Exploring the Past to Improve the Future
By Eilene Lyon In America we tend to think of sauerkraut as a traditional German dish. It was also an important food to my 3rd great-grandparents in the Jenkins-Bedford line. Their heritage was Welsh-English, not German. Abigail (Bedford) Jenkins mentions it twice in her gold-rush letters to her husband, Henry Z. Jenkins. From August 1851:... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon Late last year I shared with you the story of Ann Jenkins Ransom, who was William C. Ransom’s first wife. He had five wives and an unknown number of affairs. He did not always bother with the nicety of divorcing one wife before marrying another. The wives are well-documented except Number Four.... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon Part 1 Part 2 1857–1863 Ann’s brother, Billy Jenkins, left San Francisco in the spring of 1857 to rejoin his daughter, Lizzie, and his parents in Jay County, Indiana. He purchased his parents’ farm and they all lived together there. Billy spent a year learning new skills at the Indiana School for... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon Part 1 1855–1856 Ann and William Ransom, with their two daughters and Billy Jenkins, took a boat north across the San Francisco Bay to the city, where they could catch the steamer going up the San Joaquin River to Stockton. The steamer wound its way through the head-high tule reeds in the... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon Veteran’s Day 2025 The two youngest sons in the Henry Zane Jenkins and Abigail G. Bedford family served in—and survived—the US Civil War. Their home state of Indiana held vast numbers of Southern sympathizers, immigrants from Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and the Carolinas. It was often called “the Dixie of the North.” But... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon My 2nd great-grandaunt, Ann Jenkins, had a short but adventurous life for a mid-19th century woman. She was born July 5, 1831 in southwestern Ohio, oldest daughter of Henry Zane Jenkins and Abigail G. Bedford. When she was six years old, her family relocated to a newly platted Quaker town in a... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon Since I come from people who were always on the move, it’s unusual to find an ancestor who was not. My 2nd great-grandfather, Martin Smith, spent his entire long life (more than 98 years!) in central Indiana. Census records repeatedly give his occupation as farmer. It’s about time I learned a bit... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon The mystery about this portrait isn’t “Who,” but all the other Ws and Hs of inquiry. The subject is my mother, Sylvia Jean (Smith) Halse (1936–2023). It’s been a little over two years since Mom died. My brother and I were just hours too late getting to Oregon for a final goodbye.... Continue Reading →
By Eilene Lyon A record group I have not delved into much is naturalization records in the United States. Of course, someone who came to America from Great Britain prior to the Revolution had no need to file for citizenship. My 4th great-grandfather, Thomas Bedford, was born in Old Sampford, Essex, England, in 1765 to... Continue Reading →
Human Created Content - Creative Writing - Australia
What I Wish I Knew Before I Retired
Life is a series of transitions, and so is the retirement journey.
Creative, non-monetary forms of payment
Random musings on style and substance
Where the locals go, because the locals know!
Internet home for Marie Zhuikov: Blogger, Author, Poet, Photographer
Reflections of an inquiring retiree ...
The opinions expressed are those of the author. You go get your own opinions.
A Blog of Retirement and Related Thoughts
I write about genealogy on this site. Come see what's going on!
Fun With Genealogy
Discover and re-discover Mexico’s cuisine, culture and history through the recipes, backyard stories and other interesting findings of an expatriate in Canada
Navigating the second half of my life
The people, places, and things that make the Willamette Valley shine
Journeys Through the Second Half of Life
Doing the best I can to keep it on the bright side
Quips, Quotes; How To and How Knot To
Author, Speaker, Family Historian
thoughts about life from below the surface
Myricopia 