Week 12: #52Ancestors – Membership By Eilene Lyon My paternal grandmother, Reatha Halse, has several photos in her album from 1945 labeled Just-a-Mere Club. They were taken in Corvallis, Oregon. Her sister-in-law, Loretta (Frydendall) Halse, was also a member and probably got Reatha involved. (In 1945, Loretta was soon to be the ex-Mrs. Al Halse.)... Continue Reading →
Bio Bite: Loren Oscar Smith
By Eilene Lyon Loren Oscar Smith (1911–1974) “Loren was only six when his mother died.… I was often admonished during those years that I should look after my younger brother.… I don’t think at that age I could have accepted all that responsibility. In any event Loren ended up something of a juvenile delinquent.” While... Continue Reading →
Bio Bite: Harry Edward Smith
By Eilene Lyon Harry Edward Smith (1892–1976) Born in Missouri, Harry traveled with the family to a hardscrabble farm in Cunningham, Washington, then to Meyers Falls near Colville, and finally, Moscow, Idaho. There he married Callie L. Trout in 1917. Harry and Callie had two sons, Don and Wes. Though both boys married, neither had... Continue Reading →
Honoring Their Service
By Eilene Lyon Today I am just going to share photos of a few veterans from my family tree. I've written about the service of some; others remain to be done. Feature image: Poppies from my garden this summer. (E. Lyon 2021)
Peoria Pair
Week 4: #52 Ancestors – Favorite Photo By Eilene Lyon This is a snazzy portrait of The Putterer’s parents, Cliff and Fran, taken in the early 1940s. I love many things about it: their clothes, the car, the expressions on their faces. I also like how they had it framed: Clifford Park Lyon, Jr. (Cliff)... Continue Reading →
Homeland
Week 30: #52 Ancestors – The Old Country By Eilene Lyon Though I have ancestral origins in England and Wales, perhaps a touch in Ireland, an overwhelming number of forebears came from Germanic regions of Europe. I’ve traveled there several times. On one trip, we specifically visited Heidelsheim and Mainz, because I knew my Springer... Continue Reading →
She Loved To Serve
Week 19: #52 Ancestors – Service By Eilene Lyon I have a soft spot for relatives who, by choice or chance, left no descendants to carry on their legacy and their stories. Sometimes nieces and nephews step in to fill the void, as with this case, about my dad’s aunt Inez. Inez Lucinda Halse was... Continue Reading →
Flying Fortress Falls
Week 16: #52 Ancestors – Air By Eilene Lyon This pre-Memorial Day story honors 2nd Lieutenant Jack P. Laird, my mother’s 4th cousin on the Ransom family tree. Born John Paul Laird in December 1919 in Klamath Falls, Oregon, Jack’s parents were Thomas W. Laird and Sylvia Lee Rackleff. He had one sibling, a brother... Continue Reading →
“Local Marine Alive, Well”
Week 21: #52 Ancestors – Military By Eilene Lyon This time of year, I like to feature someone on my family tree who perished during service to their country. They are invariably young men who never had a chance at a normal adult life. I hope I run out of these stories before too long.... Continue Reading →