Koch’s Disease

By Eilene Lyon -- March 24, 2020 It felled Egyptian Pharaohs and Greek warriors. It’s likely been around for 9,000 years or more. An estimate is that one in seven people who ever lived prior to 1800 succumbed to the disease, caused by a bacteria. Is this one of those plagues that have been eradicated... Continue Reading →

March 24, 2020 33

Back to the FANs

Week 1: #52 Ancestors - Fresh Start By Eilene Lyon To genealogists, the FAN acronym stands for Friends, Associates, Neighbors - people we should be researching alongside our ancestors to provide context and clues to family connections. My knee surgery rehab time on the exercise bike prompted me to start watching some Legacy Family Tree... Continue Reading →

March 14, 2020 20

For the Birds

By Eilene Lyon The latest issue of Living Bird Magazine from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a clarion call to bird and nature lovers everywhere. I urge you to at least read the editorial "The choir must become a force for change." Somewhere between 45 and 50 million Americans say they are bird watchers.... Continue Reading →

November 5, 2019 31

Rio Grande Headwaters

By Eilene Lyon South of the South Fork of the Rio Grande that flows down from Wolf Creek Pass, the campers (many of them hunters) were thick as late-summer flies. We spent one night on Park Creek as a waypoint between the Conejos River (two nights) and the Rio Grande headwaters, west of Creede, Colorado.... Continue Reading →

September 17, 2019 38

The Shrinking Tree

Or, Why Charlemagne is Not My Ancestor By Eilene Lyon My recent post, The Instant Tree, sparked a discussion with Zoe Krainik from Hollywood Genes which I thought worthy of expanding on. Zoe provided a link to this article that seems to suggest that each European today is descended from everyone living in Europe during... Continue Reading →

August 13, 2019 34

Don’t Wait ‘Til Too Late

Week 28: #52 Ancestors - Reunion By Eilene Lyon Probably the most common type of reunion, apart from big holidays, is the funeral of a friend or family member. It's the basic premise behind countless movies, too. Why do we wait? It's not like people are going to die at some convenient time for everyone... Continue Reading →

July 23, 2019 30

St. Anthony’s Fire

Week 22: #52 Ancestors – At the Cemetery By Eilene Lyon There is a cemetery in New Orleans that I have not seen, and probably never will. Why? Because there are no grave markers, and the buried remains are merely a bony tangle in the delta silt. Still, it is hallowed ground. This is the... Continue Reading →

May 31, 2019 20

Unintended Consequences

Week 15: #52 Ancestors – DNA By Eilene Lyon Well into my second year of doing Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompts, I’ve struck on one that really has me stymied. The “DNA” prompt just doesn’t bring any particular ancestor or relative to mind. Should I write about medical issues? Perhaps the... Continue Reading →

April 26, 2019 33