memoir
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Between the Lines: Miriam (Dewing) Manly’s Story
When Adin Manly, my 4X great grand uncle, recorded the story of leaving Massachusetts for the wilds of upstate New York in February 1817, he described the journey in practical terms: he and his new wife, Miriam, were married on January 17 and a month later they set out with a group and three yoke… Continue reading
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Adin Manly: In His Own Words – A Pioneer’s Journey to Western New York
Every so often in genealogy, we are fortunate enough to find more than names, dates, and places. We find a voice. Adin Manly (1793-1867), the younger brother of my 4X great grandfather, Howard Manly (1791-1852) was born in Taunton, Massachusetts in 1793. Like so many young New Englanders of his generation, Adin eventually turned his… Continue reading
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The Saddest Record: Rose Wilder Lane’s Only Child
Rose Wilder Lane (1886-1968) is remembered as the only surviving child of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Almanzo Wilder, and as an accomplished writer and journalist in her own right. But tucked quietly among the records of her long and remarkable life is a heartbreaking chapter that is rarely mentioned. On November 23, 1909, two days… Continue reading
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In Grandma’s Own Words: The Memories of Elizabeth (Maynard) Manley (1907-1998)
As a child growing up in the 1960s and 1970s I have fond memories of visiting my paternal grandparents in Tecumseh, Michigan. A couple of Sundays a month, my dad would load my mom and the children (my brothers, Jeff, Stephen, and I) into the car and make the 45-minute drive north from Toledo, Ohio… Continue reading
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Growing Up in Tecumseh: One Woman’s Memories of a Simpler Time Part 3
When I was nine we moved to the fire station and dad became the full-time truck driver and station manager. We lived in a large apartment above the station. Bob and I loved all the activity of living down town. It was a great adventure. Especially for Bob as the train tracks were just outside… Continue reading
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Growing Up in Tecumseh: One Woman’s Memories of a Simpler Time Part 2
Milk was delivered by the milkman (Art Deffler) who put it in the refrigerator if we weren’t home. The door was never locked. We bought our groceries at Andersons down town in Tecumseh. We didn’t have a car so the groceries were delivered by horse and buggy by Ernie Van Vleet. Mother would usually go… Continue reading
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Growing Up in Tecumseh: One Woman’s Memories of a Simpler Time Part 1
Some time ago my paternal Aunt, Marilyn Ruth (Manley) Kilbourn, my father’s sister, emailed me a document she’d written of her childhood memories growing up in Tecumseh, Michigan in the late 1930’s through the 1940’s. I have read the many pages at least half a dozen times and with each reading, I’m transported to a… Continue reading
Tiny Acorns & Mighty Oaks 