By Eilene Lyon We recently took a scenic tour of the Rocky Mountains, with the Canadian Rockies as the apex of the trip. Total mileage: 4,400, very little of it on freeways. The only planned stop, and reserved camp site, was for our first night, at Rifle Falls State Park. The campground has a dozen... Continue Reading →
Busybody Takes a Break
By Eilene Lyon Since my second book launched last fall, I have been working less at writing and more at re-engaging with my home, my other interests, and community. It has involved a fair amount of volunteer time lately, so my blogging has been minimal. Now it’s time for a full break from it all.... Continue Reading →
A Case of Bastardy
By Eilene Lyon My recent genealogical research has included using a new feature available at Family Search, the free genealogy site owned by the LDS Church. They are now using A.I. to search some of the handwritten documents in their vast collection. This is an A.I. application I can heartily approve. There will never be... Continue Reading →
From the Vault: These Boots…
By Eilene Lyon …are made for working. If you wander through our yard and look carefully, you might spy two pair of boots, in an advanced state of decay. They may seem an odd choice for landscape décor. Let me explain… Back in 2008, I made a major pivot in my “career.” (I use quotation... Continue Reading →
Drafted and Disabled
By Eilene Lyon Last month I shared some background on my Arbogast ancestors who migrated to Ohio from Alsace, France. Of the Arbogast children who traveled with their parents to America, my 3rd great-grandfather was John C. Arbogast Jr. He was 12 when he landed in Tuscarawas County in 1840. He still lived with his... Continue Reading →
A Brief Citizenship
By Eilene Lyon A record group I have not delved into much is naturalization records in the United States. Of course, someone who came to America from Great Britain prior to the Revolution had no need to file for citizenship. My 4th great-grandfather, Thomas Bedford, was born in Old Sampford, Essex, England, in 1765 to... Continue Reading →
The Mini Time Machine
By Eilene Lyon While on vacation in southern Arizona earlier this month, I headed into Tucson to visit a museum. The one I selected was The Mini Time Machine: Museum of Miniatures. Probably what immediately comes to mind are dollhouses. And yes, there are quite a few of those here, but much, much more. In... Continue Reading →
Alsace Emigrants
By Eilene Lyon It’s time I shared a bit about a neglected line on my family tree, the Arbogasts of Alsace. They immigrated from a tiny village or commune in the Bas-Rhin department of France called Rittershoffen. The prefecture (capital) of Bas-Rhin is Strasbourg, a major city on the Upper Rhine River. Rittershoffen is about... Continue Reading →
The Drought Diaries: Sad Sonoran
By Eilene Lyon I’m spending this week on a solo camping trip at the Tucson Mountain Park, the largest county park in the U.S. at 60,000 acres. Here in southern Arizona, I’m on the eastern edge of the Sonoran Desert, which encompasses northwestern Sonora, Mexico, most of Baja, and a small section of southeastern California.... Continue Reading →