Exploring the Past to Improve the Future
Week 19: #52 Ancestors – Service By Eilene Lyon I have a soft spot for relatives who, by choice or chance, left no descendants to carry on their legacy and their stories. Sometimes nieces and nephews step in to fill the void, as with this case, about my dad’s aunt Inez. Inez Lucinda Halse was... Continue Reading →
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. The freight-train rumble woke me out of a sound sleep at 3:04 a.m. on February 4, 1976. Wait a minute,... Continue Reading →
Week 17: #52 Ancestors – Land By Eilene Lyon I’ve written about my great-grandmother’s homestead in Idaho in earlier posts. Clara Pearl Ransom moved to Moscow, Idaho, when she was still in her teen years. Her older brother, Arthur L. Ransom, encouraged her to take up a homestead claim in the Clearwater region when she... Continue Reading →
Week 16: #52 Ancestors – Air By Eilene Lyon This pre-Memorial Day story honors 2nd Lieutenant Jack P. Laird, my mother’s 4th cousin on the Ransom family tree. Born John Paul Laird in December 1919 in Klamath Falls, Oregon, Jack’s parents were Thomas W. Laird and Sylvia Lee Rackleff. He had one sibling, a brother... Continue Reading →
Week 15: #52 Ancestors - Fire This story was written by my grandmother about an event she recalled from her early childhood. A cousin and I have tried to verify it, but without success. The Fire By Clare Ransom (Davis) Smith Our little house on the farm was just 3 rooms – kitchen, living room... Continue Reading →
Week 14: #52 Ancestors – Water By Eilene Lyon Priest Lake, near Canada in Idaho's panhandle, has long been a popular recreation area. In the 1920s, actor/director Nell Shipman "discovered" the lake and established Lionhead Lodge and her own film production company there. Though she stayed only a couple years, her movies introduced the country... Continue Reading →
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. The most epic road trip in my early life saw my family moving from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, to Guatemala City, via... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon – May 5, 2020 “Necessity is the mother of invention” – a proverb Why “mother” and not father? I suspect women frequently find themselves in need of a solution to a problem. We tend to be multi-taskers by tradition and that means shortcuts and mechanical aids come in real handy. Plus, we’re... Continue Reading →
Week 12: #52 Ancestors – Popular By Eilene Lyon I doubt I’d get much argument if I say that motor vehicles have been one of mankind’s most popular inventions. My great-grandfather, Charles Edward Smith, adopted the technology as soon as he could afford it. He had a grocery delivery business in Moscow, Latah County, Idaho,... Continue Reading →
"Nothing that happens to a writer -- however happy, however tragic -- is ever wasted." ~ P.D. James
Genealogy..a journey to the past present and future.
Exploring the Past to Improve the Future
Adventures in Genealogy
If you love history, travel, and humor this blog site is for you!
The Martin, McGhee, Vining, Joy, Tower, Kennedy and other family lines. Sharing our photos and stories and history.
Historical Non-Fiction in Northern Ontario
The story behind the mugshot
discovering the story it tells
Portraits from the first 100 years of photography
A genealogical journey
Welcome to My Immigrant, Family Research, and Ancestry Blog
Sharing stories from my family history
Thoughts from the Inner Mind
