peotter

August 17, 2026

The Children Josephine Lost

By the time Josephine (Peotter/Piotter, Dermyer) Maynard died in 1946 at the age of 52 years, four of her eight children with her second husband, Lawrence Maynard, were already gone. One died the day she was born. Another died at two from pneumonia and influenza. Eight-year-old Richard Maynard was killed in a horrifying accident at… Continue reading

paternal history

death certificate, maynard, peotter, tecumseh michigan

“The creation of a thousand forests is one acorn.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Welcome! My name is Lisa, and I’m a family historian, storyteller, and unapologetic history nerd with a deep love for discovering the ordinary people, places, and stories that came before us.

What began as curiosity about my own ancestors has grown into a passion for researching, preserving, and sharing the stories, photographs, documents, and places that connect generations across time. Along the way, I’ve discovered that some of the best stories aren’t necessarily found on my family tree. Sometimes they’re hiding in an old newspaper, a forgotten recipe, a historic place – or some random bit of history I simply can’t resist sharing.

I believe every ancestor – whether they left behind a diary or only a name on a census record – deserves to be remembered. My hope is that this site not only preserves my family’s history for future generations, but also celebrates the fascinating, surprising, and sometimes wonderfully everyday stories of the past.

Because history is everywhere. You just have to be curious enough to look.

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peotter

The Children Josephine Lost