FAQ

What is the purpose of the site?

The purpose of the site is to store and make easily available photos of the Shomaker extended family and any related history, geneology or other research.

How is it organized?

As of December, 2020, there are three primary sections, yet only two in active use. On the main menu, the “JMS-ENS” will ultimately house photos from John & Betsy’s family. “MES-JLS” includes photos beginning with their marriage in 1955 and family photos through approximately 2017. Monte was an avid photographer and June maintained creating annual albums after his passing in 1995. If you click on the MES-JLS menu, you can then select photos from specific years.

Within the MES-JLS menu, there are also photos from “Pre-1950” (some dating to the late-1800s). Whereas the post-1955 photos don’t require annotation, the site includes a separate page with the names and dates for each of the Pre-1950s photos for the Lyon, Norwood, and Shomaker families.

Lastly, there’s a third section called “Geneology”, which today has two sections: “Lyon-European History”, and “Lyon-1800s Geneology”. The former is a synthesis of 15-20 articles highlighting our lineage from the Lyons family in France, then to England, then to Scotland, and ultimately to the United States and Michigan, where Hartzell Lyon was born and raised. It’s fascinating history and likely our most direct, sustained family line - and one of nobility! The latter page is 10, or so, scanned pages of names, dates, letters, and family trees related to the Lyon family dating to the 1800s.

Can I enlarge the photos on the screen?

When you arrive at a particular photo page, the photos are displayed as large thumbnails, four to a row. To view a larger version of the photo on the screen, simply click on the photo. You can also scan through the photos in this enlarged mode, simply using the left and right arrows on your keyboard or clicking on the left and right arrows on the screen. To exit this mode, click on the photo again or press your <esc> key.

Can I download photos for printing?

It doesn’t appear as though Squarespace stores the photos in high-resolution mode. You can right-click on an enlarged photo and save it to your computer, but I believe it will be in lower-resolution (which is more than adequate for viewing online or on phones, but likely not adequate for high-resolution printing. Contact me if you want particular photos, since I have the original scans which are in high-resolution.

How do I return to the main menu?

Simply click on the Shomaker (and sneaker) icon at the top-middle of the screen. Scroll up if you don’t see it on your particular page/screen.