A Slow Death

By Eilene Lyon A 19th Century Scourge In my gold rush research, I’ve come across a couple cases of milk sickness – a deadly disease that was common in the 19th century throughout the Ohio River Valley states. I made the erroneous assumption that this was some bacterial illness that was neutralized by pasteurization. Rather,... Continue Reading →

A Postal Crime

Week 9: #52 Ancestors – At the Courthouse By Eilene Lyon Benjamin Franklin was the first postmaster general, appointed by the Second Continental Congress in 1775. Delivering mail has been a vital function of this quasi-governmental agency ever since. Thanks to the Postal Service, Americans could communicate inexpensively over long distances, facilitating population mobility before the age... Continue Reading →

I Want Answers, Dammit!

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 →

Crossing an Ocean with Kids

Week 2: #52 Ancestors – Challenge By Eilene Lyon Meet Eliza Jane Drake Eliza Jane Drake was the daughter of Samuel and Eliza Drake (b. 1792, b. 1794). The Drakes were of English descent and lived in the village of Killyleagh, County Down, Northern Ireland. Eliza Jane was born in 1822.1 Eliza Jane fell in... Continue Reading →

Early German Lutherans

Week 1: #52 Ancestors – First By Eilene Lyon I really have to learn German. It’s a huge chunk of my DNA (like 75%), but somehow I just can’t get the hang of it. But I do love German food and Germany itself! Recently I discovered some ancestors who are probably among the first German... Continue Reading →

Phrenologically Kind

Week 51: #52 Ancestors – Nice By Eilene Lyon “…one who is still frequently upon our streets, the fruits of whose labor all of us are reaping more or less, one of those by whom the world is more benefited than is by the world acknowledged…” Don’t let that stern countenance fool you. William Painter... Continue Reading →

A Secret Mission

Week 50: #52 Ancestors – Naughty By Laurence M. Smith (May 7, 1985) At times there are unusual experiences involved in being an Electrical Engineer. It was the time of World War II. I had just transferred from Portland to Spokane, Washington, to work on the design of the Spokane Army Air Field. It was... Continue Reading →

Solving a 166-Year-Old Crime (revised)

By Eilene Lyon Introduction I posted the original version of this story on September 13, 2018. Briefly, it involves the 1851 – 1852 partnership between Elias D. Pierce, William S. Good, and Paris S. Pfouts in Siskiyou County, California. Pierce suggested that William Good took off with the company’s assets worth $40,000. I didn’t believe... Continue Reading →

A Sad Situation

Week 46: #52 Ancestors – Random Fact By Eilene Lyon “Benjamin Hull Jones, a native of Ohio, became dissipated, and by accident shot away a large portion of his face.” I found that statement more random and shocking than anything I’ve come across in my decades of research. When I began examining the life of... Continue Reading →

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