By Eilene Lyon My mom, like her mother before her, did a lot of sewing early in her marriage. One of the last vestiges of those days is her “button box,” which I’ve inherited. I loved rooting around the button collection as a kid. For some reason, I still have a thing about saving extra... Continue Reading →
Swiss Accounts
By Eilene Lyon A Visit to Ancestral Homes A couple of years before I did my DNA testing, The Putterer and I went on vacation to Switzerland, Strasbourg, and western Germany. We went to the German village, Heidelsheim, that my Springer family emigrated from in the 1800s. What I did not know at the time... Continue Reading →
The Eckermann Addition
Found Photo Project #7-B By Eilene Lyon Last September I shared this portrait of the Eckermann family on their Idaho ranch. I said that I hadn’t found any other images of the family, but I was incorrect. I purchased two other photos in the same store at the same time. The name Eckermann does not... 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 →
Feathered Follies
By Eilene Lyon For my recent birthday, The Putterer got me a bird feeder with a remote camera built in. I can manually take photos and videos of the birds with an app that I monitor. It also has a motion detector and takes pictures when I'm not watching. About 99% of the birds coming... Continue Reading →
From the Vault: Embroidery
By Eilene Lyon Maybe this has happened to you: You have a memory associated with something that’s been in your family many years, and you’re sure you recall the story behind it. But then, you doubt your recollection. That’s how I feel about this stunning piece of embroidery. I brought it home with me when... Continue Reading →
RIP: Clara J. Bedford
Last summer I published a post about Clara's post-Civil War trip to Philadelphia, based on a letter she wrote to her aunt, Abigail (Bedford) Jenkins, in May 1865. What I did not relate to you at the time was that Clara had a rather brief life. Clara was born in 1845 in Springboro, Ohio, where... Continue Reading →
Farm Boy to Businessman
In all my years of family history blogging, I see I have somewhat neglected my maternal great-grandfather. This is the story of his life from 1867 to 1917, as told by my grandfather. By Laurence M. Smith, edited by Eilene Lyon Charles Edward Smith was my father, as well as the father of four other... Continue Reading →
The Time, She Flies
By Eilene Lyon I often take a break in January and thus miss my blogging anniversary. Last year I bowed out in January and for six weeks in October and November in order to complete a book manuscript. Not surprisingly, I wrote only 41 posts in 2023 (a record low after 2022’s 43 posts). My... Continue Reading →