The Davis Family of North Carolina By Eilene Lyon Sometimes we need to acknowledge the deeds of our forefathers that we are less than proud of - in this case, slave-holding. My grandmother was born Clare Ransom Davis. Her father was Sterling Price Davis. His father was Melville Cox Davis, son of Hamilton Cunningham Davis... Continue Reading →
What’s in a Name: William Savery Bedford (1804 – 1888)
Week 6: #52Ancestors - Favorite Name By Eilene Lyon The namesake of my 3rd great-granduncle was a Quaker minister in Philadelphia, William Savery, who died in 1804, the same year William Savery Bedford was born. I only recently learned that William’s middle initial stood for “Savery” while examining Philadelphia Quaker records. Though William’s parents, Thomas... Continue Reading →
Desperately Seeking…Descendants
As genealogists generally do, I have put together a family tree detailing my ancestors. As a historian, though, I am diligently looking for descendants, hoping they may have pieces of a puzzle: a story, a photograph, an artifact. Perhaps YOU are one of the people I am looking for. If your ancestors lived in east-central... Continue Reading →
A Case of Mistaken Identity
Week 5: #52Ancestors - Census By Eilene Lyon Because I am trying to find as many living descendants as possible for Henry Zane Jenkins and his wife, Abigail Bedford, I have been following many family lines down to the present. One of these lines is the Rackleffs of Oregon. Last year, while working on this... Continue Reading →
Remembering Little Rock
By Eilene Lyon Integration Comes to Little Rock Just over 60 years ago, Little Rock Central High became the setting for the first real test of the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education. My aunt was in high school when she made the move from Portland to Little Rock. She... Continue Reading →
Finding Family Treasure
Week 2: #52Ancestors - Photo By Eilene Lyon Sterling Price Davis (1867 – 1933) and Clara Ransom Davis (1877 – 1953) – wedding portrait (1905; Collection of the Latah County Historical Society) Historical Societies and Libraries Though I’ve been engaged in the genealogy hobby – okay, obsession – for a couple decades now, it was... Continue Reading →