“The Betsy Ross,” by Sears

Of the 370 models that Sears offered, 107 Sears Homes were named after cities in Illinois. A few others were named after famous figures in American history, such as the Martha Washington and the Betsy Ross. The Martha Washington was a massive two-story Dutch Colonial....

Homer and His Daughters

In the 1880 Federal Census, my great, great grandfather (Homer Hoyt) is listed as “Homah Hoyt.” Homer was from Vermont (and living in Lake Mills, WI at the time) and I can just hear the long-time New Englander telling the census taker, “Ah said, mah...

The Martha Washington: Honor Bilt

Before I had my own websites, I didn’t realize that you can track the ways that people are led to your website. For instance, today several people came to this site with the search terms “Martha Washington Sears House.”  These things come in waves....