Week 13: #52Ancestors – Light a Candle By Eilene Lyon Both my parents turn 87 this year. I have no way of knowing if they will make it to 90 or not (we do hope so!), but there is some precedent for achieving that milestone or more in my family tree. This is just a... Continue Reading →
Just-a-Mere Clubs
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 →
Tents and Trailers
Week 8: #52Ancestors – I Can Identify By Eilene Lyon With the weather sort-of thinking along the lines of spring, I’m anticipating some camping trips around the state. It seems I’ve been a camper my entire life. My parents took us camping throughout the eastern states and in Oregon while I was growing up. For... Continue Reading →
Only The Good…
Week 9: #52Ancestors – Gone Too Soon By Eilene Lyon There’s no shortage of sad tales about infant/toddler deaths in any family tree. I’m more drawn to the tales of young people who had time to develop their personalities, who had an excellent chance at surviving to adulthood (or did), or of having long lives.... Continue Reading →
College Boy
Week 3: #52Ancestors – Out of Place By Eilene Lyon My grandfather, Laurence M. Smith aka Smitty, was the only one in his family to attend college. He earned his degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Idaho in 1931, which eventually led to a very successful career with the Army Corps of Engineers.... Continue Reading →
The Pioneer Association
Week 2: #52Ancestors - Favorite Photo By Eilene Lyon Before I began researching my family, I knew nothing about my great-grandmother, Clara P. (Ransom) Davis. She died in 1953, well before I came along. I had never been to Moscow, Idaho, prior to 2013, even though three generations of my ancestors are buried there and... Continue Reading →
Bed to Bench
Week 40: #52 Ancestors – Preservation By Eilene Lyon Back in the early 20th century, my great-grandparents, Clara Pearl (Ransom) and Sterling Price Davis, pooled their resources and bought a farm near Moscow, Idaho. I’ve written about this beautiful property several times before. The current owner, Kathy, who bought the property from Clara and Sterling’s... Continue Reading →
The Mrs. Problem
Week 44: #52 Ancestors – Shadows By Eilene Lyon My current WIP is a book about Colorado pioneers, told in light of the cemeteries they are buried in. One I visited on our way back from Denver is called Cleora Cemetery, near Salida in Chaffee County. It is considered a “boot hill” cemetery. People buried... Continue Reading →
Ella’s Kids
Week 41: #52 Ancestors – Passed Down By Eilene Lyon There’s no question that my favorite family to write about is the Ransom family. What a great name! The Ransoms loved to stand out: ambitious, adventurous, tragic, a bit crazy at times. Never dull. This is probably one of the more sedate stories, but a... Continue Reading →