By Eilene Lyon Since I come from people who were always on the move, it’s unusual to find an ancestor who was not. My 2nd great-grandfather, Martin Smith, spent his entire long life (more than 98 y…| Myricopia
By Eilene Lyon The mystery about this portrait isn’t “Who,” but all the other Ws and Hs of inquiry. The subject is my mother, Sylvia Jean (Smith) Halse (1936–2023). It’s been a little over two years since Mom died. My brother and I were just hours too late getting to Oregon for a final goodbye.... Continue Reading →| Myricopia
By Eilene Lyon During the days when dirt and manure still muddied Durango streets, commercial construction boomed. In the early twentieth century, Durango had admirable aspirations. Though she woul…| Myricopia
By Eilene Lyon By the time the 1958 episode of TV’s “This is Your Life” aired, Olga Little was already a Colorado legend. She ran her pack string of burros for nearly 30 years (1909-1947) and…| Myricopia
By Eilene Lyon Durango has long had a spring and fall gallery walk downtown on a Friday evening. Recently, the Durango Creative District has begun a First Friday studio/gallery tour. On August 1, my sculptor friend, Suzie, invited The Putterer and me to join her at the Smiley Building on E. 2nd Ave. to celebrate... Continue Reading →| Myricopia
By Eilene Lyon It’s time for some shots from our feeder-cam! I’ve had to take it down for the summer because of a bear wandering the neighborhood. He dismantled my compost bin twice, so…| Myricopia
By Eilene Lyon I spoke with my dad the other day. He was widowed not long ago. Even more recently he turned 89. He says his memory isn’t great, so he’s been asking me questions. One is a query I answer regularly (and reluctantly), so I thought I’d share it here for posterity. “How did... Continue Reading →| Myricopia
By Eilene Lyon Our time in Canada (9 days) was all about the scenery. But first, we had a problem to deal with. While driving over Beartooth Pass in Wyoming, we started hearing a grinding noise from the van’s rear brakes. Being a Friday, The Putterer arranged for a Monday emergency appointment at the Ford... Continue Reading →| Myricopia
By Eilene Lyon After our visit to Rifle Falls State Park, we spent the next five days taking scenic routes from Colorado to Canada. We drove through Meeker (been there before) and stopped in Craig …| Myricopia
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, …| Myricopia
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 gr…| Myricopia
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…| Myricopia
Week 1: #52 Ancestors – Foundations By Eilene Lyon This week’s theme brought to mind a 3rd great-granduncle, Isaac T. Bedford, who had a career as a bricklayer in 19th-century Philadelphia. Isaac’s…| Myricopia
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…| Myricopia
By Eilene Lyon My 3rd great-grandmother, Abigail “Abby” (Bedford) Jenkins (1801–1882) had seven surviving siblings and one who died as an infant. I’ve written about several of them, as well as abou…| Myricopia
By Eilene Lyon My Colorado home experiences exquisite sunrises and sunsets on a regular basis. It takes only a few clouds to add rich hues to our morning and evening skies. Whenever I find startlin…| Myricopia
By Eilene Lyon (of course) I normally keep all my book-promotion-related material on my author website. But I do have some news to share. I hope (ahem) that you won’t be terribly put out. My …| Myricopia
By Eilene Lyon Evelyn Ethel (Halse) Hansen (1913–1981) Evelyn was the eighth-born child of Mabel Cutting and Guy Halse. According to my great-aunt, she was the “black sheep” of the family who avoid…| Myricopia
Found Photo Project #8 By Eilene Lyon This portrait of actor David R. Young was taken in Boston in 1896. He inscribed it to his mother, who lived in Connecticut (as did he). How it wound up in an a…| Myricopia
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 v…| Myricopia
