A Photographic Family Tree of Louise Swartout Lindsay's Descendants

Sandy, this blog post especially for you, Sally, and Jamie.  I could put it in an email, as it isn't the usual "blog" material, but seemed to be the easiest way to share more photos of this branch of your family.  You are related to everyone in these photos except for the spouses of the Swartout-Lindsay descendants.

Since you and I are in the same generation of the family, we share the same ancestors until the birth of your grandfather, Ransom James and his sister, Louise Jeanette, so this next paragraph applies to both of us.

The farthest back I have been able to trace our family (so far) are our great-great-grandparents.  Harrison and Harriet (Murray) Swigard were the parents of our great-grandmother, Effie Jane (Swigard) Swartout.  James and Arsenith Sarah (Lewis) Swartout were the parents of our great-grandfather, Ransom Godridge Swartout.  (I found a lot of variations on the spelling of Arsenith's name, such as Asenath.  The old census reports were written by hand, and apparently cursive handwriting wasn't a strength of some of them.)

As you already know, Effie Jane and Ransom G. had two children, my grandmother, Louise Jeanette, and her brother and your grandfather, Ransom James Swartout, known to our family as Uncle Rans. At this point, our family trees diverge, so the next section will introduce you to the members of Louise's family.

Effie Jane and Ransom G. Swartout

Your grandfather, Ransom J., hugging his mom.

Ransom Godridge, unknown, unknown, unknown, Effie Jane, your mom Dorothy, and Vanda Swartout.

Louise Jeanette Swartout in her youth.

Frank and Louise Lindsay

Louise and her husband, Frank S. Lindsay, had two children, Joyce Alline and Donald Ransom, you mother's cousins.  (Side Note:  There is some debate as to whether Frank Lindsay's middle name was Sidney or Stanley, which makes the search on Ancestry a bit more difficult.  My own search turned up Frank Sidney, but he appears on other trees as Frank Stanley, which is how my dad always referred to him.)

The photos below are of the Lindsay family in southern California.  They lived in Westwood Village.  Frank was a salesman for his career, but he was also a talented golfer.  He won the California Amateur Championship one year, and many people, including a number of celebrities, would ask for him as a partner at the Riviera Golf Club.  Because it was such a passion of his, Louise also became a proficient golfer, but her special skill, of course, was the piano.  She accompanied many singers and choral groups.  Here are a few photos of their life in Los Angeles while Don and Joyce were growing up.

Frank and Louise on the shores of Lake Arrowhead where they and their children spent many summer days.

Donald Ransom and Joyce Alline Lindsay - probably in Oakland, CA

My favorite photo of Donald, my dad, as a young boy.

Donald (right) with his best friend, Marshall Thompson.  Marshall grew up to be an actor, starring in the title role of Daktari.

Joyce and Don at Lake Arrowhead

Louise Lindsay in Los Angeles

Louise at her piano

Frank Lindsay was a champion golfer.

Louise became quite proficient, as well!

Frank and Louise, my PapaFrank and PapaWeese, in about 1966.

Their daughter Joyce was an accomplished horsewoman in her youth.  She had an early marriage that produced no children, then in her mid 30s, married George Fairhurst.  Joyce and George had two children, David Ransom and Donna Rachel.  Donna is happily married to Thomas Gryn.  They live in Maryland and have no children.  David was married, now divorced, to Angela Wong, and they had two children, Andrew James and Kimberly Alice.

Joyce Alline Lindsay

Joyce in her 20s.

Joyce and her horse, Estrallita

Don spent many hours on Muscle Beach,  Venice, CA
Joyce is on his shoulders.

Paula Helen Wilbur (Don's fiance and my mom) with Joyce on Muscle Beach

Joyce Lindsay Fairhurst with her children, David Ransom and Donna Rachel.

Donna and David as children

Barbara and Robert Lindsay, my sister and brother, with David and Donna as teenagers

Donna and her husband, Tom Gryn.

Angela and David Fairhurst with their children, Kimberly and Andrew

Kimberley and Andrew Fairhurst

My favorite photo of Joyce

Joyce with my son, Brian Donald.

Louise and Frank's son, Don, my dad, was a diver and tumbler in high school and college.  (He was still doing standing back flips until the age of 50 when Mom made him give it up, as she worried he might injure himself.)  He served in the Navy during World War II, although happily he never had to go into battle.  He was stationed in the Caribbean.  He married Paula Helen Wilbur, my mom, in 1947.

Don doing his gymnastic diving.

Don on Muscle Beach

Don served in the Navy during WWII

Don and his fiancee, Paula Helen Wilbur

Paula Wilbur, Louise Lindsay, Don Lindsay

Paula and Don (Mom and Dad) at their wedding at the Stanford Chapel

Louise Lindsay, Margaret Wilbur (Paula's mother), Don and Paula, Sybil Jane (Paula's brother's wife), and Joyce.
The last two women to the right are friends, but not relatives.

Don worked for Shell Oil as a petroleum geologist for the first 25 years of his working life, then moved over to Occidental where he helped begin their geothermal energy exploration.  Our family moved frequently, living in southern California, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Texas.  In spite of Dad's busy career, he continued his life long love of movies and music.  I can remember going to sleep listening to him practicing the piano in our living rooms, wherever they happened to be.  In his retirement, he served on the boards of both the Bakersfield and the Monterey Symphonies.  But your great uncle Don had a quirky side, too.  He was also a board member on the Count Dracula Society, a Los Angeles based organization that presented annual awards to films and actors in the horror film industry.  He had a red lined cape and "fangs," caps that his dentist specially made for him to wear to the Count Dracula Club meetings.

Donald conducting the Bakersfield Symphony

A newspaper clipping of Don in his home office, surrounded by his movie memorabilia.

Paula and Don as the Frankenstein Bride and Monster at a Count Dracula Halloween Party

Don and Paula had three children, Joan Louise (me), Barbara Grace, and Robert Bruce Lindsay.

Joan Louise, Robert Bruce, and Barbara Grace

This is just one of many photos of us behind the Easter baskets that Louise sent to us wherever we were living.

Barbara, Rob, and Joan the last time we were together.

I was married from 1971 to 1998 to Daniel Henry Letlow.  Dan was a state park ranger, and we lived in several places along the central coast, including Big Sur.  We had two children, Brian Donald and Elizabeth (AKA Libby) Margaret Letlow.  In 1984, Dan returned to school to get his teaching credential, and I began my own career as a middle school teacher of English and history, and eventually as a Curriculum Director for a school district in Bakersfield.   Dan and I were divorced, and in 2001, I married Robert Kerr, a business and real estate attorney.  Rob and I are both retired and are happily exploring the world together.  We have visited 42 countries on six continents, and we haven't given up hope of seeing Antarctica yet.

Brian and Libby when they were children, playing on Lovers Point Beach in Pacific Grove

Brian and Libby with Joan more recently

Joan and Rob on a recent trip to Vietnam.

Rob and Joan at Bora Bora

Brian is married to Deena Liane (Hansen) and they have one son, my grandson Lucas Riley Letlow, age 8.  They live in Bakersfield, CA where Brian is the IT manager for a large accounting firm.

Brian, Luke, and Deena Letlow

Luke with our dog, Maggie

My grandchildren, Luke Letlow and Ruby Thompson

Libby had a previous marriage to Daniel Thompson, and they had one daughter, my granddaughter, Ruby June Thompson, now 20.  Libby is now living in Burbank with her significant other, Walt Gray.  They both work in the film industry. Ruby is taking some time off from college and trying to figure out what she would like to do.

Elizabeth (Libby) Letlow with her "significant other" Walt Gray IV

Ruby and Joan

Libby with her daughter, Ruby

Libby was an instructor at L.A. Puppet School
She was the puppeteer for an L.A. production of "Little Shop of Horrors"

Libby starred in a steampunk short, "Cowboys and Engines"

My sister, Barbara, is married to Bill Selig.  They have no children and live in Shoreline, just north of Seattle.  Babs is an actress and award-winning playwright, (under the name Barbara Lindsay.)  Her plays have been produced all over the world, and she and I had the fun of seeing one of them performed in Madrid last year.

My sister Barbara and Bill Selig, trying out a new skill, ax throwing.  

Barbara and a poster for her play "This Almost Joy" in Madrid, Spain last year.

My brother Rob is a retired biology teacher living in Santa Barbara.  He was the science department chair for many years at Carpinteria High School.  He was married to Dreena O'Connor and their marriage produced my two beautiful nieces, Sarah Marie and Rachel Taylor.  They were divorced quite a number of years ago, but Dreena remains very close with our family.  Rob is remarried now to Chris Alderman, who was a midwife.  Sarah is married to Sam Cummings.  They have been living and teaching in Madrid for the last two years.  They do not yet have any children.  Rachel is living and working in northern California.

My brother Rob's first wife, Dreena, Rob, and daughters, Rachel (in front) and Sarah.

Sarah, Rob, and Rachel

Dreena, Sarah with new husband Sam Cummings, and Rachel

Rob and his wife, Chris, with my grandson, Luke a few years ago.

And to close, here's a photo of almost the entire Lindsay clan - one of the rare times we all get together.  We gathered in Pacific Grove for Dad's memorial service following his death in November, 2017.

Pao and Grayson Peters (Chris's son and his wife), Tasha Roberts (Chris's daughter), Chris Alderman Lindsay, Barbara Selig, (peeking out from behind me), me, Rob Lindsay, Rachel Lindsay, Luke with my daughter--in-law, Deena,  my son Brian behind her, my daughter Libby, Dreena Lindsay, my granddaughter, Ruby, and Barbara's husband, Bill Selig.