Gregory Nelson Rye was born in the Riverside, California
Community Hospital on January 9, 1965. There were some problems
so it was a week before he returned to the family home on Gramercy
in La Sierra, California.
In this picture taken on February 14th, 1965, his Mother, Donna,
is ready to take Gregory to Pastor Miller’s Hope Lutheran Church on
Arlington Blvd in Riveside, California for his baptisimal rites.
His middle name holds an immigrant’s tale. His pateral grandfather
was born Gullik Rye in Valdres, Norway.When he arrived in this
country people encouraged him to Americanize his name so it took
his fathers’s name , Nels,and changed his last name to son of Nels or
Nelson.This proved to be problematic for in Porter, Mn. there were
countless Nelsons. As a farmer, he sold a load of hogs and another
Nelson received the mailed check; my Mother, Emma Thompson
Rye, went into the bank and paid off a loan and some other Nelson
was credited for it. My Father went to Court and changed his name
back to Rye.
Greg an Lisa’s first child, Samuel was also given the middle name
of Nelson.Samuel’s picture will be featured in a latter blog