Week 36: #52 Ancestors - School Days By Eilene Lyon There are very few school pictures handed down by my ancestors. I've shared some from my great-grandmother, Clara Ransom Davis, in The Schoolma'am. My grandmother, Reatha Gusso is an exception. She did save some class pictures, and even photos of her teachers. Reatha's photo albums... Continue Reading →
The Slide Years: Winter Once More
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. Nothing says "Welcome to OHIO!" like a blizzard. We'd just spent three and a half years in the "Land of... Continue Reading →
Made In Madison
Week 35: #52 Ancestors – At Work By Eilene Lyon This week’s project began as a story about my 4th great-aunt, Catherine Delle, who is credited with establishing the first kindergarten in Madison, Wisconsin. You know I like to write about successful women from my family tree. As I researched, I ended up finding more... Continue Reading →
The Slide Years: Vista Cruiser
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. No matter where our family roamed, my grandparents made a point of visiting at least once. On this occasion, Grandma... Continue Reading →
Untethered
Week 34: #52 Ancestors – Tragedy By Eilene Lyon October 26, 1891 seemed a normal fall day at the Jones ranch. Situated on one of the most scenic and rugged coastlines in North America, it was a dream fulfilled for Samuel and Eliza B. Jones. After a life of gold mining, milling, shop-keeping and farming,... Continue Reading →
The Slide Years: Virginia Beach
By Eilene Lyon After we returned to the U.S. from France in the early 60s, we moved into base housing at Ft. Lee, near Petersburg, Virginia. That's where we met the Moores. Melinda (on the right) became my dearest friend for the time we lived there. I don't know who buried me, Steve, and Melinda... Continue Reading →
Alias Addison Porter – 3
By Eilene Lyon Please read Part 1 and Part 2 before proceeding. California After learning that Indiana Gov. Albert G. Porter had a black-sheep brother named Pinckney J. Porter, I got quite caught up in the idea that Pinckney was Addison W. Porter’s birth identity. Note that all Pinckney’s surviving siblings had names beginning with... Continue Reading →
Alias Addison Porter – 2
By Eilene Lyon Please read Part 1 before proceeding. The Second Clue After the Jefferson Zane/Zinn fiasco, I set the Addison W. Porter problem aside…until I began reading through some documents from my research trip to Idaho in June. Yep, another clue about Porter turned up. How random is that? Most of the research involved... Continue Reading →
Alias Addison Porter – 1
Week 33: #52 Ancestors – Comedy By Eilene Lyon This story isn’t funny-haha, but funny-peculiar. A comedy of errors, if you will. That does happen in genealogy research. Sometimes you have to come up with a hypothesis to guide you when you come to a brick wall. Then the path you take, based on your... Continue Reading →