By Eilene Lyon A Place to Start I shop at antique marts looking for 19th and early-20th century photos. We have only one antique store in Durango, which I’ve thoroughly gleaned, so this usually happens when I travel. I look for images that have a name inscribed somewhere on them, first/last or at least the... Continue Reading →
The Company Player
Found Photo Project #8 By Eilene Lyon This portrait of actor David R. Young was taken in Boston in 1896. He inscribed it to his mother, who lived in Connecticut (as did he). How it wound up in an antique store in southwestern Colorado—in the unincorporated, wide-spot-in-the-road known as Gem Village—shall remain a mystery. David... Continue Reading →
The Palace Hotel—561 Main
By Eilene Lyon A Brick Edifice Durango was founded in 1881. Many original buildings, particularly those built of wood, no longer exist. This is the third in a series of the oldest buildings standing on Main Avenue, originally called First Street. What is now the 500 block abuts the railroad depot. Being the principal method... Continue Reading →
A Metes-and-Bounds Tool
By Eilene Lyon This information will be useful for any genealogist or family historian who deals with old land records in the eastern U.S. where surveys were done using metes-and-bounds, rather than the federal land survey grid (township and range). Metes-and-bounds surveys are usually irregularly shaped and often delineated by trees, streams, and other natural... Continue Reading →
WWI Draft by Design
Black History Month By Eilene Lyon Genealogists and historians rely on many different record sets in their research. Often, we focus on the variable information on a form, items that identify our ancestors and relatives: name, birth date, address, occupation, physical description. It’s also important to learn about the record source itself. The World War... Continue Reading →
Alaska in Cleveland
By Eilene Lyon During my recent visit to Cleveland, Little Brother and I spent a morning at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Unfortunately, they are undergoing a renovation and all the major exhibit halls were closed. In addition to the few exhibits in the open hallways, and a small space upstairs, there was a... Continue Reading →
Clara’s Post-War Trip
Week 24: #52 Ancestors – Last One Standing By Eilene Lyon Clara Bedford wrote a letter to her aunt, Abby (Bedford) Jenkins, on May 14, 1865 from Springboro, Ohio. Clara Jane Bedford is my 1st cousin 4x removed. She was one of two children, both daughters, of William S. Bedford and Elizabeth Dearth. Clara’s letter... Continue Reading →
Transitions
By Eilene Lyon Losing a Parent I abruptly abandoned the blogosphere a couple weeks ago. Usually I give a little notice that I won’t be reading, commenting, or posting. I'm officially back now. About ten years ago, my mother began exhibiting signs of dementia. For the past six, she has lived in memory care in... Continue Reading →
The Picketwire
By Eilene Lyon First, the name. Legend has it that an unauthorized expedition of Spaniards led by Antonio Gutierrez de Humaña and Francisco Leyva de Bonilla, came to what is now southern Colorado in 1594 (a much-disputed legend at that). On their way home, Humaña murdered Bonilla in order to make off with all the... Continue Reading →