TREE TALK

Marvin and Nina (Stearns-Smith) Banta the early years Marvin and Nina were raised in Lamar, Colorado, a small rural community in the southeast corner of Colorado.  Both families (Banta and Stearns-Smith) came to Lamar from Kansas sometime between 1910 and 1915. The Railroad Station at Lamar Lamar is a small town in southeast Colorado with a population of 8,000.  Founded in 1886, as a railroad town, it served as a transportation hub for the cattle ranches and farms in the area.  During the time they were growing up in Lamar, the city grew from a population of about 2,500 in 1915 to over 4,000 by 1930.  It is a rural area,  Here is a link with lots of information on the city of Lamar.  https://www.city-data.com/city/Lamar-Colorado.html#b Nina and Grandma Smith, Girard, KS   circa. 1912 Nina's father, Grant Stearns-Smith, widowed just weeks after Nina was born, struggled to find his way during the first few years that followed. ...

Welcome to Jerry Grandon's Family History Blog Ever since I can remember I have loved looking at pictures and hearing the stories that went with them.   It is learning history on a personal level.  It feeds my curiosity, and it feeds my craving to solve puzzles.   My hobby has evolved from looking through old photo albums, scrapbooks, microfilm, and library stacks to searching databases, email, and family forums together with countless others who share the same interest.  It is an exciting time for family research! In addition to having fun with the hobby, my ultimate goal is to put all of this together for my son Jeremy, my grandson Felix, and future generations so that they may know a little more about their family and those who came before them.  This blog is a step toward that end. I also hope this blog can become a forum for all of us to share stories and photos. To get us started, here is a great picture of Jeremy, Elizabeth, and Felix Grandon, tak...