Week 28: #52 Ancestors – Travel By Eilene Lyon In 1942, my grandparents, Reatha and Everett Halse, made the decision to leave Florence, South Dakota, and head west. Everett’s younger brother, Alvin Halse, was already living in Corvallis, Oregon, and had a job waiting for Everett. That summer, they packed up their worldly possessions and... Continue Reading →
Relative
A Poem By Eilene Lyon If relativity is true, Why can't I find you? It should be a simple matter of bending the space/time continuum. Then we could be in the Same place at the same time. But would it be your time -- or mine? Feature image: Unidentified young man from Cutting... Continue Reading →
Paying Respect
By Eilene Lyon As with my other genealogy trips, when I went to Blackford and Jay counties in Indiana last year, I visited several cemeteries to pay respects to my ancestors and other relatives. For me, that means more than just placing some flowers, saying a silent thanks (or maybe out loud, talking to myself... Continue Reading →
Where It Ends: Independence
Week 27: #52 Ancestors – Independence By Eilene Lyon In my story about Emma Jenkins, I detailed some of the events leading to the downfall of my great-great-grandfather, Robert Ransom. The more I discover about the Ransom family, the more I find a humongous, convoluted soap opera. I'm not sure if these people were crazy,... Continue Reading →
Extending the Family
By Eilene Lyon The “Greats” Getting to know extended family can be challenging. In my case, geographic separation was a serious obstacle to spending time with even closest kin (grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins). Until recently, it was a rare occasion that I ever met any of the “greats”: great-grandparents, great-uncles, and great-aunts. Nor did... Continue Reading →
A Lovable Louse
Week 26: #52 Ancestors – Black Sheep By Eilene Lyon A Model Citizen If there’s a blacker sheep on my family tree than William Clark Ransom, I’ve not come across him/her. William Clark Ransom (1828 – 1917) was born into humble circumstances in Ohio, and grew up on a modest farm in eastern Indiana. He... Continue Reading →
Is He or Isn’t He?
Week 25: #52 Ancestors – Same Name By Eilene Lyon One of the most problematic lines on my tree is the Orme family. My 3rd-great-grandmother was Christiana Orme, married to Martin R. Smith. Her parents were Nicholas Davis Orme and Penelope Permellee Pell. The Orme, Smith, and Pell families all have ties to Lewis County,... Continue Reading →
Stepping up to Fatherhood
Week 24: #52 Ancestors – Father’s Day By Eilene Lyon Many men are both step-fathers and fathers, but only a portion of them do it in that order. One of those was Thomas Alexander Reams, my great-great-grandfather. He was the father of Mary Lila (Reams) Smith. This is the tale of the Reams family: Sprague,... Continue Reading →
Celestial Blackmail?
Week 23: #52 Ancestors – Going to the Chapel By Eilene Lyon There’s no question that Great-grandma Clara was a staunch supporter of the Methodist Church. Her father (God rest his soul) had been a lay preacher in the faith, after all. She was abstemious, and thought everyone else should be, too. (I do hope... Continue Reading →