Exploring the Past to Improve the Future
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Week 4: #52 Ancestors – I’d like to meet… By Eilene Lyon First off, my 4th-great-grandmother would probably not be pleased with that title – she was a deeply religious woman, after all. But I do know she had a sense of humor, which I’ll share with you later. Ann Widdifield Zane was born in... Continue Reading →
Week 3: #52 Ancestors – Unusual Name By Eilene Lyon How my great-great-grandmother, Meltha Lucinda, came by her name is a mystery. There is a place name “Meltha” in the Domesday book. It’s located in West Yorkshire and now known as “Meltham.”1 It’s not a particularly common name.2 One thing is clear: Meltha Lucinda Painter... Continue Reading →
Week 2: #52 Ancestors – Challenge By Eilene Lyon Meet Eliza Jane Drake Eliza Jane Drake was the daughter of Samuel and Eliza Drake (b. 1792, b. 1794). The Drakes were of English descent and lived in the village of Killyleagh, County Down, Northern Ireland. Eliza Jane was born in 1822.1 Eliza Jane fell in... Continue Reading →
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What I Wish I Knew Before I Retired
Life is a series of transitions, and so is the retirement journey.
Creative, non-monetary forms of payment
Random musings on style and substance
Where the locals go, because the locals know!
Internet home for Marie Zhuikov: Blogger, Author, Poet, Photographer
Reflections of an inquiring retiree ...
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A Blog of Retirement and Related Thoughts
I write about genealogy on this site. Come see what's going on!
Fun With Genealogy
Discover and re-discover Mexico’s cuisine, culture and history through the recipes, backyard stories and other interesting findings of an expatriate in Canada
Navigating the second half of my life
The people, places, and things that make the Willamette Valley shine
Journeys Through the Second Half of Life
Doing the best I can to keep it on the bright side
Quips, Quotes; How To and How Knot To
Author, Speaker, Family Historian
thoughts about life from below the surface
Myricopia 