Week 8: #52 Ancestors -- Power By Eilene Lyon “Revolutions, by their very nature, produce dilemmas of loyalty. Practically overnight men who previously had been considered good citizens find themselves suspected of treason while those who betray the existing order are hailed as heroes and patriots.” Robert F. Oakes The two men huddled through a... Continue Reading →
In the Line of Duty
Week 52: #52 Ancestors – Resolution By Eilene Lyon Katie Davis, my first cousin 2x removed, grew up near Kendrick, Idaho. She was the second child of Charles A. Davis and Minnie Holcombe. Charles was the older brother of my great-grandfather, Sterling Price Davis. Katie and her sister, Sarah, were less than two years apart... Continue Reading →
The Slide Years: Christmas Tree
By Eilene Lyon The Slide Years is a series in which I select an image my dad took from 1957-1982 with Kodachrome slide film, then I write a stream-of-consciousness essay – a sort of mini-memoir. When we arrived in Guatemala in January 1974, Christmas was the furthest thing from our minds. But as the holiday... Continue Reading →
That Is Mighty Cold
Week 51: #52 Ancestors – Winter By Eilene Lyon My grandfather, Laurence M. “Smitty” Smith left us with a small stack of typed memoirs written in brief spurts. The following passage opens a piece he titled “The Early Years.” “During the winter of 1921-22 the religious fanatics in California were predicting the end of the... Continue Reading →
A Visit to Cincinnati 1851 – Part 2
Part 1 By Eilene Lyon The canal packet Indiana – designed specifically to fit in the locks at Louisville – arrived from New Orleans on Tuesday the 11th, pulling into the public landing, a sloping embankment on the Ohio River, alongside a dozen other steamboats. Though scheduled to depart the next day, obtaining a suitable... Continue Reading →
A Red Herring
Week 49: #52 Ancestors – Oops By Eilene Lyon Yes, even experienced researchers sometimes make mistakes! Here is one of my recent bloopers. The principal protagonists in my gold rush book are my 3rd great-grandparents, Henry Zane Jenkins and his wife Abigail Gummersall Bedford. I know quite a bit about Henry’s mother, Ann Widdifield Zane,... Continue Reading →
Uncle Jim’s Letters
Week 48: #52 Ancestors – Gratitude By Eilene Lyon Even in this very trying year, there are many things to be grateful for. First, I appreciate those of you who read this blog – I know my subjects don’t have broad appeal. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. I’m extremely grateful... Continue Reading →
Top This Coincidence!
By Eilene Lyon Little Brother, who lives in the Cleveland area, sent me this image many years ago. It seems that some friends of his decided to take a vacation trip to Vancouver and Seattle back in the early 1990s. Little Brother jokingly asked them to look up his relatives who live in the Northwest.... Continue Reading →
One Good Turn…
Week 47: #52 Ancestors – Good Deeds By Eilene Lyon I’ve done a couple of posts highlighting people on my tree who have demonstrated extraordinary generosity: William Painter and Inger Boe Johnson. Undoubtedly many others have done similar acts of kindness, but those deeds have vanished in the mists of time. So I will take... Continue Reading →