By Eilene Lyon About a year ago, we were in London just before returning home from a three-week vacation, mostly in northeastern France and Belgium. We went from our hotel via subway to the Westminster stop, because we had a trip on the Thames to Kew Gardens arranged. We admired the Parliament building, Westminster Cathedral,... Continue Reading →
Shooting for the Stars
By Eilene Lyon (Note: I originally wrote this, and stashed it, in 2011. I’ve updated the percentage of female pilots. Emily Howell Warner died in Littleton, Colorado, on July 3, 2020 at age 80.) Back in 2010, my husband and I took a Frontier Airlines flight from Denver to Orlando, Florida. Before we left the... Continue Reading →
Non-Traditional
By Eilene Lyon I come from a line of college-educated women, going back to my great-grandmother, Clara Ransom Davis, who was a graduate in the third class of the University of Idaho (UI, Moscow) in 1898. She ensured her niece, nephew, and two daughters all went to the University. Niece Clara Hockett, and daughters June... Continue Reading →
Ticket Buyer Beware
By Eilene Lyon I like to tell myself that my life experiences and trips around the sun have taught me well how to avoid being scammed. But we are all vulnerable in certain circumstances. I’m no exception. In this case, a few days before Christmas I stopped in at the Durango Visitor Center where they... Continue Reading →
An Uncertain Future
Note: The following is blatantly political and partisan. I generally avoid current events of this nature, but feel compelled to have my say. By Eilene Lyon What we know is that the polls can’t tell us the outcome of today’s election. What we know is that there is at least a 50% chance that Donald... Continue Reading →
From the Vault: The Footrest Error
By Eilene Lyon Pardon the unattractive photo above. Following up on my last post about Fred Ransom’s on-the-job accident, I thought I’d share my similar experience. Partly due to sheer luck, the injuries to my right foot did not result in the loss of any digits. I’m not so naïve as to think that workplace... Continue Reading →
Researching Found Photos
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 →
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 →
In Defense of the Dead
By Eilene Lyon I do not shy away from telling less-than-savory stories about some of my ancestors and relatives. If there is credible evidence they committed a crime, then I document it. But some people have taken to “solving” unsolved crimes by insinuating the guilt of dead people on websites like Find A Grave (FAG)... Continue Reading →