Exploring the Past to Improve the Future
By Eilene Lyon -- December 10, 2019 On this date 168 years ago, Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey (later shortened to Melvil Dewey) was born in Adams Center, New York, to Joel and Eliza (Greene) Dewey. He is credited with inventing the book-cataloging system that bears his name: the Dewey Decimal System. There’s a bit more... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon -- November 12, 2019 On this date 55 years ago, drag racer Paula Murphy broke her own land speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats, with a two-run average speed of 227.36 miles per hour, to become “the fastest woman on wheels.” The previous year, 1963, she hit over 160 mph in a... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
By Eilene Lyon Old Fort Walla Walla After the Lewis and Clark expedition, fur traders began traveling throughout the Pacific Northwest. The Canadian North West Co. established a fort at the mouth of the Walla Walla River, on the Columbia, and called it Fort Nez Perces (present-day Wallula). When the company merged with Hudson’s Bay... Continue Reading →
Week 26: #52 Ancestors – Legend By Eilene Lyon A Man on the Move In researching my Jones relatives for the California gold rush book, I discovered a legendary figure who eventually married into the family. Elias Davidson Pierce was born in Harrison County, Virginia, in 1824. But upon reaching adulthood, he moved on and... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon A Major Milestone This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. It was ratified in 1920, so we can celebrate another centennial next year. In recognition of women winning the vote, the National Archives (NARA) has a special exhibit opening in... Continue Reading →
Week 4: #52 Ancestors – I’d like to meet… By Eilene Lyon First off, my 4th-great-grandmother would probably not be pleased with that title – she was a deeply religious woman, after all. But I do know she had a sense of humor, which I’ll share with you later. Ann Widdifield Zane was born in... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon August 28, 2018 Drove back past the nearly empty reservoir at Paonia State Park. Mostly there’s just a muddy meander through the accumulated silt. A few feet of water stand at the south end nearest the dam. Cattle were grazing on the now-exposed terraced sides. As our mountains and rivers out west... Continue Reading →
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Historical Non-Fiction in Northern Ontario
Tales from the Annals of Crime
Louise Mabey
discovering the story it tells
Portraits from the first 100 years of photography
A Family History in Australia
A genealogical journey
Welcome to My Immigrant, Family Research, and Ancestry Blog
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Thoughts from the Inner Mind
A blog about my writing and the things that I care about
The less traveled paths
Stories from my family history research.
(Somewhat) Daily News from the World of Literary Nonfiction
A blog devoted to genealogical wanderings - dedicated to family near and far, through distance and time
My Family Stories
