Joseph La Duke
Clarissa Amelia Frink La Duke
Ella and Ellen (Dollie) La Duke Continue reading “Clarissa Amelia Frink and Joseph La Duke”
Author: Ann Marie Bryant
As of late, I am a sixty-something grandmother who loves to write. Since I come from a long line of storytellers, I believe it's time to share those stories and preserve our family history. My hope is that my family will treasure these memories as much as I do!
The Ghost on Lincoln Avenue
Laughter behind closed doors sent shivers, and when explored, opened doors would not always close, no matter how hard we pushed on them.
While living on the small island nestled in the San Francisco Bay, I often overheard bizarre tales of supernatural events that took place in some of the Victorian homes around Alameda. As a skeptical teenager, I would listen politely but believed such events only transpired in the overactive imagination of the “storyteller,” that is until strange things began happening in my own home. Continue reading “The Ghost on Lincoln Avenue”
The Haunting of Salem
In the cold of winter, a darkness spread through the town of Salem, Massachusetts. The people of this village were haunted by the fears of the unknown. Whispered worries about a force of evil from the realms of hell created a mass hysteria that flowed through the town and caused panic, discord, and even murder, for a civilized people truly believed that witches walked among them, and they believed these spirits came to cause them harm. Continue reading “The Haunting of Salem”
Our Little Terror
Off came the clothes, and over the fence they would fly!
Today, David, my younger brother, who left this world last summer, has weighed heavily on my mind. I miss him so much. Today, at school, two of my kiddos wanted to spend lunch with me, and the three of us started sharing fun-loving stories about younger siblings. One of my students started laughing about a sister who would not keep her clothes on when she was a little tyke, and I immediately began to laugh and think about my own little streaker when he was just a boy. Continue reading “Our Little Terror”
Rest in Peace Grandma Rebecca: When Research Goes Awry
My misguided research had me “barking up the wrong tree.”
Well, it was true; I must admit that I have made mistakes when it comes to my family tree. In the beginning, when I first started on Ancestry.com, I would just click away, swinging from one family branch to the next. As my family tree grew, I became zealous and excited. Stories and histories swirled around in my head as I tried to piece and organize all the family details that I had discovered. Finally, I knew I had to start writing these stories down, so they would not become lost, and so I would not confuse all the data that my research revealed. Continue reading “Rest in Peace Grandma Rebecca: When Research Goes Awry”
Finding My Way Home
For me, Hotchkiss, Colorado is more than just a place on the map or a spot on the road; it’s a place of dreams and promises, where pioneer families came, built their homes and left a legacy. Continue reading “Finding My Way Home”
One More Day
Suddenly
Majestic
Anything But Math!
I was thrilled to have my degree, but I do remember happily declaring, “No more math!”
Let me just say that math has never truly been my thing. When I was attending a community college, I saved my math courses for last. Since I started college as a late bloomer, I knew I would eventually have to take my math classes if I wanted to transfer to the university with my associate’s degree in hand. Still, I put it off. In my mind, I just figured if I passed everything else, I would just have to put my fears aside and just dive in. That last semester I took algebra and statistics, and I was in math hell. I never worked so hard in all my life! Continue reading “Anything But Math!”
Tales of a Family 