Fecundity

Week 11: #52 Ancestors – Large Family By Eilene Lyon Large families used to be the norm, particularly in our country's agrarian years. Studies on U. S. fertility rates show that the average births per woman in 1800 was over 7.0.1 Given that some women had no children and others had a low number due... Continue Reading →

March 22, 2019 23

The Odd Brothers

Week 10: #52 Ancestors – Bachelor Uncle(s) By Eilene Lyon The grown children of Robert Ransom and Emma Jenkins, my 2nd great-grandparents, really stump me at times. My great-grandmother, Clara Ransom Davis, was the youngest of the lot. She had one surviving sister and four brothers: James, William, Arthur, and Fred. The sister married in... Continue Reading →

March 20, 2019 11

A Baker’s Dozen

Week 12: #52 Ancestors – 12 By Eilene Lyon The year 1961 was tragic for my grandmother, Reatha (Gusso) Halse. She lost her husband, her mother, and her father-in-law. Then I, her first granddaughter, screamed in under the wire on December 31. How’s that for timing? A little grace note at the end of a... Continue Reading →

March 17, 2019 20

A Postal Crime

Week 9: #52 Ancestors – At the Courthouse By Eilene Lyon Benjamin Franklin was the first postmaster general, appointed by the Second Continental Congress in 1775. Delivering mail has been a vital function of this quasi-governmental agency ever since. Thanks to the Postal Service, Americans could communicate inexpensively over long distances, facilitating population mobility before the age... Continue Reading →

March 13, 2019 27

The Tavern

Week 8: #52 Ancestors – Family Photo By Eilene Lyon Rather than a standard group portrait, I will share a trio of images recently added to Ancestry.com by my 4th cousin, Twinkycat. She and I met in Wisconsin in 2012. As we got acquainted over drinks, she showed me a hardbound, professionally printed copy of... Continue Reading →

March 10, 2019 20

Norman and Delores

Week 7: #52 Ancestors – Love By Eilene Lyon A long marriage doesn’t necessarily an indicate a deep love and respect, but it’s a good start. I chose this couple, my great-uncle and great-aunt, Norman and Delores Gusso, because not only did they have a long marriage, but they also have a large, close-knit family... Continue Reading →

March 7, 2019 19

The Rest of the Tour: Southwest New Mexico

By Eilene Lyon Following up on my post about the Bisti Badlands, these are some highlights from the rest of our tour of southwest New Mexico last October. From the Bisti, we continued south on NM 371 to I-40. Exiting at mile 89, we headed to a BLM campground adjacent to El Malpais National Monument... Continue Reading →

March 5, 2019 29

The Stepmother

Week 6: #52 Ancestors – Surprise By Eilene Lyon The Surprise My grandfather, Laurence M. Smith, wrote many stories about his life. I’ve already shared some on this blog. But there’s a big gap between the death of his beloved mother, Mary Lila Reams, and the beginning of his engineering career. All he said was,... Continue Reading →

March 3, 2019 29

The Found Photo Project

By Eilene Lyon A New Project Nothing thrills me more than finding photos of ancestors I’ve never seen -- the photos or the ancestors! Many are posted on Ancestry.com by distant relatives I do not even know. There are also angels out there who rescue abandoned or discarded family Bibles and photo albums, in hopes... Continue Reading →

February 28, 2019 24

Myricopia