eilene Lyon As I mentioned in my post Reflections, I plan to do a number of stories on The Putterer’s family this year. Neither he, nor his sister, have children to pass their legacy to. But there could be extended family (second cousins or beyond) who may find... Continue Reading →